Maxvision 40mm or Aero 40mm?

[Chris Hopson]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has tried both out and if all that extra weight of the maxvision is worth it? I've noticed the maxis get a lot of praise on the forum, in fact that's why I bought my set of BST's some years ago.

[John]

I've used the 40mm Aero ED Chris but the only Maxvision I've used is the 24mm 68 degree one. I actually like both of the eyepieces. In a fast scope I'd probably go for the Maxvision on performance but it does weigh a lot more than the Aero ED so in a slower scope, like your mak's and SCT, the Aero ED may well perform just as well but be a lot lighter.

Sorry thats not a direct comparison of the two - perhaps someone else has done that ?

[Chris]

Hi Chris, I can't comment on the Aero as I've never owned one, but I've owned all the Maxvision's at one point or another accept the 34mm. 

The Maxvision's have great optics and work well down to F5, they are also comfy to use but the scaled design means by the time you get upto the MV40 the thing is absolutely huge! For me it was just too big and heavy and in hindsight I would have bought settled for the MV34. 

Here's a thread on the MV40 to give you the idea:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/225642-maxvision-40mm-unboxing-or-should-i-say-lenzilla/

The Areo might be a good idea out of the two options.

[Chris Hopson]

Thank you John and Chris, your responses are along the lines of what I'm thinking. The Mv is MASSIVE, but the quality is recommended against the lighter Aero, which as John said works well at F10.

I've used an Es82 30mm and thats about as heavy as I think the AZ4 can take.

I'm also not convinced I would need an ep which goes down to F5. However the price point is similar.

Many thanks

Chris

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have owned the TMB Paragon 40mm. The Aero is reportedly a clone. I really regret selling the Paragon. It was a really comfortable EP. More so than the LVW42 which I bought later. It gave superb views in both my C8 and in my 80mm F/6. It doesn't really make sense to use this in an F/5 scope due to the large exit pupil you get. I also have the MV 24mm 68 deg, and really like that too. However, the 40mm MV is rather a beast, whereas the Paragon was rather light

[Chris]

. It doesn't really make sense to use this in an F/5 scope due to the large exit pupil you get.

I'm not so sure exit pupil is always a relevant consideration? I know lots of folks buy 40mm EP's for their large field of view to help with finding objects before switching to a higher power eyepiece to darken the background and increase contrast for viewing (maybe something with around 2mm exit pupil).

[John]

I'm not so sure exit pupil is always a relevant consideration?....

It is if you want the most effective deep sky performance from your scope.

[John]

Thank you John and Chris, your responses are along the lines of what I'm thinking. The Mv is MASSIVE, but the quality is recommended against the lighter Aero, which as John said works well at F10.

I've used an Es82 30mm and thats about as heavy as I think the AZ4 can take.

I'm also not convinced I would need an ep which goes down to F5. However the price point is similar.

Many thanks

Chris

My point is that I think the optical performance would be pretty much equal at F/10. The weight difference between the eyepieces is massive though

[YKSE]

I have the 30mm aero in my c8 and I have to say I like it, especially as it's comfortable to use.

My 40mm Aero works very well in all my scopes (f10-f7.5) as low power eyepiece. From the reviews I've, 40mm Aero is a tad better than the 30mm you have, and the focal lengths make good compnions in your scopes.

As others has already mentioned, MV 40mm is a beast in size, for me with OCD in eyepiece size and weight, it's a no brainer.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I'm not so sure exit pupil is always a relevant consideration? I know lots of folks buy 40mm EP's for their large field of view to help with finding objects before switching to a higher power eyepiece to darken the background and increase contrast for viewing (maybe something with around 2mm exit pupil).

True enough, but if used as a "finder EP", I would not worry too much about performance at the edge of the FOV

[Chris]

It is if you want the most effective deep sky performance from your scope.

True enough, but if used as a "finder EP", I would not worry too much about performance at the edge of the FOV

Maybe we should be asking Chris what he want's from a 40mm eyepiece? 

[John]

Maybe we should be asking Chris what he want's from a 40mm eyepiece? 

All his scopes are F/10 or slower so exit pupil won't be an issue. Edge astigmatism shouldn't be either.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

All his scopes are F/10 or slower so exit pupil won't be an issue

Precisely. My earlier comment was mainly aimed at a suggestion that the MV might be better at faster focal ratios. As I said at F/6 the Paragon of which the Aero is a clone worked very nicely, and future proofing for use in e.g., a fast Dob is not so much an issue at 40mm as it is at 30mm

[Chris]

All his scopes are F/10 or slower so exit pupil won't be an issue. Edge astigmatism shouldn't be either.

I thought this, going away from the 2 EP's mentioned he could really get away with something like a Pan38, Moonfish, WO Swan etc, that's if he want's to save a bit of dosh, just depends on how much money he want's to spend and whether he's planning faster scopes in the future?

[Chris Hopson]

Ykse,

I didn't know it was tad better than the 30mm, that's good to know.

