Baader Morpheus retro fit improved eyecup

[F15Rules]

I noticed today that Baader are now offering their new, improved foldable threaded eyecup as a retro fit accessory for the Morpheus range.?

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/rubbermetal-foldable-morpheus-eyecup-(m43-threaded).html

I believe this can also be used with other eyepieces with an M43 thread, eg Hyperion etc.

I have the new  Morpheus 17.5mm version which is a fantastic eyepiece. This came with the new eyecup (and an extension piece as well) and it transforms the comfort of using what is already an immensely rewarding eyepiece. Last night the view of Mizar through this ep mated to my FS128 was spectacular - black background, sprinkling of fainter stars and the whole system including Alcor and Sidus Ludovicanum between Alcor and Mizar prime was beautifully framed at c 60x.

I've also owned the 14mm which was also excellent (in fact I sold my XW14 in favour of the Morph).

I also see that FLO still have some sizes of Morpheus on offer at the amazing price of £149! Comes with 2" and 1.25" eyecups, foam lined presentation box and waist holster included.

If you like really high quality wide (76 deg) views I doubt there is a better buy for the price at the moment

Dave

[Ruud]

For my 6.5mm I already bought the €17.50 ring to raise the eyecup by 7.5 mm. (The same ring is now included with the 17.5mm.)
I glued the floppy rubber eyecup of the 6.5mm to this extension ring, to make it stop coming loose.
Now Baader offers a €12.50 eyecup that won't come loose and is firmer as well. (This item too is included with the new 17.5mm.)

So for early adopters it costs €30 to to properly fix the eyecup issue of the first generation Morpheus eyepieces. Why doesn't it occur to Baader to allow owners of the flimsy older eyecups to return them, and to send them the new 'ring + eyecup' for free?

I half expect that the eyepieces that are still sold for the discount price have the old eyecups and lack the extension ring. If that is so, you can spend the money you 'saved' on the fixed items you'll soon discover you need.

---

No, of course not. I'm not angry with them at all. 

[iPeace]

1 hour ago, Ruud said:

I half expect that the eyepieces that are still sold for the discount price have the old eyecups and lack the extension ring.

While you have my sympathy, I can say this was not true in my case. The Morpheus I got from FLO at discount price came with all the trimmings.

[Ruud]

Just now, iPeace said:

The Morpheus I got from FLO at discount price came with all the trimmings.

Thanks. Which one was that?

[iPeace]

I got the 12.5mm. It's nice.

[Ruud]

Yes, nice optics in the Morpheus eyepieces!

I'm considering buying a third, the 4.5mm. It would be a welcome replacement for my Nagler T1 4.8mm. 

[Louis D]

I picked up a 9mm Morpheus here in the states during our sale a few months back.  It came with the new eyecup.  Since I keep it folded down all the time, I really don't care which type is on my eyepiece.  I'm just worried my 14mm with the older style eyecup will have a lower resale value because of it.

[rockystar]

Unfortunately they won't deliver to the UK. I've been in touch with David Hines to see if he can get some,  but I haven't back since he said he would look into it nearly 4 weeks ago. 

Maybe if others get in touch,  he may have better luck getting hold of a batch. 

I love my Morpheus EPs,  but those flimsy eyecups let it down a bit. 

[F15Rules]

54 minutes ago, rockystar said:

Unfortunately they won't deliver to the UK. I've been in touch with David Hines to see if he can get some,  but I haven't back since he said he would look into it nearly 4 weeks ago. 

Maybe if others get in touch,  he may have better luck getting hold of a batch. 

I love my Morpheus EPs,  but those flimsy eyecups let it down a bit. 

Have you tried ordering direct from the Baader website?

If David Hinds won't supply it you might well be able to get it either from Baader direct or another European supplier. Might be worth asking FLO if they could source the part(s) for you too - they are very obliging,?.

HTH

Dave

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, iPeace said:

While you have my sympathy, I can say this was not true in my case. The Morpheus I got from FLO at discount price came with all the trimmings.

That's good to know Mike. FLO are very straightforward and transparent..when I asked about the offer stock they did say that (at that time, around 3-4 months back) their older stocks still had the old style eyecup, but that new stocks would include the new parts.

