Baader Mark V Binoviewer Upgrade?

[astro_al]

Due to an issue with my right eye I have recently returned to using a binoviewer. I picked up a used WO model with a custom adapter that allows it to connect to a T2 diagonal. After fixing an initial collimation issue it now works really well and I am back to being able to stay at the eyepiece for extended periods of time.

I can’t see me being without a binoviewer going forward, and with a birthday next  month and an unexpected Christmas bonus I am considering pushing the boat out and investing in a Baader Mark V. 

My question for Mark V owners that upgraded from something else is “what did you gain?”. Clear aperture of the prisms is not a huge deal to me as I am focussed on high power views and the largest field stop I have currently is about 17mm. If the benefits of the Mark V are better mechanics and an improved view only on nights of great seeing then I may stick with what I have and keep an eye out for the Maxbright Mark ll.

Thanks

Al

[Highburymark]

4 hours ago, astro_al said:

Due to an issue with my right eye I have recently returned to using a binoviewer. I picked up a used WO model with a custom adapter that allows it to connect to a T2 diagonal. After fixing an initial collimation issue it now works really well and I am back to being able to stay at the eyepiece for extended periods of time.

I can’t see me being without a binoviewer going forward, and with a birthday next  month and an unexpected Christmas bonus I am considering pushing the boat out and investing in a Baader Mark V. 

My question for Mark V owners that upgraded from something else is “what did you gain?”. Clear aperture of the prisms is not a huge deal to me as I am focussed on high power views and the largest field stop I have currently is about 17mm. If the benefits of the Mark V are better mechanics and an improved view only on nights of great seeing then I may stick with what I have and keep an eye out for the Maxbright Mark ll.

Thanks

Al

Al, I think the new binoviewer coming in the spring might be worth waiting for - supposed to be pitched between the old Maxbright and Mk V - they've certainly been working on it for long enough...

[astro_al]

Thanks Mark. I think waiting to see how the Maxbright ll turns out is probably the most sensible option. I also need a driven mount for my larger Tak as I am getting a bit jaded nudging the manual alt-az along, so a cheaper binoviewer would help fund that. 

Al

[Moonshane]

I'd be surprised if there's a massive difference between the old Maxbright and the new. I suppose bigger prisms might be an advantage if you wanted to use e.g. Panoptics instead of plossls but then there's a whole new issue of balance to contend with.

[F15Rules]

11 minutes ago, astro_al said:

Thanks Mark. I think waiting to see how the Maxbright ll turns out is probably the most sensible option. I also need a driven mount for my larger Tak as I am getting a bit jaded nudging the manual alt-az along, so a cheaper binoviewer would help fund that. 

Al

Hi Al,

How big is your bigger Tak?

My FS128 is physically quite big, although fairly light, and it rides really well on a pre-goto EM2 mount which only has an electric drive in RA, and slow motions for RA and DEC axes. It tracks beautifully at all powers, and if you can find one I'd heartily recommend it - and much cheaper than an EM11 type with goto

[GavStar]

I initially had the WO binoviewers and struggled to get good comfortable views with them. It made me think that binoviewers were not for me. However a year later I decided to have one last attempt at binoviewing and bought a Mark v on the basis that it’s close to the best you can get so if I don’t like it then I’ve given it my best go. 

On first use I immediately saw a difference - Jupiter popped out and with the moons gave a very realistic 3D effect. Also with two eyes the detail I could see on the bands and grs was noticeably better. I also find the mark vs excellent for solar viewing. I’m not sure what the problem was with the wo binoviewers (maybe out of collimation) but the mark vs are brilliant imo.

[astro_al]

12 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

How big is your bigger Tak?

It is a TSA-120 so I would need a mount that would comfortably take 10KG. I am only really looking for tracking, not GoTo. Your EM-2 looks lovely, how much does your FS-128 weigh?

[astro_al]

15 minutes ago, GavStar said:

I’m not sure what the problem was with the wo binoviewers (maybe out of collimation) but the mark vs are brilliant imo.

Thanks for the info GavStar. Initially I couldn’t merge the image with my WO binoviewers either. When I opened them up I could see that a previous owner had removed the glue around one of the prisms meaning the set screws could be used to re-collimate. After adjusting them I have had no issues, but feel that now I am committed to the binoview path that buying a better pair would be a good investment.  

[Highburymark]

I've been really impressed with the WO binoviewer, but I think the T2 benefits of Baader binoviewers would be the biggest draw for me. Along with the easy adjustment of magnification with the gpcs.  I tend not to use widefield EPs for binoviewing, so I'd be happy with a pair of the previous Maxbrights to be honest. Only seem to sold by TS in Germany now. 

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, astro_al said:

It is a TSA-120 so I would need a mount that would comfortably take 10KG. I am only really looking for tracking, not GoTo. Your EM-2 looks lovely, how much does your FS-128 weigh?

Al, 

The bare tube weighs 7.5kg according to Excelsis. The finder, diagonal and eyepiece could add another 1-2kg depending on the size of the diagonal and eyepiece.

I'd say for visual the EM2 could take the 10kg, for AP you'd need something more heavy duty. 

HTH

Dave

[astro_al]

Thanks Dave. I will keep an eye out but I think I will be lucky to find something like an EM-2 or an EM-10. There is an EM-200 for sale at ENS optical which would give me a bit more capacity, however it is a lot of money and spending 2.5K on something that isn’t in mint condition would be hard for me to take. I think I may end up with a Losmandy GM-8, but that is a topic for another thread.

Al

[astro_al]

38 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

I've been really impressed with the WO binoviewer, but I think the T2 benefits of Baader binoviewers would be the biggest draw for me. Along with the easy adjustment of magnification with the gpcs

The WO unit I have has a T2 adapter so I have been able to use the Baader prism diagonal and the 2.6x glasspath. I agree that the Baader T2 accessories are a big draw. 

[Highburymark]

That's rather cool Al - never seen a T2 ready WO binoviewer.