Telescope Reviews: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW

· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt

· Submit a Review / Article

Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums

Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User

You are not logged in. [Login]

Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online
FAQ · Calendar

Equipment Discussions >> Eyepieces

Pages: 1 | 2 | (show all)

chboss
professor emeritus

Reged: 03/24/08

Loc: Tokyo Japan

Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW
#5678742 - 02/14/13 03:09 AM

I am wondering how the Nikon NAV-10SW compares with the Pentax 10 XW. I prefer 65-72 FOV eyepieces over larger fields. Any side by side comparisons?
Any other contenders in that range (also weight wise)?

Looking forward to hear your opinions and experiences.

best regards
Chris

Post Extras:

Ava
super member

Reged: 11/30/11

Loc: Sweden

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: chboss]
#5678766 - 02/14/13 04:39 AM

The 10mm Tele Vue Delos would be a serious contender. I find mine to be the best wide field eyepiece I have (in close competition with my 13mm Ethos). Reports indicate that performance of the Delos and Pentax XW eyepieces are very similar but some prefer the ergonomics of one over the other. In comparing the Delos to my CZJ 10mm ortho the only easily noticeable difference is that the CZJ has very slightly less scatter. I have no experience with the Nikon NAV-SWs.

Post Extras:

Tamiji Homma
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/24/07

Loc: California, USA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: chboss]
#5679169 - 02/14/13 10:56 AM

Hi Chris,

I've done side-by-side comparison of various 10mm eyepieces.

XW 10 v.s. NAV SW 10 is virtually a tie. Both are very good from f/4. As I mentioned before, Nikon NAV SW series has very little rectangular distortion, which results in visible AMD toward edge. Image is clean but size of image gets visibly smaller than on-axis. You can easily tell that double star gets tighter and tighter toward edge.

It puzzles me why Nikon decided to do so when they market NAV SW as astronomical eyepiece. I guess they hope that they could sell NAV SW to spotting scope users. I am not sure they are successful, though

In terms of color rendering, NAV SW has the whitest color when you observe the Moon among wide AFOV eyepieces that I've tried.

Tammy

Post Extras:

PeterWar
super member

Reged: 08/25/11

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Tamiji Homma]
#5679192 - 02/14/13 11:07 AM

Wow Tammy, what an interesting side-by-side comparison! I'm interested to know how well did the Televue 10mm Delos perform against their contenders?

Post Extras:

Nuphy
super member

Reged: 04/23/08

Loc: Newport News, VA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: PeterWar]
#5679254 - 02/14/13 11:33 AM

Tammy, I would be interested to hear how the Tak-10U UW performs in comparison.

Post Extras:

SteveG
Post Laureate

Reged: 09/27/06

Loc: Seattle, WA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Nuphy]
#5679388 - 02/14/13 12:47 PM

Why is the 12.5 in that picture? ;-)

Post Extras:

jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: chboss]
#5679422 - 02/14/13 01:03 PM

Having now used both head-to-head in 10mm and 7mm, I prefer the Pentax XWs across the board. The NAV-SWs have a cheesy loose screw up eyecup and suffer eyeball glint as bad as any eyepiece I've ever used. They are quality eyepieces other than that, but these are ills the Pentax lacks, and the Pentaxes are easier to get hold of and cheaper to boot.

I like the XWs much better than my Deloses, too.

- Jim

Edited by jrbarnett (02/14/13 01:06 PM)

Post Extras:

Stellarfire
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 07/10/11

Loc: Switzerland

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5679496 - 02/14/13 01:34 PM

Quote:

The NAV-SWs have a cheesy loose screw up eyecup and suffer eyeball glint as bad as any eyepiece I've ever used.

