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Pages: 1 weinerat super member Reged: 12/30/09 Loc: Dalian China 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer?       #5651401 - 01/29/13 11:36 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I've gone through about 18 months of posts and can't find an answer to this. I'm looking to get the 8SE and my primary eyepiece is the hypdrion baader zoom Mark III 8-24 mm lens that I used with my dob. From what I read, it seems that for people who use 8-24 zooms, 8 mm looks to be about as high a zoom that you will normally use and more often than not you are in the 12-16 range. So are most of you typically using the zoom as is and then using a wide angle lens when needed, or do you normally use the zoom with a 0.63 focal reducer to get to lower magnifications (and I still assume a wider eyepiece for wide angle views)? I'm trying to understand what accessories I'll need when I get it because I'd like to propose a bundle deal with some of vendors and get all the add ons up front like the JMI, 2" diagonal and dew shield. With my f4.9 12" dob (1500 mm focal length), my preferred viewing range was at the 8-16 mm position (95X-190X magnification based on 1500/8 & 1500/16), so my option without the focal reducer to get similar magnifications is the 10-21 mm range (2032/95 & 2032/190) and with the focal reducer I'm back to the 8-14 mm range (2032*0.63/95 & 2032*0.63/190). It seems not to make sense to get a focal reducer since I don't like that extra piece of glass, but I really want to sense check my thoughts. It should then only effect which wide angle lens I buy, which will just be one since I don't think I'll use it that often. Thanks in advance for the advice (and all the advice that has come before this post). Aaron Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: weinerat]       #5651663 - 01/30/13 06:37 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Aaron and welcome to the Nexstar forum. I use the Baader 8-24 zoom as my main eyepiece. I use it "as is" and find it excellent for general observing as well as close in observing of planets globular clusters, D.S.Os and the like. For wide angle views I use a 26mm, 30mm and 38mm all with 70 deg AFOV. They are all 2" eyepieces. I do have a second 8-24 zoom (A.S) and have my 0.6 focal reducer more or less permanently attached to it. It gives a wider FOV when just trolling around. Regards. Peter. Regards. Peter Post Extras:       Midnight Dan Postmaster Reged: 01/23/08 Loc: Hilton, NY, Yellow Zone (Bortl... Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: Peter9]       #5651716 - 01/30/13 07:33 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Aaron: There really is no right answer here. Some people use a focal reducer all the time, including with a zoom, others hardly ever. My personal issue with the focal reducer is that it takes too much fiddling to put it on and off. There's a lot of threads and they're fine threads so it takes a lot of turning. I find it MUCH easier to just swap an eyepiece. So for me, the Baader zoom along with a wide angle eyepiece is a more convenient combination. -Dan Post Extras:       weinerat super member Reged: 12/30/09 Loc: Dalian China Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: Peter9]       #5653454 - 01/31/13 12:08 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Peter, which wide angle lens do you primarily use? I have a 28, so I would get something in the 30-38 mm range. Curious if you primarily use one or if it just depends on what you are looking at? In my dob, I rarely use my 28 since I prefered the larger view. It was really for large open clusters and the veil. Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: weinerat]       #5653616 - 01/31/13 05:14 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Aaron, All three of my W.A eyepieces are GSOs. All, as I said above are 70deg. I use the 26mm as my Goto eyepiece and for general wide field viewing. Among my favourite targets are open clusters, and I find the 30mm and the 38mm ideal for observing them, as we'll as rich star fields and the like.I can see a fair slice of the double cluster (NGC884/869) through the 38mm. I find they all work very well with the 8se I find the zoom ideal for teasing out detail on globulars clusters, planets, nebula, DSOs and splitting double stars. Hope this helps. Regards. Peter. Post Extras:       weinerat super member Reged: 12/30/09 Loc: Dalian China Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: Peter9]       #5653709 - 01/31/13 07:05 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   stupid question peter. if the scope is a goto, why do you need to use the 26 mm to find an object? why not leave in the zoom and zoom out if you need a slightly wider field? but from what you said, I could use my 28 mm SWA meade similar to your 26 mm and then get one wide field lens (34-38mm) Post Extras:       Don Trinko Carpal Tunnel Reged: 07/05/09 Loc: Ohio Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: weinerat]       #5653895 - 01/31/13 09:26 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The Badder 8-24 zoom is used in my 8SE abought 955 of the time. Seldom at 8mm but 12- 24 