My final eyepieces?

[YKSE]

Here's a picture of my latest addition to my EP case:

Another picture with 24mm 68deg Maxvision and Baader Zoom added for size comparison:

RKE 28mm is kind of famous for its floating effect, I'll see if I can find out what it means, it does come with hilarious big eye-guide:

First light will be in a couple of weeks as earliest, as forecast looks like for the moment.

[John]

Interesting addition

I was reading about the RKE's "floating" effect just a few days ago. I think I've experienced something similar with the old "smoothside" Meade 40mm 3000 eyepiece where you held your eye a bit above the top of the eyepiece and the starfield in view seemed to rise up to meet your eye and the eyepiece seemed to disappear. It sounds odd but I think I know what they mean by it. I'll be interested to see what you make of it.

[YKSE]

Yes, I understand that the long ER makes it more difficult to hold on the correct distance, it seems that some had too much difficulty to enjoy it. I'll keep my fingers crossed

[Dude_with_the_tube]

very nice indeed. Nikons look fantastic! RKE is a great eye piece and yes you do get the "floating" feeling when looking through it,i get it when i use my 28mm Meade RG.Where believe it or not,i actually do have 2 of the maxvision 24mm 68 deg myself for binoviewer only difference is i put them on a diet and took off all the rubber and twist up mechanism so now i have 2 nice smoothside 24mm

Looking forward to hear your thoughts on your new toys

[swamp thing]

Those nikons look very nice indeed.

[YKSE]

Thanks Guys, Nikon's weight and size are some of my top preferences.

Here's another pic from APM site about size comparison:

Hoppfully, Nikons' optical performance can be close to the famous Delos/Pentax.

[AndyH]

Yeah the 28mm RKE is a beauty. I had, by the looks of your pic, an older version and yes, when viewed through you forget you're using an eyepiece. I think it's possibly to do with the large diameter glass. If memory serves, you'll defo need that rubber eye guard/extension, as using without was a pain, trying to keep your eye at the correct distance.

The other 'pieces on show ain't too shabby either

[AndyH]

Regarding the Nikon's.

I've often wondered how much they changed the lens design from their spotting scope 'WF' eyepieces, as the focal lengths are very similar, I think?. From memory the spotter 'pieces were a 7mm, 10mm, 14mm and a 17mm.

Anyone read of the differences?

Anyway, I have the Nikon spotter 10mm WF. 72° of lovely magnificence. If these lovely NAV SW's are better, I would probably wet my pants.

Andy.

[John]

I've not used them myself but I believe from other reports that I've read that the Nikon Nav SW's are quite similar in performance to the Pentax XW's and the TV Delos. Of course the XW's were designed for spotting scope use originally so I guess it's quite possible that the Nikon's are essentially the same as the one you used Andy.

[YKSE]

Looking at the specifications of sporting eyepieces and Nav, I think your gents are very likely spot on:

sporting eyepieces:

http://www.nikonvision.co.jp/products/field/edg_fep.htm

Nav:

http://www.nikonvision.co.jp/products/telescope/nav_sw.htm

ER for NAV17.5mm is 26mm and for FEP-30W is 25.4mm.

[YKSE]

:smiley:Weather has been mostly cloudy or rainy, I've only managed to get  a couple of hours' scope time. Here's summary of my impressions:

RKE28:
Lunarobservation in C8 only.

Finding the exactly right Eye placement is tricky, easily coming too close and got blackout. Holding the eye longer away will keep stable but dimmer image.
Lunar shows very white color (cooler than BCO or Tak abbe ortho). When eye placement was right, the Moon looked clearly brighter (brighter than both 31mm Baader or 25mm Tak abbe ortho), some area looked like having extra bright reflections, and these area moved around when I almost managed holding my head steady, the Moon was kind of floating in front of the eye. Very facinating experience.

Nikon 14mm and 17.5mm:
Lunar and star field observat ion with C8 and 120ED.
No field curvature, stars having best focus in center keep it all the way to the field stop, Some astigmatism near the edge seen in 120ED, about 10% tothe edge for 14mm, somewhat less in 17.5mm. EOFB can be seen in 17.5mm when looking for it(to my eye, much less than some others noted on CN). Very sharp, color-neutral and contrasty view, M45. e.g. looked beautiful in both EPs. Seeing and transparency was no good (The Moon didn't take more than 100x), but the double-double could be splitted with 14mm easily (64x), and well-elongated in 17.5mm (51x). Placing the Lunar limb near the edge, it looks just as round as in center of FOV for both EPs, same as in 7mm Nikon.

In short, no surprise to what I've expected, pictures of new EP case can start preparing.

[jetstream]

Congrats for your EP acquisitions Yong, very nice. I'm interested how the 28mm does on galaxies, it seems to show high transmission from your description.

[YKSE]

Thanks Gerry, I'll do some more DSO viewing with RKE to find out.

[alan potts]

Congratulations on the new toys Yong. The first picture features an array of eyepieces I have never seen, I have often fancied a Nikon to see what they are like, a nice report on them would be, well, nice.

Alan.

[YKSE]

Thanks, Alan!
I'm lucky to have friends around the world who helped me to get thses new toys. The Nikons, e.g. were in Delos' price bracket.
Not having much luck with the weather lately, I've only had the above mentioned short sessions. As my observing habit is using EPs to find an object, then observing only on axis,  therefore the 70 deg Nikons are good enough for me. The only way to get more out of these is to get my eye see better.
I would like to think that on axis difference between SW and Delos/XW is little to non-existence, my small collection is just much more optimized for weight and size than your excellent collection

[alan potts]

It matters not how many eyepiece you have it is as long as you enjoy them and at the moment even the VLT would not see through the mess outside, it's been dire. This is for sure an advance of bad weather from buying the Sumerian scope, I do hope Michael holds back on the delivery of clouds with the scope. I don't understand it I ticked the, send the cloud to Sweden box .

Alan 

[faulksy]

It matters not how many eyepiece you have it is as long as you enjoy them and at the moment even the VLT would not see through the mess outside, it's been dire. This is for sure an advance of bad weather from buying the Sumerian scope, I do hope Michael holds back on the delivery of clouds with the scope. I don't understand it I ticked the, send the cloud to Sweden box .

Alan 

when do you hope to get your dob alan