- Jim

I tried Nikon NAV 14mm SW and NAV 17.5mm SW pairs in the Baader Mark V binoviewer. I found that the very bulky eyecup design of the NAV-SW's causes annoying nose clearance problems to me, no matter how low or high I adjust the cups. Regarding nose-related eyecup comfort problems, the 14mm was worse, the 17.5mm is barely acceptable. Of course, the eyecup may me completely unscrewed if desired. But for binoviewing, I prefer eyepieces with eyecups (in particular soft rubber eyecups), which are helpful to hold the eyes well positioned and centered.

Speaking of widefield eyepieces, I feel very comfortable and happy with the bino-friendly TV Delos models, and also the terrific Docter UWA 12.5, as discussed elsewhere on this CN forum, is da bomb in the binoviewer.

Stephan

Edited by Stellarfire (02/15/13 05:50 AM)

Post Extras:

coutleef
Post Laureate

Reged: 02/21/08

Loc: Saint-Donat, Québec, Canada

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5679529 - 02/14/13 01:46 PM

Quote:

I like the XWs much better than my Deloses, too.

- Jim

why do you prefer the pentax over yhe delos??

Post Extras:

Tamiji Homma
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/24/07

Loc: California, USA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: SteveG]
#5679649 - 02/14/13 02:41 PM

Quote:

Why is the 12.5 in that picture? ;-)

Hi Steve,

If you look at 1.25" nosepiece of NAV HW 12.5 carefully, you find Nikon EiC-10 Barlow lens attached.
It is designed for HW 12.5 to make NAV HW 10mm

You can look at the full resolution photo.
http://www.pbase.com/tammyhomma/image/143754314/original.jpg

Tammy

Post Extras:

Tamiji Homma
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 02/24/07

Loc: California, USA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Nuphy]
#5679683 - 02/14/13 02:54 PM

Quote:

Wow Tammy, what an interesting side-by-side comparison! I'm interested to know how well did the Televue 10mm Delos perform against their contenders?

Quote:

Tammy, I would be interested to hear how the Tak-10U UW performs in comparison.

Hi Peter/Stephan,

I've posted short impression here before:
Takahashi UW Eyepieces

Tammy

Post Extras:

chboss
professor emeritus

Reged: 03/24/08

Loc: Tokyo Japan

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Tamiji Homma]
#5680169 - 02/14/13 08:30 PM

Hello all thank you for your feedback!

Tammy your picture is great for comparing the size and visual appearance of all contenders. That strange winged eyecup on the Nikon did not work for me on other eyepieces in the past and the optical issue you mention is a show stopper.

My understanding is that this Nikon eyepiece came from the spotting scope side and was modified for astronomical use, that might explain your findings.

Jim thank you for your impressions, eyeball glint is an issue that I'd rather stay away from. So the Nikon is definitely a no go.

Looks like the Pentax 10 XW will be the next addition to my lineup.
The Delos does not please my eye and living in Japan the Pentax is cheaper to buy than the TeleVue.

best regards
Chris

Post Extras:

ausastronomer
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 06/30/03

Loc: Kiama NSW (Australia)

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: chboss]
#5680198 - 02/14/13 08:53 PM

Quote:

Looks like the Pentax 10 XW will be the next addition to my lineup.

best regards
Chris

Hi Chris,

The 10mm Pentax XW is one of the very best eyepieces money can buy, at any price. I am sure you will be very happy with it. Any differences with other premium eyepieces at this level are subtle at best and in many cases just personal preference, or brand loyalty. I haven't used any eyepiece in recent years; and I have used a lot, that would in any way make me inclined to sell my 5mm, 7mm and 10mm Pentax XW's, which I have owned for 10 years now.

Cheers,

Post Extras:

george golitzin
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/24/06

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: ausastronomer]
#5680658 - 02/15/13 03:54 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Looks like the Pentax 10 XW will be the next addition to my lineup.

best regards
Chris

Hi Chris,

The 10mm Pentax XW is one of the very best eyepieces money can buy, at any price. I am sure you will be very happy with it. Any differences with other premium eyepieces at this level are subtle at best and in many cases just personal preference, or brand loyalty. I haven't used any eyepiece in recent years; and I have used a lot, that would in any way make me inclined to sell my 5mm, 7mm and 10mm Pentax XW's, which I have owned for 10 years now.

