19 replies to this topic

[TexasRed]

Can someone compare the Baader Hyperion 24mm with the Explore Scientific 68* 24mm? Is there a big difference, and if so, what is it?

[kkokkolis]

I've done it a year ago. Hyperion 24mm was brighter and it looked better when used with my SCT and MCT. But the ES68 had clearly better edges in my 12 f/5 and it holds at f/4 where Hyperion 24 was unusable (my only f/4 is my Stellarvue finder but it has the quality needed to use it for testing).
Hyperion has better eye relief but the ES has no problem with eye relief either. Less reflections in the ES. The Hyperion is modular (I miss the nosepiece that worked as a 2" to 1.25" adaptor with my ES100 9) but the ES is very solid and waterproof and has a better tapered nosepiece without the undercut. The Hyperion caps fit better but the ES caps can be removed better and have better quality and style. In the Hyperion the objective lens is at the focal plane and every single dust particle is annoying when at the focuser (I had to clean it regurarly) while at the ES this isn't a problem.
The better transmission of the Hyperion made it brighter, something sometimes annoying at exit pupils of 5-6mm. I never noticed the brighter edge others report with Hyperions. Hyperion also has the greatest field stop and field of view. Both were brighter than the Panoptic 24 and had wider field of view than the 22 LVW. All were equal at the centre, but I use this focal length for wide views and the edges matter.
As long as my main telescopes were the C6 and C4 I was pleased with the Hyperion, but with newtonians I prefered the ES68 and sold the Hyperion. During the first trial the Hyperion was mine and the Panoptic, Vixen and ES were loaned during an all night session on a very dark site. After that I bought the same ES from the person who loaned it to me, and after a further suburban trial with the cats I sold the Hyperion. although it was somewhat better with them. I can always use my 22T4 and ES100 20 there and I needed the 68/24 mainly for my SW Heritage that is f/5, so that made me decide in favor of the ES. Recently I loaned the ES68 to a very experienced and scholastic amateur that tried it with better optics (an Orion Optics f/4 Newtonian and a Vixen neoachromat) vs the Panoptic 24 and the Hyperion 24. We wait for his report. William Paolini didn't try the Hyperion 24 in his famous 24mm review unfortunatelly.

[Scanning4Comets]

IME, I can only comment on the 24mm ES 68 in my fast 10" F/4.7 reflector.

24mm ES 68: Very sharp in the inner 75% of the field. Outer 25% is comatic, resulting from the fast mirror, but not too distracting. The field stop is razor sharp and the eye relief is very good, but *just* doable with glasses.

I've never owned the 24mm Hyperion, but I have owned the 17mm Hyperion. The 24mm Hyperion is said to be inferior in a fast scope, and they all show a considerable about of EOFB. (Edge of field,brightening).

If you want better correction, I'd recommend a 22m Vixen LVW over the 24mm ES 68. I would still have my 22mm LVW if I hadn't of sold it to try other offerings. The 22mm Vixen LVW can *just* be used with glasses if you remove the rubber eye cup, but you need to be careful that you don't scratch your glasses. If your glasses are expensive, I don't recommend doing this. I now have the 24mm ES 68 which is good for larger targets, while keeping the exit pupil at 5mm with nice contrast and a darker sky than the 34mm ES 68 I just sold.

If it's correction you want, I'd also recommend a 24mm Panoptic, but with glasses, the ER is too tight. If you want nice eye relief, but don't care about how corrected the EP is, I'd recommend a 28mm ES 68, as the eye relief on that one is perfect with glasses. Adding a focal extender on the 28mm ES 68 cleans the edges right up, with no vignetting , etc.

[TexasRed]

Thanks for the replies.

[Jeff Morgan]

A friend loaned me 3 of his Hyperions for an eyepiece comparison. The coatings and scatter on the Hyperions are excellent, very nearly as good as Pentax XW and Delos.

[TexasRed]

I have the 24mm Hyperion, but I heard the 24mm ES68 was a vastly superior eyepiece, so I wanted to check with the experts here about getting one to replace my Hyperion. I'll be using it in a 4.5" f/4 for wide field views and a 12" f/5 without a parracor.

[Eddgie]

Have owned and compared both.

I prefer the ES 2468. On axis it is the same, and off axis it is much better.

Over the years it has been reported that the 24mm Hyperion was a step behind the other Hyperions.

I also own a pair of 17mm and 13mm Hyperoins, and these are both better than the 24mm Hyperion was off axis.

On axis all are very good performers. I used them in my C14 for planetary all the time.

I also own the ES 2068 and oned the 1668s. Again, better edge correction than the Hperions, but tighter eye relief.

The coma of the scope will be more of a factor than the off axis performance of the ES 2468s. Even at f/4.9, I find coma to be noticeable regardless of what eyepiece is used.

So, that really depends on the individual. The ES 24mm though is about as good as 24mm widefields get I think. I can't use them without a coma corrector.

