Svbony 8-20 Super Zoom

[LondonNeil]

 

 

It's dropped.   Bogdan seems very positive (I've only skimmed the review so may have missed some issues)

[Don Pensack]

10 minutes ago, LondonNeil said:

 

 

It's dropped.   Bogdan seems very positive (I've only skimmed the review so may have missed some issues)

His pictures reveal exactly why I've never liked zooms: contrast, color accuracy, and image sharpness are poorer than the fixed focal length eyepiece.  Overall, it's a complimentary review, but it doesn't have the optical performance of a premium eyepiece.

[Second Time Around]

Excellent review.

I'll reserve judgement until there are further reviews, especially with more detailed findings on how parfocal it is.  I'd also like to see a comparison with the APM Superzoom.

However, it looks very promising, and I may be a buyer.

[Mr Spock]

35 minutes ago, Don Pensack said:

His pictures reveal exactly why I've never liked zooms: contrast, color accuracy, and image sharpness are poorer than the fixed focal length eyepiece.

He said the exact opposite! The sharpness compared to the Delite was the same and the contrast better. Colour is a matter of opinion and to me the Svbony is more saturated.

[Don Pensack]

17 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

He said the exact opposite! The sharpness compared to the Delite was the same and the contrast better. Colour is a matter of opinion and to me the Svbony is more saturated.

Take a look at his pictures.  They reveal the Delite was sharper and with better contrast.  It was obvious on my monitor.

The new zoom was sharper and had better contrast than the other zoom, though.

Edited Friday at 16:35 by Don Pensack

[Mr Spock]

1 minute ago, Don Pensack said:

Take a look at his pictures.  They reveal the Delite was sharper and with better contrast.

I think you are looking at the wrong picture.

[Don Pensack]

I listened to his review again, and I agree the fixed focal length Delite was brighter and had better color saturation.  I disagree on contrast, however, though the difference wasn't clear on my phone and only showed up in the images on my monitor.

[Ags]

Are there any reviews that not videos? Am I the only person on the Internet that refuses to watch video reviews (or video anything)?

[Louis D]

2 minutes ago, Ags said:

Are there any reviews that not videos? Am I the only person on the Internet that refuses to watch video reviews (or video anything)?

No, I'm right there with you.  Especially when someone calls an unboxing video a review.  I've never understood unboxing videos, but a lot of people must like them or no one would make them.

[Ags]

Just now, Louis D said:

but a lot of people must like them or no one would make them

Or a lot of people like making them 🤣

[globular]

For the video averse, here is a screen capture of the delite comparison.

To my eyes I agree his summary of the differences - based on his pictures so surely that's not surprising.

But what's going on with the sky in the zoom picture? Looks like less than uniform illumination? Or edge of field brightening compensated by the camera?

All in all - it looks better than I thought it might.

Shame it's not parfocal though.  "nearly parfocal" == not parfocal in my book.

[Louis D]

3 minutes ago, globular said:

But what's going on with the sky in the zoom picture? Looks like less than uniform illumination? Or edge of field brightening compensated by the camera?

Several things stand out to me in that screen grab.

1. The sky darkening due to impending SAEP.  I've fought  with it plenty of times trying to get the best eyepiece FOV image possible.
2. The very low rectilinear distortion of the SV230.
3. Chromatic aberration is fairly high.

Until used under the stars, it's hard to draw any conclusions about astigmatism or field curvature, though.

[Zermelo]

35 minutes ago, Ags said:

Are there any reviews that not videos? Am I the only person on the Internet that refuses to watch video reviews (or video anything)?

Perhaps Ernest Maratovich will do a bench review - he did one for their planetary zoom. Not the same as a field test, but a useful complement.

[Ags]

I hope he does, I rate his analyses very highly.

[John]

45 minutes ago, globular said:

For the video averse, here is a screen capture of the delite comparison.

To my eyes I agree his summary of the differences - based on his pictures so surely that's not surprising.

But what's going on with the sky in the zoom picture? Looks like less than uniform illumination? Or edge of field brightening compensated by the camera?

All in all - it looks better than I thought it might.

Shame it's not parfocal though.  "nearly parfocal" == not parfocal in my book.

Personally I prefer the zoom image. The colours look more natural and the sharpness seems better.

I'd have to actually use one myself at night and over a number of sessions / scopes / targets ideally to decide though. It's the only way to really find out🙂 

[CraigT82]

The SVbony is displaying some colour fringing, can be seen on the chimney stacks and the edge of the shadow on the wall…

 

Edited Friday at 18:16 by CraigT82

[dweller25]

12 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

The SVbony is displaying some colour fringing, can be seen on the chimney stacks and the edge of the shadow on the wall…

 

To my eye the best overall image is from the SVBony Zoom

[LondonNeil]

Bogdan blames the primary cell for the majority of the colour fringing although the delite does seem slightly better to me.  Other than that I prefer the svbony, similar sharpness, better colour better contrast. 

[CraigT82]

For me the sharpness seems to be identical, but I’m not sure I like the ‘contrast’ of the zoom, I think the image is darker and so it looks more contrasty in the same way things look more contrasty with sunglasses on. Not surprising though as the fixed length EP should have better transmission with fewer elements? Not sure if if does. Still, it is putting up a real fight though and for the price it’s hard to knock

[Don Pensack]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

Several things stand out to me in that screen grab.

1. The sky darkening due to impending SAEP.  I've fought  with it plenty of times trying to get the best eyepiece FOV image possible.
2. The very low rectilinear distortion of the SV230.
3. Chromatic aberration is fairly high.

Until used under the stars, it's hard to draw any conclusions about astigmatism or field curvature, though.

At first, I thought it was edge of field brightening, but the darkening of the rest of the image relative to the Delite says you're likely spot-on with your point #1.

In neither case is the image really in sharp focus, but if you look at the edge of roof tiles, they are in better focus in the Delite.

It's hard to evaluate, though, given the CA in both images.  The magnifications are not identical, either.  It does look like the Zoom adds CA.

If this is, as has been speculated, a copy of a Kowa Zoom, then the absence of RD in the Zoom image would make sense.

[John]

Anyone compared an APM Superzoom with TV DeLite equivalent FL eyepieces ?

 

Edited Friday at 19:17 by John

[Don Pensack]

Here is a screen grab on my monitor.

Look at:

--the variation in colors between the trees

--the sharpness of the light colored branches in the lighter tree

--how deep into the darker tree on the left you can see with the Delite.

[Second Time Around]

4 minutes ago, Don Pensack said:

Here is a screen grab on my monitor.

Look at:

--the variation in colors between the trees

--the sharpness of the light colored branches in the lighter tree

--how deep into the darker tree on the left you can see with the Delite.

Don, isn't that just because of exposure?  On my phone I can see more detail in the highlights on the zoom compared with the Delite?

 

[Don Pensack]

look also at the visibility of the white lines in the solar panels.  Much more easily seen in the Delite.

could be exposure length, could be transmission differences, could be sharpness of focus, could be SAEP as Louis suggested.

The uneven illumination in the Zoom image says Louis is probably right.

Judging by that, neither image demonstrates which is superior in contrast.

[LondonNeil]

Is it me,  or does the delite show slight distortion near the edge?  Looking at the roof edge it seems slightly bowed. It's perfectly straight on the zoom.  

The delite does have slightly better  ca, and sharpness in those later images,  still prefer the svbony for colour but overall it's picking hairs.   I sense my set of Hyperion for my mak127 and c8 may be hitting sales Corner.