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Stellarvue Ultra Wide Angle EP's

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#1 NIckwin

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 03:41 PM

Does anyone know anything about the new Stellarvue UWA's?  At least I think they are new because I can't find anything about these focal lengths, they currently have 4, 8, and 15mm available.  I just purchased a SV80A (really excited) and they had deal going where you get the 8mm and 15mm for a little over $100 so I jumped on it.  I had been planning on getting ES 82 degree EP's, but I just couldn't pass these up for the $. Im hoping these will perform similarly.  Anyone tried them?  Or know anything about the design and/or origins?


Edited by NIckwin, 11 January 2017 - 03:41 PM.

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#2 dufay

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 03:51 PM

Haven't noticed these before. They are probably another variation of the UWANs, thought the specified focal lengths have been changed from 7mm to 8mm and from 16mm to 15mm. Don't know if this means that that the actual focal lengths are different? I think probably not.


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#3 NIckwin

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 04:10 PM

Never occurred to me that they might actually be the same. The 16 and 7mm looked diffierent than these didn't they?

#4 Miranda2525

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 04:11 PM

Same as Uwans.


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#5 dufay

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 04:16 PM

Never occurred to me that they might actually be the same. The 16 and 7mm looked diffierent than these didn't they?

 

They look very much alike the new TS UWANs, but with a special Stellarvue twist reminiscent of their 100° line.


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#6 NIckwin

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 04:41 PM

Cool, thanks.

How do they perform? Are they on par with the ES equivalents?
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#7 dufay

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 05:01 PM

I think the common view is that they are in the ES class performance wise. The 16mm is often considered the weakest of the line (though still a decent performer) and I've read a lot of good things about the 4mm. However, eyepiece preferences are very personal and you will find a lot of different opinions on this series and its individual focal length.


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#8 NIckwin

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 05:12 PM

Cool, thanks for the info! It sounds like at $65 a piece it would be hard to do any better.  I'm hoping they will be sharp to the edge at f/7. 


Edited by NIckwin, 11 January 2017 - 06:07 PM.

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#9 dufay

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 05:29 PM

$65 a piece is very cheap for these eyepieces, so you did a very good deal there.


Edited by dufay, 11 January 2017 - 05:30 PM.

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#10 Starman1

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 05:47 PM

A year ago, they had 3 focal lengths of 82° eyepieces of 4, 7, and 16mm, and I reported them in the 2016 Guide to eyepieces.

They were identical to the UWANs (and 5 other brands of the same eyepieces).

Today, they report 4mm, 8mm, and 15mm and are $50 apiece less expensive, at $149 each.

I'll have to change this in the upcoming 2017 Buyer's Guide.

They are obviously not a redesigned barrel on the old ones.  Field stops are different.

Interesting.


Edited by Starman1, 11 January 2017 - 05:49 PM.

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#11 junomike

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 05:54 PM

A year ago, they had 3 focal lengths of 82° eyepieces of 4, 7, and 16mm, and I reported them in the 2016 Guide to eyepieces.

They were identical to the UWANs (and 5 other brands of the same eyepieces).

Today, they report 4mm, 8mm, and 15mm and are $50 apiece less expensive, at $149 each.

I'll have to change this in the upcoming 2017 Buyer's Guide.

They are obviously not a redesigned barrel on the old ones.  Field stops are different.

Interesting.

Don, I know the FS size controls the AFOV, but I thought the F/L was inherent to the optical design?

 

Mike


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#12 dufay

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Posted 11 January 2017 - 06:13 PM

Might it not be that Stellarvue just have updated the specifications so that they better represents reality? It is been known for a long time that the 7mm UWAN is closer to 8mm, so maybe the previously given field stop specifications have been misrepresented so that the focal length-FOV  equation should add up on paper(?).

 

I would be very surprised to find out that this new Stellarvue line is not the same as the new TS UWAN line. They look absolutely identical apart from a few superficial features (eyecup, 1.25" barrel and rubber grip band). TS have kept the old 4/7/16mm focal length specifications.


