New eyepiece has landed eventually (maybe another to follow?)

[Alfian]

A while back I was looking for a new eyepiece in the 18mm - 20mm range as per:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/232058-starguider-v-hyperion/?hl=+hyperion

After the usual agonising indecision (real bad habit of mine) I was seduced by the 20mm ES Maxvision:

http://www.astroshop.eu/explore-scientific-maxvision-1-25-68d-20mm-eyepiece/p,44862

With the good exchange rate it cost me £59.46 including shipping, (bargain?) although the UPS shipping element became something of a saga. I tracked the package across Germany to the UK where it eventually seemingly sat for two days and the delivery date came and went. Emails to and fro with UPS followed when it tracked to “Milano”. This was at first a computer error because “it wasn’t in Italy”, but became an “embarrasing error” because it was indeed in Milan. Anyway almost a week overdue it arrived yesterday and I’m not entitled to any refund on shipping as it was the “basic service”. Lesson learned.

The EP fortunately survived its tour of the EU - it was very well packed - thank you ES/AstroShop EU.

I’m trying hard not to gush too much about looking at the maxvision, but it is great looking EP, beautifully engineered, the size of a small hand grenade, but grenades could never be this good! Desperate to gaze through it, this afternoon I set the Tal up “terrestially” looking out through a picture window across the valley. A long way from ideal - all I could see was an upside down derelict farm building in the snow (a foot deep drifting to several, very pretty but makes life difficult). Lots of snow nicely sharp across a very wide field - the eyepiece that is, not the very wide fields with sheep in. The 68 degree field is really something - an 82 or 100 degree field must do strange things to the eyes. (?)  For the time being I’ll have to be satisfied with that - but can’t wait to give it a proper outing.

Now, the ES has whetted my appetite. I’m now on a program to improve my EP lot. I’m keeping my 32mm Rev/GSO; selling or passing on my SW 25mm and 9mm SWA. I was thinking of letting my Vixen 15mm go but its a nice EP so I’ll hang onto it for now. 

I am thinking of a 12 or 12.5 mm and possibly an  8mm or 9mm. 

The Starguider/X-Cel LX seems the obvious way to go at first but then I got looking at the Williams Optics SPL 12.5mm. One thing led to another and I found that AstroProfessional (TS Optics) do a range of what look like clones of these, and then came across the Altair Astro Lightwave LER Planetary 12.5 and 9mm EPs which also “look” very similar.

https://www.altairastro.com/product.php?productid=16829&cat=325&page=1

If they are £45.00 looks like a good deal. They are 55 not 60 degrees (of the Starguider)  but  I think thats OK.

I think I’m talking myself into this but would value anyones thoughts on it.

[John]

Congratulations on your new wide angle eyepiece

There can be a slippery slope from wide to ultra wide and thence to hyper wide although quite a lot of folks find 68 degrees quite enough

Hope the views are great when you get some clear skies

Quite a lot of eyepieces under different brandings are actually the same thing with a different shaped body, logo, eye cup etc, etc. The trick is to find what really floats your boat and then work out the best value incarnation of it !

[hgjevans]

Alfian - may I just ask, was your Maxvision packed with a sachet of silica gel? I'm curious because as it happens I had a couple of MVs delivered today, and it's the first time in over four decades of buying optical equipment (of various sorts) that I've had brand new lenses packed with no silica gel. No harm done, as far as I can see, but it does seem most peculiar. Everything else about the eyepieces seems to be of the highest order, and I would have thought that including a dessicant was universal practice. 

[Alfian]

Hi John, likes your comment about the "slippery slope". I'd read somewhere, on the Baader info sheet I think, that 68 degrees is the maximum field that most people find comfortable. That may be a be of sales talk, but given my all too brief look through the eyepiece, it is certainly wide enough for me. (or will I lured wider at some point!)

Regarding similar/clones of what seems like the same EP, the nagging doubt I have, is that I wonder whether some of these items have differences in quality under the skin so to speak.

Huw, just checked, unless in my enthusiasm to look at my new much travelled EP I have thrown it away, I did NOT have any sachet of silica gel in my package. That said it was very well packed and sealed and seems perfectly OK.

[hgjevans]

Ah, so not just mine then. I was half wondering if my two were returns that hadn't been re-packed correctly, but I guess they must have left the factory that way. Well, as I say, no harm done. Now I'm just hoping for a clear night this side of the next full moon!  

[mdstuart]

Just got a Williams optics 7mm UWA ....Looking forward to trying it out on Globulars!

[John]

Just got a Williams optics 7mm UWA ....Looking forward to trying it out on Globulars!

The William Optics UWAN's are great eyepieces Mark. The ones I've had have been pretty much as good as Nagler equivilents. Funnily enough, the only one I've not used is the 7mm !. I'm sure you will really enjoy using it. I think the new Myriad 100 degree eyepieces must be from the same manufacturer as the UWAN's because the finish and feel are just the same - very nice

[phoobar]

Congrats Al 

I have the 24 and 16 mv and love them.

[bingevader]

Congratulations to you both!
Let us know how you get on?

We can never have to many EP reviews, helps the rest of us make our next decision.