In praise of the LVs

[andrew63]

I've just been out with the ST80 and a vixen 10LV which gives 40x  - a nice magnification for clusters and nebula. It's cold and misty and plossls at this length can fog easily with your eye right up to the lens. Also in fast refractors the edge correction falls off a bit, say outer 10%.  The view with the LV is excellent right to the field stop, M42 with the trapezium is resolved to the edge and the double cluster is a fine sight in a sharp flat dark field over the whole 50 deg. field.   If you see any for sale, they can be a great addition even if you don't need the long eye relief. 

andrew

[John]

Long time since I've used a LV but they were very comfortable eyepieces from my memories of them. Nice glass in there as well.

I recall when they 1st came on the market back in the late 1980's they were considered the "thing to have". I bet they still hold up pretty well today

[mikeDnight]

I had quite a collection of LV's a short time back. Ive no real idea why i sold them on, as they were excellent! The pair of 15mm LV's i had in my binoviewer gave me the best view I've had to date of the central rille running along the length of the Alpine Valley. The 2.5mm LV gave me some wonderfully detailed views of Mars when the planet was only 4.8 arc seconds diameter. I should have kept them!

[Alfian]

I've had a couple of LVs and no doubt they are very good but I found there was a "warmth" in the colour rendition. It was the same for a couple of Altair LERs I've had although for some reason the 12.5mm Altair I still have seems less so. Just a matter of personal preference I guess.

[Alan White]

I have one LV a 6mm which I like a lot.
Did have a full set of SLV, but the twist up eyecup sent me mad so sold them on.
Have tried to get some more LV's but the one I did buy got lost in the postage system sadly.

 

[dweller25]

I have a pair of 15mm and a single 10mm LV and they are all excellent - particularly as I wear glasses to observe.

The 15mm pair is not quite matched but I have a third 15mm on it's way to make a true pair so will have a 15mm LV for sale very soon.......

[Louis D]

I've had the 9mm LV for 22 years, and it still holds up well against Pentax XLs/XWs, Baader Morpheus, and TV Delos eyepieces.  It just has a much narrower AFOV and a slightly darker view, possibly due to coatings or glass types.  The level of polish and stray light control is right up there with the premium offerings.  I see them go for $50 to $70 each here in the states which is a bargain for what they are.  I paid $90 for mine in 1997.  That's at least $140 in today's dollars.  I just couldn't stand the stiff eyecup.  I'm always putting finger prints on the eye lens when trying to roll it down.  However, once down, I get a measured 18mm of usable eye relief for use with eyeglasses.  It is indeed aberration free right to the edge.