First light with Bresser 10" Dobsonian

[John]

That all sounds very satisfying - nice report

 

[HollyHound]

23 hours ago, HollyHound said:

• Rotated the focuser through 45 degrees (as recommended by others) to improve usability.
• Replaced the supplied extension tube, with a Baader 2" Clicklock which maintains a similar amount of extension and makes eyepiece swapping so much easier. The standard three screw with compression ring is perfectly good, but I've got used to ClickLock adaptors on other scopes. I've also added a 2" to 1.25" Clicklock adaptor as well.

For reference, this is the focuser with all the above changes made... the reason for not using a Bresser HexaFocuser compatible ClickLock adaptor was that I needed to maintain approx 40mm extension and it would have been too much with the existing extension tube, or too little without, so instead I used this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-2-inch-click-lock-cl-extension-47mm.html

Edited November 20, 2020 by HollyHound

[HollyHound]

23 hours ago, HollyHound said:

• Focuser has been upgraded with the Bresser 1:10 fine focuser knob... bit fiddly to fit but well worth it.
• Rotated the focuser through 45 degrees (as recommended by others) to improve usability.
• Replaced the supplied extension tube, with a Baader 2" Clicklock which maintains a similar amount of extension and makes eyepiece swapping so much easier. The standard three screw with compression ring is perfectly good, but I've got used to ClickLock adaptors on other scopes. I've also added a 2" to 1.25" Clicklock adaptor as well.

For reference, this is the focuser with all the above changes made...

[Louis D]

On 19/11/2020 at 14:28, HollyHound said:

One issue I did encounter, was that (of course) the Pentax XW30 is quite a bit heavier than all my other eyepieces and so the dob became nose heavy when lowered to around 40 degrees.

Maybe you asked about 30mm eyepieces on here before ordering, but I don't recall that you did.  Had you inquired, I would have recommended the 30mm APM UFF over the 30mm Pentax XW.  The UFF is lighter (548g vs 740g) so no balance issues, smaller in diameter, sharper to the edge as far as both astigmatism and chromatic smearing, completely flat of field, lower in distortion, and lower in cost.  The only downside is no adjustable eye cup, which I haven't read of anyone complaining about.

Here's an excellent comparison of the edge correction of each.  I've linked the images below:

30mm Pentax XW:

30mm APM Ultra Flat Field:

[HollyHound]

16 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Maybe you asked about 30mm eyepieces on here before ordering, but I don't recall that you did.  Had you inquired, I would have recommended the 30mm APM UFF over the 30mm Pentax XW.  The UFF is lighter (548g vs 740g) so no balance issues, smaller in diameter, sharper to the edge as far as both astigmatism and chromatic smearing, completely flat of field, lower in distortion, and lower in cost.  The only downside is no adjustable eye cup, which I haven't read of anyone complaining about.

Thanks... I wasn’t aware of this other eyepiece and it does seem to be well respected and measures well. The balance issue is relatively minor and resolvable with a small counterweight on the dob and I’m quite happy with the quality and comfort of the view so far.

However, I will be trying the XW30 with my StellaMira 80mm f/10 as well, where balance may be a bigger issue. I’m currently using an Aero ED 35mm with this, but may indeed consider this APF UFF as well. I note that it is out of stock across Europe currently, but may be available again next month or so. May well order one and try it. Those comparison images are quite compelling 👍