New APM "super zoom"

[Mr Spock]

I will be great to hear a first hand report. Hopefully there will be clear skies in August!

[johninderby]

Hopefully it does live up to expectations. 🙏🏼

Would make a nice Xmas pressie to myself. 😁

[JeremyS]

9 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Hopefully it does live up to expectations. 🙏🏼

Would make a nice Xmas pressie to myself. 😁

Not hopeful about them sticking to the August delivery time, eh John? 🤣

[johninderby]

More allowing a few months after release to see the reviews. 🤔

[John]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

I will be great to hear a first hand report. Hopefully there will be clear skies in August!

If will be good to hear a few, from folks using a range of scope specs, particularly faster scopes that give the eyepiece a real challenge.

 

[Louis D]

For me, I have a feeling eye relief will be the deal breaker.  As I've stated earlier in this thread, the spec'ed 26mm eye lens diameter will limit absolute eye relief to 17mm if the AFOV is 75 degrees and the lens is flush mounted to the top.  That is barely enough with eyeglasses.  More likely, it will be a few millimeters less, so the actual AFOV visible with glasses will be somewhat less than 75 degrees.

[Voyager 3]

I'm fearing about the distortions ... Hopefully they will balance them 🤞.

[John]

5 hours ago, Voyager 3 said:

I'm fearing about the distortions ... Hopefully they will balance them 🤞.

To get a wide apparent field, especially in a variable focal length eyepiece, there will always be some distortion. The question is, which compromises will the manufacturer make ?.

Usually with such things the initial reports are very positive and then the more balanced views come in a little later, once examples of the eyepiece have been used in a wider range of scopes and on a wider range of targets.

It would be really good if APM could make some units available to independent testers on a free loan basis. From my personal experience, this arrangement frees the observer from having made a personal investment which helps in keeping the mind, clear, balanced and critical when making and reporting on performance comparisons

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by John

[PeterW]

I would expect plenty of people have ordered them and will be doing comparisons…. I’ve made a note to see how it performs as it would for my 66mm for more flexibility and “only one eyepiece”, for daytime spotting. 
 

Peter

[Mark at Beaufort]

I am certainly very interested in this zoom eyepiece especially for travel and quick grab and go. I felt that this zoom together with my 3-6 Nagler Zoom and the ES 24mm 68 degree EP would make an ideal set up. I hope that if the Astro Shows go ahead this year that one of the retailers have it on display. Of course I would like to read a test report by someone of ability.

[Space Hopper]

On 04/07/2021 at 14:45, Mark at Beaufort said:Of course I would like to read a test report by someone of ability.

Not me then......!! 😉

[Space Hopper]

On 04/07/2021 at 14:45, Mark at Beaufort said:

Of course I would like to read a test report by someone of ability.

Not me then.......!! 😉

[Mark at Beaufort]

3 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

Not me then.......!! 😉

I am sure you would be perfect especially looking at your scopes. Are you thinking of buying one?

[Voyager 3]

He said he had pre-ordered it .😉

[Space Hopper]

15 hours ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

I am sure you would be perfect especially looking at your scopes. Are you thinking of buying one?

Yes Mark, its on order and i'm expecting it to arrive in another month or so hopefully.

I will post my first impressions, but i'm afraid i'm no Bill Paolini in the eyepiece department.

Regardless of scope perception, i'm very much a beginner. Only '2 or 3 rungs up from the bottom of the ladder'

 

[John]

11 minutes ago, Space Hopper said:

Yes Mark, its on order and i'm expecting it to arrive in another month or so hopefully.

I will post my first impressions, but i'm afraid i'm no Bill Paolini in the eyepiece department.

Regardless of scope perception, i'm very much a beginner. Only '2 or 3 rungs up from the bottom of the ladder'

 

When I was testing eyepieces for the forum I used to try and cover a number of sessions, using different scopes, before reporting back and also have something suitable to compare with. Not necessarily a zoom but fixed focal length eyepieces within the range that the zoom covers.

