Can you combine the parts of different Barlows?

[Xiga]

How goes it fellow gazers!

So I own the following two barlow's:

Celestron Omni x2 1.25"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-93326-1-25-inch-Barlow/dp/B00008Y0TM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1439257367&sr=8-1&keywords=omni+x2+barlow

Generic Celestron x2 1.25" with threads to connect to a T-Ring

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-Telescope-Camera-Adapter-Barlow/dp/B00009X3UV/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1439257397&sr=8-3&keywords=barlow+t+adapter

Neither are likely to win any awards I know. I got the Omni a couple of years back when I got my C8. I think the Omni is the higher quality one (it does at least say Fully Multi Coated on it), the reason for buying the generic one was so that I could connect my Canon 60D to the C8 to do some planetary photography, and I needed a barlow with a T thread (and without breaking the bank). The generic one works fine for this, but I can't help but feel i'd be better off using the Omni if I could.

So now i'm thinking, can I not just unscrew the top sections of both and swap them around? That way i can use the T-thread on top of the better Omni lens. Both barlow's are the same length in total, but one has a longer top section and the other has a longer bottom section. Is this likely to matter any? Will it just result in a very slightly different ratio than x2? Will focus be affected, or will I just need to move the focus knob a smidge more to compensate?

Sorry for the noob question. I don't trust my old eyes to tell the difference at the scope (plus i'm lazy and don't want to get it all out of storage and set up just to arrive at an 'I don't know' answer! lol).

Cheers!

[Tony H]

OK.  I'm fairly new to this lark also.

They both uscrew?  Both have same threads?

Try it and see.  You can always put them back the same I would have thought.

BTW, please post and let me know the outcome if you do try this.

I'm curious but not adventurous so you can test the approach for me.  Lol

[John]

Give it a try !

You can stack barlows and they don't need to be the same brand. Being realistic though, mediocre optics stacked with more mediocre optics is not going to be a formula for quality images.

If you have them though, by all means give it a go !

[Cornelius Varley]

There is only one way to find out, take the two barlows apart and swap the lens assemblies over.  The magnification may change slightly if the overall length of the barlow is different. A longer lens will increase the overall magnification and a shorter one decrease it, the difference will probably be negligible.

[JamesF]

Just be careful that you don't unscrew something holding the lens assembly together and have it fall out leaving you no idea of how it should be reassembled.

James

[Xiga]

Thanks guys. I went ahead and switched them over. Hopefully i'll get a chance to try it out over the coming months and you never know, it might help me tase out a few more pixels of detail in Jupiter.

Cheers!

[F15Rules]

I just bought a new Revelation x2 2" Barlow which I know to be very good. I unscrewed the lens end and threaded it into my Baader 2"-1.25" reducer (thus giving x1.5x magnification over the original mag)into which I then inserted a variety of good quality 1.25" eyepieces (Explore Scientific, Maxvision, Burgess/TMB..

Every one of them showed great, very sharp views with no degradation that I could detect..(these were daylight tests).

I then did the same with the full Barlow giving x2 the original, with the same result- sharp, good eye relieved views with no focussing issues. Will try the same at night once conditions permit:-)

Dave