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Altair Planetary Eypiece

andrew63

By andrew63
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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alan potts

alan potts

Posted
Posted

It has always interested me that there are a good few in this range, If you look at the Teleskop Services site, which is a German outlet, you will see the full range under the Astro Pro label, something I first saw in America if I recall. Howevr WO only pick up the 3mm 6mm and 12.mm from this range, I would like to know why.

WO in my books use their name on good equipment and are a quality marque.

Alan

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andrew63

andrew63

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Of course we will never know Alan. But i would not be surprised if you took them apart, the glass would be identical.  A nice box and the swan logo and  a pretty good reputation is enough for people wiling to pay the extra pounds for.

andrew

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alan potts

alan potts

Posted
Posted

Moffer,

The simple answer is no, we can only guess really but if we didn't do that the thread count on SGL would be a bit lower and so would mine. It is not that often anyone gets a chance to compare two we believe to be the same in the same scope at the same time.

Alan. 

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Dave In Vermont

Dave In Vermont

Posted
Posted

The suspicions, though, are well founded. Many times someone will pull-up the data proving that Product X being sold by the XYZ Company as their own - is the very same Product X being sold by the ZYX Company as their own, too. And that they are both made in the same factory in China.

I don't think this is a bad thing, as long as it's a good product. Just do your homework so you get the best price.

Clear Skies,

Dave

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Dave In Vermont

Dave In Vermont

Posted
Posted

Dave,

I am sure you are correct but let me take you back to Thursady was it, another reason I like Tele-Vue, they don't copy, they are copied :grin: :grin: .

Alan

For the most part, you are quite right. Except when they were offering a 8mm - 24mm Zoom EP. Until someone, or ones, blew the whistle by pointing out that these $200 Zooms were the very same Zoom's being sold by Vixen and Celestron. For around $100-ish.

When confronted, TeleVue defended themselves by stating that they only picked out the very best of each production run. No one bought that excuse. And TeleVue withdrew their branded ones from the market. :Envy:;)

Clear & Dark Skies,

Dave

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alan potts

alan potts

Posted
Posted

Dave,

I will take back what I said, I have never heard that before, lets put it down to an error of judgemnet by management. I am surprised but thinking back one of the long term members of SGL bought a zoom that was not the short Nagler zooms and either sent it back or got rid because it was basically rubbish.

Alan

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  • 3 weeks later...
Charic

Charic

Posted
Posted

Interesting EP's. However, I have just managed to source me a WO 6mm SPL for a similar price. Just watching the clouds roll in as I type this thread  :clouds1: .

WOW!  JUST TESTED MY WO 6MM SPL

I have just put the telescope out to hopefully set up my latest Telrad addition, and the Moon is visible between a gap in the clouds........I`m hoping for better weather about 2300? 

The telescope has not had time to cool, but I popped the 6mm in and  what an incredible view for my old eyes, just spectacular. The 1mm exit pupil does  cut the mustard!  I even had a look at 400X (2xB) truly amazing. Cant wait for the scope to cool properly. :grin:  :grin:  :grin:  :grin:

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John

John

Posted
Posted

For the most part, you are quite right. Except when they were offering a 8mm - 24mm Zoom EP. Until someone, or ones, blew the whistle by pointing out that these $200 Zooms were the very same Zoom's being sold by Vixen and Celestron. For around $100-ish.

When confronted, TeleVue defended themselves by stating that they only picked out the very best of each production run. No one bought that excuse. And TeleVue withdrew their branded ones from the market. :Envy:;)

Clear & Dark Skies,

Dave

The Tele Vue 8-24 zoom was made by Vixen for Tele Vue and you can, or could, buy a Vixen branded version but it may have been less expensive than the TV branded version. Vixen were also making gear for Orion (USA) and Celestron a decade or so back so there may well have been Vixen made zooms with those brandings on as well.  I also believe the Nagler 3-6mm and 2-4mm zooms are made by Vixen for Tele Vue and these have a much better reputation of course. Vixen have made other products for Tele Vue in the past including other eyepieces and an equatorial mount which was basically the Polaris mount.

