Stellalyra Lanthanum Zoom 8-24

[Pitch Black Skies]

Has anyone got any experience with this zoom? It's looks well but I'm wondering if it would be better to pay the extra £30 or so for the Baader zoom.

I've used a 12.5mm Stellalyra LER in an 8" f6 dob and the view was really nice.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Pitch Black Skies
Typo

[Second Time Around]

I don't have any experience myself but I seem to recall reading it or one of its copies wasn't as good as the Baader.  I do have the Baader however and can thoroughly recommend it.

I'd also mention that the Baader regularly comes up on the used market, either here or on Astro Buy/Sell.  Astronomers almost always take very good care of their eyepieces so there's little risk in buying them used.

[Louis D]

On 27/04/2021 at 18:21, Pitch Black Skies said:

It's looks well but I'm wondering if it would be better to pay the extra £30 or so for the Baader zoom.

In the US, the BHZ is $125 more than the Orion version of the Stellalyra zoom, so I'd probably get the BHZ if you're seeing such a small difference in price.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Louis D

[Pitch Black Skies]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

In the US, the BHZ is $125 more than the Orion version of the Stellalyra zoom, so I'd probably get the BHZ if you're seeing such a small difference in price.

I wonder are you effectively only paying for the name with the Orion or are maybe the coatings different?

[johninderby]

Orion products are generally quite a bit more than the same product under a different brand at least in the UK.

Edited April 30, 2021 by johninderby

[Pitch Black Skies]

2 hours ago, Second Time Around said:

I don't have any experience myself but I seem to recall reading it or one of its copies wasn't as good as the Baader.  I do have the Baader however and can thoroughly recommend it.

I'd also mention that the Baader regularly comes up on the used market, either here or on Astro Buy/Sell.  Astronomers almost always take very good care of their eyepieces so there's little risk in buying them used.

Thanks, I really liked a point you made in a previous post about being able to hone in on any particular object, at that particular time to find it's bests magnification with the zoom. I have since ordered a couple of BSTs since this post but will keep an eye out for a Baader. I opted for the BSTs because of the great reputation they have for beginners. I know the Baader has a great reputation too but I was advised to think of a zoom to complement your eyepieces, not replace them.

[Pitch Black Skies]

4 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Orion products are generally quite a bit more than the same product under a different brand at least in the UK.

I think I read that Orion had a version of the BST Starguiders too, but we're a lot more expensive. I could be wrong though.

[johninderby]

The Orion Epic II ED and the Starguiders are the same eyepiece, just a lot more expensive.

 

[Louis D]

4 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

I wonder are you effectively only paying for the name with the Orion or are maybe the coatings different?

I'm sure you're simply paying for a different name imprinted on them.  To get a different lot run with different coatings would be prohibitively expensive for a single retailer.  Besides, you'd hope that the designer optimized the coatings and wouldn't vary them from lot to lot.  The exception would be Tele Vue which has been known to update the coatings on their older eyepiece lines as newer coating technologies have become available/affordable over the past four decades (their Plossls were introduced in 1980).

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

Orion products are generally quite a bit more than the same product under a different brand at least in the UK.

In the past, at least, you were paying for their no questions asked, no restocking fee return policy.  They're more expensive than other retailers in the US as well.  Despite that, their version of that zoom is still quite a bit cheaper than the BHZ.

Baader products are quite a bit more expensive in the US than in Europe.  The BHZ is $289 most places and $325 on Amazon.  It's $213 from FLO (when VAT is removed to have an apples to apples comparison since US retailers don't include sales tax in their prices because it varies from locale to locale).  That's a $76 to $112 difference right there.

The Stellalyra zoom is $172 from FLO, making it only $27 less expensive than the Orion version.  The BHZ is an absolute bargain at $213 from FLO by comparison.  If I wanted one, I'd probably cross import it since that avoids sales tax and is well under the $800 daily duty free import amount into the US.  Even with shipping, it's only $229.  That's $60 less than the best US price with free shipping and out-of-state/no sales tax.

13 minutes ago, Pitch Black Skies said:

I think I read that Orion had a version of the BST Starguiders too, but we're a lot more expensive. I could be wrong though.

 

19 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The Orion Epic II ED and the Starguiders are the same eyepiece, just a lot more expensive.

 

They used to sell them, but I think they dropped them because everyone else was selling them for $60 apiece every day when they wanted $60 to $100 apiece depending on their sales.  FLO sells the entire set of Starguider eyepieces for $335 shipped to the US, making them only $48 apiece.  Not many Americans have realized this relative bargain.

[Jiggy 67]

On 30/04/2021 at 23:00, Pitch Black Skies said:

I know the Baader has a great reputation too but I was advised to think of a zoom to complement your eyepieces, not replace them.

You’re absolutely right, they are an excellent complement to your existing collection, I agree they are not a replacement. I have a Baader and it is excellent. I love using mine on double stars, as fixed focal lengths can result in multiple ep changes to get the magnification right on a particular double plus the zoom effect on a double is great fun. You could always go for a Mark III , it has the same optics as a Mark IV , the IV is just a bit lighter and the click stop has been improved, other than that it’s the same ep but cheaper