often. I have a 35mm 2" TV that I use occasionally. Don T. Post Extras:       Peter9 Post Laureate Reged: 10/30/08 Loc: Yorkshire - Born & Bred Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: weinerat]       #5653912 - 01/31/13 09:32 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Aaron, I should have said "My main" Goto eyepiece when refering to the 26mm. The 26mm gives the scope a better chance of landing on the target, and the wider view it provides is more pleasing on the eye. I often do leave the zoom in place at 24mm when going to fainter, low mag targets. I think what you suggest for yourself above should work fine with an 8se. Just a thought Aaron, before I went to using 2" eyepieces, I used the stock 25mm that comes with the 8se as my Goto eyepiece. It performed very well as such. If and when you get your 8se, (good luck) you need to know that we demand a First Light report from you. Regards. Peter. Post Extras:       donnie3 Carpal Tunnel Reged: 12/15/04 Loc: bartlesville oklahoma Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: Peter9]       #5655085 - 01/31/13 09:09 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   the baader zoom is probably one of the best zooms on the market.ive had two of them over the past couple years. sold one and sent one back to trade in for solid lens ep. i just could not get use to the narrow fov. if you can adjust to that you cant go wrong with that zoom. donnie Post Extras:       weinerat super member Reged: 12/30/09 Loc: Dalian China Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: donnie3]       #5655504 - 02/01/13 02:28 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   funny donnie. I've almost soley used the zoom and actually like the narrow field of view. It was a pain with the dob trying to find things manually, but I don't even know what it would be like to have a huge field of view. Guess I'll learn when I get a wide angle lens. Post Extras:       Midnight Dan Postmaster Reged: 01/23/08 Loc: Hilton, NY, Yellow Zone (Bortl... Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: weinerat]       #5655688 - 02/01/13 07:28 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'm with Donnie. I much prefer the fixed focal length EPs for normal use. But ... I didn't send the zoom back. I like it for grab and go use. When I take a small scope out for a quick view, I grab the zoom and one other EP and it's like a whole case of EPs. Very handy. -Dan Post Extras:       Starman81 scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 03/06/08 Loc: Metro Detroit, MI, USA Re: 8-24 baader zoom and focal reducer? [Re: Midnight Dan]       #5656989 - 02/01/13 07:12 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   About a month ago I did some daytime indoor eyepiece testing with the Nexstar 8SE + f/6.3 FF/FR with the Baader Hyperion Zoom and made some 'observations'. I haven't used this combo in the field much (yet), but from these results I think it would make for some pretty good views from 20mm (64x) to 8mm (160x). 12/30/12 Sunday Daytime indoor eyepiece testing with the Nexstar 8SE + f/6.3 FF/FR All eyepieces tested in the Nexstar 8SE with f/6.3 FF/FR. Testing was done indoors, during the daytime, focusing on branches on tree towards the southern horizon about 200 yards away. Baader Hyperion Zoom: 24mm - The only configuration where vignetting was detected and it was in abundance. On axis image very sharp, however and only outer 15% before vignetting is blurred. ER is just enough to get in there and see the entire (small) FOV. 20mm - ER way too tight, needed to take glasses off. Razor-sharp field stop and crisp on-axis views; a surprisingly great view! Outer 10% blurry only. 16mm - Nice, crisp view with a razor-sharp field stop. The FOV looks a lot bigger than what I previously thought for the zoom at this focal length. It looks more like 65* and I switched back and forth between this and the LVW 22 and they looked like they had identical AFOV's. Probably more like 60-62* AFOV since the 12mm setting is bigger and that was on par with the Expanse. I wish I could have this view with my glasses on but that was not possible unless I pushed my glasses into my eye or really pushed up on the eyepiece, causing the image to move around. 12mm - I could almost get close enough to use this wearing my glasses but was constantly bumping the EP. I would estimate the ER at this setting to be ~16-17mm +/- 1mm. The view is plenty sharp out to about 80-85% before the edge and the AFOV seems equivalent to the Expanse 6mm (66*). The field stop is very slightly blurry at this focal length, however. 10mm - Compared this directly to the Baader Hyperion 10mm and the AFOV in the standalone focal length was larger by a hair. View was sharp. ER was helped but still tight. 8mm - This slightly larger AFOV probably hits the advertised 68* max AFOV for the zoom. ER is helped even more to the point where I can view with glasses and if I am careful I will only slightly bump the EP here and there. Field stop is a little blurry but the vast majority of the field is (95%) is sharp and usable, if not all. Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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