bobmoss
member
Reged: 02/09/08
Posts: 11
Loc: Wetwang, UK
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I've just got my first Meade 5000 eyepeice today (a 1.25" 26mm one) and it is massive!
All the other eyepieces I've had before have been cheap 'n' nasty no-name ones.
So, I was just wondering, are all expensive eyepieces so large or is it just Meade trying to be different?
Thanks.
Bob.
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Bob Moss
LX200R 10"
TAL 1
Unmodified 40D
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Stephen S
super member
Reged: 08/21/07
Posts: 132
Loc: San Diego, CA
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I have a Meade 5000 UWA (24mm) and it is the biggest eyepiece I own. In general, it seems that the 5000 series (whether talk about the plossels, SWAs or UWAs) are unusually large for there category. The UWAs are enormous. Many of the preium eyepieces are a bit bigger then their cheaper counter parts. That said, Meade seems to top the scale with their 5000, at least that's my experience.
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C9 1/4-SGT (XLT)
AT80ED
Vixen Porta Mount
50mm Takahashi LE
24mm Meade UWA
13mm Televue Ethos
7mm Pentax XW
3mm Smart Astronomy
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Lawrence Sayre
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/16/04
Posts: 3706
Loc: N.E. Ohio
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The 30 mm Meade Series 5000 UWA weighs 3 pounds and is about like holding a very pregnant beer can (and even that may be a gross understatement). Consider yourself lucky that you only purchased a 26 mm Meade S5000 Super Plossl.
The historical trend went from eyepieces (and particularly more so wide-fields) generally growing ever larger, to Nagler finally reversing the trend big time with their T6 series, to large being back in full force again (and bigger than before).
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My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a moral being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
Ayn Rand (in the appendix to 'Atlas Shrugged')
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Lawrence Sayre
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/16/04
Posts: 3706
Loc: N.E. Ohio
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I believe that the 40 mm Rodenstock weighed in at 3.3 pounds.
The 31 mm Nagler is diminutive by comparison, weighing only 2.2 lbs. Ditto for the 28 mm UWAN.
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My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a moral being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
Ayn Rand (in the appendix to 'Atlas Shrugged')
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Mr. Mike
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/08/05
Posts: 858
Loc: Churchville, NY
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Nah, it does seem that any widefield EP these days is a hand grenade. My Vixen LVWs are also pretty hefty, especially the 5mm one... GEESH! 
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Stellarvue NG 80mm ED
Meade 7x50 Binos
Pentax XW 5mm
Meade 5K UWA 8.8mm
Vixen LVW 13mm
Vixen LVW 22mm
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 3331
Loc: Cattaraugus Co., NY
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If the new ultra widefield eyepieces get any heavier I'm going to have to rig up a block and tackle on my ladder just to get them up there. Meade needs to put their eyepieces on a diet.
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Ted
Tectron 25" dobsonian 10x70 binoculars
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Patricko
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/30/07
Posts: 744
Loc: around the corner
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Thank goodness for orthos 
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Clear skies,
Patrick
 "Life is too short, go collect some photons!" - Me, myself, and I
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 10960
Loc: Los Angeles
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There is a thread on CN in which a person shows the series with the roll-up eyecups removed. It made a HUGE difference in weight and size on each eyepiece. Assuming the optics meet with your approval, removing the eyecups does not permanently damage anything, and they can be put back on.
It takes off close to half a pound on the biggest ones.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member, TeleVue junkie
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bobmoss
member
Reged: 02/09/08
Posts: 11
Loc: Wetwang, UK
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Thanks for the replies everyone.
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Bob Moss
LX200R 10"
TAL 1
Unmodified 40D
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csa/montana
Astro Ambassador
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 28681
Loc: montana
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BTW, Welcome to Cloudy Nights! Glad to have you join us on the forums!
Congratulations on your new eyepiece!
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
AstroTech 66ED / Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Tak LE 5mm B/TMB 3.2
7mm Pentax XL, 10mm Pentax XW
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
22mm Pan, 35mm Pan
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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Mike Hosea
Post Laureate
Reged: 09/24/03
Posts: 3234
Loc: "Metrowest" Boston
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Quote:
There is a thread on CN in which a person shows the series with the roll-up eyecups removed.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2152398
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Mike
- 7" f/6.7 home-built planetary Newt
- 35mm Panoptic
- 13mm Ethos
- 5mm Tak LE
- 2x TV Barlow
- Canon 10x30IS Binoculars
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Oly Olson
super member
Reged: 02/17/08
Posts: 155
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The new Celestron Axiom LX eyepieces are very similar in both shape and mass, so at least Meade has company. :-)
Cheers,
Oly
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