Cheers,

I've had some differences with John over the years, but not on this issue--I'm in complete agreement. And you can add the 3.5mm XW to his list.

-Geo.

Post Extras:

Scott99
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 05/10/07

Loc: New England

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5681245 - 02/15/13 11:42 AM

Quote:

Having now used both head-to-head in 10mm and 7mm, I prefer the Pentax XWs across the board. The NAV-SWs have a cheesy loose screw up eyecup and suffer eyeball glint as bad as any eyepiece I've ever used. They are quality eyepieces other than that, but these are ills the Pentax lacks, and the Pentaxes are easier to get hold of and cheaper to boot.

I like the XWs much better than my Deloses, too.

- Jim

oooh, I was going to keep quiet about it to not diss the Nikons, but I was thinking the same thing - forget the optical differences, I like the XW body much better than the Nikons. Nikon seems to have bungled the ergonomics part, the eyepieces have a bulky ring that bounces around loose.

The XW's are big & heavy, but they really hit a home run with the overall use-ability of it. (Except for the safety groove of course). You can precisely dial in the eyeguard position, which combines with a rubber outside for protection and grip-ability. For years Tele Vue and others just sort of "mailed it in" in terms of the eyeguard, they were never the correct height. Pentax realized how important the eyeguard & eye position are with long focal length ep's.

With the XW's Pentax brought the rugged "sport optics" mentality to astronomy, and combined it with coatings and glass on par with Zeiss.

Post Extras:

SteveG
Post Laureate

Reged: 09/27/06

Loc: Seattle, WA

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Tamiji Homma]
#5681371 - 02/15/13 12:39 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Why is the 12.5 in that picture? ;-)

Hi Steve,

If you look at 1.25" nosepiece of NAV HW 12.5 carefully, you find Nikon EiC-10 Barlow lens attached.
It is designed for HW 12.5 to make NAV HW 10mm

You can look at the full resolution photo.
http://www.pbase.com/tammyhomma/image/143754314/original.jpg

Tammy

Ah - you got me on that one Tammy! BTW, I really enjoy your posts and great equipment pictures.

Post Extras:

Stellarfire
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 07/10/11

Loc: Switzerland

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Scott99]
#5681450 - 02/15/13 01:08 PM

The optical qualitiy of the Pentax XW line is undisputed. But it would be great if Pentax would consider bringing a modified XW version with slightly reduced shroud diameter, which would greatly enhance the binoviewer-friendliness.

TeleVue did the same with the Ethos 13mm: Narrowing the barrel diameter from 63.5mm (Version I) to 62mm (Version II) made it more binoviewer-friendly to users with ~62mm IPD.

Stephan

Post Extras:

Stellarfire
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 07/10/11

Loc: Switzerland

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Scott99]
#5681469 - 02/15/13 01:16 PM

Quote:

Nikon seems to have bungled the ergonomics part, the eyepieces have a bulky ring that bounces around loose.

Yes, the bulky and rattling eyecup of the Nikon NAV SW's is a bad joke.

Stephan

Post Extras:

csrlice12
Post Laureate

Reged: 05/22/12

Loc: Denver, CO

Re: Nikon NAV-10SW vs. Pentax 10 XW new

[Re: Stellarfire]
#5681487 - 02/15/13 01:23 PM

Quote:

The optical qualitiy of the Pentax XW line is undisputed. But it would be great if Pentax would consider bringing a modified XW version with slightly reduced shroud diameter, which would greatly enhance the binoviewer-friendliness.

TeleVue did the same with the Ethos 13mm: Narrowing the barrel diameter from 63.5mm (Version I) to 62mm (Version II) made it more binoviewer-friendly to users with ~62mm IPD.

Stephan

If they do that, MrNutty (John), is gonna, well, to be truthful, he'll probably buy the whole set.....and may have to start wearing two eyepatches.....