OVL Nirvana ES 4mm 82° Eyepiece (1.25")

[bingevader]

Having had another birthday and tremendous success with luna obsevations using my 2x barlow and the various high-power eyepieces I possess, I thought it might be a good time to invest in a 4mm eyepiece.
I couldn't find another review with regards to this EP although it does seem identical to the Skywatcher Nirvana and similar in spec to the Williams Optics Uwans.

I’ll add a bit of perspective for anyone else considering the EP. I’ve been (very) slowly moving over to 82° EPs and thought the extra drift time that this would give to the 8” dob would be a real bonus. I thought it was worth it because, although the clear nights do seem few and far between these days, when they do come around, I consider my back garden in a small village in rural south east Wales to be pretty dark. Clear Out Side has me down as Bortle 4 skies, but I’ve always thought I can see more of the Milky Way and more stars in Orion than this would suggest. This was very much the first light and I used it in combination with my 8”, f5.9 dob giving a magnification of 300x.

Unpacking.

As you can see, it came (from FLO) in a box designated as a Helios Nirvana ES 4mm 82° Eyepiece.

It’s a solid EP with the central rubber grip and a (marmite) bevel in the barrel.

The invertible rubber eye cup gives a comfortable viewing experience.

It’s a similar size to my other high magnification EPs, but slightly lighter at 163.5g.

I can’t see me using this EP on any other target than the moon with the 8” dob, so as it’s designated purpose, that was all I observed for this review.

The transparency was near perfect, but seeing wasn’t as good with the stillness coming between the ripples that past over the surface of the moon.

The moon was a waxing crescent of 5 days old and the detail from the shadows was splendid.

At f5.9, the EP is crisp and sharp across the field of view with no discernible distortion, astigmatism or curvature. I repeatedly allowed the various craters to drift from one side to the other without having to touch the focuser. With the EP being 82°, you do have to peer around the “edges” or tilt your head slightly to follow the object across the whole field of view. However, this does give you the immersive feeling that I like so much with the 82° EPs. There’s definitely no peering down a straw. I did notice a ring of fuzz, not fire, around the very edge of the field of view. It isn’t a gradual deterioration, that you might associate with some aberration or curvature, but just a point at the very edge that is no longer clear but fuzzy. Similar I would assume to the ring of fire, but a sudden lack of clarity instead.

As a new moonraker at the higher magnification end of my EP collection, I am delighted with this EP. I had thought that this would probably be the end of my upgrades to 82° EPs, but as there’s also a 7mm in the series, and they are so reasonably priced, I’d be tempted to replace my X-Cel LX to get the wider field of view. I’ve no problem in recommending this EP to anyone with a f5.9 or higher ‘scope as long as you have, or are prepared to wait for the clear, steady skies. I’d be interested to find out how it behaved as a lower magnification EP in a faster ‘scope.

Best wishes.

Edited April 18, 2019 by bingevader

[John]

Good review Ben

I had the 4mm Nirvana (old shape) and found it an excellent high power eyepiece. I think the older style and your new design share the same optics because the eye and field lenses, and they way that they are mounted, look identical in both designs.

I think the new tapered eyepiece top shape and the thinner rubber eyecup look a better design ergonomically than the old inflexible twist up eye cup design. If they could just add a few more focal lengths to the range, they would really make an impact in the 82 degree niche I reckon.

 

[bingevader]

Thanks John.

If the old shape 4mm was good in your 300mm, then that's good news.

It is a good shape and feel.

It is a shame there aren't more, they're an excellent price.

[Helen]

The 16mm UWAN was my first premium eyepiece, and I still love it 10 years on!  I then bought the 28mm, which again is lovely (although hand grenade size!).  I completed the set a couple of years ago with the 7 and 4 mm in the Nirvana guise when they were on offer.  I think they are all amazing value for money! 

Enjoy Ben ?

Helen

[bingevader]

The 4mm is fab Helen.

I've had several really good nights with Luna, where the sky was clear and steady and I'd pushed and pushed the magnification.

It seemed like a sensible investment and is paying off, so far!

