Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Quote:
Great first light report Bob, I hope you continue to be impressed by it, I always am.
I can recall the last star party I was at, there were a couple of people there who look down on any EP's that are not naglers or pans, you know the types, but they wanted to look through the 35mm and to say the lest they were impressed and a little shocked as well.
Anyway, glad it arrived safe and sound, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Allen
Allen, I held off buying Naglers for quite a while, as I was really in love with my Stratus and Hyperion 68s, which did compare very favorably to my Naglers, but that 82 degree AFOV that the Naglers sport is just mind blowing 
I cruise through Astromart and Swap and Shop, several times each day, but I rarely see this 35mm Stratus, or the Scopos for sale used!
The only way that I would even consider parting with it would be for a longer FL Nagler , but that will be a while because I've spent to much money on eyepieces and my new XT12i this year! 
I've been very fortunate in getting almost mint eyepieces on Astromart, but that's probably because most folks treat their expensive eyepieces very well! I know that the ones that I sold, were like new also!
Cheers!
Bob
12" F/4.9 Intelliscope with DSC/COL
10" F/5.0 Coast Instrument Treckerscope,circa 1956
Stratus 35mm, Nagler 17mmT4 and 12mmT4, BO/TMB Planetary 7mm
and 5mm....Televue tunable Paracorr
Barlows: GSO 2"ED 2x, Shorty Plus 2.2x, Televue 2.5x, Coast Instrument 3x
Binocs: Vixen 11x80, Oberwerk 15x70, Zeiss/Hensoldt 7x50, USN/Bausch and Lomb Mark 28 7x50, Swarovski 8x30WA
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DavidM
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 1297
Loc: Perth, Australia
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Bob,
Glad you are enjoying the views. I think a repair of my damaged Stratus is probably out of the question given I would have to ship this fairly heavy EP overseas. I now have a 35 Pan I picked up pretty cheaply second hand. I personally haven't noticed a lot of difference between the two, though of course I have never compared them side by side. The Stratus does seem to be the sweet spot in value vs performance.
David
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David
www.scopetrader.com/davidm/
Lunt LS152T, Coronado Helios 1 70mm
Celestron 8iSE, Orion EON 80mm
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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David did you read that CN review of May 2006 called the Two inch Eyepiece Shootout?
They did a comparison of the 35mm prototype Stratus against several other two inch eye pieces including I believe, the 35mm Panoptic.
Is your 35mm Panoptic as large as the 35mm Scopos/Stratus?
I just sold and packaged my Agena 38mm SWA, and I just had room enough in my eyepiece case to fit in the new Stratus 35mm.
I only have five really nice eyepieces, but with my four nice barlows, its like having four times as many eyepiece combinations...LOL
If I want another Televue, I'm going to have to buy another eye piece case, which is the same size as the largest one that Orion sells, with the pluck out foam cubes.
I got my case on a website called "Cases Galore" It looks exactly like the biggest Orion case, but I think I only paid around $29 for it
I was surprised that I didn't really need to use my Paracorr coma corrector on my new 35mm Stratus, David. I wonder if it's because the AFOV is only 68 degrees?
My Nagler 17mmT4 really shows coma badly unless I use the Paracorr. I wonder if this is because it has an 82 degree AFOV? I know that with my 68 AFOV 17mm Hyperion, I never even noticed my mirror's coma!
I don't need the Paracorr with my 12mm T4, so the magnification level must also enter into this ....Hmmmm, does it have something to do with exit pupil also??
I wonder if any of our eyepiece gurus can explain the correlation between eyepiece AFOV, Focal length, and the ability to notice coma.
Does the focal ratio and size of your mirror play a part in this, I wonder? 
Bob
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DavidM
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 1297
Loc: Perth, Australia
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Hi Bob,
I'm no expert on optics, but I believe that coma is less noticeable with higher magnification and smaller FOV.
The 35 Pan is quite a bit lighter than the Stratus and appears to be a different design, i.e. it is a different size and shape on the outside. The Pan has the slight edge in sharpness across the FOV, but the Stratus has a 'whiter' view, which I like. The Stratus is 38.5 oz, whereas the Pan is 25.6 oz, which the motors on my SCT drive like a bit better, but if weight wasn't a problem I probably would have stuck with the Stratus given its price.
David
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David
www.scopetrader.com/davidm/
Lunt LS152T, Coronado Helios 1 70mm
Celestron 8iSE, Orion EON 80mm
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Unlike so many eyepieces today David, the 35mm Stratus/Scopos doesn't appear to be a "clone" of anything, and I just wonder who actually designed it, and where it was made?
My Naglers are stamped Taiwan, but I don't recall seeing any stamp of origin on my 35mm Stratus, unless it's hidden under the rubber covering?
The original Stratus and Hyperion series, with the exception of the 21mm, were a clone of the Vixen LVWs, but the big 35s seem to be an original design!
