Eyepieces for the Lunt LS50 (especially the Leica Zoom)

[John]

I have just acquired a Lunt LS50 with the Feathertouch focuser from an SGL member. It's a really lovely little scope but I've not seen the Sun since it's arrival, of course

I've been doing lots of reading on these and similar scopes and my mind is now turning to which of my eyepieces might get the best out of the LS50. My current thoughts are that, on the simple side of things, the Baader Classic Orthos might work well. I have the 18mm, 10mm and 6mm. On the more complex side I have the Leica ASPH 8.9mm - 17.8mm zoom and that might be a very attractive option with the zoom function being very useful to tease the best from the conditions.

The Tele Vue plossls also seem to get very good reports when used with the LS50 - unfortunately I don't have any of those at the current time

I realise that the range of focuser travel is quite limited with the LS50 so some of my other eyepieces might not be an option. My research suggests that the LS50 will perform best with eyepieces in the 20mm - 8mm focal length range (18x - 44x) and maybe a little shorter on a really good day. 

With the Leica ASPH zoom I can attach the eyepiece directly to the T2 thread on the back of the Lunt diagonal or the one on top of the stock 1.25" eyepiece tube if I leave that on the diagonal. I have various extension tubes that I can fit to the zoom in either T2 or M48 fitting so I'm hoping that some combination of those will enable me to bring the Leica zoom to focus

I'd be interested to hear the experiences of others who have used the Lunt LS50 with any of the above eyepieces, or any other that have worked especially well

Apart from those mentioned above, my other eyepieces with a 1.25" fitting are:

Ethos 13, 8 and 6, Pentax XW 10, 7, 5 and 3.5, Vixen NLP 30, Nagler 2-4mm zoom, Delos 17.3mm, Panoptic 24mm

Looking forward to hearing your views !

 

 

 

 

[Paul73]

Your Ethosss give great views in the little Lunt. I believe that @DRT had the Lunt 50 / Leica combo.

Much as I love Zoom solar viewing. Maybe a DS unit would give more joy for the money.

Paul

[John]

4 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

...Much as I love Zoom solar viewing. Maybe a DS unit would give more joy for the money.

Paul

I'm not an experienced solar observer so I thought I'd start out with a single stack unit and leave myself somewhere to go if the bug bites

 

[Mark at Beaufort]

John I have used various EPs over the years in my PST. My preferred EP is the TeleVue 8-24mm zoom and I find the most enjoyable mag is between the 12mm and 16mm setting. @Paul73mentioned a double stack which I can tell you increases the view of the solar surface so much. However, the downside is they are quite expensive.

[alanjgreen]

Hi John,

Glad you got that ls50 bargain - I noticed it had gone to sold

i like to start full disk with the ls60 - 14 or 15 mm, with the 500 focal length giving around x32 magnification (of course I am using panoptic 24 with x1.7 gpc in binos for this). This magnification works all year round (when the sun is lower and higher)

i usually also use 12mm for x41 most days (this is my favourite magnification), again this is panoptic 19 with the x1.7 gpc.

the panoptics are great on the sun !

In the summer, I also use 10mm giving x50 but this will not give a full disc so now I am focusing on a particular active region.

i have used higher on prominences but rarely on the disk itself as sharp focus is lost. I prefer a sharp image or I soon get agitated.

At least the sun is quiet at the moment so we are not missing much. It was very active in Aug-Sep so it's just a case of waiting and jumping in when something is happening.

Alan

[niallk]

Hi John congrats on your new scope!

I picked one up from an FLO Clearance, and love it.

Of your EPs, I use the 6mm and 8mm Ethos EPs.  I have the Moonlight Dual Speed focuser upgrade, and I pull the Ethos EPs about 3mm outwards before clamping down.  They give great views, lovely fov.

I also use a cheap 9mm TS plossl, and screw a cheap 1.5x Barlow lens into it too (narrower fov, though).

Wishing you clear skies and violence in the chromosphere!

-Niall

[Davey-T]

Not had an LS50 but I use the Leica Aspheric and Badder VIP Barlow exclusively on my LS60DS much more convenient than separate eyepieces, had the Baader zoom previously which also performed well.

Tried a couple of Ethos but generally stick to the Leica.

Dave

[John]

How does Lunt's own brand zoom (7.2mm - 21.5mm) stack up against other zooming options ?

I've noticed a number of other brandings that look just like the Lunt zoom but at much lower prices. Are they the same or does the Lunt have some special features ?

[GavStar]

My best mono views with my Lunt 60mm have been with my Pentax xw rather than my Leica zoom. 20mm works especially well for me for full disc (25x) but I think your 10mm is definitely worth giving a try.

[GavStar]

15 minutes ago, John said:

How does Lunt's own brand zoom (7.2mm - 21.5mm) stack up against other zooming options ?

I've noticed a number of other brandings that look just like the Lunt zoom but at much lower prices. Are they the same or does the Lunt have some special features ?

I have the Lunt zoom and for solar I think it compares well with my Leica zoom. However the fov is smallish and the eye relief a bit tight. You have such good eyepieces I'd suggest you try what you've got first? As you say the Lunt zoom is cheaper under other brand names but I'm not sure if the Lunt has slightly different coatings for solar use (Stu had one in a different brand name I believe?)

