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Slim eyepieces for binoviewers


GavStar

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Yesterday evening was the first clear night that I could try out my new Baader mark v binoviewers and 11mm delites. Views were great and the gpc enabled focus easily which was useful! However I found the delites uncomfortable to look through due to the large rubber top. I tried this up and down and no particular improvement for me. So as an experiment I tried a pair of 22mm lvws - more comfortable but still not happy. Finally I dug out the 20mm WO eyepieces that came with my previous wo binoviewer. Fantastic comfort!! And great views - I finally have seen the benefits of binoviewing. The moons of Jupiter had this interesting 3D effect that I had never seen before. To me it showed that comfort is a key criteria for me as well as optical quality.

However I'd like a shorter focal length say 10mm to 15mm. There is the WO swan 15mm but other suggestions would be really appreciated. I like v good eye relief and fov 60+

Thanks

Gavin

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That 3D effect really is something else - especially in a long focal length sct or frac. Totally immersive and addictive when you're sitting comfy and using eyepiece wing guards.

Skywatcher do some 9mm wide eyepieces that work superbly in my WO bv's - I'll dig out the model and update you later (they're buried in astro gear under the stairs right now lol) - they might work in your Baaders. :)

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Hi Gavin,

I'm in a similar place as you at the moment, I've found Binoviewing on the moon to be a wonderful experience with a WO set, including the 20mm stock EP's issued with the binoviewers..

I've been looking into extending my range on EP pairs and have considered the following from budget to a bit more costly

  • Revelation Superview 15mm - circa 14mm eye relief, almost 70deg, and around £60 for a pair ( I already have one) some negatives though, not the best in faster scopes and control off axis glare is not overly brilliant (especially if your used to televue or lvw's)
  • WO SPL 12.5 - good eyerelief, 55deg and £140 for a pair... not used them but I have read good reviews in the main, I know the 6mm is very popular..
  • ES82 11mm or 14mm - around 13mm eyerelief, 82deg and a good EP circa £110 each though ( I already have one of each)

Don't know if that helps, or if maybe you could introduce a focal extender to increase the mag on the WO 20mm you already have..

Let us know what you go with.. (im tempted by the revelation 15mm as a test, if it works for me I will maybe go for a second 15mm SLV which (at only 50deg) are lovely comfortable EP's

thanks

Fozzie

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Hi Gavin I find the supplied WO 20mm and the added 1.6 GPC just about ideal for planetary - especially on Jupiter it gives me around x225 in the CPC and find it to be spot on, I also use the Bv's on the Mak for white light solar and have a pair of 26mm 4000 Meade plossls and a pair of 40mm's.

Its just my personal views though I find the brighter DSO's much better at low power, these views for me are just fine and I'm not really too fussed about high mag BV's, I've even tried a pair of Hyperion Zooms but the added weight even in a 2" diagonal is just too much, yes they work ok but find the smaller plossl type EP's work much better and with the 20's and the 1.6 Barlow just about the max mag I would use, anything above this just doesn't work too well especially when you want a bright and large FOV whether for deep sky or planetary, above say 12mm things become dark and it gets harder for me to get a crisp focus and the split light path at this mag becomes about my limits of what I would expect from my WO BV'ers so DSO for me is better at lower powers but on Jupiter they really excel and the detail like you say is just amazing, so comfortable- but thats my opinion, pitty you can't borrow some ep's to double up on to try but the 4000 Meades work very well you can really get in close to the rubber eye guards and very lightweight on the back of the CPC.

Paul

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Sorry I should have added that I'm using an 4 inch f7.4 refractor, and Baader 1.25 gpc and 1.7 (not together!). So maximum magnification with 20mm should be around 60x but it certainly looked a lot more than than last night more like over 100x which I don't really understand. However I thought 10-15mm would provide maybe up to 170x which is all I want to go up to.

I think the Baader Morpheus is likely to be too wide for me (similar to lvws?) so am wanting slimmer body and smaller eyelens?

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Sorry I should have added that I'm using an 4 inch f7.4 refractor, and Baader 1.25 gpc and 1.7 (not together!). So maximum magnification with 20mm should be around 60x but it certainly looked a lot more than than last night more like over 100x which I don't really understand.

Have a look at this thread I started earlier last year, the question on magnification amplification using BV's is raised here.. from how I understood, a lot had to do with the increased light path the BV's add if there is insufficient infocus in the system to observe at native FL

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/254262-a-few-binoviewing-questions-what-to-expect-and-getting-the-best-out-of-using-them/

hope that helps, or confuses as it did me..

Thanks

Fozzie

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I use an (additional to the 20mm SWAN supplied) pair of TV 15mm Plossls and a pair of 9mm WO SWAN's with my WO binoviewer. I have the WO 1.6x & 2x Barlow nosepieces. I also have a pair of TeleVue 19mm Panoptics but I find the weight difficult to manage on a 4" Mak. Oddly, the two 15mm TeleVues are my favourites combined with the 2x Barlow to give a 0.55mm exit pupil at 173x. 

