Vixen SLVs

[Saganite]

18 hours ago, mikeDnight said:

 I really hate the look of the SLV's with their cheap looking grey plastic bulbous head. I've only ever used one briefly after I inherited if from a late astronomer friend, but moved it on because it was ugly. I think it was a 25mm but can't be certain as it was a few years ago. I might take a closer look at some of my friends to see if its time I moved them on too, but then again, having ugly friends has the advantage of making me appear better looking - possibly?!

 I did however really love the old LV's across the range. A pair of 15mm LV's in my barlowed binoviewer gave me the best defined view of the Alpine Valley's central rill that ive ever had, and that was in a FC100DC. And using the same scope in 2016, an early morning Mars through the 2.5mm LV was simply gorgeous. If the SLV's got rid of the grey bulbous bit, I'd probably like them. I love the clean, simple look of older eyepieces coz I'm a bit of a fossil.

Glad you said it Mike, and  I agree, and the Morpheus are little better to look at.  It doesn't really matter so long as they work, but if all things are equal, then I choose looks every time.....

Edited March 22 by Saganite

[Saganite]

Oops, sorry Stu...........😂

[Mr Spock]

Lol, I think the Morpheus are ugly! I do like the SLV. Overall I prefer a plain look like my orthos and UFF. Function over aesthetics every time though.

After all, it's all much the same in the dark 

[Louis D]

Sounds like a new thread in the making.  Ugly or Not Ugly for various eyepiece lines.  The Delos have been likened to chicken drumsticks.  Whether that is ugly or not could go either way depending on how you like the looks of drumsticks. 😁

[JeremyS]

Did someone say ugly?
 

[Naughty Neal]

Had first light with the 12mm SLV this morning before dawn ( I hope Franklin doesn't regret selling it)   and my first impression is Oh My ,quite an awesome ep despite only being 50 degrees fov.

Sharp,  clear and fantastic on the stars at 93x with my F11 102ed. As goes with the territory on these slow fracs the stars are pin point with no defraction spikes.   Though I don't need a 25mm , I may still try and find one .

Later this morning  I needed to realign my Starsense /phone unit and   used  it to home in on a pylon for the realign, boy in day light it is knocking the spots off my Xcel lx's in clarity. Not only could I see the paint layers where they are peeling off but clear as if I were in eyeball contact I could see the White grease slathered over nuts and bolts holding the steel together.

 

 

Edited March 23 by Naughty Neal

[Piero]

I had the 5mm and 9mm Vixen SLV and thought they were very good, particularly the 5mm.

In my opinion though, it is a bit unfortunate that although good they don't exceed in any particular feature apart from eye relief. The Vixen HR are better optically, and a lot of other eyepieces are much better in terms of AFOV. Eye relief helps, but one needs to be seriously astigmatic to need 20mm eye relief below 10mm focal length, particularly with 50 deg AFOV...

The SLV would have been a boom if they had come out a decade earlier at least, I feel. In that case they would have won against TV plossls.