William Optics 33mm SWAN 2" Eyepiece Review

[Moonshane]

This is my first ‘review’ and being such a newbie I am probably not technically qualified to actually provide a review. However, I hope that others might find this useful when considering eyepieces generally.

I have a Celestron OMNI XLT 120mm achromatic refractor which I have found excellent. With a 1000mm focal length giving a focal ratio of f8.3, it is quite forgiving on eyepieces and there is not too much chromatic aberration; this is limited really to the usual very bright objects (moon and planets basically).

Although this is not a review of my telescope, I thought it would be useful to know what I used. I also have a William Optics 2” dielectric 90 degree star diagonal. I live in a suburban town in between Manchester and Stockport and light pollution is an issue. According to a LP map recently circulated, I live in the second worst zone for LP in the UK. As far as I could tell, seeing on the night of this report was quite poor albeit the sky was clear with some occasional wispy cloud. I don’t profess to being an expert on ‘seeing conditions’ though!

I have bought a number of reasonable eyepieces (Paradigm / Discovery ED eyepieces of various focal lengths) which are excellent value for money. However, like most people (who always want better if they can get/afford it!) I felt that the eyepieces I had could be improved upon and decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and buy a small selection of Televue eyepieces. I have in the mail 14mm and 18mm Radians (used) and combined with a 2.5x Powermate (used) these will be my main higher power eyepieces. I should have enough money within a month or so for a 24mm Panoptic (used if I can find someone to sell!) and this will put pretty much the whole spectrum of targets in my range. For the ultimate set-up (as far as I am concerned anyhow) I will have one eyepiece missing – a wide field 2” low power eyepiece. This will eventually be a 35mm Panoptic (again used if I can find one for sale) but in all honesty it’s going to be at least a year before I can save enough to get one of these. Therefore I needed a ‘stop gap’ lens to enable me to take in a wide field pending the purchase of the Televue lens.

Enter the 33mm William Optics SWAN (the subject of my review) which I refer to hereafter as the 33mm SWAN. I bought it off this forum for £50 used but in great condition and it is available for as little as £69.95 new if you search hard.

One concern I have about the 35mm Panoptic is weight as I intend to use it on a 12” Dobsonian eventually, and it may be too heavy to maintain balance. The 35mm Panoptic is 50% heavier than the 33mm SWAN which at 410g is reasonably light. It has a 72 degree field of view and 25mm eye relief so it will be useable by spectacle wearers but the usual recommendation is to take off your spectacles when viewing unless they are absolutely necessary. I found this eyepiece better without my glasses.

Like all WO items, the packaging is excellent and the lens comes in a good quality box with a shaped foam insert with a cut out. One valuable use for this is to take out an appropriate square in a pick and pluck case and place the foam from the box inside. This ensures that your lenses are protected properly.

The 33mm SWAN is very well made as you would expect from a WO product. I understand that this is basically a rebadged GSO eyepiece and that there are several similar products in terms of quality on the market. However, the tapered nosepiece is a lot safer I my view than the usual recess as it seems like it is more likely to prevent disaster. The recessed presumably laser cut lettering and good quality eyecup and well fitting, branded caps all add to the initial impression this is a very good eyepiece and I would hope that as WO are putting their name to something they check quality control.

Initial viewing was very satisfying. The wider field and low magnification made the view very expansive to my eyes and stars were generally sharp and true across the bulk of the field. There was some distortion towards the edge of the field of view (I cannot accurately say how much of the field so I won’t try to evaluate this in any way other than subjectively) but in all honesty, I could not look at the edge of the field when something was in the centre of the viewfinder so this was not an issue and even on wider clusters like M44 it did not ‘spoil’ the viewing. It may be more of an issue with a Dobsonian from the point of view of tracking and the speed of the OTA, the latter of which will create more issues with a lower quality lens. The low power was such that tracking should not pose a problem with the 33mm SWAN.

I tried the lens on the double cluster, M35 (which I found with this lens easily and after the first time of trying), M44 and M67 (again found for the first time), M36, M37 and M38 and finally the Orion Nebula but only briefly before it disappeared round the back of my house!

