Astro Hutech orthoscopics

[MahlerMoonMan]

Hi folks

I've been looking at the above EPs on FLO ....  How good are they?  I'm thinking particularly of the 4, 5 and 6mm focal lengths to give me higher powers on my Orion ED80 f7.5.  I know they don't boast the widest of apparent field of view but I'm more interested in sharp, clear optics for viewing lunar, planetary and double stars .... Are these 'orthoscopics' a true 'premium quality' option?  Or, should I just save for a TV nagler 3-6mm zoom? 

Donaldo

[Stu]

Hi Donaldo,

I would say yes they are premium quality (outside ZAOs and the like). The are very sharp, have excellent contrast and scatter control. I have a set of BGO's with a couple of Hutechs to fill gaps I had and they are optically pretty much indistinguishable.

One thing to watch out for is the eye relief. It gets shorter with focal length so the 4mm will be pretty tight. Having said that, I used to limit myself to 7mm and above, but have added a 6 and a 5mm and like them both.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[John]

I can fully confirm what Stu says Donaldo. I've used all the Astro Hutechs and compared them extensively to Baader GO's and Fujiyama orthos over the part 12 months and I can't see any differences in optical performance at all. They are all very good 

The only thing that I have noticed is that the 6mm and 18mm Astro Hutech's are not par-focal with the rest of the range but need around 8mm of additional outward focuser travel.

The eye relief on the 4mm is very tight and the eye lens is very small too making finding the view challenging in the dark !

I've also compared them to the Nagler 3-6 zoom as it happens as I've owned one of those while I've had the orthos on loan for testing. Optically the Astro Hutech's are just a touch better than the zoom showing just a little less light scatter around bright objects. The zoom is an extremely flexible tool though, has much more eye relief and is the equivalent of having at least 4 excellent eyepieces in one, deployable with a slight twist of a ring, which for many might overcome the very slight performance difference - and it is slight.

Hope that helps

[alan potts]

I only have the 12.5mm version but would agree with what Stu and John say. If I ever get over to England again I will buy the 5mm but consider the 4mm will be short on eye-relief for me to use.

Alan

[Pig]

Donaldo,

Slightly more expensive are the Vixen SLV's, the views are sharper than anything else I have used and they have 20mm eyerelief.

On nights of good seeing I use the 2.5mm in my 80mm frac (Lunar only) I also have the 4, & 6mm and they are excellemt.

I switched from the Nagler zoom to the SLV range.

[Dude_with_the_tube]

orthos will give you sharp and clear images Donaldo,but will also give you tight eye relief on high mag focal length in likes of 4-6mm.Quite a lot of people dont like orthos for that. 5 and 6mm have reasonable ER,where 4mm is like looking through soda straw.Could be a challenge and strongly suggested not to try that on a cold night

However,orthos barlow very well ,as such, 10mm or 12mm ortho barlowed will give you good eye relief and good,sharp quality image with less strain and possibility of having the ortho permanently attached to your eye ball.good quality barlow will be beneficial like:TV 1.25" 2x 

[John]

Donaldo,

Slightly more expensive are the Vixen SLV's, the views are sharper than anything else I have used and they have 20mm eyerelief.

On nights of good seeing I use the 2.5mm in my 80mm frac (Lunar only) I also have the 4, & 6mm and they are excellemt.

I switched from the Nagler zoom to the SLV range.

Good call Shaun - the SLV 6mm was just as good as the Baader GO 6mm optically and much easier to look through 

[Jim Steele]

Good call Shaun - the SLV 6mm was just as good as the Baader GO 6mm optically and much easier to look through

Johns own review on the SLV range are found here... http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/217971-vixen-slv-eyepiece-report-6mm-12mm-and-20mm/#entry2341288

I am really tempted by them as an alternate to BGOs/Hutechs so saving the pennies until I decide which to get.