Nikon NAV HW 17mm eyepiece

[Stardust1]

I just received the Nikon NAV HW 17mm eyepiece. Still waiting on the first light under the stars. 

What's unique about this eyepiece as it comes standard with an EiC extender, which turns the eyepiece in 14mm. 

I hope to add first light comments here weather permitting. The weather has been poor for months now. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Stardust1

[Louis D]

Did you add a parfocalizing ring or some such to the chrome barrel?

[Stardust1]

Hi Louis, the Nikon NAV HW eyepiece comes with 2" stopping ring and EiC extender. Without the 2" stopping ring, as you can see in the picture, the 2" barrel will likely damage your 2" diagonal mirror. As the 2" chrome barrel of the Nikon is too long. 

[jetstream]

3 hours ago, Stardust1 said:

I just received the Nikon NAV HW 17mm eyepiece.

Congrats!

I sure like mine- but my 17mm Ethos does not...lol!

This eyepiece is VG.

[Stardust1]

Thank you Gerry!

I have used the Nikon a few times during the day and I was amazed by the contrast. I can take the whole 102 degrees. With the 13mm Ethos is a little more challenge to take the 100 degrees. The Nikon is more comfortable to use then the 13mm Ethos. As of comfort concerned the Nikon is close to the Pentax XW.

How do the 17mm Nikon compare to the 17mm Ehtos? Thanks!

[jetstream]

4 hours ago, Stardust1 said:

How do the 17mm Nikon compare to the 17mm Ehtos? Thanks!

I like the 17mm Nikon HW better than my 17mm Ethos- I feel it offers a step up in contrast and it appears to be "sharper". The contrast using the 14mm EIC is giving the Docter a rival and on the core of M42 in the 15" f4.8 the views are jaw dropping. I need to test the 17 Nikon for pincushion distortion, something that bothers me a bit.

The Nikon HW needs a better eyeguard, which the 17E grudgingly supplied (fits perfect).

My testing is on hold with the TSA120 as it is -36c this morning.

[GavStar]

25 minutes ago, jetstream said:

I like the 17mm Nikon HW better than my 17mm Ethos- I feel it offers a step up in contrast and it appears to be "sharper". The contrast using the 14mm EIC is giving the Docter a rival and on the core of M42 in the 15" f4.8 the views are jaw dropping. I need to test the 17 Nikon for pincushion distortion, something that bothers me a bit.

The Nikon HW needs a better eyeguard, which the 17E grudgingly supplied (fits perfect).

My testing is on hold with the TSA120 as it is -36c this morning.

Gerry, I can’t even imagine what -36c feels like ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 

[jetstream]

47 minutes ago, GavStar said:

Gerry, I can’t even imagine what -36c feels like ❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 

We are now bundled up and going sliding on the hill I made lol! Just fired up the sled and it feels like my ears are gonna bust off...

[Stardust1]

Wow -36c, no I can't either imagine.

That's promising to hear that Nikon is that good.

Thanks for the tip, as I'm looking for the eye guard and bottom 2" cap for the Nikon. I read that the 31mm Nagler eye guard works as well. I will try if I can find a 17mm Ethos eye guard. Not sure where to get one.

[jetstream]

23 minutes ago, Stardust1 said:

Wow -36c, no I can't either imagine.

That's promising to hear that Nikon is that good.

Thanks for the tip, as I'm looking for the eye guard and bottom 2" cap for the Nikon. I read that the 31mm Nagler eye guard works as well. I will try if I can find a 17mm Ethos eye guard. Not sure where to get one.

I heard that most TV eyeguards will work -ie Ethos, 31 Nag, maybe more...

[Stardust1]

Thank you Gerry! I will try the eyeguard of the 13mm Ethos ?

[Doc]

Can't wait for your report, I've always wanted to try one of these.

[Stardust1]

Just came back inside from a quick session. According to the Clearoutside monitor, the sky is obscured around 11% with high clouds. It's -2c outside but it feels like -7c. My toes are freezing ? I can't imagine what's Gerry is going through with -36c.

I observed the Moon and M42. M42 is washed out due to 98% of Waxing Gibbous. The Moon is too bright through the FS-102. With high power magnification is doable, at lower magnification it can be painful, but still beautiful. 

Both the 17mm NAV HW (with and without the EiC extender) and 13mm Ethos give nice show of the Moon. The Nikon with the EiC extender shortens the focal length to 14mm, close to 13mm Ethos.

Too early to call, need more nights with these eyepieces. The eye placement is a little less critical on the Nikon. But I don't have any issue with the Ethos. The Ethos with the Baader VIP is a nice combination, though the VIP adds to the length of the Ethos, one needs a sturdy focuser. The FS-102 focuser handles both eyepieces with ease.