Edited by dufay, 11 January 2017 - 06:14 PM.

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#13 North of Sixty

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Posted 12 January 2017 - 08:49 PM

Mega gratz on your new scope NIckwin. I've been thinking about getting the 15mm as my first non-cheapo eyepiece so I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about it.  And of course your first light with the other eyepieces and the sweet SV80A (it's on my short list!). Cheers.


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#14 NIckwin

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Posted 13 January 2017 - 10:02 AM

Mega gratz on your new scope NIckwin. I've been thinking about getting the 15mm as my first non-cheapo eyepiece so I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about it.  And of course your first light with the other eyepieces and the sweet SV80A (it's on my short list!). Cheers.

 

Thanks!  This my first refractor, my first telescope with quality optics, my first telescope with a wide field of view, and my first telescope with a decent focuser (among other firsts) so I am very excited and anxious to get my hands on it.

 

I'll be curiously watching how this pans out as to the origins of these EP's, if they end up being the old UWANs they are priced pretty competitively.  I don't know how much help my opinion will be but I will certainly share what I can when I have them in front of me.

 

Nick 


Edited by NIckwin, 13 January 2017 - 10:05 AM.

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#15 Marcsabb

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Posted 13 January 2017 - 03:02 PM

Might it not be that Stellarvue just have updated the specifications so that they better represents reality? It is been known for a long time that the 7mm UWAN is closer to 8mm, so maybe the previously given field stop specifications have been misrepresented so that the focal length-FOV  equation should add up on paper(?).

 

I would be very surprised to find out that this new Stellarvue line is not the same as the new TS UWAN line. They look absolutely identical apart from a few superficial features (eyecup, 1.25" barrel and rubber grip band). TS have kept the old 4/7/16mm focal length specifications.

The new TS UWANs are waterproof and filled with nitrogen. If the ones from Stellarvue also share these specs, then there is no doubt they come from the same assembly line.


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#16 Procyon

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Posted 29 October 2018 - 08:11 PM

Anyone tried a Stellarvue 15 mm 82º Ultra Wide Angle 1.25" Eyepiece yet? 82 Afov hmmm. Pretty cheapo, nice eyeguard and cup. ER is 12mm, seems more though.

https://www.highpoin...-1-25inch-euw15

Are they similar to ES or similar to lesser brands quality wise towards the edges?

Edited by Procyon, 29 October 2018 - 08:24 PM.

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#17 jgroub

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Posted 22 April 2019 - 03:17 PM

I'd also be interested to hear if anyone's tried these and has some thoughts on them.  Especially comparing them to the ES line.  (Yeah, yeah, I know that's asking a lot.) 


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#18 jeremiah2229

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Posted 22 April 2019 - 06:19 PM

I'd also be interested to hear if anyone's tried these and has some thoughts on them.  Especially comparing them to the ES line.  (Yeah, yeah, I know that's asking a lot.) 

I have the Stellarvue 15mm UWA and it needs some focal length to clean up the field as curvature starts getting beyond tolerable for my eye around the 65-70% mark in an f/7 600mm refractor. Drop it in a barlow or a slow Mak and it's tolerable. The 4 and the 8mm have barlow lenses in them and they are the same eyepiece other than the barlow lens. I think these are the same that WO(?) sold for a while and that line was 16, 8, 4. On axis the field is nice but as you creep out from the center the curvature becomes apparent. The ergonomics of them is quite nice to me, fit the hand very well allowing for a good grip on them. If you're not sensitive to curvature perhaps give it a go but honestly if you have on hand a 2x and a 3x barlow just get the 15mm because then you'll have all three.  ;)

 

 

Peace...

 

Oh, barlowed the 15mm starts to show curvature around the 80-85% mark for my eye and the 4 and the 8mm the same since already barlowed.


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#19 Mr. Mike

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Posted 23 April 2019 - 04:24 AM

Thanks!  This my first refractor, my first telescope with quality optics, my first telescope with a wide field of view, and my first telescope with a decent focuser (among other firsts) so I am very excited and anxious to get my hands on it.