The size really does bother me of the Mv, and it would seem the Aero is not far behind on optics neither.

Regards

Chris

[John]

I thought this, going away from the 2 EP's mentioned he could really get away with something like a Pan38, Moonfish, WO Swan etc, that's if he want's to save a bit of dosh, just depends on how much money he want's to spend and whether he's planning faster scopes in the future?

Yes, there are less expensive options that would do fine in slow scopes.

I can't, offhand, think of a 40mm 2" eyepiece thats as light as the Aero ED though.

[Chris Hopson]

Thanks Guys, I'm just catching up on all the responses between my last reply.

I used use my 30mm Aero in my ( now sold ) 8" dob F6, but personally found it a bit too wide and really a 24mm 68 would of been more use. ( yes you now the one  }  

However I think my C8 would benefit from a lower mag ep like the 40mm on the widest of objects; and truthfully I was just weighing up the pros and cons of both ep's quality and price, not wishing to regret a purchase in the future.

Thanks again

Chris

[Chris]

Yes, there are less expensive options that would do fine in slow scopes.

I can't, offhand, think of a 40mm 2" eyepiece thats as light as the Aero ED though.

Good point The Swan 40mm might be close? (just looked it up at 570g). I can't immediately find a weight for the Aero 40mm but it would be interesting to see how it compares?

[Chris]

Thanks Guys, I'm just catching up on all the responses between my last reply.

I used use my 30mm Aero in my ( now sold ) 8" dob F6, but personally found it a bit too wide and really a 24mm 68 would of been more use. ( yes you now the one  }  

However I think my C8 would benefit from a lower mag ep like the 40mm on the widest of objects; and truthfully I was just weighing up the pros and cons of both ep's quality and price, not wishing to regret a purchase in the future.

Thanks again

Chris

Hi Chris, the good news is that your C8 will be very kind to eyepieces at f10 as mentioned, so you don't need to break the bank to get a nice sharp to the edge field of view

The Aero looks like a great choice, but you might want to check out the WO Swan 40mm if you wan't to save a few quid:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics-eyepieces/william-optics-swan-eyepiece.html

Having said this, if you already have an Aero which you like, it might be nice to get another one to match it

[YKSE]

I've looked  through TS 38SWA (Panaview 38 clone?), it's 6 elements in 3 groups Erfle type eyepiece, worked fine in C8, but curvarture is in the same direction as 80ED, when looking at double-double with that 38mm finder eyepiece, Vega just looked like Moon in the edge

40 Aero weighs 520 grams (My nerdy habit, eyepiece on scale directly after unboxing).

Williams 40mm SWA is of 5 elements in 3 groups Erfle, I doubt it can be of much better 38mm SWA in a wide-field refractor.

[alan potts]

Chris,

I have owned both the 40mm Aero and a Meade 40mm S 5000 SWA which is the same as the Maxvision with different clothes. The Max or Meade is a better eyepiece but it is rather heavy at a tad over a kilo. The Aero is also a very good eyepiece which I got rid too quickly not understand the scope was out of colimation. This was a good while ago before I had got to grips with all the various issues an SC scope can throw at you. I don't however know what the Aero is like in faster scopes where the Max/Meade is pretty good even in an f 5.26.

[F15Rules]

I don't know the MV 40mm, but I do have an ES 34mm 68 which is a real hand grenade. I absolutely love the eyepiece, but for example in a Dob I could well see it affecting the balance negatively...conversely, in a slow frac, it can be beneficial in pushing the eyepiece end up a bit off the ground. Optically, if the 40mm is as good as my 34mm it would be excellent, my 34mm is my favourite ES/MV product to date.

I know that size and weight of eps is very subjective: I've just sold my Nagler T613mm in favour of my Meade 4000 14mm 84deg mainly because the Meade is a better weight match for my other eps which include LVWs and ES's, all of which are pretty beefy units, against which the Nagler (fabulous ep that it is) was much lighter and meant I had to rebalance the scope every time I used it. Optically it and the Meade were very similar in my F9.5/F15 scopes so I chose the Meade to keep. But I could quite imagine a lot of people taking the opposite view, ie that lighter is best in their particular scopes.

I can imagine that at a dark site the 40mm would be spectacular in your C8   - just don't drop it on your toe!!

Dave

[Chris Hopson]

Ha ha ha, that 40mm MV would certainly put pay to standing astronomy in that case.

Chris

[Chris Hopson]

Having read some great advise on here, i think the Aero is going in the eyepiece case.

Thanks for the comments guys,

Chris

[alan potts]

Chris,

Just a point i see you have a Mak 90mm and C8, I am sure a 40mm eyepiece will work fine on a C8, however I have a 180mm Mak and the 40mm vignetted on this scope as does the 41mm Panoptic, so I would expect the Aero to be the same, that is if you can get 2 inch eyepieces into a 90mm scope.