Stellarvue 13.5mm eyepiece

[DeanD]

Hi folks,

Has anyone tried this: https://www.stellarvue.com/stellarvue-1 ... -eop-13-5/

A friend is looking for a 100-degree eyepiece, around the 14mm mark, so I was wondering if anyone had tried one, and how it compares with the 13mm Ethos or the 14mm ES? Price-wise it looks pretty good.

Thanks in anticipation.

Dean

[Refractordude]

I think the eye relief is to short for that field of view.

[10538]

I know the 14mm 100-degree is a fine eyepiece.

[DeanD]

I think the eye relief is to short for that field of view.

Thanks for the reply. However the specs say that both the Ethos 13 and the SV 13.5 have 15mm eye-relief. The 14mm ES is slightly less at 14.5mm. So the SV is as good or better than the others...

[Refractordude]

I think the eye relief is to short for that field of view.

Thanks for the reply. However the specs say that both the Ethos 13 and the SV 13.5 have 15mm eye-relief. The 14mm ES is slightly less at 14.5mm. So the SV is as good or better than the others...

What I like most about this forum, is I learn something new every visit.

[Lady Fraktor]

I have not used them but they seem to have a good reputation, APM has sold their version for quite some time as well and I have not heard anything bad about them:
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/de/okular ... ?cat=71272

[DeanD]

I have not used them but they seem to have a good reputation, APM has sold their version for quite some time as well and I have not heard anything bad about them:
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/de/okular ... ?cat=71272

Thanks Gabby, I have passed the info to my friend. I find it fascinating that there are so many eyepieces out there that seem to be based on the same TV design, but are all slightly different in their specs., and vary quite a bit in price too. This one is 13mm FL with 13mm eye-relief, the SV is 13.5mm with 15mm ER, and the ES is 14mm with 14.5 ER.

I would have thought that if they are TV clones then they would all be made in the same factory and have basically identical specs, but with different badges like a lot of the Chinese-made telescopes. Surely the market isn't big enough that they can be different and still all be profitable...

[notFritzArgelander]

I have not used them but they seem to have a good reputation, APM has sold their version for quite some time as well and I have not heard anything bad about them:
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/de/okular ... ?cat=71272

Thanks Gabby, I have passed the info to my friend. I find it fascinating that there are so many eyepieces out there that seem to be based on the same TV design, but are all slightly different in their specs., and vary quite a bit in price too. This one is 13mm FL with 13mm eye-relief, the SV is 13.5mm with 15mm ER, and the ES is 14mm with 14.5 ER.

I would have thought that if they are TV clones then they would all be made in the same factory and have basically identical specs, but with different badges like a lot of the Chinese-made telescopes. Surely the market isn't big enough that they can be different and still all be profitable...

They might not all be TV clones. The ES are certain clones of TV but not sure here. JG recently posted Ray trace diagrams that include a number of credible very wide field designs. I'll just repeat the link

https://www.telescope-optics.net/eyepiece_raytrace.htm

with the remark that with 4 viable designs dissection or an X-ray CT is how to be sure.

[Lady Fraktor]

I have not used them but they seem to have a good reputation, APM has sold their version for quite some time as well and I have not heard anything bad about them:
https://www.apm-telescopes.de/de/okular ... ?cat=71272

Thanks Gabby, I have passed the info to my friend. I find it fascinating that there are so many eyepieces out there that seem to be based on the same TV design, but are all slightly different in their specs., and vary quite a bit in price too. This one is 13mm FL with 13mm eye-relief, the SV is 13.5mm with 15mm ER, and the ES is 14mm with 14.5 ER.

I would have thought that if they are TV clones then they would all be made in the same factory and have basically identical specs, but with different badges like a lot of the Chinese-made telescopes. Surely the market isn't big enough that they can be different and still all be profitable...

Many times when you see a .5 or 1mm difference on eyepieces the rebrander usually does this so their line is individual from the others.
A good example is the Meade HD-60 and Celestron X-Cel LX.

[DeanD]

Thanks notFritz! The mind boggles at the thought of trying to design any of these without a ray-tracing programme!

I wish I had seen this a few years back when I had to dis-assemble and clean my T1 9mm Nagler: and bits of glass sprang out everywhere! Someone else had pulled it apart before, and the spacers and order of lenses were all wrong: it took a long time (and a fair bit of panic!) before I got it back together and it was useable again. Lots of permutations with all those elements!!!

I am still surprised though that the market can cope with so many varieties of basically very similar eyepieces.

[DeanD]

Many times when you see a .5 or 1mm difference on eyepieces the rebrander usually does this so their line is individual from the others.
A good example is the Meade HD-60 and Celestron X-Cel LX.

Yeah, I think you are right: maybe a way of avoiding possible law-suits (memories of Celestron vs Meade, and also the fuss when Meade came out with a "RC" design)?

Plus, how many end-users could tell the difference between an ER of 13.5, 14.5 or 15mm, let alone a FL of 13.5 or 13mm...

[SKEtrip]

Dean - sorry late to the party & probably a dollar short, but here is my take
I have most of the ES100° EP's. One of the last EP's I'd give up in my entire collection is the 14mm. It an outstanding EP and always highly praised by those who look through it. Probably the pick of the litter. The others I like except the 20mm, it is "warm" to my eye.

Gabby makes an excellent suggestion with the APM - good EP's with a solid reputation. I have the 3.5 for the my SV when I'm driving it manually & it is excellent through more than 90%of the FOV even on bright objects - phenomenal on the moon. If they go on sale I'll probably replace the 20mm ES with one. At $250 each the APM HDC Hyperwide is the best deal out there.

As to the SV - from everything I can find/research it is basically the APM lunt with SV on the label - and considerable dollars more. Not disparaging SV - look at my sig line.

Just an IMHO to add to the pile.