I almost posted a topic about how the views are different in each type of scope, but I decided not to as I couldn't find accurate words to describe how they're different. I've always been a numbers person, they can't tell a lie
, and words confuse me sometimes. I tend to get what I call "first look dyslexia" where I misread or misinterpret something if I just glance at it.
Anyways, back to the question. I'd have to say my Apo refractor [130mm f/7]is a good judge of eyepiece performance. However, it does introduce some field curvature. FC is most noticeable in low power, wide field eyepieces when slewing the scope. It's less noticeable when the scope is at rest or slowly tracking. Certain eyepieces are better corrected for field curvature, but it doesn't get rid of it completely.
On the flip side, the Apo is a good judge of color, contrast, and optical properties of any given eyepiece. Example, the 31T5 Nagler vs ES 30/82°. The difference in color & contrast is much more noticeable in my refractor [compared to 254mm f/10 SCT] when viewing large star fields such as the Sagittarius Star Cloud. They have what I call the "fireworks" effect with different color stars at different levels of brightness. There were subtle differences that were visible comparing the two eyepieces [such as sky background, contrast, color tone, visible stars], but these differences were not as visible in my SCT.
In my SCT [10" f/10], the views have an overall different look to them. I'd compare it to a large projector at a movie theater, and the eyepiece would determine how much of the "screen" you could see. Yes, it's in high def, BUT.. the image isn't as sharp compared to my Apo [which we can call a 60" HDTV in this comparison]. More detail can be seen in the SCT, but there is a lower level contrast due to the central obstruction. Example, Jupiter's Equatorial Zone. So there are the two equatorial bands with the equatorial zone in the middle. Structure within the zone is much more visible, such as the swirling clouds, gray tendrils, and filaments, but the color is not as saturated.
Eyepieces in the SCT all have a similar look to them. I don't really know how to explain it.. maybe like ground meat & tacos. The difference in using ground turkey and ground beef is hard to notice because of the seasoning. It's more noticeable with the fat content of the meat, 85/15 vs 73/27, but the type of meat isn't as distinguishable because of the potent seasoning and similar texture.
Edited by rkelley8493, 23 September 2019 - 11:49 AM.