5 and 6mm BGO's vs Televue 3-6mm zoom

[moriniboy]

Considering buying a Televue 3-6mm zoom as the BGO's only go to 5mm.

Would buying the TV make the 5 and 6mm BGO's redundant or do they give sufficiently different but pleasing views to warrant keeping both?

[alan potts]

I have all of the eyepieces you mention though the 5mm is in fact a Hutech from FLO, probably the same in a different skirt.

The Nagler zoom is an outstanding eyepiece  that offers 10mm of eye relief so is much easier to use than the orthoscopics. I find the 6mm and 5mm Hutech more difficult due to the ER but the image shown on a good night is a little better, better scatter control and a tad sharper, but there is really not much in it. I think the larger FOV at 50 degree plus the extra ER make it the tool of choice for that range, you can tune in to any focal length with it and it is parfocal from 6mm down to 3mm, nice to tune to conditions. I also find like some other I have to be in the mood for the shorter BGO's whereas you don't tend to get this with the Nagler, great eyepiece end of story.

Alan.

[moriniboy]

Rats, looks like I might have to keep both as my eyepiece OCD won't allow me to sell the 5 and 6 out of the set, decisions decisions........

[John]

I've owned the Nagler zoom (twice !) and compared it to Baader GO's / Astro Hutech / Fujiyama orthos as well as good wide fields such as Pentax XW's and Radians. The zoom gets very, very close to the performance of the fixed FL orthos the difference being a little more light scatter really. The flexibility of the zoom plus it's longer eye relief would swing the decision in the zooms favour for all but the most fussy planetary observer I suspect.

For me, for some reason I just didn't "gel" with the Nagler zooms I've owned so I didn't hang onto them. I might consider another one in the 2-4mm FL for levering apart tight double stars though, maybe.

 

 

[YKSE]

3 minutes ago, John said:

I've owned the Nagler zoom (twice !)

I think you mean three times?

[John]

2 minutes ago, YKSE said:

I think you mean three times?

Oops ! - you are correct - bought 3, sold 3

I'm loosing track ....... it's old age !

[Stu]

I've got a full set of BGO's plus a Nag zoom. To me they do different things. The BGO's are a little sharper but the eye relief and fov on the zoom are nice, plus the convenience of easily picking the power you want at the high end of magnification is really handy.

Keep them all I say

[estwing]

Got the zoom in my case and it very rarely comes out...but it's lovely in the telementor.

[moriniboy]

Just to close this off I got a new zoom from Telescope House (10% discount re Astrofest) and to match it I have also got a second hand TeleVue equaliser which brings the combined weight to just over the weight of my 10mm Delos so I'm not expecting any scope balancing issues. Coincidentally when I use the equaliser with the Delos it then pretty much matches the weight of my 17 and 22mm Naglers so this is a bonus.

[estwing]

will not be disappointed... cracking ep.