A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
- Refractordude
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A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
Has anyone tried these eyepieces? Donald Pensack rated the APM UFF 30mm as a great stand out eyepiece. Are the others just as good as the APM UFF eyepieces?
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/optica ... 0-fov.html
https://www.meade.com/eyepieces.html?series=166
https://www.celestron.com/search?type=p ... ltima+edge
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32950896883.html
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-SKY-ROVER- ... 3657733300
https://www.landseaskyco.com/altair-ult ... gKtu_D_BwE
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/en/optica ... 0-fov.html
https://www.meade.com/eyepieces.html?series=166
https://www.celestron.com/search?type=p ... ltima+edge
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32950896883.html
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-SKY-ROVER- ... 3657733300
https://www.landseaskyco.com/altair-ult ... gKtu_D_BwE
- MistrBadgr
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
I have no direct experience any of these. I just looked at the specs, which vary not so much with the numbers themselves, but with parameters shown. The only specific number difference I noticed was that the APM 30mm eyepiece said it had an AFOV of 75 degrees, while the rest stated 70.
For the most part, you could consider each focal length you want separately, they seem to have different pricing schemes, so pick the brand that has the lowest price for each focal length. It might be an odd looking collection, and they may not be parfocal from one brand to the next with their slightly different body designs, but you would probably end up with a good over all set for the lowest price.
For the most part, you could consider each focal length you want separately, they seem to have different pricing schemes, so pick the brand that has the lowest price for each focal length. It might be an odd looking collection, and they may not be parfocal from one brand to the next with their slightly different body designs, but you would probably end up with a good over all set for the lowest price.
Bill Steen
Many small scopes, plus a Lightbridge 12, LX 70-8R,6R,6M
Many eyepieces, just not really expensive ones.
Many small scopes, plus a Lightbridge 12, LX 70-8R,6R,6M
Many eyepieces, just not really expensive ones.
- kt4hx
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
Ultimately if you want to know the answer to your question, buy one of each and do a comparison. That is always the best way. Anything else is a bit of a crap shoot.
Alan
Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
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"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Scopes: Astro Sky 17.5 f/4.5 Dob || Apertura AD12 f/5 Dob || Zhumell Z10 f/4.9 Dob ||
ES AR127 f/6.5 || ES ED80 f/6 || Apertura 6" f/5 Newtonian
Mounts: ES Twilight-II and Twilight-I
EPs: AT 82° 28mm UWA || TV Ethos 100° 21mm and 13mm || Vixen LVW 65° 22mm ||
ES 82° 18mm || Pentax XW 70° 10mm, 7mm and 5mm || barlows
Filters (2 inch): DGM NPB || Orion Ultra Block, O-III and Sky Glow || Baader HaB
Primary Field Atlases: Uranometria All-Sky Edition and Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Astronomers, we look into the past to see our future." (me)
"Seeing is in some respect an art, which must be learnt." (William Herschel)
"What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean." (Sir Isaac Newton)
"No good deed goes unpunished." (various)
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't you think?” (Scarecrow, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
- Bigzmey
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
The specs are similar for 30mm, but the weight variations imply some design differences. Also, the coating quality could vary.
I did not have any experiences with any of these EPs, but if I decide to try one I would go with Meade. Over the years I had quite few Meade EPs and the all were good performers. I know Meade outsources it'sEP production, but it seems that their product selection team knows what they are doing (at least EP wise).
I did not have any experiences with any of these EPs, but if I decide to try one I would go with Meade. Over the years I had quite few Meade EPs and the all were good performers. I know Meade outsources it's
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.
Solar: HA: Lunt 50mm single stack, W/L: Meade Herschel wedge.
Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2437, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 257
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.
Solar: HA: Lunt 50mm single stack, W/L: Meade Herschel wedge.
Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2437, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 257
- helicon
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
I have some Meades as well. Probably good ones to start out with as @Bigzmey says.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
These have very similar specifications to the older Orion Stratus Line, I would not be surprised if they were a tweaked version of them.
These are some comments from Don Pensack (Eyepieces Etc)
I would presume the re-branded ones (Meade, Altair, Celestron) perform identically.
