Going retro vintage Japanese glass

[F15Rules]

Well, 

I now have winged eye guards for 5 of the 6 GS eyepieces..2 came from Robtics in Holland (well named at £22 for 2 !! )  and the other 3 came, very kindly, and at no cost to myself, from mikeDnight, a real gentleman and scholar if ever there was one..Thanks Mike!?

Best of all, one of Mike's was a tad bigger than the others and I managed to get it on to the 30mm, which is wider at the top than the others.

I think they look kind of cute with their guards on. The 3.8mm is still en route from the USA, but has one included, so I can use that one with the 7.5mm too.

I've put them in a small but useful Ali case I already had..

A very short peek at M42 was very promising the other night, but I'll do a proper first light and compare versus my more modern EPs when conditions allow it☺.

Dave

[mikeDnight]

Seriously sweet collection of classic glass there Dave, and the winged eyecups look like they were made for the job! 

"Gentleman and scholar?" You've been on the Glenmorangie again haven't you!? 

[paulastro]

1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

Seriously sweet collection of classic glass there Dave, and the winged eyecups look like they were made for the job! 

"Gentleman and scholar?" You've been on the Glenmorangie again haven't you!? 

I take it that Dave has never met you Mike?    

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

Gentleman and scholar?" You've been on the Glenmorangie again haven't you!

 Not at all Mike..If I had, it would have been more of a...

"zzjjjenelman an schhhollerrer" type of remark...hic 

Dave

[mikeDnight]

2 hours ago, paulastro said:

I take it that Dave has never met you Mike?    

And yet what a good judge of character he is!! 

[F15Rules]

Well, the incoming GS new old stock GS 3.8 arrived from the USA today?.

It definitely looks new, completely unmarked. A slight disappointment that no eye guard was included, but I do have 5 to use between the 7 in the set.

It's a bigger eyepiece than I thought, very nice heft to it . I've pictured it below next to the 7.5mm.

This is probably a later one being in the commemorative box 1954-1999, so it's probably almost 20 years old.

Lovely build, smooth black anodising, perfect gold transfers and very heavily chromed brass barrel, stamped JAPAN.

In my FS128 this will give me x274 , and x209 in the ED103s - I'll be interested to see how it performs on Mars and Jupiter later this year☺.

Just need some clear nights now, been cloudy here for a fortnight!?.

Dave

[Saganite]

Another lovely addition to the set. It is worth having for the box alone !

Look forward very much to hearing how they perform, in the FS128, and somehow that set looks right for it, really superb !

[mikeDnight]

DROOLING AGAIN! Getting seriously dehydrated watching this thread Dave! 

[Louis D]

I've read that the 3.8mm is essentially a 7.5mm with a 2x barlow/smyth lens built in.  You might want to compare it to your 7.5mm with a 2x barlow for kicks.

[F15Rules]

37 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I've read that the 3.8mm is essentially a 7.5mm with a 2x barlow/smyth lens built in.  You might want to compare it to your 7.5mm with a 2x barlow for kicks.

Yes , that's right. The early ones apparently had a removable Barlow element so you got 2 eps for the price of one, but then the makers got wise to it and cemented the two lenses together to prevent them being separated.

Dave

[25585]

Sort of closure came today with the delivery of a classic Vixen Er 32mm Erfle, 2 inch fit.  

My very first eyepiece was a Vixen circle-V Er 32mm Erfle with a M36.4mm thread. Missing for years (though I will probably find it now!)

First photos are of the 2 inch. It's Vixen label is just a flimsy self-adhesive sticker, but on the chrome tube is etched "Japan". Bought on ebay from a US seller. 

Lower photos are of an identical circle-V ep to the one I have lost, for comparison. 

Any ideas how to protect the Vixen sticker would be welcome. The 2 inch hardly looks used. My search at home continues...

[F15Rules]

"Any ideas how to protect the Vixen sticker would be welcome".

Nice smoothie eyepiece. I wouldn't worry too much about the Vixen sticker. It's clearly survived for a lot of years as is..☺.

if you have a large plastic bolt case, that would help keep it safe from moisture when not in use.

What's the FOV, do you know?

Dave

[25585]

The 36.4mm had 68 deg FOV, so I expect the 2 inch has a bit more, though it's eye lens looks slightly smaller.

Looking forward to trying out my 2 inch. Original had no astigmatism or coma in a F5.