Just me. YMMV

[JustaBoy]

Texasred,

If you really want good off-axis performance in a F/4.5 without a coma corrector, I recommend the Vixen 22mm LVW - It's the very best you are going to find for what you want.

[Scanning4Comets]

Chuck is right!! Without a paracorr, the 22mm Vixen LVW is excellent on and off axis.

[TexasRed]

Do you know where I can find one for $119? Does the 22mm Vixen LVW have 18 mm or more or eye relief?

[Scanning4Comets]

Hi Robert, the Vixen LVW's are a lot more than $119.00 new !!!

On the used market the 22mm Vixen LVW will run anywhere between $150-$180

[mark379]

I'm with Ed on this one. The ES 24 68 is a great e/p. In fact I like it better than the 24 pan I used to own.

[JustaBoy]

In a SCT I would agree for the ES, but in a Fast Newt my vote would go to the 24 Pan.

The ES does have less Pincushion, but that is one of the very reasons it presents such a clean edge of field.

Ernest tested both, and found 20' aberration at the edge for the ES and 8' for the Pan.

It of course all depends on just what it is that you want. - Both are very fine eyepieces, and both are different.

If it's eye relief you need, then 24ES. - The 24 Pan has less eye relief than the discontinued 22 Pan.

Some people go one way and other's the other, depending on what they like.

It's so nice being able to solve these questions with such fine eyepieces to choose from.

Then there's the 22mm Vixen LVW, that provides the lesser pincushion of the ES along with the Edge of field correction of the TV, giving up only a little TFOV - 24mm x68°, vs 22mm 65°.

It's all really very simple:-)

[Reran]

A Newbie question on this thread:

 

My F/13 4in Mak came with a 25mm Plossl with the markings:  E-Lux fully coated.

 

Question 1: Would replacing this with the ES 68 24mm or the Baader 24mm make a huge difference to a beginner like me?

 

Question 2: With the F/13 scope and not caring about Eye Relief which would be the better choice the ES or the Baader?  The are both priced at $150 new.

[Starman1]

Assuming you can find a retailer with the ES 24x68 in stock (ES has been out of them since April), that is the one I'd recommend.

Additionally, the field of view would be wider than your current 25mm eyepiece.

Would you notice the difference?  Perhaps not now, but later you will.

Note: if you want an equally wide field but would like a lower power, a 32mm 50°Plossl would have the same true field of view as the 24mm 68°.

The lower power would yield a brighter image--something you might want in such a long f/ratio scope.

With scopes like yours, getting low powers with 1.25" eyepieces can be quite hard.  The 32mm Plossl might be the better choice.

Make sure it's a 50° one, and not 45° like the Baader.

[havasman]

Reran, the best thing you can do for now is to just go look with the gear in hand. Yes, the ES68 24mm is certainly a "better" eyepiece than a hyperion. But just go see what that gear shows you. It should be VERY impressive. It's never going to be a widefield instrument so plan to play to its strengths - planetary and lunar, maybe some planetary nebulae and globular clusters. Not bad fare.

But that ES ep will maximize the available field for you.

[CollinofAlabama]

I second Dick's assessment.  The ES68 24 is the better eyepiece of the two.  I prefer the Pan 24 to either of these, but in F/6 and below scopes, the difference between the Hyperion and ES is significant.  Admittedly, at F/10 & above, there's probably not much difference, but I'd still choose the ES because if you every own a sub F/8 scope, you'll see the difference immediately, and counting on always having scopes above F/10 is an unreasonable assumption for most astronomers, even if you feel that way today.  With the price being close to equal, this is an easy choice to me.

Edited by CollinofAlabama, 29 August 2016 - 06:37 PM.

[jackofalltrades]

I second Dick's assessment.  The ES68 24 is the better eyepiece of the two.  I prefer the Pan 24 to either of these, but in F/6 and below scopes, the difference between the Hyperion and ES is significant.  Admittedly, at F/10 & above, there's probably not much difference, but I'd still choose the ES because if you every own a sub F/8 scope, you'll see the difference immediately, and counting on always having scopes above F/10 is an unreasonable assumption for most astronomers, even if you feel that way today.  With the price being close to equal, this is an easy choice to me.

Exactly.  And even if you're favoring the Hyperion for the eye relief and ergonomics, I'd caution strongly against the 24mm but would suggest the 21mm.  The 24mm is a different design than the rest of the Hyperion line and is considerably inferior to the rest performance wise.  Still, even though I own a near complete set of Hyperions and enjoy them immensely, I'd recommend the Pan 24.

[Reran]

Thanks for the all of the helpful information!   I had a talk with my college astronomy professor (from 20 years ago).  He said that I should buy two eyepieces:   Pan 24  and UO 25.   I never heard of UO before looking it up.   He explained that the Pan 24 give a gorgeous wide expanse view that can be "breathtaking" while the UO gives a "picture perfect" snapshot that is "unmatched" in the $100 to $300 price range.  Since the UO 25 is much less expensive I bought that first.

[izar187]

Another vote for the 32mm plossl, in this case.