The low power and wide field made it so easy to find the objects and once found the views were better than my other lenses in terms of sharpness and the number of stars resolved, especially with averted vision. The 72 degree field also meant that wide clusters like M44 were pretty much contained within the eyepiece and the double cluster was perfectly framed. There were some possible issues with slight flaring on brighter objects but this may have been the seeing (?) or maybe internal reflections? Not really anything of concern though as these were minor issues which you had to look for.

I was really impressed with the 33mm SWAN but am trying to avoid superlatives like stunning etc as I have nothing to compare this lens with yet. It will be interesting if I can ever borrow a 35mm Panoptic or when I get the 24mm Panoptic, to compare the sharpness of this lens with those higher quality pieces. Given they cost 3-4 times the amount of this lens new, it is expected there will be a marked difference, otherwise I may rethink the purchase of certainly the former. It will also be good to see how this performs when I get the f5 Dobsonian. I expect more of the field to show distortion with a faster telescope but hope that the main field which I actually observe at any one time, will be acceptable. I will post a further report then.

In all, for the money I paid, or even for the new price, you cannot go wrong with this lens even if it represents a temporary ‘filler’ rather than a longer term purchase. Based on my own experience with the f8.3 refractor, I would very much recommend this lens for those looking for a well priced, reasonably light 2” wide field/low power eyepiece. I found Messier objects with ease which I had struggled with in the past and when located, the resolution was good even in the relatively high light pollution in which I generally observe. I will think carefully about replacing it in due course as the alternatives are both expensive and heavy.

Feel free to PM me or add to this thread if you have any queries.

Thanks for reading (if you have reached this point and are still awake then well done!!).

If anyone lives near Stockport and would be willing to let me try their 35mm Panoptic (or wants to sell a 24mm Panoptic or a 1.25” 2.5x Powermate (new version with compression rings)) then I’d be really happy to hear from them.

Cheers

Shane

[womblemaster]

Better use of paragraphs, headings/bullet points in future plz

I grade this paper: C+

/chuckle

[Doc]

Cheers Shane a very imformtive report. I agree that the WO range of eyepieces are very good indeed and even the lower end are pretty high quality.

But saying that most eyepieces will perform on a F8.3 scope, another test for the future is to try it on your 12" dob which I would imagine will be a least F5, then you might start to see defects appear in the outer edges.

Thanks once again.

[russ]

Very nice report Shane.

I have a clone (Adler) of the Swan and i find it a nice finder eyepiece with a huge FOV (almost 2deg) in the 8" f6 dob. It's well corrected in the F10 SCT but the view starts degrading in the outer 25-30% of the field at f6 in the dob. Be interesting to hear how it performs in the 12" dob.

Russ

[Moonshane]

cheers everyone

I enjoyed the eyepiece and writing the review.

more will follow once the fast dob arrives / gets collected.

I'll also add further comments once I have used it a little more in the refractor.

whether you buy this one or another, I recommend dipping your toe in the widefield area if you have not done so - it's really nice. at a dark site, it must be amazing.

[albedo0.39]

Hi Shane - firstly, thanks for spending your own time to sit down a write up a report. If we had more of these "real world" experiences on SGL, it would really help us all.

Certainly, the 33m SWAN is something I had been considering, but I felt that the optics (whilst suited to a slow scope) would deteriorate under the pressure of my sub F5 newtonian

It seems that some of the f/b is along the same lines. Indeed, I have an EP that reviews quite well and I've certainly seen it perform well, but drop it into my scope and it falls apart at about 60% of the total FOV.

On the other hand the WO, UWAN's held up for more than 85 or perhaps 90% of the FOV - a totally different experience

One thing I have learned is that when you look at the three most often requested features of any eyepiece:- Cheap, Wide Angle and Distortion Free, you can only ever have 2 of these at any one time.

Good luck in your hunt for your next EP

Steve

[Wurzil]

Nice one Shane - I have the same scope and have light polluted skies the same as you, so this is a very helpful report for me (also orion disappears over my roof as well, so we probably have the same bit of sky to look at too!).

