Newbie's very brief review of first mid range EP, Baader Classic Ortho 10mm. Do people still say "newbie"?

[MKHACHFE]

Hi all, I am aware that these EPs have been reviewed many times on here and other forums, in fact those reviews convinced me to buy my first "proper" EP. Other than the 25mm Plossi that came with my XT8, i only have an Orion 2x Barlow and a £15 10mm from Amazon. 

I found a 10mm BCO for £39 and my wife bought it for me as a gift after being horrified by the supposed blurry image of Jupiter i was showing her through the 15 quid EP.

That was 2 nights ago and tonight, i got to play with it for 20-30 mins. First of all, i know  some people don't like the eye flap thing, but i thought it was pretty handy. Certainly very easy to fold down if you don't want to use it. How was the view? 

Well, i tried it on Jupiter first and lets just say that i could very clearly make out the red spot and count the cloud bands. This was through the Barlow and with a moon filter initially to get my eye adjusted. Very small eye relief, but absolutely fine to use on the planet. So far so good. Definitely a step up in clarity and quality of view.

I then tried it on the Ring Nebula high above me after locating it with my 25mm. Very clear and sharp view. I didn't try it with the Barlow, but just with the BCO at 120x, it looked lovely. More contrast than i had seen before. My viewing conditions were atrocious, with the  neighbour's bathroom lights flooding the garden with light, but even with my brief 30 min stint in my brightly lit garden, i was very happy with my purchase. 

The EP feels well built and solid and was easy to focus.  Not sure what else to say other than if other beginners are looking for an mid range EP upgrade, i would definitely consider these. 

Thanks for reading my first review..I will update it when i get a longer session.

 

Cheers

[Stu]

Very useful info, and it is good to know that the differences are visible to 'newbies' aswell as experienced observers. Orthos are are excellent value especially when bought used and provide views that rival far more expensive kit. The trade off is field of view and eye relief but if you can live with those then they are great. The 10mm BCO is supposedly one of the best. I have a full set of the original BGOs which I use regularly still.

[jetstream]

On 15/07/2019 at 01:08, Stu said:

I have a full set of the original BGOs which I use regularly still.

You know Stu, you could sell me those if you want...😀

[MKHACHFE]

On 15/07/2019 at 07:08, Stu said:

Very useful info, and it is good to know that the differences are visible to 'newbies' aswell as experienced observers. Orthos are are excellent value especially when bought used and provide views that rival far more expensive kit. The trade off is field of view and eye relief but if you can live with those then they are great. The 10mm BCO is supposedly one of the best. I have a full set of the original BGOs which I use regularly still.

Regarding the fov....yes, it was clearly much smaller, noticeably so and i can't imagine i would get on with the EP if i wore glasses. But that really didn't bother me after 10 seconds of peering through it because the image was so clear. My point is that anyone considering not getting one because of the narrow fov, in m y opinion, its not a huge deal. Unless you wear glasses i suspect. 

 

Is there much difference between the BCOs and BGOs? From the multiple reviews i have read, it seems pretty minimal. But what the h*ll do i know? I was happy using a 15 quid 10mm from Amazon. 

Edited July 16, 2019 by MKHACHFE
added more

[John]

3 hours ago, MKHACHFE said:

...Is there much difference between the BCOs and BGOs? From the multiple reviews i have read, it seems pretty minimal. But what the h*ll do i know? I was happy using a 15 quid 10mm from Amazon. 

I did this comparison a few years back:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/175014-baader-classics-the-story-so-far/

 

[MKHACHFE]

16 hours ago, John said:

I did this comparison a few years back:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/175014-baader-classics-the-story-so-far/

 

Thanks for the link. Will have a read shortly.