Modern glass vs Vintage line up

[F15Rules]

Now that my eyepiece sets are complete (don't laugh!), I just need some clear moonless nights to do a comparison..

1st Photo, The Moderns

Left to Right:

Pentax SMC zoom 8-24mm, 40-60deg, Pentax XL 10.5mm 65deg, Baader Morpheus 17.5mm 76deg , Vixen LVW 22mm 65deg, TS Paracor (Paragon clone) 40mm 69deg. Ages between brand new (Morpheus) and 10 years old (Pentax XL 10.5).

2nd Photo, The Vintage

Parks Gold Series "Plossls" Pseudo Masuyama set:

3.8, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30mm - all 52 degrees and most of them over 30 years old.

Main comparisons will be Parks GS 7.5, 10, 15 and 25 vs SMC zoom at 8mm, Pentax XL 10.5, Morpheus 17.5 and LVW 22mm.

Obviously the Moderns will have the fov advantage but I expect the contrast and light transmission to be fairly close, and on axis sharpness to be very close ?.

Dave

[Timebandit]

 

Well done Dave with now a complete eyepiece set, never to buy an eyepiece again  ( we will believe you ?). 

You have some nice and different eyepieces there. Obviously in the top photo a bit of a mix match and for some with OCD on here , who live for complete matching sets ?. But if your like me ,you buy what works , not to make a art piece out of eyepieces.

And the Parks Gold series. This will calm the OCD members, and Cheer them up. Don't see many of these sets around. Obviously with the smooth side TV plossl sets and even the BGO  sets are getting rarer , and with good reason as they are still good. But nice to see a Park Gold ?

 

 

 

[Louis D]

20 hours ago, F15Rules said:

10 years old (Pentax XL 10.5)

A minor nit, but the entire Pentax XL series was discontinued with the introduction of the XW series in 2004, so it must be at least 14 years old, but probably older.

[F15Rules]

20 minutes ago, Louis D said:

A minor nit, but the entire Pentax XL series was discontinued with the introduction of the XW series in 2004, so it must be at least 14 years old, but probably older.

I actually bought this in 2016 as new old stock, but can quite believe it's 14 years old.

It's still "modern" compared to the GS's though, and of a "modern" widefield design by comparison too?.

Dave

[Louis D]

3 hours ago, F15Rules said:

I actually bought this in 2016 as new old stock, but can quite believe it's 14 years old.

I've never seen XLs offered as NOS from any US retailer in over a decade.  I'm impressed some retailer held onto stock that long before liquidating it.  ES just liquidated some NOS old style eyepieces along with returns through Telescope Warehouse, and that stuff was at most 5 years old.

[alan potts]

Oh dear if it helps I said my eyepieces were complete in 2011 with all the Meade 5k UWA and SWA, apart from the UWA 18mm. I now don't have any of them and have bought 36 since and even sold some of them, it has stayed the same now since October, something of a record.

[Louis D]

My 9mm Vixen LV, 27mm Panoptic, and 5.2mm and 14mm Pentax XLs are all turning 20+ years old this year as they were my starter set back in the day.  Does that make them vintage glass yet, or do I need to wait until 2028 to call them that?

[alan potts]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

My 9mm Vixen LV, 27mm Panoptic, and 5.2mm and 14mm Pentax XLs are all turning 20+ years old this year as they were my starter set back in the day.  Does that make them vintage glass yet, or do I need to wait until 2028 to call them that?

Personally I feel anything over 20 years can be called this, the pre Chinese boom, the days when Meade made all their stuff in places like Japan. Some though I am sure would expect the time doubled back to the days when Dudley Fuller was on the go with a shop in central London. About the oldest glass I have is 5mm and 4mm Radians.

Alan

[Louis D]

21 minutes ago, alan potts said:

the days when Meade made all their stuff in places like Japan.

Funny you should mentinon this.  I recently picked up a 14mm Meade UWA smoothie which should be about 30 years old.  The coatings and stray light control could be better, but it was a heck of a design for its day.  I can actually use it with eyeglasses.  Stars at the edge are radial lines just like Telescope Optics: Evaluation and Design shows for the TV Nagler T1 upon which it was based.

[25585]

On 27/03/2018 at 19:49, F15Rules said:

Now that my eyepiece sets are complete (don't laugh!), I just need some clear moonless nights to do a comparison..

1st Photo, The Moderns

Left to Right:

Pentax SMC zoom 8-24mm, 40-60deg, Pentax XL 10.5mm 65deg, Baader Morpheus 17.5mm 76deg , Vixen LVW 22mm 65deg, TS Paracor (Paragon clone) 40mm 69deg. Ages between brand new (Morpheus) and 10 years old (Pentax XL 10.5).

2nd Photo, The Vintage

Parks Gold Series "Plossls" Pseudo Masuyama set:

3.8, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30mm - all 52 degrees and most of them over 30 years old.

Main comparisons will be Parks GS 7.5, 10, 15 and 25 vs SMC zoom at 8mm, Pentax XL 10.5, Morpheus 17.5 and LVW 22mm.

Obviously the Moderns will have the fov advantage but I expect the contrast and light transmission to be fairly close, and on axis sharpness to be very close ?.

Dave

Looks like your moderns are 2 short....? Vixen L❤W 22mm ?

But its good to feel your eyepiece quest is done, for now. ?

[25585]

Still looking for a 2nd 35mm Eudiascopic for bv use! But going retro is fun.

Meade 4000 40mm Japanese Plossl, 26mm & 30mm Baader Eudiascopics, TAL Erfle 12mm. Retro going to WA 1.25 eps. Neat, sweet, relatively petite after my 2 inch leviathans.