Im planning on ordering my 2" EP (and diagonal) next friday (payday!). Hopefully Ill be as satisfied with my adler SWAN clone 38mm as you were with your WO SWAN.

I see that you've upgraded your focusser to a Crayford - I wonder if my original R&P one will wobble about with a big 2" diagonal and 500grams of EP on it?? We'll see I guess.

Its a good idea to try and borrow a televue before forking out all that cash on one. I cant justify spending all my cash on those, so i have to try and find bargains/compromises (I like steves eyepiece "equation" - only 2 of Cheap, Wide Angle and Distortion Free)

Ill let you know how I get on with my EP when it arrives.

Big up the omni massive innit!

Warren

PS - my damned nicotine patches are affecting my sleep and I actually dreamt of finding a big televue EP on the floor last night (as well as a thin blue fish that I found in Penzance, and then stuck on my chest and it disappeared). how random is that!!???

[John]

Nice review Shane !.

No need to spend big bucks to get nice WF peformance at F/8.3. F/5 is different though. Perhaps the equation should read:

wide field / low cost / edge sharpness in fast scopes; pick any 2

[russ]

They still hold together at f5 depending on:

a/ how fussy you are - only sharp across 70% of the field, some still don't find that a problem.

b/ what's the intended use - perfectly fine as a finder eyepiece before stepping up to medium power.

I very rarely use a low power and even when i do i don't find the edge sharpness a distraction. But i find it highly annoying with the medium power eyepieces, i need those sharp across a larger field.

[Moonshane]

Steve – (and everyone) cheers for the feedback. I love your three way split comment. Totally true!!

It will be really interesting to see it in my 12” Dob – collecting on Sunday (yippee) so three weeks of cloud later and I’ll post an update! I should explain by the way that I am no Baron Rothschild, just have some money from selling some expensive but unused moth books and also my wife has now been working for a while so we are a two income family – I get spends now - £20 a week ;0)

At that rate my Radians (just arrived today) only use 6 weeks money each - not bad for a lifetime of use.

I have looked at the UWANs and considered them but I feel that a 24mm Panoptic used would be about the same price as a new UWAN and although probably not much in it (and I’ll hopefully try before I buy) I tend to favour the TV at the minute. Getting hold of a UWAN will be a bit easier than a used 24mm Panoptic though I reckon. I mainly bought the SWAN as it was a) cheap a reputable name c) filled the gap until I can afford a 35mm Panoptic (maybe though I won’t be needing one!).

Warren – I really rate the OMNI 120 XLT. Good luck with the 2” diagonal and eyepiece. I read somewhere that even if you mainly use 1.25” eyepieces, a 2” diagonal is better as the 1.25”’s use every last scrap of the mirror (even the scraggy edges) but with a 2” there’s always spare capacity.

Re the Crayford, I just felt envious of the lovely smooth focusers on the more expensive scopes and found one at £109 with 1:10 fine focus – it really makes a difference. That said, I suspect that a R&P is even better/stronger when it comes to more weight. Don’t forget you can tweak the ‘stiffness’ of the focus tube with the little tiny grub screws. I too dream of great kit (and of course Manchester City actually winning a cup – even more unlikely / bizarre then your dreams!!). I reckon there are lots of satisfied Celestron refractor customers all over the place.

John – agreed. It’s a really useful rule of thumb that Steve came up with!

Russ – you are right I think. I tested this in my f8.3 and although the distortion is much less than I expect it will be with my dob, it was there. I had to look away from the main area of view to see it.I'll post again after I have a chance to see it in the Dob.

[albedo0.39]

Honesty forces me to admit that the "perm any 2 from 3" saying came from the brains of others - one being John (above) it's just that my twist on it was slightly different.

Anyhow, you will no doubt plunge us into eternal cloud cover and more snow now you have admited that a new scope is on the way...

[Wurzil]

Warren – I really rate the OMNI 120 XLT. QUOTE]

I rate it even more now that FLO have sold out and they go for £400 (or over) on the internet.

