12 replies to this topic

[cahanc]

Hi,

 

Tonight I tested each pair of ep's I had on the moon. I was looking to see what was good, bad, sellable and worth keeping. It was a great time. I was using my SVX127D and Denkmeier Super 27 set. I had the OCS in as one section of removal tube was too tight and I didn't have my strap wrench handy to remove it safely.  I had finally found a block of time to compare a few sets of eyepieces I had bought over the last year or so. This is by no means a scientific study filled with facts and numbers, it is a from the hip reaction from a lay observer using the set up described. 

 

So I tried:

 

Edmund Optics RKE 12mm.

I felt like I was looking thru a straw. Dark. I will not use these again.

 

Matsuyama 10mm 85º

Very tight eye relief for me, had to almost touch eyelashes to glass. Brighter than the Edmunds and also like looking thru a slightly larger straw than the Edmunds but not by much. Will not use again.

 

Televue 19mm Panoptic

Holy Moly!!!  My vision was filled with the moon, I could see the edge of visibility if I looked but why look of that? The brightness, contrast, color and sharpness were excellent. I will keep these and search for other EP's that offer similar views if possible. 

 

Astro-Tech 9mm XWA

These were too big to be able to see through both. I cannot binoview with these and will sell one or both.  When I did focus with one eye the view was nice and sharp, not quite as bright as the 19Pan.

 

Televue 7mm Delites

Also large eye tubes? covers? and difficult to get a single image otherwise excellent in color, brightness etc. I could decloak, I have read others have done this with success.   My eyes may be too close together, far as I know my IPD is 59-61mm, thin but not outside the specs of these binoviewers as far as I know.  

 

Denkmeier 14mm matched set.

Very bright, very sharp. Slightly less contrast than 19Pans. A bit harder to find image than with the 19Pans also but not by much. These are great eyepieces as far as I am concerned.

 

So I am left with a pair of 19Panoptics that are utterly fantastic to use in the Denkmeier Super 27's. My ultimate question to others with more knowledge and experience than I is, which eyepieces give similar views as the 19 Panoptics?  Should I look at specs and buy similar or is there a shortcut one can use?  Any and all replies are greatly appreciated!!   

 

 

[betacygni]

Your results surprise me a bit. The Mayasuma should certainly have not felt like looking through a straw for example, they have a very wide AFOV, even wider than the Panoptics by a good margin. When you say you were using the OCS, do you mean with the powerswitch? If so what magnification setting were you using? I’m wondering if perhaps you weren’t running at such a high amplification factor that the apparent preference for longer focal length eyepieces was simply due to too much magnification.

Edited by betacygni, 20 April 2024 - 01:04 AM.

[ABQJeff]

Well the rest of TV panoptic line would perform similarly (of course different mag).

I use the vey close equivalent ES 68s in my BVs and they are my favorite EPs for the ~3910mm (Solar H-a with quark in 140 F/6.5) and ~7280mm (2.6x GPC with C11 Edge) focal lengths I run at. So if Panoptics are too much the ES68 is a close alternative.

You may want to try TV plossls as well, many like simpler lens formats in BVs. I like my 32mm GSO Plossls for full disc solar in my 80mm F/6 and BVs.

Many swear by Baader Morpheus for BVs, and those are my number one EPs for mono vision. While I do have a pair of the 17.5mm (and they work well) I just find the rest of the series too tall (and too high mag for the above focal lengths I use).

Edited by ABQJeff, 20 April 2024 - 11:44 AM.

[cahanc]

Your results surprise me a bit. The Mayasuma should certainly have not felt like looking through a straw for example, they have a very wide AFOV, even wider than the Panoptics by a good margin. When you say you were using the OCS, do you mean with the powerswitch? If so what magnification setting were you using? I’m wondering if perhaps you weren’t running at such a high amplification factor that the apparent preference for longer focal length eyepieces was simply due to too much magnification.

Me too to be honest.  I will go back tonight if clear and test again.  

[cahanc]

Well the rest of TV panoptic line would perform similarly (of course different mag).

I use the vey close equivalent ES 68s in my BVs and they are my favorite EPs for the ~3910mm (Solar H-a with quark in 140 F/6.5) and ~7280mm (2.6x GPC with C11 Edge) focal lengths I run at. So if Panoptics are too much the ES68 is a close alternative.

You may want to try TV plossls as well, many like simpler lens formats in BVs. I like my 32mm GSO Plossls for full disc solar in my 80mm F/6 and BVs.

