Zoom eyepiece comparisons.

[Stu]

19 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

Yes about the APM and even moreso the new Svbony equivalent but many, many, many observers want more range for their $ than what they offer. Thats why I personally didn't buy either, we aren't all moon / planetary focussed ! As for the others, we all have our experiences.

There are many different observing preferences and neither yours nor mine is any more relevant or significant than anyone else’s. Any zoom can be used for a number of purposes, not just lunar or planetary so I’m not clear on that point. No harm in highlighting your own preferences, but please don’t shoot down other opinions or info just because you don’t agree.

 

[Louis D]

16 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

Yes about the APM and even moreso the new Svbony equivalent but many, many, many observers want more range for their $ than what they offer. Thats why I personally didn't buy either, we aren't all moon / planetary focussed ! As for the others, we all have our experiences.

I'd probably be happiest with a 4 position 2" turret.  That way, I could quickly swap out a 40mm SWA for a 17mm HWA, then to a 10mm/9mm SWA, followed by 5mm SWA.  This would cover all but my binoviewing observing pretty well.  It's rare that I jump to 17mm HWA and say to myself, would this look better in a 22mm UWA instead?  The same goes at 9mm to 12mm.  I almost randomly choose one because the view doesn't change a whole lot in that range.  It is really only at the highest powers where you're teasing out the highest usable power that night that zooms really strut their stuff.  That, and in binoviewers where turrets aren't really feasible and eyepiece swapping is a pain.

[jetstream]

I own both the Leica Aspheric zoom and the Zeiss 25.1-6.7 zoom and will say this: for lunar and planetary you will be very hard pressed to find sharper eyepieces or ones with more contrast.Good telescope optics allow the differences to be easily seen and both are sharper than the very sharp Delos. As you zoom the Leica the AFOV goes up around 80deg IIRC. I use them all the time for planetary nebula and the view of the Veil in either is stunning.

These 2 eyepieces are among the most used I own and are bested only by the likes of the Vixen HR. The nice Nagler zoom is not in the same league IMHO, eventhough I use a lot as well, perfect for the H130.

[LDW1]

17 minutes ago, Stu said:

Yes, exactly that. Some people have chosen to replace fixed eyepieces with high end zooms.

No doubt there will always be a few, there are thousands of us astronomers with varying tastes. I think the circle just keeps getting bigger but I will say one thing, some time ago in a forum in a different land when I espoused the quality, the performance, the ..... of the various Svbony zooms in the market place I was accused of heresy, of working for the company ! The many positive reviews on these eps seems to show that the crows are coming home to roost, I am only the messenger telling my experiences not an attacker of others with different findings so let me bow out while the rest carry on, if you will.

[Louis D]

5 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

Sounds good, can you find me one !  Maybe a few others on here would maybe like one as well ? Can you let me know ?Maybe talk to Mr. Speers directly.

I would suggest putting out a Wanted ad on UK based classifieds and also on Astromart and Cloudy Nights classifieds in the US.  There just might be someone willing to part with theirs.  I've had mine since new in the 2000 time frame, but I won't be parting with mine anytime soon.

It was Antares in Canada that marketed them.  I bought mine through O'Neill Photo in the Toronto area back in the day because they had no US dealers.  He closed up his shop long ago due to retirement.

Mr. Speers's first name is Glen.  I gather Glen Speers is still actively designing and manufacturing his Speers-Waler eyepieces in Canada, now in their Series 4 iteration.  Perhaps Antares could put you in touch with him to find out what he's up to these days.

[LDW1]

28 minutes ago, Stu said:

There are many different observing preferences and neither yours nor mine is any more relevant or significant than anyone else’s. Any zoom can be used for a number of purposes, not just lunar or planetary so I’m not clear on that point. No harm in highlighting your own preferences, but please don’t shoot down other opinions or info just because you don’t agree.

 

Shoot down ?? Is the kettle black ? As my dear old grandmother once said, If you are going to tell a story then make d*m sure its the whole story. I tried on my part !

