Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

Celestron Luminos 7/15mm, decent for the price ?

Dinosour23

By Dinosour23
in Discussions - Eyepieces

Recommended Posts

Dinosour23

Dinosour23

Posted
Posted

Hey there ! 

After a realization that I only "dig" wide-field eyepieces, and  then another realization that I don't have an infinite budget for glass, I decided to take a look at the Luminos series.

I am now looking at their 7mm, for high power views, and their 15mm for a x26 wide view.

Now I have read that they aren't perfect, like 500$ eyepieces, but are they perfectly usable and enjoyable ?

Last time I bought an EP without checking if they are usable, I ended up with a paperweight, so figured what the hell...

Things that are important to me:

Minimum blackouts

Good field

Usable sharpness at least 80% of the image

Have a nice evening ! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ruud

Ruud

Posted
Posted

Hello Dino,

The Luminous work, but they are not the best.

I think the SkyWatcher Nirvana 16mm and 7mm may better meet your wishes. They are available under more than one brand name, like William Optics UWAN. These eyepieces work well down to F/5. I have the 16mm. It's very good and comfortable to use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ruud

Ruud

Posted
Posted

In my region Celestron Luminous and Nirvana are in the same price range! Luminous 7 and 15 mm cost €155 and €165 respectively, while the Nirvana 7 and 16 mm cost €172 and €186 each.

What is the focal ratio of your telescope? From F/7 and slower the Luminous might be a good choice. That's what Ciel et Espace say in their benchmark review.

The new 82° Meade 5000 from Kunming United Optics are a bit of an unknown. Some say they are worse than the previous manufacture's ones, later reports say they are better. I don't know what's going on. Maybe Kunming has been tweaking their production line. Kunmng UO, btw, is also the manufacturer of the Nirvana / WO UWAN eyepieces (and the BA8 binoculars, which are also well appreciated).

How fast is your scope?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dinosour23

Dinosour23

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you for your reply and time !

It is an F/5 but it will be used on an F7 also... So I'd rather buy once :)

The Celestron, off Ebay, are less than 90USD. Used from around the world they run at 65 dollar a piece.

But I gess I can be around 100 for used WO/Skywatcher, that's no problem, if they are indeed better ! The difference is nothing if they perform... Most important thing for me is to buy quality things that don't make you want to sell them after a couple tries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
John

John

Posted
Posted

I just bought a nagler 7mm type one for just over 100 and it is superb. To my eyes as good as anything I have used and more comfortable than a type six I tried once.

Don't discount good condition older wide fields.

My first Naglers were the T1 4.8mm and 7mm "smooth sides" :smiley:

Apologies to the original poster - this is a bit off-topic !

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ruud

Ruud

Posted
Posted

Did "Espace" say they weren't good at f/5 ?

This is what C&E say: 

"Luminous is Celestron's new ultra wide. Ergonomics was particularly neat, with an eye guard set by a helical ring on the barrel of the eyepiece. This is the most original mechanical system in the test. Its apparent field is significant at a reasonable weight and bulk. It is therefore tempting to use it with a Dobson.

Unfortunately, its optical performance is poor on a fast telescope. The American brand, specializing in Schmidt-Cassegrain working at F/10, clearly optimized the eyepiece for F/10. In our test it lags behind the others, but its performance is still honourable. Given its attractive price, it can be recommended for SCTs without a second thought. As such, its low rating does not do it full justice ... but it is a comparative test.

Luminous comes in last. A defeat to qualify. However, its performance is good on telescopes at F/7 and above, and its price is attractive. It is a solution to consider for Cassegrain telescopes.
We did our measurements on a very fast telescope wide open at F/3.5 and stopped down to F/7. At F/3.5, the disparities [between the tested eyepieces] are big, but all become quite good at F/7."
--
With a disclaimer for the translation.
C&E, by the way, do the most objective tests around. At least as far as I know.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
rwilkey

rwilkey

Posted
Posted

I have the 7mm Axiom (plus a few other Axioms) and I think they are superb for the price, its a very subjective topic so ideally you need to try them before you buy.

Not sure how Luminos compare to Axiom.

The Luminos are the same as the Axiom LX's and very good widefields indeed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jetstream

jetstream

Posted
Posted

I used my 7mm Luminos in the SW120ED last night and it gave really nice views as always. I don't understand why some ( not here) love to find faults with these eyepieces when others go unscathed.  I love the twist up eyecups and the huge TFOV. The EP caps are not very functional but do work. I see zero EOFB in my 3 Luminos including my 23mm.

The 10mm ghosts at times (eyeball reflection) but so will my Leica zoom at times, like if there are bright houselights on behind me when I obs. The 10mm shows Markarians Chain very well, as good as everything else other than the 10mm Ethos/10BCO.

I question why some say they are poor in fast scopes- the 7mm,10mm show no astigmatism and the 23mm shows only a tiny amount right at the field stop @ f4.8. I wonder if these testers are confusing coma with other aberrations?

I tested all my EP's for AMD and rectilinear distortion and the 23mm came out pretty much neutral for pincushion and barrel distortion. The 10mm, 7mm show pincushion but not near as much as the18mm ES 82... 

I'm just saying, for the money they are hard to beat for a widefield.

post-30641-0-05607100-1425136283.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jetstream

jetstream

Posted
Posted

I don't know about the 15mm, but the ones I have work well. If you can get them cheap - I have seen very low USA prices- it would be good as they have no resale value (yet). Over on CN a lot sure seem not to like them- pack mentality perhaps lol! The 23mm is reported to have very little eyerelief, but mine has much more than my Ethos.... If you want to spend more get ES, safer bet as far as resale and they are very good, but with a highly recessed eyelens, which some dislike.

What do you mean by "sharp" @ 80%? what scope are you using?

just to add- pincushion distortion is not a bad thing IMHO

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jetstream

jetstream

Posted
Posted

lol! I don't know what to say... I just report how the EP's seem to me, I question why I don't mind them and others hate them?! Why don't I have the same issues with them?

Based on this alone I don't recommend them, but I like mine if that makes sense. :shocked:  If resale is an issue, play it safe and join the herd :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.