SVBony 9-27 v Celestron 8-24

[Stu1smartcookie]

Having bought both these zoom EPs this week i though i would give a quick comparison as to where they sit in the EP food chain . 

So , firstly its more or less like for like , both EPs covering the same (ish) focal lengths . 

BUILD QUALITY 

Both are constructed well and give a pleasing weight , not too heavy but substantial enough , contructed from metal . The SVBony feels a bit more premium , almost baader like with its twist up eye cup and nice rubber grip around the centre . That rubber grip is needed though because out of the two the Celestron has by far the easier to operate zoom mechanism . Sometimes one ends up twisting the whole EP in the case of the SVB which is a bit unerving . The celestron is much smoother , but i did find the lack of a twist up eye cup a bit of a disapointment . One  good feature of the celestron though is that it has a thread on the top of the EP below the rubber Eye guard that can connect to a T-ring , enabling direct camera use . 

So i will give the SVB the edge when it comes to build quality 

CONTRAST ,SHARPNESS AND BRIGHTNESS 

Well we are not going to get the brightest views whilst using a zoom EP but i did find both EPs gave bright enough views , sharpness was ok but of course its not only down to the EP but to other conditions as well . When looking at Jupiter i found the best views were actually near the lower powers of the eye pieces , with very clear views . I changed the mirror diagonal for a prism and views of the planet were better in both EPs . I think this area produces a tie ... i couldnt distinguish a difference between the two . 

EYE RELIEF AND VIEWING ANGLE 

Eye relief was good on both EPs but we are talking 40 - 60 degrees here of viewing angle . But thats ok, as you wont be buying zoom EPs to cover really low powered wide angle views of the likes of the Plaides etc . 

Once again equal results from both 

THE ALBIREO  TEST 

I used Albireo and its companion to see if one eyepiece gave better colour correction . in the event both EPs gave really nice views with the colours of the stars being  well pronounced . Nice 

Equal 

AS GOOD AS THE BAADER ZOOM?

Hmmm , there is the saying that you get what you pay for and i find this to be the case here , but these EPs do the job . The FOV is the big difference between them and the Baader . I can say that the Baader would be a zoom EP that you want to use everynight , and would come close to replacing set focal length EPs , whereas the SVB and Celestron would be definitely suplimentary EPs . Nothing wrong in that of course as they are 2.5 x cheaper and have their place in your collection 

RESULT 

This is difficult , i really wanted to find a definitive winner here but i cant ... Maybe the SVB takes it with its "premium " feel but in essence both EPs do the job and will give satisfactory viewing if the conditions allow . 

Lets just say , they are good reasonably priced alternatives . 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Stu1smartcookie

[Sunshine]

Great review! i am considering one of these zooms.

[Stu1smartcookie]

I now own two celestron 8-24 for use in bino viewers and they work very well . 

i also own an SVBony 3-8mm zoom which is a fantastic EP , albeit with a short eye relief ... ideal for planetary or luna