The fastest scope you have will provide the sternest test of correction across the field of view.

A range of targets and target types provide a sound basis for assessing the peformance so bright things to test for light scatter, ghosting etc and faint things for light transmission, contrast etc.

I was very lucky that FLO would loan me eyepieces for comparison / review purposes so I didn't have a personal stake in them, as it were. I'd like to think that APM do the same with a few examples of the zoom but I've not seen any mention of this as yet.

 

 

 

[Deadlake]

4 hours ago, John said:

When I was testing eyepieces for the forum I used to try and cover a number of sessions, using different scopes, before reporting back and also have something suitable to compare with. Not necessarily a zoom but fixed focal length eyepieces within the range that the zoom covers.

The fastest scope you have will provide the sternest test of correction across the field of view.

A range of targets and target types provide a sound basis for assessing the peformance so bright things to test for light scatter, ghosting etc and faint things for light transmission, contrast etc.

I was very lucky that FLO would loan me eyepieces for comparison / review purposes so I didn't have a personal stake in them, as it were. I'd like to think that APM do the same with a few examples of the zoom but I've not seen any mention of this as yet.

 

 

 

APM will send out to their dealers first for feed back, like @Don Pensack and Rupert @ Astrograph.  
The waiting list of this item is so long I suspect APM will ship first. 
Rupert still needs to ship some items to me, I'll ask next time I'm in contact.
 

[Deadlake]

APM are being sent some production samples to confirm. If OK I am told September. I might be able to get a sample to look at but the pre-production stuff has all been very good.

 Me: How fast where the scope you tried with the lens, F6 maybe?

The Zoom has been designed with fast optics in mind. A version will be offered for the APM spotting scopes and there will be a fixed Zoom EP Binocular models. The Binos are F5.5 so F6 should present no problems.

So all looks very good. Tempted...

 

[John]

Some decent photos of this new zoom on the APM website now:

https://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/hot-products/new-apm-super-zoom-eyepiece-7.7-mm-15.4-mm-1.25-connector

 

 

[Mark at Beaufort]

8 hours ago, John said:

Some decent photos of this new zoom on the APM website now:

https://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/hot-products/new-apm-super-zoom-eyepiece-7.7-mm-15.4-mm-1.25-connector

 

 

Really looking forward to seeing this zoom and reading the reviews.

[Deadlake]

How suitable would the EP be for bino use? I ask as I can imagine for portable use it would cover a lot of bases. Since bino's can be tricky to get working would the below restrict the choice of binoviewer model used?
Largest outer diameter : 53 mm , and thus suitable for binocular use for people with at least 53 mm interpupillary distance ( IPD).
 

 

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, Deadlake said:

How suitable would the EP be for bino use? I ask as I can imagine for portable use it would cover a lot of bases. Since bino's can be tricky to get working would the below restrict the choice of binoviewer model used?
Largest outer diameter : 53 mm , and thus suitable for binocular use for people with at least 53 mm interpupillary distance ( IPD).

It shouldn't.  It's more of an issue with the depth and shape of your eye socket along with your IPD.  The top of the eyepiece appears tapered somewhat, so that should help.

[russ]

Certainly looks impressive. The only other eyepiece offering those specs is the old Speers-Waler zoom with its constant 80deg afov.

[Louis D]

6 hours ago, russ said:

Certainly looks impressive. The only other eyepiece offering those specs is the old Speers-Waler zoom with its constant 80deg afov.

Which is more correctly referred to as a varifocal eyepiece to borrow from camera lens terminology.  I've had the S-W 5-8mm for about 20 years.  It requires massive refocusing while "zooming", making it less enjoyable to use than a nearly parfocal zoom eyepiece.

[Shimrod]

On 02/07/2021 at 20:15, JeremyS said:

Not hopeful about them sticking to the August delivery time, eh John? 🤣

I've just checked on the status of this and the delivery time has changed from a specified month to 'on request'. I suppose it's good that they are not trying to rush it to market (unless the delay is just Covid related), but I am getting a bit impatient to see some reviews!