Eyepieces to zoom or not too zoom

[jasperuk]

Spotted a Sky-Watcher 8-24mm Zoom Eyepiece (1.25'/31.7mm Format) on ebay for £60 now the big question i have is are these zoom type eyepieces any good compared to a fixed eyepiece, the idea is sound no switching in and out with different eyepieces but is the quality as good ????

Sky-Watcher 8-24mm Zoom Eyepiece (1.25'/31.7mm Format) on eBay (end time 23-Mar-11 13:14:22 GMT)

Any advice please ?????

[Rufusgj]

Hi there,

I've got one (in the forsale section) its the Skywatcher 7-21mm zoom, it works well but has limited FOV and I also wear glasses which is a pain with most eyepieces to be honest - but it does save switching EP's - good for those sessions when you nip out between clouds!

I would have thought the eBay one was a bit expensive (mine is half that) PM me if interested.

Simon

[NGC404]

Difference between the SW 7-21mm & 8-24mm is the the larger one has a T-thread

under the eyecup to accept T-rings..........I believe

[John]

Personally I prefer to stick to fixed focal length eyepieces. I owned one of the best zooms - the Baader 8-24mm click stop MkII - for a while and while it worked well, the fixed focal length Baader Hyperions were a bit better and provided a wider field of view as well. The exception to the above for me are the Tele Vue Nagler zooms but they come with a large price tag attached as you can imagine !.

[redknag]

I've just bought the Baader 8-24 and i'm very impressed with it. What I really like about it is you can adjust infinately, so can get it just right for the conditions.

[TheDove]

I splashed out on the Televue Nagler 6-3mm zoom which is utterly astounding but as previously mentioned is "mucho dinero" - however you do get 4 eyepices for the price of 1 plus the infinite gradations between the stops..........

[acey]

I find a zoom invaluable for viewing small faint DSOs. You find the right field at low power but the object isn't visible. Raise the power and it pops into view somewhere in the field. Centre it and go to highest power. I use a Baader 8-24 for this. But I also have a 6mm EP that I usually go to for highest power view, and for lunar/planetary I'd stick to fixed focal-length eyepieces.

[lookhigh]

Another No1 for the baader. Its very practical to use a zoom EP but the cheaper ones have less FOV so you get what you pay for.

[nicnac]

meade 4000 series zoom got the best buy in sky at night

[jasperuk]

meade 4000 series zoom got the best buy in sky at night

£122.50 :eek: :)

[nicnac]

you can get them cheaper, try Amazon

[MaxLux]

I can certainly give the Baader Hyperion III 8-24mm zoom a thumbs up, a real grenade sized EP with great optics good exit pupil, good eye relief and huge flexibility of use, esp for imaging. Can't comment on the SW one you mention, but inevitably its going to be a case of you get what you pay for. I've just ordered the 5mm version to complement it:D

[jasperuk]

Now i would love to have something like that but the price is running up up and away, the wife would require some serious recompense () if i was to purchase one product that small costing 1/3 of my total spending so far.

I will put it on my golden wedding aniversary wish list cheers

[twotter]

I liked the idea of an 8-24mm zoom, but couldn't afford the Baader. The cheapest zooms have limited FOV so I've gone for a relatively cheap (£50 odd) Antares model to see how much I use it.

So far, not much to be honest, but I can't observe at the moment anyway (recovering from spinal surgery), which isn't the zoom's fault .

It feels solid and well made and the zoom action is nice and smooth. FOV at 24mm is narrower than my plossls, so I still use my 32mm EP to search with. The view improves on a par with the plossls from about 18mm and 8mm is noticeably better. It's not totally parfocal through the range, needing a slight adjustment to the focus.

All in all I think it's an interesting addition to my EP collection, but my fixed focal lengths aren't going anywhere at present.

[lookhigh]

Even the baader is not totaly parfocal. when zooming from 24 to 8 it will need a tweek.

[MaxLux]

Speedy recovery Twotter! I guess we take the mobility required to stoop and/or kneel and observe for granted:)

[MaxLux]

Now i would love to have something like that but the price is running up up and away, the wife would require some serious recompense () if i was to purchase one product that small costing 1/3 of my total spending so far.

I will put it on my golden wedding aniversary wish list cheers

Assuming this key event is imminent, many congratulations on such a milestone;) Personally as this is our Pearl year and I've already bought them for (she who must be obeyed:p) I have simply been busy buying my own anniversary presents, to ensure I get the right astro products you understand;) The joys of not having a joint account........LoL:D

[twotter]

Speedy recovery Twotter! I guess we take the mobility required to stoop and/or kneel and observe for granted:)

Thanks

[Renaissance2010]

Has anyone had any experience with the Zoomoculair 7-21 eyepiece from Teleskop-Service (on ebay)?

Thanks

[The Sailor]

I have a SW 7-21mm, I only us it to help me with the webcam, use the EP to get the target centered, zoom in and adjust till still centered at 7 then swop for webcam and am straight on target.

Jim

[gliderpilot]

I use my celestron zoom on star hopping nights, those that I am hunting for new objects rather than taking the time to observe and sketch.

I find the zoom invaluable for wide view star hopping and then increasing the mag for picking out details. All that without changing eps and potentially misaligning the scope.

Mark