It weighs less than the 28/82. I have to rebalance my scope to use the 28/82.
My understanding is AA 70 is a GSO superview, in my experience they are solid at f/6.
And I want it for a 80mm f/5.
I have the AA 38/70. Same as the Orion Q70 with a different label. It has been my 2" low power wide view eyepiece for 8 years and I have no plans to replace it.
It is not a GSO Superview. I forget who makes them, but it is not GSO. However I believe they are both considered Erfle type designs. I have used the The Superview eyepieces. They are lighter in weight. However, I like the AA SWA better.
I use mine in F5 12" Dob and a 102 mm F7 ED refractor. Gets the job done.
My buddy has a 10" F4.7 Dob and after using mine he bought one.
I use it to:
- Max out the field of view
- Sweep the Sky
- Find my targets
- Observe very large targets at very low power.
If I were to upgrade from this I would probably go for an ES 68/40, but I don't feel the need to spend all of that money for a low power wide view eyepiece.
I have read all of the criticisms of this eyepiece and, for the most part they are accurate, if you are a very discerning user. However as a low cost wide view solution, it gets the job done for me. But I don't typically spend a lot of my observing time with this eyepiece. I go to my Baader Hyperion 8-24 zoom most of the time, or my Meade and ES 82s.
Most nights I pull out the AA 38/70, BH 8-24 Zoom and a Barlow as the only eyepieces I use for the session. I might switch to the ES 82s when I get above 300X, for more drift time.
Edited by aeajr, 20 May 2025 - 03:00 PM.