zoom eyepiece

[John]

That Vixen zoom does look very much like the much less expensive Skywatcher / Seben / Celestron branded ones. I'm sure it's not the same and perhaps the Telescope House picture is a little unclear but the superficial resemblance is uncanny.

On the Tele Vue 8-24 zoom, since when did Tele Vue claim to make everything they have sold Dave ?

I was buying Tele Vue eyepieces back in the late 1980's and they were clearly engraved as having been made in Japan. A few years on Naglers T1's were being made in Taiwan and clearly engraved as such as are their eyepieces today.

What Tele Vue do is to have products such as eyepiece manufactured exclusively for them and then shipped to the USA where Tele Vue themselves perform a quality check on each one before it is released to the vendors for sale.

What might have been different about the Vixen made zoom is that Vixen launched their own branded version of it which was less expensive than the Tele Vue branded version. Maybe the manufacturing contract had a loophole that enabled Vixen to do this for this product ?. I guess TV reviewed their range and realised that their own branded 8-24 zoom could not be priced to compete with the Vixen one so dropped it. I hardly think that was a reputation wrecking incident !

It wasn't anything hasty either - Ed Ting was discussing the Vixen and Tele Vue variants of the 8-24mm zoom back in May 1999 on his review site. Tele Vue dropped their version of the zoom in 2009.

There appear to have been 2 versions of these zooms BTW, the original and the later "click stop" one. Both made by Vixen. The "click stop" was introduced in 2002 I believe.

 

[Dave In Vermont]

A big-time money-raking advertising outfit had the 'brain-storm' to sell more goods by proudly proclaiming: "MADE IN THE U.S.A!" And it's still very much in use today over here. But I rather doubt it would work very well in the UK & Europa. So, John, this would serve to explain why you're not aware of TeleVue® using this ploy. Anywhose - this was when TeleVue® pulled the plug of their 8 - 24mm Zoom.

As for the uncanny similarities between the Vixen LV and the Celestron, Seben, and others - the likely explanation of why Vixen's 2X - 3X the price? It may be due to Vixen's proprietary use of the rare-earth element Lanthanum in it's lens-material. As for the appearance? Probably all made in the same factory. But the lenses made elsewhere.

Either that, or people are utterly gullible? But there's no doubt once you side-by-side look through a Vixen v. Celestron, Seben, etc. There is a marked difference. I'm not entirely certain as to how the Lanthanum reflects, or passes, light-transmission - but I've always found their LV-eyepieces deliver a sharper, flatter view across FOV.

Such is partially my speculation in the above - but I'd be happy to entertain other possible explanations.

PROUDLY MADE IN THE U.S.A!

Dave

 

 

 

 

[John]

For many years I took the USA based magazines "Astronomy" and "Sky & Telescope" so I'm aware of the various adverts that were run from time to time on that side of the pond. Indeed I spent much time wishing I could get the kit you had over there, over here and at US prices !

Some Tele Vue stuff was and is made in the USA but not their eyepieces beyond the prototype Naglers. Al quickly realised that Japanese and later Taiwanese manufacturers could meet the standards that he required more efficiently so thats where the production manufacturing went. If any vendor was claiming that they were "Made in the USA" then I'm sure that Al would have put them right fairly quickly. I can't imagine that Tele Vue would make that claim themselves - the country of manufacture is engraved on the eyepiece barrels !

I'm not saying that the Vixen zooms are the same thing as the Skywatcher / Seben ones, just that they look outwardly very similar.

For a short while Meade used Swarovski to make their 8-24 zoom lens apparently - I wouldn't mind trying one of those !

Anyway, back at the original question, I reckon either the Vixen LV the Baader 8-24 zoom would work pretty well in the original posters 200mm F/5 newtonian. If the Vixen LV is branded Tele Vue that would work nicely too

 

 

 

 

[Dave In Vermont]

I wouldn't throw one of the TV-branded one's out my window! I'd grab it and maybe combine the two in a binoviewer?!

At the time of TeleVue® pulling-the-plug on their zoom, they explained that while it was true they came from the same factory, TV went on to (shoot themselves in the foot) claim that they always 'cherry-picked' the lot they came from - and always took the best ones. That didn't wash though. Their credibility was dead on the issue at hand.

And so it went - but enough of the ancient-history lesson. The current Vixen 8 - 24mm Zoom is an excellent tube-of-glass. As regards it being worth well over twice the cost of Celestron, Seben, Meade, Zhummel, etc, etc. - this is a personal matter beyond speculation. I have one and wouldn't part with it. I also have a Baader 8 - 24mm as well.

Have fun!

Dave

[iPeace]

On 12/09/2016 at 06:07, Dave In Vermont said:

I wouldn't throw one of the TV-branded one's out my window! I'd grab it and maybe combine the two in a binoviewer?!

At the time of TeleVue® pulling-the-plug on their zoom, they explained that while it was true they came from the same factory, TV went on to (shoot themselves in the foot) claim that they always 'cherry-picked' the lot they came from - and always took the best ones. That didn't wash though. Their credibility was dead on the issue at hand.

And so it went - but enough of the ancient-history lesson. The current Vixen 8 - 24mm Zoom is an excellent tube-of-glass. As regards it being worth well over twice the cost of Celestron, Seben, Meade, Zhummel, etc, etc. - this is a personal matter beyond speculation. I have one and wouldn't part with it. I also have a Baader 8 - 24mm as well.

Have fun!

Dave

Dave,

Do you have a preference for either the Vixen or the Baader?

[Dave In Vermont]

They're both very good for what they are and can do, so I can't pick one over the other. I'm glad to have both. For a take-with, I bring the Vixen. But at my home/observing-spot, I've found myself using the Baader more often lately. 

Are you thinking of getting one? Baader has just shipped their new Mark IV Hyperion model. So I'd hold off on getting this one for now. Let someone else play 'beta-tester' first!

Enjoy -

Dave