I do agree with Ruud that Baader could have made a goodwill gesture by swapping the old eyecups for a new one, maybe for the price of the postage..it would be a shame to have people put off buying what is a wonderful ep range because of a flimsy eyecup! 

Dave

[Ruud]

I wonder (because the end cap of my M 6.5mm does not fit the eyecup of my M 17.5mm) does the new eyecup come with its own dust cap? I can't find anything about it.

[rockystar]

19 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Have you tried ordering direct from the Baader website?

If David Hinds won't supply it you might well be able to get it either from Baader direct or another European supplier. Might be worth asking FLO if they could source the part(s) for you too - they are very obliging,?.

HTH

Dave

Yes, they sent me to David. I've just had an email from David, confirming that he's had a delivery but only distributes to trade. He then sent me a link to FLO: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-morpheus-rubbermetal-foldable-eyecup.html 

 

[rockystar]

Bought and fitted. They are a vast improvement over the original supplied versions,  just a couple of things:

1. They are thicker than the originals,  not a bad thing (The originals were thin and flimsy), but the caps no longer fit

2. I wish they had been available before I super glued the originals (done to 2 of my 3, 1 before I got it), as I've just spent an hour picking glue out of the threads. 

 

 

[Ruud]

37 minutes ago, rockystar said:

... but the caps no longer fit ...

No dustcap then? I asked Baader if they included a dustcap with the eyecup, but they haven't replied yet.

[rockystar]

2 hours ago, Ruud said:

No dustcap then? I asked Baader if they included a dustcap with the eyecup, but they haven't replied yet.

I've emailed FLO, see what they say

[TheLookingGlass]

On 01/08/2018 at 12:11, Ruud said:

For my 6.5mm I already bought the €17.50 ring to raise the eyecup by 7.5 mm. (The same ring is now included with the 17.5mm.)
I glued the floppy rubber eyecup of the 6.5mm to this extension ring, to make it stop coming loose.
Now Baader offers a €12.50 eyecup that won't come loose and is firmer as well. (This item too is included with the new 17.5mm.)

So for early adopters it costs €30 to to properly fix the eyecup issue of the first generation Morpheus eyepieces. Why doesn't it occur to Baader to allow owners of the flimsy older eyecups to return them, and to send them the new 'ring + eyecup' for free?

I half expect that the eyepieces that are still sold for the discount price have the old eyecups and lack the extension ring. If that is so, you can spend the money you 'saved' on the fixed items you'll soon discover you need.

---

No, of course not. I'm not angry with them at all. 

Agena Astro had an offer to us buyers. They sent me three new Morpheus eyecups + M-43 Extension and dust caps for free. I just had to pay for shipping, which was excellent. I had originally bought three Morphs; 12.5mm / 9mm / 6.5mm.  The dust caps fit perfectly when folded down.

I find just the rubber eyecups twisted on without the M43 extender just right.

[Ruud]

9 minutes ago, TheLookingGlass said:

I find just the rubber eyecups twisted on without the M43 extender just right.

I needed the extension ring to make eye placement easier. I wear no glasses and my head tended to drift around over the eyepiece due to the very large eye relief. The ring helps a lot. by reducing the effective eye relief.

Baader haven't yet answered my query on whether a dust cap is included with the new eye cup. I'll give them some more time and then ask again. I'll also ask what the price for a separate dust cap is. 

First I'll contact Robtics, where I bought the 6.5mm, to see if they can arrange a free upgrade kit like Agena did for you. Thanks for that tip!

[TheLookingGlass]

6 hours ago, Ruud said:

I needed the extension ring to make eye placement easier. I wear no glasses and my head tended to drift around over the eyepiece due to the very large eye relief. The ring helps a lot. by reducing the effective eye relief.

Baader haven't yet answered my query on whether a dust cap is included with the new eye cup. I'll give them some more time and then ask again. I'll also ask what the price for a separate dust cap is. 

First I'll contact Robtics, where I bought the 6.5mm, to see if they can arrange a free upgrade kit like Agena did for you. Thanks for that tip!

True. 

Eye relief is just a tad over both the M43 extension and the rubber eyecup, but I can use the Morpheus eyepieces without the M43 extension and keeping the rubber eyeguard rolled right down without any problems.

I've been using long eye relief eyepieces for many years, and I have gotten used to it. 

That's just me tho.....others need eyeguards in the up position. YMMV...

Cheers!