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William Optics Bino Viewers?


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I'm seriously thinking of buying some WO bino's, although I plan to use two TeleVue 19mm Panoptics with them, I don't want to buy a TeleVue binoviewer yet as I've never owned one before. 

I've seen other binoviewers, such as Revelation, Celestron and others and they are around half the price. Cananyone tell me what the essential difference is between the WO and the other less expensive makes (I assume they all originate from the same Chinese factory)?

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/misc/william-optics-binoviewer.html

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Hi,

I went for the Baader bundle with GPC. The TS version is cheaper (linked at bottom of page), and you need a separate GPC. You are right that they are all the same optically, with small mechanical differences. The Baader 1.25" nose piece can be unscrewed - Not sure if the same for all??

This is very useful for a 250px - there's a way to screw directly into the focuser adapter which helps the 'in focus' range you need on this scope (I must post a pic).

Not sure if I trust the different clear aperture numbers quoted as being different.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p484_Baader-Maxbright-Binoviewer-with-2-6x-Corrector---1-25--Adaptor.html

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Hi,

I went for the Baader bundle with GPC. The TS version is cheaper (linked at bottom of page), and you need a separate GPC. You are right that they are all the same optically, with small mechanical differences. The Baader 1.25" nose piece can be unscrewed - Not sure if the same for all??

This is very useful for a 250px - there's a way to screw directly into the focuser adapter which helps the 'in focus' range you need on this scope (I must post a pic).

Not sure if I trust the different clear aperture numbers quoted as being different.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p484_Baader-Maxbright-Binoviewer-with-2-6x-Corrector---1-25--Adaptor.html

OK thanks, the Baader looks very good. From what I can gather there seems to be two Chinese made (GSO?) generic binoviewers (with variations) generally available that are marketed in Asia as a 'standard' and a 'deluxe' or something equivalent. The former are around £140 (190 euros) and the latter around £220 (300 euros) as far as I can see. 

I've read really good reviews about the Baader bino's.

So many choices!  :confused:

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I'd go for the Maxbrights. Very good build and quality control, and Baader has the largest range of accessories and adapters of any supplier. Wish I still had mine!

Dave

Yes, they sound very good. It all depends on whether I can get any easily. Although some people have told me the WO are as good. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The WO bino's are still the favourites, I'll probably get them around December. The WO bino's are approx 520 g without eyepieces and that weight will double with my two 19mm Panoptics (nearly two pounds in old fashioned weight!). It might be a bit much for a small Mak and the fact that I have a disability doesn't help.

Bino%202%20SW%20EPs_zpslvipcfyc.jpg

Luckily I found out my old (unused) Sky-Watcher give-aways supplied with each scope. I actually have three of each (25mm & 10mm) but I can't for the life of me find the third 10mm. I believe they are modified achromat/Kellner-type EP's. They are very light and not that bad optically. They should do well in a bino anyway.

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Got a pair of WOs(but can't try them out before Christmas). As soon as I ordered them I noticed sky's the limit on ebay have relisted their bst binoviewers - which looks like a good deal though the WOs have a better finish on them.

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Got a pair of WOs (but can't try them out before Christmas). As soon as I ordered them I noticed sky's the limit on ebay have relisted their bst binoviewers - which looks like a good deal though the WOs have a better finish on them.

Maybe we'll get some decent weather for binoviewing right after Xmas? lol

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I've got the baader 2.25x but i've never tried it with binoviewers, it is a 'short' barlow though so I suspect it will give much more than 2.25x with the long light path of a binoviewer behind it.

James.

Wow, it sounds more complicated than I thought lol. I was thinking of threading the main body element of the Baader into the Hyperion Barlow 1.25" Adaptor and then threading that into the bino nose piece. I thought that might give me 2.25x magnification.

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Hi. I have the WO Binoviewers set with the Barlow nosepiece and the 2x20mm 66 degree WO eyepieces, and it's now clear that the selection of EPs and Barlow is not entirely by accident!. I use them with my 300p Flextube Dob, with the trusses set up shortened by 10cm to account for the focal path length of the BVs, and with my SkyMax 150 Pro which has masses of focus range. I also have spare pairs of Plossl eyepieces at 10mm and 25mm but I no longer use them. The WO 20mm EPs work very well, any wider angle at around 20mm and the prisms will probably cut off, and using matched shorter focal length EPs make any slight collimation errors of the two eye views more difficult to merge. Hence the provision of the Barlow nose-piece with the BVs to increase the magnification without exaggerating any merging problems.

