24 replies to this topic

[alfiedog]

Has anyone experienced an issue with a Baader mark v? I purchased one brand new from a dealer that had greasy oily substance on the prisms and out of collimation easily seen 75 feet away at 32 power. when pointed at a star with 6 other pairs of eyepieces, all the same. I sent back then went to Germany and came back with the prisms scratched and looked like it was cleaned with toilet paper with lint every where inside and same collimation issue right to the millimeter. Never collimated. What's going on? 

Edited by alfiedog, 09 February 2025 - 07:55 PM.

[Spikey131]

It sounds to me like the problem is the dealer, not the binoviewers.

 

Send it back for a refund.

 

Then buy one from Company 7, or another reputable dealer.

[denis0007dl]

Hello alfiedog,

many, many, many New, and many used Mark V binoviewers passed through my hands through many years.

I never saw 1 piece of Mark V who does not have hundreds or many of scratches on each prism sourface.

Whats great, none of these scratches does NOT affect any optical performance.
Not only Mark V have, but many Telescopes, eyepieces, other binoviewers....

Also, some Mark V new units I had have delaminations in beamaplitter, which looks ugly like spoiled something between cemented prisms, and/or fungus, again, new units.
If delamination is not huge, it wont affect optical performance, so no worries.

Also, I saw some Mark V units with chipped prism edges, and if chips are not comming into FOV, they wont affect image at all.

About collimation: many new units Mark V were out of collimation, and many customers please me if I can collimate them because Im way cheaper to do it than Baader, but I dont want do that anymore, so yes, I have experienced and had claimed from other ppl worldwide that.
Only negative is, Mark V can NOT be collimated by end user.

Oil particles?
Yes, I saw many times.

Few times I also saw air bubbles inside optis, and once one it was BIG one, actually I love to see that pocket of air robbed inside glass, but none lf these dont affect any optical performance.

Few times I also saw new unit with chipped paint on metal body-for me no issue.

All in all, I see your only problem collimation, and oil particles if are on outer sourfaces, try to clean.

Good luck,
Cheers,
Denis

[denis0007dl]

BTW, I have and rarely using Mark V only because I LOVE BIG FAT prisms - Im mostly having it in collection.

Otherwise, they provide lot of false colours and add some spherical error, which mostly (not all), can be compensated by Baader GPC for example.

[alfiedog]

I did send back and have a dispute with credit card company via the company I purchased from because I have the email, pdf file showing cleaned, and readjusted but the scratches were not there before and never adjusted. The dealer before returning to me stated checked with a cross hair eyepiece but never star tested. come on man I can buy a twenty dollar pair of binoculars from Walmart and have better images.

[alfiedog]

Denis out of all the Bino's out there. I used to have a televue perfectly collimated with no issues. I could buy the Bitron 27 and could send back if I do not like it. I know you have viewed through them. would it be worth trying or a waist of time since I did like the televue.

Edited by alfiedog, 09 February 2025 - 04:43 PM.

[Lookitup]

Denis out of all the Bino's out there. I used to have a televue perfectly collimated with no issues. I could buy the Bitron 27 and could send back if I do not like it. I know you have viewed through them. would it be worth trying or a waist of time since I did like the televue.

Love my Binotron's especially with power-switch. They are also very light which helps with balancing smaller scopes.

To add: The are easy to collimate with smooth eye-piece barrels. Ep's with undercuts like ES 24's or Delite's are less secure but still work. 

Edited by Lookitup, 09 February 2025 - 08:04 PM.

[slavicek]

Yeah, this Mark V might have been "bad apple". In general, it's build like a tank. From my experience, all bino viewers get out of collimation, especially when used with short FL eyepieces. So, it's good to learn how to collimate them. Denis007 is the man to listen to!

[noisejammer]

It sounds like you have a dud.

 

My MkV's came from Astro-Physics. I've used them every observing night since I received them. My scopes are an APM-LZOS 115/805 and TOA150. I have not noticed any scratching of the optics or fungus / lamination of the beam splitter.

 

As Denis says, they create CA but (at f/7) it is irrelevant at low power and an extender + GPC eliminates it at high power.

 

I suspect that the residual CA from an ED doublet may make the CA from the binoviewer more obvious. 

 

Your choice of diagonal is also crucial. Most of the time, I find the BBHS mirror better but at highest power, the Zeiss spec prism produces the least scatter. The standard dielectic mirror is poor in comparison.

[alfiedog]

Thank you for the advise everyone. If the scratches were not there before they cleaned the oily grease off. Why would they use toilet paper or paper towel material and leave 2 lbs of lint everywhere inside and never collimated but paper work states they did re adjust. what they readjusted I would like to know from them. This a repair facility in Germany not Walmart. I mean see the scratches with my eyes looking into the bino without a telescope. My Vernon scope and televue mirror works just fine with my TSA102. I was also using the supplied mirror with the Mark v. It's okay I do not like dealing with garbage equipment especially for $1895. AP must be pushing this junker off on me.

Edited by alfiedog, 10 February 2025 - 12:34 PM.

[slavicek]

If you live in Europe then consider visiting Denis in Croatia. I have yet to meet him but so far, I and others here have positive business experience with him. Also, Seibert optics in Carolina (US) makes binoviewers. Also, I like TV binovue (Denis does not like them thou) but they do not make them any more.

GL.

[alfiedog]

I had a bad experience with the guy in Carolina once before. worse than the repair center in Germany. My personal experience with him is that I would not trust him to align a tire on a wheel barrel. It's too bad  Kevin at overwerk didn't collimate binoviewers. Every pair of binoculars from years ago to present have always been spot on perfect. Even when looking at the stars. All are in sink not just one star. the entire field. It can't be a coincident. Binoculars are much more difficult to collimate. A binoviewer from each manufacturer should be perfect no issues at all.