The 9mm SWAN's have been maligned by a few people that I have read but I find them OK. A Barlow helps with the eye relief and they are quite light. The field of view is quite decent in or out of a binoviewer.

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Actually I did a u-turn and have got some 11mm naglers instead - they have slim form but a bit tight eye relief - hope the gpc increases this a bit and the are comfy to use

I have a 16mm Nagler, without a Barlow it has a close 10mm eye relief. It still gets used an awful lot though. If my bino had more than 66° FOV I think a pair of T5 Naglers would be awesome. Along with my 10mm Delos it is my fave high power EP.

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Sorry I should have added that I'm using an 4 inch f7.4 refractor, and Baader 1.25 gpc and 1.7 (not together!). So maximum magnification with 20mm should be around 60x but it certainly looked a lot more than than last night more like over 100x which I don't really understand. However I thought 10-15mm would provide maybe up to 170x which is all I want to go up to.

I think the Baader Morpheus is likely to be too wide for me (similar to lvws?) so am wanting slimmer body and smaller eyelens?

I've found that my 16.8mm (Kson) orthoscopics give excellent views when coupled with a x1.6 image amplifier or a x2 Barlow screwed to the nose of my binoviewer. I too use a 4" F7.4 refractor and these relatively cheap eyepieces generally show greater detail more easily than do my single Pentax XWs. They are very comfortable to use when observing the moon and planets and the 3D view can be jawdropping. Incidentally, as single eyepieces i wouldn't give the Kson orthos house room, they are pretty disappointing compared the the XWs, but when paired in the bino viewer they àre stunningly good.

Mike

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I purchased a pair of Pentax 12mm XF eyepieces in December and have used them on my TV101 and Obsession 12.5, they are sharp and comfortable and might have been worth considering.

As far as slim eyepieces go, they are slim enough and the adjustable eyecup  is well engineered. To give you an idea of what I consider slim, my most used at home bino pairs are Tak 32mm Orthos and 28mm Erfles and on my travel scope a pair of 26mm Meade SP's.

Best Regards

Carl  

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Carl, I haven't seen these pentaxes before. Interesting - they do seem to fit with my requirements and with very good eye relief as well.

One to have a think about. Doing some quick googling now it has been said that the XF 12mm has some fc - do you see any with your setup?

Thanks

Gavin

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Hi Gavin

The Field Curvature is there but in my scopes I had to look for it and after obtaining a sharp focus in the centre and I'd guess 90% of the fied of  view, a tiny focus adjustment would improve the  focus at the very outer edge of the vield of view.

In use I never noticed the field curvature, however, I may not be a particularly descriminating observer as the 28mm Erfle has been declared as being soft at the edge of field, but again I never notice it. 

Best Regards

Carl

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Best eyepieces for the markv imho are a pair of 24 panoptics. They offer widest view possible in a 1.25 eyepiece. They are expensive but they make full use of the 27mm prism in the markv's which will show no viginetting.

They are comfortable to use and my favourites for sure.

I use pairs of delos at mid range lengths but you may find them too wide.

Give the delites another chance, I found them to be very comfortable. play around with the markv's and change the gap between the eyepieces, use the twist release on the delites to make them longer and make more room for your nose.

Very often first use is a disappointment but next time things go better!

Alan

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Alan,

I am considering the 24mm pans as well, but I want to check that the eyepiece top cup is not too wide - this seems to a key aspect for me.

I notice from previous posts that you use 7mm delites and 4.5mm Delos with your mark v's. Do you find it easy to merge the images with these short focal length eyepieces? I have seen that generally its recommended to use 10mm and above for binoviewers.

It looks like it's going to be clear tonight so hopefully I can try out out mark v's a bit more shortly.

Gavin

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Mark

What's your favourite pair? I'm also thinking about the 25mm televue plossl or 24mm pans eye relief and slim form being important. I've got some 8.5xf today following Carl's good suggestion.

Thanks

Gavin

Hi Gavin, for the moon, the WO pair are probably my favourites. For planets, the orthos and NLVs are the best performers. I use soft rubber eye cups on both of these eyepieces. All of my bino eyepieces have soft rubber eye cups that I immerse my eyes into.
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Alan,

I am considering the 24mm pans as well, but I want to check that the eyepiece top cup is not too wide - this seems to a key aspect for me.

I notice from previous posts that you use 7mm delites and 4.5mm Delos with your mark v's. Do you find it easy to merge the images with these short focal length eyepieces? I have seen that generally its recommended to use 10mm and above for binoviewers.

It looks like it's going to be clear tonight so hopefully I can try out out mark v's a bit more shortly.

Gavin

Gavin,

I have no trouble with either eyepiece. The delites are very comfortable for me.

Alan

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I got the pan 24mms today and surprisingly had some lovely clear skies tonight to give them a try. In a word - fantastic! Very sharp and very comfy. So I think my preferred binoviewing pairs are going to be the Pentax xf 8.5mm for planets and the pan 24mm for wide views. The GRS stood out very clearly using the pentaxes. Very pleased with my binoviewer setup.

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