I very much enjoy the binoviewer experience particularly on the Moon and planets. It would be great to have an option of less magnification than the minimum magnification I can achieve with the BVs of 75x with the Dob and 90x with the SkyMax.

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Hi. I have the WO Binoviewers set with the Barlow nosepiece and the 2x20mm 66 degree WO eyepieces, and it's now clear that the selection of EPs and Barlow is not entirely by accident!. I use them with my 300p Flextube Dob, with the trusses set up shortened by 10cm to account for the focal path length of the BVs, and with my SkyMax 150 Pro which has masses of focus range. I also have spare pairs of Plossl eyepieces at 10mm and 25mm but I no longer use them. The WO 20mm EPs work very well, any wider angle at around 20mm and the prisms will probably cut off, and using matched shorter focal length EPs make any slight collimation errors of the two eye views more difficult to merge. Hence the provision of the Barlow nose-piece with the BVs to increase the magnification without exaggerating any merging problems.

I very much enjoy the binoviewer experience particularly on the Moon and planets. It would be great to have an option of less magnification than the minimum magnification I can achieve with the BVs of 75x with the Dob and 90x with the SkyMax.

I'll be getting my WO's soon, so that's interesting. With my 102mm Mak I would get 65x and 104x with the included Barlow with the 20mm EP's. I don't think the Sky-Watcher 10mm Super-MA Series eyepieces are more than 52° AFOV anyway.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AWAT6BW?keywords=skywatcher%2010mm&qid=1445960473&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

As I have a couple spare they will be good to try in a bino anyway. I'd like to see the Moon at 208x with them!

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No harm in trying, of course, although SGL members often rail on about the poor quality of the SW MA 10mm EPs. Also don't forget that you have split the light from the scope between your two eyes and lost some of it in the process. I have a 2x Barlow (3 element Japanese made) which I have occasionally used in front of the BV with and without Barlow nosepiece, but as I say, I mostly yearn for less magnification!

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No harm in trying, of course, although SGL members often rail on about the poor quality of the SW MA 10mm EPs. Also don't forget that you have split the light from the scope between your two eyes and lost some of it in the process. I have a 2x Barlow (3 element Japanese made) which I have occasionally used in front of the BV with and without Barlow nosepiece, but as I say, I mostly yearn for less magnification!

I'm under no illusions about the SW MA eyepieces, which is why they got filed away ages ago unused. As far as I can ascertain the optical quality is the same as any of the entry level Celestron equivalents. The upper bodies are relatively inexpensive plastic although the draw tubes are metal. I've checked them out and they are actually quite usable. As I intend to view the Moon predominantly with the bino's light train loss is not too much of a problem. The SW EP's aren't going to be like my Panoptics but they are very light. They should do well with my small Mak, early next year I am getting a 9.25" SCT with A GOTO so the weight of the bino won't be so apparent. Bearing in mind I'm paralysed in my right arm somewhat. Couldn't you use a focal reducer to get less magnification?

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Couldn't you use a focal reducer to get less magnification?

That's an interesting point - I had thought that focal reducers might be used solely for imaging (as FR/FF) matched to the particular scope, but I guess they could also be beneficial in visual.

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That's an interesting point - I had thought that focal reducers might be used solely for imaging (as FR/FF) matched to the particular scope, but I guess they could also be beneficial in visual.

I've never actually tried this myself, so I can't really say, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I guess you're going to have to buy eyepieces with very long focal lengths to achieve lower magnifications lol. 

The lowest magnifications I can achieve at present are 28.125x on my Newtonian and 40.625 on my Mak (with a 32mm EP). Around 30x and around 40x are reasonable magnifications for sweeping and searching or observing open clusters and the like. I primarily intend to use the bino's for planetary (especially lunar) viewing however.

I think a couple of 32mm EP's would give you around 56x on your Skymax with the bino (without the Barlow).

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I do use a 28mm 68° and a 2" 34mm 68° in 'cyclops' mode, but with WO BVs the diameter of the prisms match the 20mm 66° at the limit, so the longer focal length EPs would show the same patch of sky but less magnified than with the 20mm EPs.

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I do use a 28mm 68° and a 2" 34mm 68° in 'cyclops' mode, but with WO BVs the diameter of the prisms match the 20mm 66° at the limit, so the longer focal length EPs would show the same patch of sky but less magnified than with the 20mm EPs.

Oh, right, basically you want a bigger FOV with the less magnification but the bino's won't allow it due to the prism diameter restrictions?

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