Edited by alfiedog, 11 February 2025 - 11:12 AM.

[alfiedog]

I just got my Bino's back from a place in Chicago. I removed the covers and could see finger prints and smug marks very easily noticeable. They obviously sold me a refurbished unit. they insisted no way we would never do that and I am not to ruing the good name of the top guy, but anyone who places a collimating reticle eyepiece in a binoviewer and only uses one at that thinks he can tell if it is collimated is just denying the truth about being a honest business. I called other places and they send them back in batches to save money. If there are this many going back that tells me the quality of Baader products as well. It can't be that many are damaged by users. Big mistake I made buying Germany produced products and from the other business. I don't know where Televue was made but they sure did send out a perfect unit. Maybe not to Denis liking but perfect in every other way to use all the way up to 1500 power without any eye strain or abnormality. Arrived brand new and super clean WOW Interesting. Overwerks to me and the Vernon scope were always perfectly collimated too JUST FOR ME  The mark v has 50 hours of mailing delivery time and less than 1 hour of use by myself. Maybe there's a lot of individuals that don't see that their unit by any manufacturer is out of collimation an except it as normal or good enough. when Baaders own website states that they are tested at 1000 power and mine is out at 32 power from 75 feet away I have to say this is misrepresentation of sales and service. I will write to president Trump. Maybe his staff will look in to this.

Edited by alfiedog, 21 February 2025 - 12:58 PM.

[Lookitup]

Or go made in America and get the Denkmeier Binotron with power-switch and diagonal for around $1,500. 

[alfiedog]

I should have I’m sorry I didn’t now maybe soon thank you Russ seams like a good person

[Reid W]

If you live in my area, you can try my Denks.    

[wrvond]

I had a bad experience with the guy in Carolina once before. worse than the repair center in Germany. My personal experience with him is that I would not trust him to align a tire on a wheel barrel. It's too bad  Kevin at overwerk didn't collimate binoviewers. Every pair of binoculars from years ago to present have always been spot on perfect. Even when looking at the stars. All are in sink not just one star. the entire field. It can't be a coincident. Binoculars are much more difficult to collimate. A binoviewer from each manufacturer should be perfect no issues at all.

 

I just got my Bino's back from a place in Chicago. I removed the covers and could see finger prints and smug marks very easily noticeable. They obviously sold me a refurbished unit. they insisted no way we would never do that and I am not to ruing the good name of the top guy, but anyone who places a collimating reticle eyepiece in a binoviewer and only uses one at that thinks he can tell if it is collimated is just denying the truth about being a honest business. I called other places and they send them back in batches to save money. If there are this many going back that tells me the quality of Baader products as well. It can't be that many are damaged by users. Big mistake I made buying Germany produced products and from the other business. I don't know where Televue was made but they sure did send out a perfect unit. Maybe not to Denis liking but perfect in every other way to use all the way up to 1500 power without any eye strain or abnormality. Arrived brand new and super clean WOW Interesting. Overwerks to me and the Vernon scope were always perfectly collimated too JUST FOR ME  The mark v has 50 hours of mailing delivery time and less than 1 hour of use by myself. Maybe there's a lot of individuals that don't see that their unit by any manufacturer is out of collimation an except it as normal or good enough. when Baaders own website states that they are tested at 1000 power and mine is out at 32 power from 75 feet away I have to say this is misrepresentation of sales and service. I will write to president Trump. Maybe his staff will look in to this.

You seem to be having more than a fair share of problems.

Personally I couldn’t be happier with all my Baader products. 

[alfiedog]

I return six pairs of Baader eye pieces from two different companies four years ago. All had bad resolution compared to vixen lanthums, televue and Vernon scope. I guess some people enjoy sub parr equipment. Seeing is believing.

[alfiedog]

Baader seems to dump equipment out into the market with no quality control. It is the truth

[wrvond]

Maybe Baader isn’t the problem.

Some people just enjoy drama.

 

That’s a truth.

[photoracer18]

I was a beta tester for Russ at Denkmeier. I liked them enough to buy the original model I was testing.  While I have added optional parts over the years I have not upgraded or replaced them with Binotron 27 ones because I don't get to look at the sky as much as I like. Some don't realize that the original Celestron BV was supplied by Baader. I did not like those and until Denkmeier I went without for years. That and Stellarvue producing BV ready scopes with removable focuser extensions was a perfect match. I have had Stellarvue BV ready scopes with both LZOS and LOMO optics over the years but right now my only BV scope is my SVX127D.

[Chen Sir]

 I sent back then went to Germany 

Where did you sent it and why did you go to Germany?

Didn't you send it to Baader?

 

Some months ago I bought the same used bino here and received it with the issue of collimation too.

 

I returned it to Baader in Germany and they took 2 months to repair it.

 

They said: The Giant Binocular has been repaired and checked, it looks great.

 

It is still on the way to me so I have not known its performance. I just hope it is really great as they said.

[c1ferrari]

Where did you sent it and why did you go to Germany?

Didn't you send it to Baader?

 

Some months ago I bought the same used bino here and received it with the issue of collimation too.

 

I returned it to Baader in Germany and they took 2 months to repair it.

 

They said: The Giant Binocular has been repaired and checked, it looks great.

 

It is still on the way to me so I have not known its performance. I just hope it is really great as they said.

Chen Sir,

 

Have you received your Mark V back from Baader Germany?

I look forward to reading your impressions!

 

Thanks.

 

[Chen Sir]

Except the clamps were slightly looser than before, it is really great as they promised.

[c1ferrari]

Good to know, thanks for the reply!