Edited March 13, 2023 by LDW1

[LDW1]

2 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I would suggest putting out a Wanted ad on UK based classifieds and also on Astromart and Cloudy Nights classifieds in the US.  There just might be someone willing to part with theirs.  I've had mine since new in the 2000 time frame, but I won't be parting with mine anytime soon.

It was Antares in Canada that marketed them.  I bought mine through O'Neill Photo in the Toronto area back in the day because they had no US dealers.  He closed up his shop long ago due to retirement.

Mr. Speers's first name is Glen.  I gather Glen Speers is still actively designing and manufacturing his Speers-Waler eyepieces in Canada, now in their Series 4 iteration.  Perhaps Antares could put you in touch with him to find out what he's up to these days.

I am very familiar with Glen's products having owned 5 of his scopes and various eps, I thought maybe you had an in somewhere. I am an Antares fan !

[Stu]

The irony is that by making statements about high end zooms being mentioned, this has led to the thread being dominated by it.

I’m not sure if @Chaz2b is interested in these at all, so perhaps a comment back here will help push the discussion where it is wanted.

[LDW1]

1 minute ago, Stu said:

The irony is that by making statements about high end zooms being mentioned, this has led to the thread being dominated by it.

I’m not sure if @Chaz2b is interested in these at all, so perhaps a comment back here will help push the discussion where it is wanted.

Well said !

[jetstream]

If I were going to buy a zoom with good optics and highly regarded by many, price considered it would be the Baader zoom.

[Louis D]

15 minutes ago, LDW1 said:

I am very familiar with Glen's products having owned 5 of his scopes and various eps, I thought maybe you had an in somewhere. I am an Antares fan !

Unless you get lucky and find a Canadian Astro/Photo shop with new-old stock zooms sitting on the shelf, you're probably going to have to depend on the secondary market.  Since you're in Canada, you're well positioned to make inquiries.  BTW, that zoom was a stretch for my astro budget back then.  I think I paid about $270 after all the cross-border costs were figured in.  That's about $480 today.

I will say that the 5-8mm zoom is very enjoyable to use once you get past the non-parfocality of it.  It is sharp edge to edge at f/6.  I compared it directly to the new Svbony 3-8mm zoom here:

 

6 minutes ago, Stu said:

The irony is that by making statements about high end zooms being mentioned, this has led to the thread being dominated by it.

I’m not sure if @Chaz2b is interested in these at all, so perhaps a comment back here will help push the discussion where it is wanted.

I'm done now.  I was in the middle of composing the above reply when I got the notification, but I wasn't going to abandon it.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Louis D

[Stu]

Just now, Louis D said:

Unless you get lucky and find a Canadian Astro/Photo shop with new-old stock zooms sitting on the shelf, you're probably going to have to depend on the secondary market.  Since you're in Canada, you're well positioned to make inquiries.  BTW, that zoom a stretch for my astro budget back then.  I think I paid about $270 after all the cross-border costs were figured in.  That's about $480 today.

I will say that the 5-8mm zoom is very enjoyable to use once you get past the non-parfocality of it.  It is sharp edge to edge at f/6.  I compared it directly to the new Svbony 3-8mm zoom here:

 

I'm done now.  I was in the middle of composing the above reply when I got the notification, but I wasn't going to abandon it.

Louis, my comment was simply saying that LDW1 making the initial comments about high end zooms and that there are no wide afov zooms available was what led to the focus on them (from me as much as anyone else).
 

Please don’t misunderstand my message and continue as you were. Hopefully Chaz2b will comment back, but many threads do drift over time unless the OP pulls them back on track so no particular issues here.

As you were sir.

[LDW1]

I have never seen a discussion yet in any foum site where a great topic on good, average, affordable astronomy gear doesn't get hurled into outer space by prestigious posts on only high end stuff being worth the weight / wait in gold ! It never, ever changes. Its funny how so many good, average fellow astronomers like the performance and ease on their wallets for those occasional great seeing nites. Maybe its a majority ??  PS: This is just my personal observations over many years so take it as you will, no offense intended !

