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Finally getting around to filter and diagonal


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After prioritising eye pieces, dew shields etc I am finally looking at the upgrades for the Diagonal and getting a filter for my 127 mak.

There are 4 what look like decent diagonals at less than £100...

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/SWdiagonal-20967.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/stellamira-1-25-90-di-electric-diagonal.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/william-optics-125-dura-bright-dielectric-diagonal.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/diagonals/takahashi-125-diagonal.html

Are any of them better than the others for this scope?

Was also looking at the Baader filter.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/light-pollution-reduction/baader-neodymium-filter.html

Should I got for this one or again, anything better?

Moon and planetary are what I am aiming for to the scopes strengths.

Thanks :)

 

Edited by hms_furious
I hadnt finished the post!
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The 1.25” mirror diagonals you linked to are similar in performance.

For a mak I like the Baader T2 prism diagonal but in short supply at the moment.  The Tak prism is a bit plasticy for my taste with poorer build quality than you would expect from a Tak product.

The Baader Neodynium  filter is my favourite all round filter for the moon and planets.

Some find a moon filter like the ones below useful if they find the moon is too bright although many aren’t bothererd by the brightness so only buy if you do find the moon is too bright. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/astro-essentials-nd96-0-9-1-25-moon-filter.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/astro-essentials-variable-polarising-moon-filter.html

 

Edited by johninderby
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I also have a 127 Mak, and when the time came to upgrade the diagonal, I opted for the 1.25 Skywatcher dialectric that you have listed. For the price I cannot fault it, physically it is solid and well built, visually the improvements are for me, more subtle, but better compared to the kit diagonal. The most noticeable improvement for me though, is that the image is slightly brighter, personally I find that when I use eyepieces below 15mm I start to struggle with the smaller exit pupil sizes and the accompanying image darkening, especially when viewing dso’s, for example, on a really good night, with this diagonal I can view the Ring Nebula with direct as opposed to averted vision which I could not with the kit diagonal. I should also add that after 30+ years of welding my eye muscles are now weakening and both my eyes are scarred due to a small incident at work some years ago, so you may well see better improvements than I have. Overall for me, worth the money 👍

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I'm a fan of the William Optics as I have their 2" diagonal, I don't use anything else now (although in fairness I have only ever used one other diagonal, the 1.25" Celestron one that came with my 8SE).

If your Mak front cap has a smaller hole and cap on it then you could use that as a stop-down for lunar or bright planetary viewing, it should reduce the brightness quite a bit; if you don't have one then you could probably make one out of cardboard or plastic sheet.

I've heard very good things about the Baader Neodymium filter, only just acquired one myself so have yet to test it extensively, though I think it did make a noticeable difference for Mars surface detail.  Seems like the kind of filter you could leave on your diagonal if your main goal is bright targets like Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, it shouldn't affect the colour much.  I have a typical moon filter which I've used up until now on bright targets, the key is that it's neutral so won't affect the colour cast at all (if that's important to you).

Just be aware that the knurled thumbscrews probably on all of these diagonals are the cheap link, they will break if knocked sharply (one of mine snapped clean in two when it hit the floor while attached to a 1.25" adaptor), substantially stronger replacement / substitute knurled thumbscrews are available very cheaply from eBay, so long as you know what to look for (get the correct length).

Edited by jonathan
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With @jonathan here, I have owned/used the WO version twice and it is well built, nice to use and aesthetically pleasing to look at. (think it was on the back of a conversation we had that I opted for the WO version)

However if you are budget conscious, then the SW version will optically perform to the same standard for £23 less. 

 

Edited by bomberbaz
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4 minutes ago, hms_furious said:

Do I have to buy other stuff for it to connect to the 127 mak and use it with the eyepieces etc? Looks like there may be...?

Fits the same as the stock diagonal. although you have the option of attaching the diag directly to a T2 fitting by removing the standard nosepiece.

Edited by johninderby
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Some like to use an erecting prism but many don’t. I’ve found they never seem quite as good as a regular non-erecting prism but some say they can’t tell the difference. Seems to be down to personal preference.

Good though if you want to do a bit of nature watching. 👍🏻

I have one of these which is pretty good for an erecting prism.

https://www.astroshop.eu/amici-prisms-90d/omegon-1-25-amici-prism-90d/p,14172

Edited by johninderby
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