Looking to upgrade my Diagonal

[Don Quixote]

I have been thinking of an upgrade for my diagonal.
I presently have the ES 2" dialectric that came with my telescope.
Is there anything worth upgrading here.
I have no complaint, but I am wondering if I can improve my view.
Any comments and advice will be much appreciated.

It could be I just have too much time on my hands.... :-)
Thank you.

[Ozman]

I have the same ES diagonal and a couple of the Meade 2" dielectric ones. I switch the three out regardless of what scope I am using, so any diagonal could be in any scope at any given time, and I can't really tell any difference between the three. They all perform well to my eye.

I guess if you're wanting to upgrade the performance, it would have to be one of the much costlier ones and I just don't have any experience using one. I may be missing out on some (I assume small) degree of possible increase of performance, but "Ignorance is Bliss" will have to suffice for me as I have already exceeded my astronomy spending for quite some time to come.

[Don Quixote]

Thank you Oz.
You have helped here.
I really do not need an upgrade...

I just need another nice clear night sky. :-)

It helps to get someone elses perspective. Then I stop and take a think...thank you again.

[Bataleon]

I have the same diagonal as you on my SCT and a William optics 99% on my mak. Been very happy with both. I don't *own* anything higher end, but there's a regular at my astronomy association that I kind of "team up with" when we see each other. He has a CPC 925 with a Televue diagonal in it, so essentially the same scope, just a bit larger aperture. We often get into chasing the same object so I've had the opportunity to look at the exact same things in the exact same conditions and my conclusion... I really don't notice much difference. The Televue feels exquisite and has that high coin aesthetic, but performance? Certainly not enough to warrant plunking down hundreds of dollars, IMHO.

[Lady Fraktor]

If money is not an issue, the 2" Astro-Physics Maxbright or 2" Baader BBHS.
If looking at 2" TeleVue EverBrite quality purchase the Stellarvue Deluxe for less and it is a slightly better diagonal for light scatter control.

[Bigzmey]

I have some what different take on this. Diagonal is a part of light train which is as good as the weakest link. Many of us has good amount of money invested in good quality EPs. It is a bit silly to invest in $200-300 EP and put a stock diagonal in front.

So, if you can you should invest in premium diagonal. I am big fan of Baader prisms for Moon, planets and doubles. They do make noticable difference in views compared to mid range dielectrics. For DSOs I use hard silver Baader and clicklock Baader (dielectric).

[Bataleon]

I have some what different take on this. Diagonal is a part of light train which is as good as the weakest link. Many of us has good amount of money invested in good quality EPs. It is a bit silly to invest in $200-300 EP and put a stock diagonal in front.

So, if you can you should invest in premium diagonal. I am big fan of Baader prisms for Moon, planets and doubles. They do make noticable difference in views compared to mid range dielectrics. For DSOs I use hard silver Baader and clicklock Baader (dielectric).

Certainly a valid point. I don't think I'd go so far to say as the diagonal doesn't matter. All I meant was between mid level dielectrics and upper mid level, I don't notice enough difference to justify the cost. Of course, I'd love to get a diagonal that's half the price of my OTA.

With that said, while we're on the subject, I wonder how the APM ultra broadband erect image diagonals are. They do look to be a wee bit more affordable than a Baader.

[Lady Fraktor]

The APM get consistent good reviews, and Herr Ludes seldom puts out a bad product.
He is quite picky on the QC end of things.

I would stress that for people just thinking of buying a prism that depending on the type of telescope they should test first to see if a prism will make any difference for them or not.

[Don Quixote]

Well...I finally got back here and I have succumb to the "lust for glass".
I am now viewing the sky with the Baader BBHS Sitall Max 2S diagonal.
I have had it out only once and posted an observing report. "Pinball Wizard at Penfield".
I have not made any side by side compares yet. I will do that in future just for fun. This is a lifetime mirror diagonal and I LOVE the Baader Locking mechanism!

[dritter]

... This is a lifetime mirror diagonal and I LOVE the Baader Locking mechanism!

This is a very good point.

Even if the absolute difference in perceived image quality is undetectable, sometimes the mechanical aspects can make enough difference to warrant an upgrade anyway. I have a couple of the Baader click-locks as well. One is a large SCT adapter for the Edge11 and the other is a 1.25" diagonal adapter.

Both click-locks work great and to me, they were well worth the money. Turns out that I much prefer using twist-lock mechanisms over locking screws.

Even the really good lock-screw diagonals with internal bronze compression ring don't compare to the twist-lock method. So if a click-lock enabled device also contains a great mirror or prism, all the better.

[Bigzmey]

Well...I finally got back here and I have succumb to the "lust for glass".
I am now viewing the sky with the Baader BBHS Sitall Max 2S diagonal.
I have had it out only once and posted an observing report. "Pinball Wizard at Penfield".
I have not made any side by side compares yet. I will do that in future just for fun. This is a lifetime mirror diagonal and I LOVE the Baader Locking mechanism!

Congrats Mark! I am surely enjoing mine.