Edited March 13, 2023 by LDW1

[Don Pensack]

There are a lot of zooms available, and many are quite inexpensive.  Let me know if I left any out.  These are only ones available new.

I don't want to include used.

1 Brand	Model	FL	Diam.	AFOV	Wt.	Eye Relief	Undercuts?	Coatings	Edge black	Elem.
365 Astronomy	Aspheric Zoom	8-24	1.25/2.00	43-66	410	15-20	Y	FMC	?	?
Agena	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43	156	16-33	Y	FC	?	4
Agena	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60	217	18-15	Y	MC	Y	6
Altair Astro (UK)	Lightwave Zoom Premium	8-24	1.25	40-60		18.0	Y	FMC	Y	9
Angeleyes (eBay/Ali Express)	Zoom	7.5-22.5	1.25	42-66	255	18-19.5	Y	FMC	?	8
Apertura	Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60	250	18.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
APM	Super Zoom	7.7-15.4	1.25/2.00	64.7-66	520	17.0	N	FMC	?	10
Artesky	Aspherical Zoom	8-24	1.25/2.00	43-66	410	15-20	Y	FMC	?	?
Artesky	Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	40-60	?	?	Y	?	?	?
Astromania	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43	156	16-33	Y	FC	?	4
Astromania	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Auriga	Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60	250	18.0	Y	FMC	?	7
Auriga	Zoom	7.5-22.5	1.25	42-66	255	18-19.5	Y	FMC	?	8
Baader Planetarium	Mark IV Zoom w/click-stops	8-24	1.25	45-68	290	16-19	N	FMC	?	7
Bresser	LER Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-56	250	20.0	Y	FMC	Y	8
Bresser	DLX LER Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-62	315	20.0	Y	FMC	Y	9
Celestron	Zoom	8-24	1.25	39-63		15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Datyson	Gold Band Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60	145	15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Datyson	silver band Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-66		15-18	Y	FC	?	?
Discovery	Zoom	7-23	1.25	36-65		16.6-16.7	N	?	?	7
Discovery	Zoom	8-24	1.25	33-54		10.4-11.4	N	?	?	6
Hercules	Plano Zoom	8-24	1.25	50-70		?	Y	FMC	?	?
Leica	Aspherical Zoom (needs adapter)	8.9-17.8	1.25/2.00	57-78		18.0	N	FMC	?	8
Long Perng	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		20.0	Y	FMC	?	8
Long Perng	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		17.0	Y	FMC	?	9
Long Perng	Zoom	8.2-24.2	1.25	29.8-?		25.2	Y	FMC	?	8
Lunt	"Solar Eyepieces"  Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5		15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
Meade	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-55		?	N	FMC	?	7
Meade	Series 4000 Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60	206	15-18	Y	FMC	?	6
Meade	Acouto Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-66	168	15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Meoptex	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43	156	16-33	Y	FC	?	4
Meoptex	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18	Y	FMC	?	6
Omegon	Super Plossl Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43		16-33	Y	FMC	?	5
Omegon	Magnum Zoom	8-24	1.25	34-51		15-18	Y	FMC	?	4
Omegon	Premium Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5		?-15	Y	FMC	Y	7
Omegon	Premium Zoom	7.5-22.5	1.25	42-66	255	18.5-19	Y	FMC	Y	8
OpticStar (Opticstar Brand)	Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5	155	15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
OpticStar (Opticstar Brand)	Zoom	7.5-22.5	1.25	42-66	255	18-19.5	Y	FMC	Y	8
Orion	E-Series Zoom	7-21	1.25	40-57	142	16.3-18	Y	FMC	N	6
Orion	Lanthanum Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		20.0	Y	FMC	N	8
Orion	Zoom	7.2-21.6	1.25	42-65		18-20	?	FMC	Y	7
OVL (First Light Optics)	Hyperflex Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60		18.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
OVL (First Light Optics)	Hyperflex Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5	155	15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
Pentax	XL Zoom	8-24	1.25	39.2-56.5		12-18	Y	FMC	Y	6
Pentax	XF ZOOM	6.5-19.5	1.25	58-41		11-15	Y	FMC	N	6
Saxon Australia	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43		?	Y	FC	Y	?
Saxon Australia	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		?	Y	FC	y	?
Seben	Super Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		20.0	Y	FMC	Y	6
Seben	Zoom	7.5-22.5	1.25	42-66	255	18-19.5	Y	FMC	Y	8
Sky Mentor (Khan Scope, Canada)	Zoom	7-21	1.25	29-42		16-32	Y	FMC	?	?
Sky Mentor (Khan Scope, Canada)	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Sky Optic (France)	Hyperflex Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5		15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
Sky Rover	Super Zoom	7.7-15.4	1.25/2.00	64.7-66	520	17.0	N	FMC	?	10
Skywatcher	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43		16-33	Y	FMC	?	?
Skywatcher	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Skywatcher	Hyperflex Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60		18.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
Skywatcher	Hyperflex Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5	155	15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
Stella Lyra (FLO)	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		20.0	Y	FMC	Y	8
Svbony	Zoom	3-8	1.25	56.9-59.8		10	Y	FMC	Y	6
Svbony	Zoom	7-21	1.25	37.6-53.5	133	16.3-18	Y	FMC	Y	6
Svbony	Zoom	8-24	1.25	38-56		18-19.5	Y	FMC	Y	7
Svbony	Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60	230	17.5	N	FMC	Y	7
Svbony	Zoom	10-30	1.25	33-51		17-18.5	Y	FMC	Y	5
Svbony	Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	42-65	167	18-20	N	FMC	Y	7
Tecnosky	Zoom	7-21	1.25	40-57		16.3-18	Y	?	?	?
Tecnosky	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18	Y	?	?	7
Tecnosky	Aspheric Zoom	8-24	1.25/2.00	43-66		15-20	Y	FMC	?	?
Tecnosky	Zoom	9-27	1.25	40-60	250	18.0	Y	FMC	?	7
Tecnosky	Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	40-60		15	Y	FMC	?	7
Telescope Service	Deluxe Zoom	7-21	1.25	40-50		20.0	Y	FMC	?	6
Telescope Service	Zoom	7-21	1.25	40-50		20.0	Y	MC	?	5
Telescope Service	Premium Zoom	7.2-21.5	1.25	38.3-56.5		15.0	Y	FMC	Y	7
TeleVue	Nagler Zoom	3-6	1.25	49	150	10.0	Y	FMC	Y	5