It's interesting that your big 35mm Panoptic is so much lighter in weight. If the eyepiece lenses are the same Approx. size, it makes me wonder if different metals were used for the two eyepiece bodies.
How many lens elements did you actually count in your disassembled Stratus David?
The smaller Stratus series advertises that it has eight elements. No wonder they perform so well in fast scopes!
Bob
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erik
telescope surgeon
Reged: 01/30/04
Posts: 24789
Loc: Hawaii
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I believe that the 35mm Panoptic is a 6 element design, so that's part of the weight difference. 
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-Erik Wilcox
Starstuff
Homebuilt 16" Truss Dob in Ohia Forest Observatory
(12' X 12' rolloff under Mag 7 skies)
8" Antares f/5 Newt
SV 80mm ED Nighthawk NG on M1 ALT/AZ
Nikon Prostaff 65mm spotter on Trekpod
Konusvue 20x80 binos
Homebuilt 80mm f/5 refractor
Mirador 60mm f/12 1960's refractor
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Quote:
I believe that the 35mm Panoptic is a 6 element design, so that's part of the weight difference.
So is the 17T4 and the 26T5 Erik, among other Naglers.
I guess that's why Mr. Nagler is considered a brilliant optical designer, to produce such works of art with a minimum number of elements.
When you consider that this is only two more elements than a basic Plossl design, it's really amazing the performance that Nagler has achieved!
I guess that's why I was wondering about who actually designed the 35mm Stratus and Scopos.
If I were Mr. Nagler, I would want a designer with such talent on my team!
My field of expertise is in electronics not optics, but I wonder if the close performance between the 35mm Stratus/Scopos could be merely due to a more exotic optical glass employed by TeleVue?
I believe that Nagler has patents on his designs, I wonder if the "mystery" company, or individual, that designed the protoype 35mm Stratus( now Scopos) has the design protected?
Bob
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DavidM
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/25/06
Posts: 1297
Loc: Perth, Australia
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Hi Bob,
I counted the three main groupings you see in the photos, but I confess I didn't pull them all out to see how many elements made up each group. I suspect the weight difference will be mostly in the mass of the glass rather than the housing.
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David
www.scopetrader.com/davidm/
Lunt LS152T, Coronado Helios 1 70mm
Celestron 8iSE, Orion EON 80mm
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Thanks David, technical information concerning the 35mm Stratus is almost non existent in the old 2006 Orion catalog.
There is a "sort of" inference that it "might" consist of eight elements as does the older( 21mm to 3,5mm) Stratus line.
One of the chaps on the forum, in the thread discussing variable perceived mirror coma, made a statement that inferred that the 35mm Stratus "was the same" as the other models and therefor had the same( in his opinion) astigmatism issues(which I never was troubled by, or noticed) as all of the other Stratus models!
As I indicated in my previous post,and based on my observations through the 35mm Stratus,
I feel that it may very well be a new and original design, and should not be off handedly dismissed by anyone who hasn't actually looked through one, as "just another Stratus!"
Many of us, myself included, assume that the Baader 30mm Scopos and the 35mm Scopos are just a continuation of the now discontinued Orion Stratus eyepieces of that identical focal length.
Going to the Baader web site, I found them to be just as scarce with technical information about the 35mm Scopos, as Orion had been about their new, Stratus  .
I'm very tempted to see if I can get any hard technical Info. directly from Baader.
I don't think that asking about the actual number of elements, and if the optical design is original, would violate any proprietary secrets, do you David?
It just keeps getting mysteriouser and mysteriouser, and inquiring minds want to Know!
Bob
Edited by Bob W6PU (12/06/07 09:46 PM)
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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I've received several PMs from folks who asked how my old Agena 38mm SWA (same as the Orion Q70), which appeared on my signature line, compared with my new 35mm Stratus.
The short answer is that the Stratus, (which listed for twice as much money as the Q70 or the Agena) has sharper edges, more elements, and is corrected for use in a fast Newt. such as my 12" F/4.9, is better!
Used as a wide angle "finder" eyepiece, with its 1.8 degree true FOV, the $95 Agena, did a very nice job for me!
For its low price, I feel that it is a very decent eyepiece, that allowed me to fit the main body of the Pleiades cluster within its FOV, and served its purpose as a DSO finder!
Based on on how well the edges cleared up when barlowed 2x, I think that it probably would do quite well in F/6 and slower scopes!
Another question to me was, is the new 30mm and 35mm Baader Scopos, actually the identical eypiece as the now discontinued Stratus?
My answer to that is that I, (as well as others),really believe that the Scopos which appears identical,to the now discontined Stratus, is indeed the same optical design, but I couldn't swear to that, as neither Orion or Baader will come out and fess up! LOL
It sort of like, the same situation with the current 21mm to 3.5mm Orion Stratus and the Baader Hyperions of the same FL.