[daslolo]

what's the field stop mm on the 16mm?

[bingevader]

On 10/04/2020 at 06:32, daslolo said:

what's the field stop mm on the 16mm?

Sorry, only just caught up with your post, but I am afraid I don't have the 16mm and so I am unable to answer your question.

[Alfian]

Enjoyed your review  thank you. I have the older style Nirvana 7mm and it is excellent. A keeper.

[John]

On 10/04/2020 at 06:32, daslolo said:

what's the field stop mm on the 16mm?

The figure I found on the CN forum is 21.2mm.

 

[mareman48]

On 18/04/2019 at 18:04, bingevader said:

Having had another birthday and tremendous success with luna obsevations using my 2x barlow and the various high-power eyepieces I possess, I thought it might be a good time to invest in a 4mm eyepiece.
I couldn't find another review with regards to this EP although it does seem identical to the Skywatcher Nirvana and similar in spec to the Williams Optics Uwans.

I’ll add a bit of perspective for anyone else considering the EP. I’ve been (very) slowly moving over to 82° EPs and thought the extra drift time that this would give to the 8” dob would be a real bonus. I thought it was worth it because, although the clear nights do seem few and far between these days, when they do come around, I consider my back garden in a small village in rural south east Wales to be pretty dark. Clear Out Side has me down as Bortle 4 skies, but I’ve always thought I can see more of the Milky Way and more stars in Orion than this would suggest. This was very much the first light and I used it in combination with my 8”, f5.9 dob giving a magnification of 300x.

Unpacking.

As you can see, it came (from FLO) in a box designated as a Helios Nirvana ES 4mm 82° Eyepiece.

It’s a solid EP with the central rubber grip and a (marmite) bevel in the barrel.

The invertible rubber eye cup gives a comfortable viewing experience.

It’s a similar size to my other high magnification EPs, but slightly lighter at 163.5g.

I can’t see me using this EP on any other target than the moon with the 8” dob, so as it’s designated purpose, that was all I observed for this review.

The transparency was near perfect, but seeing wasn’t as good with the stillness coming between the ripples that past over the surface of the moon.

The moon was a waxing crescent of 5 days old and the detail from the shadows was splendid.

At f5.9, the EP is crisp and sharp across the field of view with no discernible distortion, astigmatism or curvature. I repeatedly allowed the various craters to drift from one side to the other without having to touch the focuser. With the EP being 82°, you do have to peer around the “edges” or tilt your head slightly to follow the object across the whole field of view. However, this does give you the immersive feeling that I like so much with the 82° EPs. There’s definitely no peering down a straw. I did notice a ring of fuzz, not fire, around the very edge of the field of view. It isn’t a gradual deterioration, that you might associate with some aberration or curvature, but just a point at the very edge that is no longer clear but fuzzy. Similar I would assume to the ring of fire, but a sudden lack of clarity instead.

As a new moonraker at the higher magnification end of my EP collection, I am delighted with this EP. I had thought that this would probably be the end of my upgrades to 82° EPs, but as there’s also a 7mm in the series, and they are so reasonably priced, I’d be tempted to replace my X-Cel LX to get the wider field of view. I’ve no problem in recommending this EP to anyone with a f5.9 or higher ‘scope as long as you have, or are prepared to wait for the clear, steady skies. I’d be interested to find out how it behaved as a lower magnification EP in a faster ‘scope.

Best wishes.

Great review , and answered lots of questions I had around which eye pieces to purchase👍🏾

[Whistlin Bob]

Yes- very good review. As I already own the eyepiece I was interested in whether the reviewer had a similar experience to me- and as I primarily use this eyepiece for lunar in an 8" dob I have to say I absolutely concur- the views of the moon are outstanding with this combination for me. I also use it for the same purpose in a 14" f4.6 dob. Unless the seeing is excellent then the view is generally a bit softer, but that's not surprising all things considered. It's still always worth a go.

The other task that I use it for is splitting really tight doubles. The images are often magnified beyond what is an attractive view, but it has given me a few splits that were proving hard to get in other eyepieces.

All in all I agree with the reviewers opinions and world definitely recommend.