[Stu]

3 hours ago, LDW1 said:

I have never seen a discussion yet in any foum site where a great topic on good, average, affordable astronomy gear doesn't get hurled into outer space by prestigious posts on only high end stuff being worth the weight / wait in gold ! It never, ever changes. Its funny how so many good, average fellow astronomers like the performance and ease on their wallets for those occasional great seeing nites. Maybe its a majority ??  PS: This is just my personal observations over many years so take it as you will, no offense intended !

I can only disagree with you.

I’ve tried to pull this back to where it may be intended but you keep dragging it back to high end kit.

All levels of kit have their value. I’ve compared the Hyperflex with Baader Hyperion Zoom and the Leica, and found enough performance improvement in the Leica to make it worthwhile for me to own.

I’ve strongly advocated for entry level kit where I think it makes sense and will continue to do so, and encourage people to stay within their personal budgets to enjoy astronomy such as with the Heritage 130 and 150p scopes. Equally I see and experience the benefits of higher end kit, and do not see anything wrong with enjoying it; I make sacrifices in other areas of my life so that I have funds available for this.

Now, can we please allow this to get back to the topic in hand without constant sniping. Thank you.

[fozzybear]

I have a vintage old classic Vixen 1.25" 8-24mm zoom and love using it on my C5

[Marvin Jenkins]

I don’t have a zoom. Thankfully!🤣

[jetstream]

6 hours ago, LDW1 said:

reat topic on good, average, affordable astronomy gear doesn't get hurled into outer space by prestigious posts on only high end stuff being worth the weight / wait in gold !