 

I'll be curiously watching how this pans out as to the origins of these EP's, if they end up being the old UWANs they are priced pretty competitively.  I don't know how much help my opinion will be but I will certainly share what I can when I have them in front of me.

 

Nick 

Congrats! Stellarvue makes great scopes and you’ll love yours.  I think you got a nice deal on those eyepieces and I bet they work just fine.  F/7 is more forgiving than faster scopes so that does help.  Even if they aren’t perfectly sharp to the absolute edge I’m sure they’ll be fine for most of the usable viewing range which should be good. 

 

Report back witn with your thoughts when you get a chance. :)


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#20 Starcraft231

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Posted 20 January 2021 - 09:33 PM

This is like binge watching 4 seasons of a great show with a total cliff-hanger at the end of season 4, only to have the network cancel the show. HOW did the Stellarvue EPs work out????  grin.gif


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#21 Miranda2525

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 12:38 AM

15mm Stellarvue is identical to the 14mm ES 82, field curvature and all, as noted above.

 

All marketing. They slap on the "15mm" on the side and everybody assumes it is actually 15mm, when it is really 14mm.


Edited by Miranda2525, 21 January 2021 - 12:42 AM.

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#22 PJBilotta

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 01:30 AM

I had the 15mm and it lasted 2 weeks in my case. Tight eye relief, a lot of field curvature, and edge-of-field brightening at f/10. Returned it.
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#23 ubernator

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 02:45 AM

15mm Stellarvue is identical to the 14mm ES 82, field curvature and all, as noted above.

 

All marketing. They slap on the "15mm" on the side and everybody assumes it is actually 15mm, when it is really 14mm.

I doubt this as JOC won't sell eyepieces to any US brand other than ES since 2012.

 

It is likely KUO like the WP Meade UWA, who also make the UWAN/PWA.

 

But I can't confirm, and they could be a whole new OEM same as the luminos perhaps, rather than the initial SV82 which I am pretty sure was the UWAN.

 

In the case of the old JOC days, the axiom LX 15mm was probably the same as the 14mm UWA.

 

For some reason, uncle Al seems to have a monopoly on 13-16mm compact 82s that perform well in fast scopes as the 16 UWAN was the weak link in that line as well, but I don't remember ever trying the 16, or scrutinizing the 15mm axiom LX vs the 14 Meade or ES. My bad experience with the 14 Meade put a bad taste in my mouth so I stuck to the big series 4000 version, and never gave the 5000s and axiom LX much thought even when I had access to try them whenever I wanted . I did sell a lot of axiom LXs though, and owned the 23mm for a while and was impressed with it. It was definitely one of the better ones, as the 24uwa/es82 is, and likely the exact same optics.

 

Unfortunately EP focal lengths are rarely exactly accurate and in the case of the axioms they were obviously paying homage to the original 23mm axiom and 24mm was close enough to call a 23.

 

And the 31 was the same as the 30uwa/82, but obviously marketed as a 31 nagler alternative.

 

Astromania now sells a 32mm, but I suspect it is a 31mm Luminos. 

 

I doubt Vic Maris will reveal who his OEM is ;)


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#24 Starman1

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 02:46 AM

15mm Stellarvue is identical to the 14mm ES 82, field curvature and all, as noted above.

All marketing. They slap on the "15mm" on the side and everybody assumes it is actually 15mm, when it is really 14mm.

Uh, no. Different mfr. They are from KUO, not JOC, and probably identical to the Nirvanas. If there is an error in focal length, they're probably 16mm.
William Optics was 4-7-16, and Stellarvue is 4-8-15. The focal lengths may be rounded off.

Edited by Starman1, 21 January 2021 - 02:47 AM.

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#25 ubernator

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Posted 21 January 2021 - 02:46 AM

I had the 15mm and it lasted 2 weeks in my case. Tight eye relief, a lot of field curvature, and edge-of-field brightening at f/10. Returned it.

Sounds like a 15 luminos to me.

 

Perhaps Vic changed OEM




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