TheSkySearchers

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:16 pm**

15mm Plossls Shootout
by Bigzmey

2/25/18 Beginner or advance astronomer, we all contemplate whether buying premium really worth it. Plossls in particular can be purchased between $10 and $100 a piece; and one can’t help but wonder if 10x increase in price really results in 10x performance gain. At one point I had a good selection...
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Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:28 pm**

Thanks again for submitting a great article!!!

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:43 pm**

The comparison with the Vixen NPL gives me a reference point I can use to calibrate against my own experience. The older TV Plossls I have show better transmission than the Vixen NPLs. So I guess any occasional temptation to update my TV set is effectively dead. I'll just keep them til they or I turn to dust.

The Vixen NPLs are a great performer especially considering cost. I have them in pairs for binovewing.

Thanks for the review. It really helps to have a point of comparison.

Posted: **Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:56 pm**

Thank you for another fine comparison Andrey. The SLV sound interesting indeed, and I notice that Agena now has the entire line in stock for $109 each. That said, the NPL sound like an excellent deal at $50 to $65 depending on f/l.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:01 am**

notFritzArgelander wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:43 pm The comparison with the Vixen NPL gives me a reference point I can use to calibrate against my own experience. The older TV Plossls I have show better transmission than the Vixen NPLs. So I guess any occasional temptation to update my TV set is effectively dead. I'll just keep them til they or I turn to dust.

The Vixen NPLs are a great performer especially considering cost. I have them in pairs for binovewing.

Thanks for the review. It really helps to have a point of comparison.

I am the lucky owner of a complete set of older TV Plossls smoothies

. As you indicated once you have a reference point you don't need to re-run complete comparison, so I just tested new TV Plossls vs old TV Plossls on a few occasions and can confirm that the smoothies have noticeably better transmission than modern TV Plossls with darker coating. So, the modern TV Plossls somewhat underperform in transmission compared to other Plossls sampling. They are still great on planets and Moon and brighter DSOs, just not as suitable for extra faint fuzzies.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:11 am**

kt4hx wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:56 pm Thank you for another fine comparison Andrey. The SLV sound interesting indeed, and I notice that Agena now has the entire line in stock for $109 each. That said, the NPL sound like an excellent deal at $50 to $65 depending on f/l.

If anyone considering SLVs (and they should

), this is a good time to try one. OPT has them on sale for $90 + shipping, which still comes cheaper than $109. I have a complete set. There are no weak links in the line, but the lower FL range is where they really shine. They are as good as Orthos (I have compared SLVs side by side on several occasions with BCOs, UO and EO orthos) but with 20mm eye relief.

https://optcorp.com/search?q=vixen+slv

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:18 am**

Thanks for the article Andrey!

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:23 am**

Thanks Andrey, that was good! I have a few Ortho's, but have often looked at the Vixen Plossl line-ups, just wondering... Your write-up certainly helped; thanks again

All the best,

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:31 am**

Thefatkitty wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:23 am Thanks Andrey, that was good! I have a few Ortho's, but have often looked at the Vixen Plossl line-ups, just wondering... Your write-up certainly helped; thanks again

All the best,

If you have a few Orthos then you don't need to look any further, except 32mm and 15mm which are missing from Orthos line up. This is another reason why I have focused my reviews on 15mm and 32mm Plossls.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:28 pm**

Thanks very much for the review. Been thinking about trying one out.

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:37 pm**

Nice article Bigz!

One of these days I want to have a shootout.

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:12 pm**

Hello Andrey,

and thank you for the shootout, really worth of reading.

Just on a side line, 'Plössl' is today a marketing term, and most of the 'Plössls' are just the 'Symmetric' eyepieces of whatever design, or they are simply neither the one nor the other, and the Plössl inscription is just the sticker.

Gabby has somewhere posted the U.S. patents for the Zeiss Plössl and TV Plössl, showing the difference.

Carl Zeiss jena has later remade the patented Plössl into the military grade Symmetric (Plössl), still available at the surplus sales,
https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-Stuck-Symmetr ... Sw21Rb9UAh
I have it, and it is the best Plössl I have ever had on my observing eye, even if the AFOV is smaller.

Best,
JG

Posted: **Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:28 pm**

j.gardavsky wrote: ↑Wed Oct 16, 2019 7:12 pm Hello Andrey,

and thank you for the shootout, really worth of reading.

Just on a side line, 'Plössl' is today a marketing term, and most of the 'Plössls' are just the 'Symmetric' eyepieces of whatever design, or they are simply neither the one nor the other, and the Plössl inscription is just the sticker.

Gabby has somewhere posted the U.S. patents for the Zeiss Plössl and TV Plössl, showing the difference.

Carl Zeiss jena has later remade the patented Plössl into the military grade Symmetric (Plössl), still available at the surplus sales,
https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-Stuck-Symmetr ... Sw21Rb9UAh
I have it, and it is the best Plössl I have ever had on my observing eye, even if the AFOV is smaller.

Best,
JG

Thanks JG! Yes "Plossl" could be anything nowdays.

I remember you references to Zeiss Plossls in the past. Unfortunately, they are not available in US.

Posted: **Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:35 am**

Thanks Andrey,

Great review, really useful!

Ian

TheSkySearchers

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