There are many who have put posts out there on very affordable eyepieces such as the 10mm BCO that competes with the Leica zoom in sharpness and contrast. I have samples of Fuji orthos that do the similar.The much used and vaunted Heritage 130 is regularly praised as are the Explore Scientific eyepieces used in it.

Zoom eyepieces are complicated by design and I would personally like to be aware of any issues before spending cash on one. Comparisons to high end zooms, who are compared to the likes of the 10 BCO should give a good heads up if these other zooms are near the same league(10BCO etc).

It is through talk that we can decipher where to spend money IMHO.

Our Heritage 130/6.7ES 82 put up a lunar image that many frac owners would drool over...

Edited March 13, 2023 by jetstream

[wookie1965]

I have a Celestron zoom and a Meade both 8-24 I use them mostly for aligning the mount and solar. 

[pavel_s]

8 hours ago, Don Pensack said:

		8-24	1.25	40-66	168	15-18	Y	FMC	?	?
Meoptex	Zoom	7-21	1.25	30-43	156	16-33	Y	FC	?	4
Meoptex	Zoom	8-24	1.25	40-60		15-18
					150	10.0	Y	FMC	Y	5

You probably meant Meopta, a respected Czech company, which makes an excellent zoom eyepiece for spotting scopes.

Meoptex has nothing to do with Meopta, I guess they just stole the good name.

[Space Hopper]

Another APM Superzoom user here.

I've enjoyed observing with it, and its definitely a keeper. The magnification range i get is roughly 65x - 125x so quite a useful range for a lot of targets.

It works well with the Powermate x2 as well. Its great on lunar.

I've also used in for white light solar in a HW but had to use it in 1.25" mode as it would have fouled the ND filter otherwise, but it just focused ok.

 

[Jim L]

Ernest, of the Astro Talks website, does quite detailed reviews of optical gear, including zoom eyepieces.  The website is in Russian, and so for many it will need to be translated, but Googles’s translation algorithm does a pretty decent job. Here’s a link to some of the zoom eyepiece reviews:

https://astro--talks-ru.translate.goog/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4585&_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_sch=http

Edited March 14, 2023 by Jim L

[Don Pensack]

15 hours ago, pavel_s said:

You probably meant Meopta, a respected Czech company, which makes an excellent zoom eyepiece for spotting scopes.

Meoptex has nothing to do with Meopta, I guess they just stole the good name.

No, I meant Meoptex, which is a cheap Chinese brand like Svbony.

I cannot find anyone still selling the Meopta zoom with a telescope adapter. That is also why I didn't include Zeiss and Nikon in the list of Zooms.

People who custom make adapters for a telescope can buy a Zeiss, Nikon, or Meopta zoom, but the average purchaser cannot get them that way right now.

[Chaz2b]

Okay, I didn’t want any arguments on this subject, and I certainly got a lot of info, but ….and I don’t know if it’s the right decision, I bought a brand new Pentax XF zoom for half price! to use in my Celestron Regal 100. I shall let you all know tomorrow if it works for me.

well that didn’t work out did it! The barrel on the Pentax is longer than standard barrels so won’t seat fully in, therefore it won’t focus! It fits in standard eyepiece holders and diagonals but not my spotting scopes. Lesson learnt.

If you have the same zoom and know a workaround I’d love to hear it.

chaz

Edited March 18, 2023 by Chaz2b

[Pixies]

23 hours ago, Chaz2b said:

Okay, I didn’t want any arguments on this subject, and I certainly got a lot of info, but ….and I don’t know if it’s the right decision, I bought a brand new Pentax XF zoom for half price! to use in my Celestron Regal 100. I shall let you all know tomorrow if it works for me.

well that didn’t work out did it! The barrel on the Pentax is longer than standard barrels so won’t seat fully in, therefore it won’t focus! It fits in standard eyepiece holders and diagonals but not my spotting scopes. Lesson learnt.

If you have the same zoom and know a workaround I’d love to hear it.

chaz

The Baader zoom works with the Regal spotting scopes:

https://www.birdforum.net/threads/celestron-regal-m2-65-and-baader-hyperion-zoom-mark-iv.356352/