No one can actually swear in court that they are the identical optical designs, but if you look at and through one of each, of the same FL, which I have actually done, you would bet the farm that they were made by the same company!
Perhaps some of you would care to add their thoughts and opinions. I would especially like to hear others input as to what the story is with the 35mm Stratus/Scopos design.
Is it an original design or is it maybe a cloned Pan Optic design, in a heavier (different metal) body. What do you think? .....A cloned Paragon?? LOL
This eyepiece, which came out of nowhere, is "breathing down the neck" of the 35mm Pan....what gives with this? Your ideas?
It's sort of like in the old "Lone Ranger" series, where at the end, one guys asks, "Say, who was that masked stranger?" 
Bob
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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Was checking out the 35mm some more tonight, and really enjoying that flat field wide angle performance!
If owned Baader, I'd modify that puppy by putting it into a magnesium body, to bring the weight down, then I would do some serious advertising in Sky and Telescope and Astronomy Mags, because I think that this one is a "sleeper" !
Even an Erfle works well in a decent refractor, but to get this performance in a F/4.9 Newt. is saying something about this eyepiece!
I wonder if these companies read forums like Cloudy Nights, to learn what their potential customer say about their products, and want in an eyepiece?
Bob
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Paulo Gor
member
Reged: 12/07/06
Posts: 15
Loc: Portugal
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Dear friends.
Since i start to read yours post, I started to be very curious about this eyepiece (Orion Stratus 35mm) and I did not resist to buy it.
I had the luck of a friend mine find this eyepiece on sale.
I have made some observation with this eyepiece, and repaired that the sky is not so bright as I imagined with 35mm eyepiece, this eyepiece have a good contrast, the stars are prompt until 95% of the field, the quality of the image is really good, (good choice for DSO hunting), I have easily detected many galaxies, open cluster are more interesting due the low amplification and to the 2º field, the weight of the eyepiece has not been problem in the balance of my telescope, it is magic on it.
Thank you all, and my friends in Portugal, for helped me to choice this eyepiece.
Gor
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Newton 8" f/5,9 Dobson
Orion Stratus 35mm
TeleVue Panoptic 24mm
TeleVue Radian 8mm
TeleVue Nagler 5mm
TeleVue Barlow 1,25" 2x
Edited by Paulo Gor (03/12/08 01:57 PM)
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lynntx
sage
Reged: 03/25/04
Posts: 301
Loc: Texas, USA
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Nice post Gor. We all hope you really enjoy your hand-grenade eyepiece for deep sky viewing. That one is really huge!
Lynn
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Texas, USA
*******************
Orion ST80
127mm F8 Burgess Refractor
8" F6 Dob
8X21, 8X30, 8X42, 7X50, 10X50, 15X70 Binoculars
(Psalm 19:1)
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Bob W6PU
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 2278
Loc: Springer-N.E.NM
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It's been three months since I bought my 35mm Stratus, and for DSO work, it, and my 17T4 are my favorites. I'll probably also get a 22T4 this Spring, which will complete my T4 collection.
Off hand, does anyone happen to know if the TeleVue Dioptrics fits the 35mm Stratus?
Bob
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Shawn H
Postmaster
Reged: 05/16/07
Posts: 6692
Loc: Equatorial Guinea, West Africa
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Hey Bob
I just bought the 35mm Stratus 2 weeks ago, my astro dealer did a clearance sale of their 2007 stock, and I got the Stratus for a 100 euros! Told myself with all the high dollar glass Ive already got I would'nt buy anymore ep's but I just could'nt pass that one up! The author of astronomy hacks wrote that the Stratus line are chinese clones of the Japanese Vixen Lanthanum LVW superwides with good image quality down to F/5 speed scopes. Ive found the image quality very good with only coma showing on the outer 10%, but I had to look for it  (I don't own a paracorr)(yet  )! Before I only used my 27MM panoptic for finding (1.5° TFOV) but now I really enjoy starhopping with the 2° TFOV of the Stratus, I don't use my COL much anymore except to verify what I'm looking at if I'm not sure what I'm looking at. Though just last night with a quarter moon I much prefer the darker background of the higher magnified panoptic than the Stratus, I am still totally satisfied with it(even if it is heavier than the 17 Nagler you know that dosen't matter with xti's) , Enjoy yours; Shawn in Sunny southern France
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18" David Lukehurst truss Dobson with Sky Commander flash 4 DSC's & Moonlite CR2 focuser & Astrocrumb filter slide
Orion xt10i fully flocked with Telrad on 4" risers & Feather Touch focuser & huge Boston Red Sox decal
The original Orion StarBlast & 15x70 Celestron Skymaster binos & Ethos & Naglers & Dobs oh my!
Orion Ultrablock narrowband filter & Astronomik OIII line filter
Tele Vue 2x Barlow & Antares 1.6x (2") Barlow
CATSEYE collimation tools, TeleGizmos Dob covers
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