DRT Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I bought the 5mm and 7mm EPS in this range a couple of weeks ago to fill a gap. I just tried both of these with my Lunt 50Ha and I must say they are fantastic. Even with Ethos EPs (long gone) I never successfully got below 8mm with this scope and the performance of the XWs is very impressive. Does anyone know if this range is parafocal? The short travel on the Lunt is a well known issue so the longer FL EPs in the range might not suit unless parafocal (or very nearly) with the two I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iPeace Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I tend not to pay attention to this, so must try it in order to confirm or not. Will happily do so first opportunity - hopefully Tuesday night. I do expect others to be along shortly with this info, so I may not be first back with results, but better safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I have the 10, 7, 5 and 3.5 Pentax XW's and they are, within a mm or so, par-focal. I don't know about the 14mm and 20mm though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 1 minute ago, John said: I have the 10, 7, 5 and 3.5 Pentax XW's and they are, within a mm or so, par-focal. I don't know about the 14mm and 20mm though Thanks, John. That is exactly the set I was thinking would work well in the Lunt ? Would be interested to know about the 14mm for when seeing isn't so good but I have a 15mm TV Plossl that does that job and not sure I'd get much more for another 200 quid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 30 minutes ago, DRT said: I bought the 5mm and 7mm EPS in this range a couple of weeks ago to fill a gap. I just tried both of these with my Lunt 50Ha and I must say they are fantastic. Even with Ethos EPs (long gone) I never successfully got below 8mm with this scope and the performance of the XWs is very impressive. Does anyone know if this range is parafocal? The short travel on the Lunt is a well known issue so the longer FL EPs in the range might not suit unless parafocal (or very nearly) with the two I have. If the XWs work well that's great Derek, but have you tried the simpler designs like Plossl or orthos? Conventional wisdom (whatever that means ) says that the less complex designs function better for solar. I've had plenty to success with Televue Plossls. The counter point to this is that I found the Leica ASPH zoom to be fantastic for solar too, just to disprove the theory! I suspect it is as much to do with the afov than anything else, so 100 degree designs are less likely to give good results than narrower offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 11 minutes ago, Stu said: If the XWs work well that's great Derek, but have you tried the simpler designs like Plossl or orthos? Conventional wisdom (whatever that means ) says that the less complex designs function better for solar. I've had plenty to success with Televue Plossls. The counter point to this is that I found the Leica ASPH zoom to be fantastic for solar too, just to disprove the theory! I suspect it is as much to do with the afov than anything else, so 100 degree designs are less likely to give good results than narrower offerings. I have the 11mm, 15mm and 32mm TV Plossls, Stu, and have owned the others several times. I have never got on with the 8mm due to the really short eye relief and tiny eye lens so 11mm is the best I can do with those. I used to use my Ethos 8mm all the time with the Lunt and it was great. You know that because you viewed the solar eclipse through it ? - But I don't have the Ethos any more and have been searching for something to give me a bit more magnification. The Lunt is difficult for EPs to get on with as many ranges of FLs don't reach focus. The two XWs I have are the shortest focal length EPs I have had a decent image from in this scope, and it wasn't just decent, it was fantastic! I think the 3.5mm and 10mm would be worth investing in, and I have a few EPs to sell that would help fund them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 27 minutes ago, John said: I have the 10, 7, 5 and 3.5 Pentax XW's and they are, within a mm or so, par-focal. I don't know about the 14mm and 20mm though I can confirm the 10 and 14 are parfocal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iPeace Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 10 minutes ago, DRT said: I think the 3.5mm and 10mm would be worth investing in I wouldn't bother. I mean, honestly, have you ever seen such an ugly bunch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timebandit Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 8 minutes ago, iPeace said: I wouldn't bother. I mean, honestly, have you ever seen such an ugly bunch? They may be ugly to your eyes Mike? But beauty is in the eye of the beholder? But boy do they work well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 I knew this post was a mistake ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15Rules Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 2 hours ago, John said: I have the 10, 7, 5 and 3.5 Pentax XW's and they are, within a mm or so, par-focal. I don't know about the 14mm and 20mm though I found the same as John with the XWs (apart from the 3.5mm which I haven't tried)..Very nearly parfocal. I also owned the 14mm and 20mm versions as well - though not for long. I think the 5, 7 and 10mm are remarkable eyepieces. But I found the 14mm and 20mm genuinely disappointing, mainly due to field curvature (worse on the 14mm than the 