What a massive bargain it was at £259 and what a versatile scope it is:- short cool down time, 2" focusser, does 200x nicely, no collimation to worry about, nice contrasty views, and it came with a reasonable mount. I just leave mine set up in the living room, and when i see its clear, I fold the legs in and lift the whole thing out the front door (holding at the top of the tripod). I love my scope - I think that if I'd bought a massive dob and I had to collimate it every time, I wouldnt use it as much (same goes for a Mak/SCT with the cool down time). OK it might not have massive apeture like a dob or go to really high mags easily like a Mak and it might get purple abberations on bright objects and make me lay on the freezing floor, but I love it - sometimes I just sit and stare at it and when nobodys around i sing to it and give it hugs and stuff I call it terry......hang on I think I might have got carried away there - think im going to bed now for more nicotine patch dreams.

good scope though:)

Warren

[John]

Honesty forces me to admit that the "perm any 2 from 3" saying came from the brains of others - one being John (above) it's just that my twist on it was slightly different....

I'd nicked my version from someone on "Cloudynights" so no credit to me

It sounded a bit "trite" when I first came across it, or a variant of it, but with time and some experience I've come to realise the truth of it .....

[russ]

It's a great saying where ever it came from. Really sums it up nicely.

[pvaz]

As this review proves, some of the cheaper EPs are in fact a great deal. I have a few agena SWAs and they are very nice and cheap (did I say cheap already?!). On my f/5.9 scope they hold their ground staying sharp for about 80% of the FOV and the edge ain't that bad.

Of course the new Nagler and Ethos I got now are much better to look through, specially the Ethos which is simply amazing, but I must admit I could perfectly live with the Agena's and they cost only a mere fraction of the TV EPs price and perform well enough.

Don't take this the wrong way, those huge EPs with green letters are great and I'll probably keep them for a lifetime, but if you can't, or are not willing to, spend big bucks then you can still have nice EPs at cheaper prices that will allow to enjoy the hobby.

f/5 and less may be a different matter but I don't own a scope this fast to know.

[Moonshane]

hi all

A quick update as promised on the WO 33mm SWAN eyepiece which I have now managed to use a little more in my f5.3 dob. As predicted and expected the performance in the faster scope was not as good as in the f8.3 refractor.

That said, it was really not that bad. There is definite deterioration in the sharpness of stars from maybe 60% outwards (this is really hard to quantify I feel) and they really do get quite 'seagully' at the edges. It's bearable though and with targets like the Beehive M44, it's really quite good with its wide field etc. as you can really fit quite a bit in and 'get inside' the object without losing the fact that you have it in view as you would with higher magnification / less field of view.

What amazed me about this eyepiece is how good it is as a finder. I found things so easily with this eyepiece after getting about there with the Telrad and a bit closer with the 6x30 finder. If looking for a new object which I feel is a bit tricky, I reach for this first.

Even more surprising to me was the effectiveness of this eyepiece at finding and viewing galaxies. I have never managed to find any galaxies previously (apart from M31 of course) but with this eyepiece I can get M81 / M82 in the same field with room to spare and in context. Not bad for a 1600mm focal length. Since than I have added a further six within a week or so.

The biggest shock was that this eyepiece revealed more detail (at least to my inexperienced eyes) than the 24mm Panoptic on galaxies. Maybe my view on this last point will change with time - I hope so as it cost more than three times as much!

Reading the recent http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/100634-38mm-skywatcher-panaview-40mm-skywatcher-aero-comparison-review.html by Andrew it seems to me that the Aeros will have a little better quality than the SWANs and I may eventually go for the 35mm Aero as this should improve the view through the dob. Watch this space as there may be a SWAN on the market soon (well not that soon as I want to buy a last Radian (12mm), a dual speed crayford for the dob, a UHC and Oiii filter.............curse those shiny products attracting my magpie like eyes!!!! - if only Christmases and birthdays came around more than once a year)

[albedo0.39]

Those Aero's look really good and that review by Andrew* certainly whetted my already soaked appetite. I'm sort of hoping thatsomeone at SGL has a set I can take a peek through on my 'scope.

[Astorix]

Thanks Shane, a brilliantly in depth review!

[Moonshane]

no worries Astorix - enjoy your scope when you get it!