Many swear by Baader Morpheus for BVs, and those are my number one EPs for mono vision. While I do have a pair of the 17.5mm (and they work well) I just find the rest of the series too tall (and too high mag for the above focal lengths I use).

I would only be able to use the 24Pan as the rest are 2" I believe.  If the ES68's rival the field of view of the Pans then I will get a pair or two of those and see how they look.  

[ABQJeff]

I would only be able to use the 24Pan as the rest are 2" I believe.  If the ES68's rival the field of view of the Pans then I will get a pair or two of those and see how they look.  

The 1.25” ES68s come in 24, 20 and 16.  They go on sale periodically.

[cahanc]

Went out again tonight, effect on Matsuyama is due to tight eye relief. If I push eye very close the field opens up quite a bit. Still not for me. I ordered a pair of 12.5 Morpheus. Can’t wait to try those out. I will also be trying some of the ES ep’s also. If the view is good for that price? Yes please.

[cahanc]

Went out again tonight, effect on Matsuyama is due to tight eye relief. If I push eye very close the field opens up quite a bit. Still not for me. I ordered a pair of 12.5 Morpheus. Can’t wait to try those out. I will also be trying some of the ES ep’s also. If the view is good for that price? Yes please.

[cahanc]

Well the rest of TV panoptic line would perform similarly (of course different mag).

I use the vey close equivalent ES 68s in my BVs and they are my favorite EPs for the ~3910mm (Solar H-a with quark in 140 F/6.5) and ~7280mm (2.6x GPC with C11 Edge) focal lengths I run at. So if Panoptics are too much the ES68 is a close alternative.

You may want to try TV plossls as well, many like simpler lens formats in BVs. I like my 32mm GSO Plossls for full disc solar in my 80mm F/6 and BVs.

Many swear by Baader Morpheus for BVs, and those are my number one EPs for mono vision. While I do have a pair of the 17.5mm (and they work well) I just find the rest of the series too tall (and too high mag for the above focal lengths I use).

I have a pair of TV 11mm plossls.  They are ok but field of view much more narrow then the 19Pans of course. I will order a pair of ES16 68º and see how they work. 

[betacygni]

Went out again tonight, effect on Matsuyama is due to tight eye relief. If I push eye very close the field opens up quite a bit. Still not for me. I ordered a pair of 12.5 Morpheus. Can’t wait to try those out. I will also be trying some of the ES ep’s also. If the view is good for that price? Yes please.

That makes sense. I use and love the 16mm 85* masuyama, but don’t think I’d be happy with less on the 10mm.

[cahanc]

Your results surprise me a bit. The Mayasuma should certainly have not felt like looking through a straw for example, they have a very wide AFOV, even wider than the Panoptics by a good margin. When you say you were using the OCS, do you mean with the powerswitch? If so what magnification setting were you using? I’m wondering if perhaps you weren’t running at such a high amplification factor that the apparent preference for longer focal length eyepieces was simply due to too much magnification.

I did not answer these questions. Yes I have the powerswitch on these but I was not using it. I am referring the OCS A37 that screws on the diagonal and goes into the telescope.  I was not using the powerswitch at all when I wrote the original post.  

[betacygni]

I did not answer these questions. Yes I have the powerswitch on these but I was not using it. I am referring the OCS A37 that screws on the diagonal and goes into the telescope. I was not using the powerswitch at all when I wrote the original post.

So you’d be looking at a 2.3x magnification factor or so with the A37 by itself. That would be pushing the shorter focal lengths to a pretty small and dim exit pupil. Wonder if that didn’t contribute some to your results? The 19mm panoptics would be close to a 1mm exit pupil, for higher power work I find that much better than the 0.5mm or so exit pupil the shorter focal lengths were at. In my experience comparing eyepieces is very important to match exit pupils to get good results. You might have been running into poor seeing limitations too.

Edited by betacygni, 21 April 2024 - 09:04 PM.

[cahanc]

So you’d be looking at a 2.3x magnification factor or so with the A37 by itself. That would be pushing the shorter focal lengths to a pretty small and dim exit pupil. Wonder if that didn’t contribute some to your results? The 19mm panoptics would be close to a 1mm exit pupil, for higher power work I find that much better than the 0.5mm or so exit pupil the shorter focal lengths were at. In my experience comparing eyepieces is very important to match exit pupils to get good results. You might have been running into poor seeing limitations too.

Could be the case for sure.