The views through the Nikon at 14mm where a little more engaging, or emotional then the Ethos. It's hard to describe, I need more sessions and better seeing. But the first light is promising.

 

 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very interesting. I have had my sights on these Nikons for a while. My TV Nagler 17T4 might be worried

[Louis D]

On 21/01/2019 at 07:44, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Very interesting. I have had my sights on these Nikons for a while. My TV Nagler 17T4 might be worried

I ended up replacing my 17mm NT4 with the 17mm ES-92.  Likewise for the 12mm NT4.  I don't think I could get the NAV-HWs to work with eyeglasses.  Has anyone tried them with eyeglasses?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

28 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I ended up replacing my 17mm NT4 with the 17mm ES-92.  Likewise for the 12mm NT4.  I don't think I could get the NAV-HWs to work with eyeglasses.  Has anyone tried them with eyeglasses?

The ES-92s are also on my radar

[Louis D]

6 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

The ES-92s are also on my radar

If you can swing the weight, they are terrific.  Viewing through them is super easy and the views are sharp and contrasty to the edge.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

If you can swing the weight, they are terrific.  Viewing through them is super easy and the views are sharp and contrasty to the edge.

Both my C8 and my APM 80 mm triplet handle the Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust" without issues, so the ES92s should be OK

[Louis D]

8 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Both my C8 and my APM 80 mm triplet handle the Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust" without issues, so the ES92s should be OK

My main Dob has no issues with the 34oz 30mm ES-82 or the 31oz 40mm Meade 5000 SWA (after decloaking both), but it tends to nose dive below 35 degrees or so with the 41oz 17mm ES-92, so I had to add some counterweight to the back.  I had to add more counterweight to my DSV-2B above about 65 degrees with my AT72ED to keep it from flipping backward.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

My main Dob has no issues with the 34oz 30mm ES-82 or the 31oz 40mm Meade 5000 SWA (after decloaking both), but it tends to nose dive below 35 degrees or so with the 41oz 17mm ES-92, so I had to add some counterweight to the back.  I had to add more counterweight to my DSV-2B above about 65 degrees with my AT72ED to keep it from flipping backward.

My Vixen Great Polaris mount doesn't have those issues. Should I get a Dobson, or use the Mini-Giro mount, then balance becomes more critical.

[Stardust1]

I haven't yet tried the NAV-HW with eyeglasses, I will try it next time weather permitting.

I would love to try the  ES-92s someday. Sadly nobody in our club has the ES-92s.  

[Stardust1]

Finally I had the opportunity to try out the Nikon NAV HW 17mm with the lunar eclipse. Surprisingly it was clear the whole night. There was no wind, though very cold, -6c. I had cold toes, the two socks didn't help.

 

The FS-102NSV was setup on the AZ-EQ6 mount. I observed from 04:00-07:00 CET till minutes after totality when the moon disappeared behind the neighbors tree and then their house.

 

I tried a few eyepieces, Tak LE 30mm, Pentax XW 20mm, Nikon NAV HW 17mm and Ethos 13mm. The best eyepiece for this circumstance was the Nikon NAV HW 17mm. The Moon looked 3d with nice shade of colors. I couldn't see any false color in focus with the FS-102 at this magnification. I had no issues with eye placement. The view was comfortable, close to the Pentax XW 20mm. What surprised me with the Nikon is the 2.1 degrees of TFOV. The moon was small but with lots of small craters, the view looks more like a high resolution photograph with the wide range of gray color pallet. I have never seen or experienced the moon like this, it might be more emotional experience. First impression, this eyepiece is sharp with vibrant colors. To my eye the stars to the edge looked sharp. I saw the occult of the star at totality, very nice, the star disappeared quickly. The moon's color was redder with the naked eye.

 

I didn't compare eyepieces, I just enjoyed the view.

 

 

 

[Louis D]

20 minutes ago, Stardust1 said:

The moon's color was redder with the naked eye.

I noticed the same thing.  I'm guessing that spreading out the red tint over a larger part of my retina decreased the perceived saturation.

[bomberbaz]

On 22/01/2019 at 16:39, Louis D said:

I ended up replacing my 17mm NT4 with the 17mm ES-92.  Likewise for the 12mm NT4.  I don't think I could get the NAV-HWs to work with eyeglasses.  Has anyone tried them with eyeglasses?

Old thread/question louis I know but did you ever resolve this question?

Steve

[Louis D]

16 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

Old thread/question louis I know but did you ever resolve this question?

Steve

No, but from my reading elsewhere, the NAV-HW have more eye relief than the Ethos, but even then, not enough for folks with deep set eyes wearing eyeglasses.  Those without eyeglasses find them easier to take in the view than with the Ethos thanks to the more generous eye relief, however.