I don't think the Vixen / TV 8-24 zoom was rubbish but it was more "middle of the road" than we are used to from Tele Vue. I think the Baader 8-24 zoom would probably out perform it optically plus it's specs are a bit better.

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Charic

Charic

Posted
Posted

.........session over! Vega, Capella, M31 and (especially the Moon) all looking good through the WO 6mm. I'm very impressed with the results. Why wasn't my  6mm TMB Planetary II as good as this?  The scope has had several hours to cool, and the Airy Disk was/is  perfect.

I do like the diffraction spikes from bright blue/white Stars.The telescope is back in doors now, 'warming' but apart from the street light pollution and the bright Moon glow, I've had an interesting night.

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  • 2 years later...
cloudsweeper

cloudsweeper

Posted
Posted

Interesting thread I'm hoping to resurrect since I'm thinking about improving on my S/W UWA Planetary 6/58.

It looks like the S/W is the same as the TMB , which is also perhaps the same as the Antares W70 (but the S/W is 58*!?).

So I'm looking at the WO SPL LER, since it has a "better" construction (7/4) than the 5-element modified Plossl of the Skywatcher.  But for less money, there's the Altair Lightwave with the same specs, which is reputedly the same EP!

All rather confusing, and I don't want to save a few quid if I'm not getting the same quality.

Any guidance from those in the know would be most welcome!

Doug.

 

 

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John

John

Posted
Posted

I've not used any of the eypieces mentioned but if I needed to pick one it would be the William Optics SPL because I've read consistently good reports on that range over the years from people who's views I respect. eg:

http://www.astromart.com/reviews/article.asp?article_id=629

Some of the Antares W70's are (or were) actually Skywatcher 66 degree UWA's in an alloy cover. You just can't quite tell what you are getting these days :rolleyes2:

post-3933-14071846416478.jpg

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ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

I have the 6mm Altair and as far as I can tell it is identical to the WO. Exactly the same specification and even the same same shape on the outside. The Altair has a blue band the WO is red if I recall.

All I can say is it works well, similar to my BST Explorers. I bought it because of the Explorers, the jump from 5mm to 8mm was a bit much so I wanted a 6mm. The scope it is used on is a small short f/5 achro. The 6mm gives me about 60x so as said small and short. The Altair fitted the requirements. I do not really compare eyepieces, to me they work or they don't.

The WO selection is somewhat restricted compared to the Altair selection and the Altair selection ends at 12.5mm. So if you want "wide field" then not the ideal range. I cannot find who is the original source, from what I have it is not Barsta, maybe Longprng or UO. Would like to know who as then I may be able to find if there is a 4mm in the series and then locate a supplier.

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parallaxerr

parallaxerr

Posted
Posted

I had the full range of Altair LER's, very solid performers. I'm pretty sure they're Long Perng, see here http://www.longperng.com.tw/goods.php?act=list&catId=36

Altairs other EP lines seem to match Long Perng specs too.

No 4mm unfortunately and nothing over 18mm. I only upgraded to another EP line to get a larger range of FL's.

 

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ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, cloudsweeper said:

Same specs and shape - what about such things as coatings?  Do you reckon there'd be much/any difference there?

Doug.

One aspect of coatings on eyepiece that I find odd is we look at them and decide how they look - good, mediocre, poor. But we look at the eyepiece by holding it in a hand and reflecting light off of it and back to us, just the way we stare into an objective. However the coating should be "different". An eyepiece is passing light out of the system, what reflects off the top surface of an eyepiece is sort of immaterial or at least undefined. We put our eye and head in the way and there is no light coming in to be reflected. An eyepiece need transmission coatings not anti-reflection coatings, the light path through the system is in effect reversed for an eyepiece.

Now I have no idea how the specifications would differ between anti-reflection and transmission but I suspect that the 2 should differ, even though I equally suspect they are treated and manufactured the same.

Does make the topic of eyepiece coatings a bit undefined as to what they should be, or appear like.

Jon, thaanks thought I had seen them but no time to search. So no 4mm, shame would have been a good option and there seems a bit of a gap for a decent 4mm at reasonable cost.

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