I compared the 30mm APM UFF, the 30mm Pentax XW, the 31mm Baader Hyperion, and the 31mm TeleVue Nagler over a night in a 12.5"f/ 5 scope (coma -corrected to f/ 5.75), magnification 61x, exit pupil 5.2mm
here are my notes:
spherical aberration--none
inherentcoma --none
astigmatism induced by thef/ ratio--none
field curvature noted--none. Flattest field of all of them.
distortion type (daytime)--typical pincushion like most astronomical eyepieces--no noticeable angular magnification distortion. Excellent.
chromatic aberration--none on axis, and none lateral
eye relief--long enough for glasses when the eyecup is folded down.
light scatter control--excellent. Very slight flare from Rigel just outside the field stop. No eyepiece completely passes this test.
spherical aberration of exit pupil--none
chromatic aberration of exit pupil--none
tint (daylight use)--none
vignetting--none
thermal issues--none
field stop focus--sharp (excellent)
edge of field brightening--none
sharpness on axis--excellent
sharpness at 50% field--excellent
sharpness at the edge--excellent
apparent contrast--excellent
It was better in most parameters than the Pentax XW 30mm.
It was significantly better than the Baader 31mm Hyperion Aspheric in all parameters.
Field stop diameters:
APM 30---38.0mm
Pentax XW 30---36.2mm
TeleVue Nagler 31---42.0mm
Baader Hyperion 31---38.0mm
Compared to the ones you mention:
The Superview suffers from a lot of astigmatism in the outer field, even atf/ 10.
The 28mmES suffers from astigmatism and scattered light in the eyepiece
The 27mm Panoptic is excellent, though has a trace of field curvature which can be focused out by focusing about halfway from center to edge. This is scope-dependent, however. Inf/ 7+, it appears flat.
These are some comments from Don Pensack (Eyepieces Etc)
I would presume the re-branded ones (Meade, Altair, Celestron) perform identically.
I compared the 30mm APM UFF, the 30mm Pentax XW, the 31mm Baader Hyperion, and the 31mm TeleVue Nagler over a night in a 12.5"
here are my notes:
spherical aberration--none
inherent
astigmatism induced by the
field curvature noted--none. Flattest field of all of them.
distortion type (daytime)--typical pincushion like most astronomical eyepieces--no noticeable angular magnification distortion. Excellent.
chromatic aberration--none on axis, and none lateral
eye relief--long enough for glasses when the eyecup is folded down.
light scatter control--excellent. Very slight flare from Rigel just outside the field stop. No eyepiece completely passes this test.
spherical aberration of exit pupil--none
chromatic aberration of exit pupil--none
tint (daylight use)--none
vignetting--none
thermal issues--none
field stop focus--sharp (excellent)
edge of field brightening--none
sharpness on axis--excellent
sharpness at 50% field--excellent
sharpness at the edge--excellent
apparent contrast--excellent
It was better in most parameters than the Pentax XW 30mm.
It was significantly better than the Baader 31mm Hyperion Aspheric in all parameters.
Field stop diameters:
APM 30---38.0mm
Pentax XW 30---36.2mm
TeleVue Nagler 31---42.0mm
Baader Hyperion 31---38.0mm
Compared to the ones you mention:
The Superview suffers from a lot of astigmatism in the outer field, even at
The 28mm
The 27mm Panoptic is excellent, though has a trace of field curvature which can be focused out by focusing about halfway from center to edge. This is scope-dependent, however. In
Gabrielle
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1011110)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1011110)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
- MistrBadgr
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Re: A Very Much Rebranded Eyepiece
From what Don Pensack said, I can understand why different companies would jump on this "band wagon." I can concur with @Bigzmey about purchasing the Meade version as a trial. Though I am not sure with the plastic aspherics they picked up, I have had good experiences with the higher priced lines I have bought. I was fortunate at catching ridiculously low prices on the UWA eyepieces after they recalled the LX800 mounts and (I assume) needed cash flow. The 5000 series Plossels, HD60s, and 4000 series Plossels have been good value for the money.
I visited the Land Sea and Sky store when I had the time in Houston. It was a slow day and I got the opportunity to have a nice conversation with the owner about his business. He was selective about what was kept in inventory, with what particular lines of equipment, offering good value at the different levels. The fact that he is carrying a version of this series speaks to me that these are solid performing eyepieces for the money spent.
I visited the Land Sea and Sky store when I had the time in Houston. It was a slow day and I got the opportunity to have a nice conversation with the owner about his business. He was selective about what was kept in inventory, with what particular lines of equipment, offering good value at the different levels. The fact that he is carrying a version of this series speaks to me that these are solid performing eyepieces for the money spent.
Bill Steen
Many small scopes, plus a Lightbridge 12, LX 70-8R,6R,6M
Many eyepieces, just not really expensive ones.
Many small scopes, plus a Lightbridge 12, LX 70-8R,6R,6M
Many eyepieces, just not really expensive ones.
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