20mm IMO). I replaced them (after direct comparisons in winter 2016) with a Morpheus 14mm and Vixen LVW 22mm and have never regretted the switch (although I did sell the Morph 14mm and replaced it with a 17.5mm Morph which is even better than the 14mm, and both with a 76deg field. The Morpheus needs a few mm more in travel focus than the XWs, the LVW22mm is only about 2mm or so different. Dave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 That's great info, Dave. I ordered the 3.5mm and 10mm earlier this evening as they are in there range I am looking for. From about 10mm up I am looking for wide field EPs, which my Lunt/APM EPs will give me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan White Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Derek I am sure you will be delighted. Stupidly I sold the 10mm XW that I had, it was an excellent eyepiece. I do have 5mm XW now and that’s a keeper, rather fancy a 3.5mm next. Really wish I had kept the 10mm. I found the 10 worked well in WL solar, the 5 is a bit too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highburymark Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 5 hours ago, DRT said: I bought the 5mm and 7mm EPS in this range a couple of weeks ago to fill a gap. I just tried both of these with my Lunt 50Ha and I must say they are fantastic. Even with Ethos EPs (long gone) I never successfully got below 8mm with this scope and the performance of the XWs is very impressive. Does anyone know if this range is parafocal? The short travel on the Lunt is a well known issue so the longer FL EPs in the range might not suit unless parafocal (or very nearly) with the two I have. Interesting Derek. I found that neither Ethos or Delos worked well with Lunt 50 - soundly outperformed by plossls and orthos. Great that XWs deliver for solar ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25585 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Vixen LVWs are par focal 3.5 to 22mm. ? Only XW I really need is a 10mm, but the 7mm is so nice it stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niallk Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 22 hours ago, Highburymark said: Interesting Derek. I found that neither Ethos or Delos worked well with Lunt 50 - soundly outperformed by plossls and orthos. Great that XWs deliver for solar ha. I too tried Ethosseses in my LS50, and have settled on my TV 15mm plossl + 1.5x Barlow lens screwed in. The 10E worked nicely, but I find the plossl plain handy, lightweight and neat - it just slips into the scope case and lives there fulltime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 1 minute ago, niallk said: I too tried Ethosseses in my LS50, and have settled on my TV 15mm plossl + 1.5x Barlow lens screwed in. The 10E worked nicely, but I find the plossl plain handy, lightweight and neat - it just slips into the scope case and lives there fulltime Eyepieces that are nearly as large as the scope always raise a smile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRT Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 24 minutes ago, John said: Eyepieces that are nearly as large as the scope always raise a smile I'm on the lookout for one the same size as my APM 152, John, so be sure to give me a shout if you know of one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niallk Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 25 minutes ago, John said: Eyepieces that are nearly as large as the scope always raise a smile So what you are saying is I need a bigger scope ... oh how I wish: it is scary how steeply costs rise for Ha gear as aperture increases! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piero Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I also seem to prefer smaller fov eyepieces for bright targets like the Sun. In my case my zoom + barlow combo does the job so well that I don't wish anything else. Before this, the Vixen SLV were my favourite for solar observation. Good luck with the XWs. They seem very versatile and highly appreciated eyepieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis D Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 5 hours ago, DRT said: I'm on the lookout for one the same size as my APM 152, John, so be sure to give me a shout if you know of one The closest I can think of is the 30mm ES-100 if you have a 3" focuser and diagonal: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLookingGlass Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Most all of the XW's are amazing eyepieces! The only one's I find negligible are the 14mm and 20mm XW's because of field curvature, but the 5mm XW as well because I found eye placement a bit trickier than the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 5 hours ago, Louis D said: The closest I can think of is the 30mm ES-100 if you have a 3" focuser and diagonal: That refractor is Tim Wethrell's original one I think: http://www.wetherellart.co.uk/pages/astronomy_bigrefractor.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Al Nagler is working on a really large eyepiece Derek, but the novel illuminated reticule system has been causing problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timebandit Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 22 minutes ago, John said: Al Nagler is working on a really large eyepiece Derek, but the novel illuminated reticule system has been causing problems I thought that's what they mean about the "ring of fire" when talking about the Naglers ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.