 

 

[25585]

Only as a FYI, I found this old thread by @John

 

[25585]

On 09/03/2018 at 15:52, F15Rules said:

Well, 

I now have winged eye guards for 5 of the 6 GS eyepieces..2 came from Robtics in Holland (well named at £22 for 2 !! )  and the other 3 came, very kindly, and at no cost to myself, from mikeDnight, a real gentleman and scholar if ever there was one..Thanks Mike!?

Best of all, one of Mike's was a tad bigger than the others and I managed to get it on to the 30mm, which is wider at the top than the others.

I think they look kind of cute with their guards on. The 3.8mm is still en route from the USA, but has one included, so I can use that one with the 7.5mm too.

I've put them in a small but useful Ali case I already had..

A very short peek at M42 was very promising the other night, but I'll do a proper first light and compare versus my more modern EPs when conditions allow it☺.

Dave

Just noticed you don't have the 35mm in your range, which was the longest focal length ep in Parks Gold series. Are you looking for one? 

[Stu]

2 hours ago, 25585 said:

Just noticed you don't have the 35mm in your range, which was the longest focal length ep in Parks Gold series. Are you looking for one? 

Not sure of the intention but can we please keep any selling to the for sale section.

Many thanks

[F15Rules]

3 hours ago, 25585 said:

Just noticed you don't have the 35mm in your range, which was the longest focal length ep in Parks Gold series. Are you looking for one? 

I have all the series but the 5mm and 35m.

I'm not after either at the moment. The 5mm has too short eye relief for me. The 35mm, ironically, might have too MUCH eye relief, although I believe it's a great eyepiece. I'm happy with my 30mm Parks and 40mm TS Paracor (Paragon) for now?

Dave

[mikeDnight]

11 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

I have all the series but the 5mm and 35m.

I'm not after either at the moment. The 5mm has too short eye relief for me. The 35mm, ironically, might have too MUCH eye relief, although I believe it's a great eyepiece. I'm happy with my 30mm Parks and 40mm TS Paracor (Paragon) for now?

Dave

I wondered about the 35 having too much eye relief but after buying one last summer, its possibly my favourite eyepiece. It also comes with a detachable spacer with winged eyeguard. Very comfortable!

[25585]

5 hours ago, Stu said:

Not sure of the intention but can we please keep any selling to the for sale section.

Many thanks

Not that. Just wondered if F15rules was building a complete collection, as some of here like to for ep model ranges.

[25585]

3 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

I wondered about the 35 having too much eye relief but after buying one last summer, its possibly my favourite eyepiece. It also comes with a detachable spacer with winged eyeguard. Very comfortable!

I have a BE 35mm. Looking for another for bino viewing. 

[mikeDnight]

14 hours ago, 25585 said:

I have a BE 35mm. Looking for another for bino viewing. 

You never know if someone in Japan will feel sorry for you, and begin a new production run of these High quality pseudo Masuyama's again soon. There certainly seems to be enough appreciation for these eyepieces from around the world to make such a venture worthwhile. 

[25585]

3 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

You never know if someone in Japan will feel sorry for you, and begin a new production run of these High quality pseudo Masuyama's again soon. There certainly seems to be enough appreciation for these eyepieces from around the world to make such a venture worthwhile. 

I will keep hunting. It's all a waiting game! Never thought I would be able to find the discontinued eps I have now, most recently my Vixen Erfle. 

Shoppin' around the world...

[25585]

 

Another oldie of mine, Celestron silver top 26mm Plossl made by Vixen. You can just see the circled V after Japan. 

Eye relief too short for glasses, but comfy without. No beans or cut off. 

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, 25585 said:

Eye relief too short for glasses, but comfy without.

That's surprising if the eye lens is flush mounted.  I have a 26mm Sirius Plossl with a recessed eye lens that is almost usable with eyeglasses.  If it was 5mm less recessed, it would have been fine with glasses.  It really annoys me that these eyepiece designers tried to "fix" too long eye relief by recessing the eye lens instead of having an adjustable eye cup.

[25585]

18 minutes ago, Louis D said:

That's surprising if the eye lens is flush mounted.  I have a 26mm Sirius Plossl with a recessed eye lens that is almost usable with eyeglasses.  If it was 5mm less recessed, it would have been fine with glasses.  It really annoys me that these eyepiece designers tried to "fix" too long eye relief by recessing the eye lens instead of having an adjustable eye cup.

This is the recession on my Celestron.