[Paul73]

The Baader 8-24mm works well for Ha. I use it with the matched Barlow in my PST in its native 40mm configuration and without when it is in its 100mm modded mode. There is one on ABS atm. Not everyone gets on with the zooms. Personally, I love them for daytime, but can’t stand them in the dark!

Paul

PS. If someone offers you a view with a DS. Just say ‘No thank you’ and walk away.......

[Mark at Beaufort]

4 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

PS. If someone offers you a view with a DS. Just say ‘No thank you’ and walk away.......

That made me smile Paul. I looked through @Helen's DS about March time. You know the rest of the story . I would be interested in whether the 40mm Coronado Solarmax DS would work in the Lunt 50mm scope with the appropriate screw filter adapter.

[John]

Thanks very much for all the views and opinions so far - very interesting and helpful

My reading on these scopes does strongly agree that adding a further etalon will give substantial improvements to the views so it's definitiely an option that I will be considering in due course, if HA solar observing becomes an important part of the hobby for me. Up to now I've just dabbled in the Sun (so to speak !) with some whilte light now and then and a brief dalliance with a PST around 7 years ago.

As I'm getting older and creakier the prospect of observing in the daytime with relatively lightweight gear has been gradually growing on me so I've felt comfortable about making this initial investment.

I realise that the Sun is in a quiet phase currently so I'll adjust my expectations accordingly although threads like this do whet the appetite

 

[Pig]

Hiya John, the Leica works a treat but my best fixed eyepiece with my Lunt 60 was the SLV 9mm .... outstanding views ? I found the Lunt zoom to be great also but it doesn’t work to well on non solar thus a tad restrictive for the cash.

[PhotoGav]

John, welcome to Club Solar! Ditch the thermals and thick coat and get your t-shirt and shorts on. Daytime sunny astronomy does have a certain appeal!

I have a Lunt 50 and really enjoy using it. Admittedly that is mainly for imaging, but I did purchase the Lunt zoom with the scope and have had good views with it, especially good for sharing the wow with friends. One thing you might consider is an ND filter, I use a 1 1/4” Moon filter, as the view can be very bright on a properly sunny day.

As for the double stack... I am trying to resist the desire!

[Floater]

Glad you’ve found your way to the Bright Side, John. ?

Folks far more experienced than I have already answered but for my tuppence worth, a 16mm Nagler sits in my Lunt ‘ready to go’. It provides a full disc at ~31x. I took the advice @alanjgreen gives above and which he gave me in a thread some weeks back - and his range of mags hits the spot(s?).

But you have a comprehensive knowledge of and about EPs and perhaps the best advice is that which you may give yourself: use what you have and experiment. Hope you have lots of Sun and lots of fun. ?

[niallk]

3 hours ago, Paul73 said:

PS. If someone offers you a view with a DS. Just say ‘No thank you’ and walk away.......

  

Wise words!!!

[John]

4 minutes ago, niallk said:

  

Wise words!!!

And noted as well !

Fortunately my society only has single stack PST's currently.

I've also noticed that we have had some really awful weather here from the moment I opened the package containing the scope

 

[John]

14 minutes ago, Floater said:

Glad you’ve found your way to the Bright Side, John. ?

Folks far more experienced than I have already answered but for my tuppence worth, a 16mm Nagler sits in my Lunt ‘ready to go’. It provides a full disc at ~31x. I took the advice @alanjgreen gives above and which he gave me in a thread some weeks back - and his range of mags hits the spot(s?).

But you have a comprehensive knowledge of and about EPs and perhaps the best advice is that which you may give yourself: use what you have and experiment. Hope you have lots of Sun and lots of fun. ?

Thanks very much Gordon

 

[niallk]

1 minute ago, John said:

And noted as well !

Fortunately my society only has single stack PST's currently.

I've also noticed that we have had some really awful weather here from the moment I opened the package containing the scope

 

 I purchased a DS unit and got hit by a hurricane!  FLO really need to update that warning on their packaging...

[Paul73]

2 hours ago, John said:

Fortunately my society only has single stack PST's currently.

That opens some fun possibilities. Mounted side by side! Proper solar bins!

The views are very very pleasing ??

sorry. A bit off thread. But, you really should try it!

Paul 

[Piero]

Congratulations for your new purchase John!

Looking forward to reading your thoughts as I may start saving up for one one day!  

[John]

1 hour ago, Paul73 said:

That opens some fun possibilities. Mounted side by side! Proper solar bins!

The views are very very pleasing ??

sorry. A bit off thread. But, you really should try it!

Paul 

One of our members had a dual PST setup for binoviewing at an SGL star party a few years back - very impressive !

[Highburymark]

Congrats on the new scope John. I was never able to reach focus with the Leica zoom in the LS50 (with replacement Moonlite focuser). But it may be possible with the feathertouch which I believe may offer a couple more mms of in-focus. Otherwise I found the more exotic wider eyepieces (Delos, Ethos) could not match the sharpness or clarity of plossls (especially TV). 

[John]

38 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Congrats on the new scope John. I was never able to reach focus with the Leica zoom in the LS50 (with replacement Moonlite focuser)..... 

Thats just what I'm wondering about Mark.

Some people say that the Leica ASPH works well with the LS50 and some, like yourself, say that they could not get it to focus

I guess I'll just have to try and find out for myself. I've a number of different configurations with the Leica zoom that I can try out including attaching it direct to the T2 thread around the blocking filter with the stock 1.25" eyepiece tube removed.

Hopefully the Sun will show itself tomorrow so I can do some experiments.