Vixen LV/Orion LV eyepieces? (1 Viewer)

I've decided to get a new eyepiece for digiscoping with my Pentax 65mm Scope. I currently use the Pentax XF12 (32X mag) and want a lower power one especially for these dark winter days. The Pentax XF is an ok eyepiece (and the 30.5mm thread under the eyeguard makes it very convenient for attaching the camera adapter) but I wish they made a lower power one (in the 18-21mm range).

The Pentax XW20 would of course be my first choice but I'm a bit strapped at the moment and can't pay $250-300. Vixen LV and Orion LV are available cheaply in Japan. Does anyone have any experience of these eyepieces? How similar are they?

The online store in Japan seems to state that the Orion LV is the export model made by Vixen and has the same lens but as different design to the Vixen LV. The Orion LV 18 or 21mm is about $60. The Vixen LV 18 or 20 is about $90.

Anybody have any preferences 18mm vs 20/21mm?

Hi there.....have you heard of the STRATUS series of ORION,and the HYPERION series of BAADER?.they seem to be the equivalent of the LVW VIXEN.....they cost about 90$ and they seem to be great eyepieces .They have a FOV of 68˚(i think).they are also somehow modular eyepieces ad can deliver 2 different focal lenghts(?),and they seem to be excellent for photography.they come in focal lenghts 20mm,17mm and 13mm(in the cat. that you want) They also seem to be HUGE....I have been looking because i need a digiscoping eyepiece also,for the pf65 as well..sold my swarovski 1 1/4 zoom(damn my soul,i needed the money)that was a very versatile eyepiece.it did work great for digiscoping.the vixen zoom,my current eyepiece is very tricky with eye positioning,therefore being also not very forgiving when coupling a camera.if i had the money i probably would buy the XW14(maybe the 20,.....actually ,if i had the money i would buy both...why not? i am just wishing anyway)

Hi-thanks for the advice. Those eyepieces you mention may be tricky to get in Japan and with p&p (plus the rather weak ¥ at the moment) it may not be worth buying from abroad. The Vixen LVW range are available of course but aren't especially cheap either (the Pentax XW is only about $50 more.

I have a similar zoom to the Vixen one you mention (a cheap e-bay "clone") and I agree it isn't so good for digiscoping (lots of vignetting and like you say tricky to line up).

I'm probably going for the Orion LV18 as it's pretty cheap. I was just wondering if anyone was using this line of eyepiece..............

stuprice68 said:

Hi-thanks for the advice. Those eyepieces you mention may be tricky to get in Japan and with p&p (plus the rather weak ¥ at the moment) it may not be worth buying from abroad. The Vixen LVW range are available of course but aren't especially cheap either (the Pentax XW is only about $50 more.

I have a similar zoom to the Vixen one you mention (a cheap e-bay "clone") and I agree it isn't so good for digiscoping (lots of vignetting and like you say tricky to line up).

I'm probably going for the Orion LV18 as it's pretty cheap. I was just wondering if anyone was using this line of eyepiece..............

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The Vixen LV's are well-regarded eyepieces over at the astro forums, with excellent eye relief and good handling. They suffer from a relatively small AFOV of 50*, which is their main drawback and the reason to step up to a LVW/Stratus/Hyperion (which are all considered the best bang-for-the-buck widefield ep's in the astro community). I personally liked the Stratus 13 over the XF 12 when I tried them out -- the Stratus is bright, wide, and pleasant to look through.... but it's the size of a hand-grenade! The case for the PF-65 doesn't really close over the 13mm, but will probably just make it with a 17m.

Just an addendum to the previous comment -- only the Baaded Hyperion version of this design is truly modular, with two different camera-connection threads under the rubber eyecup and the ability to change focal lengths with "fine-tuning rings". But they'd probably be tough to get over in Japan.

If you're going to go with the narrow FOV of the LV, you'd probably get similar results for cheaper by getting a good, simple long-focal-length plossl like a 26mm meade or celestron or whatever is cheapest over there. I've seen them recommended by others here who digiscope.

If you want higher quality but don't want to shell out for an XW20, you could try to find a used XL28 with would save $100 and give outstanding results.

eitanaltman said:

The Vixen LV's are well-regarded eyepieces over at the astro forums, with excellent eye relief and good handling. They suffer from a relatively small AFOV of 50*, which is their main drawback

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Thanks for the reply. I just noticed that rather important piece of info there...............I didn't realise the FOV was so small.Hmmmmmmm....................

I'm getting ok digisccoping results with my current set-up (well, good enough for my blog) so I've decided to wait and will probably get the Pentax XW later in the year (unless I come into any unexpected money in which case hello new Kowa 773).

Re the Baader Hyperions. I e-mailed Baader and though the eyepieces were fairly reasonably priced (about 90 Euros) the cost of postage to Japan was very high (58 Euros!!!!!!) The step rings were also pretty pricey (double what e-bay stores charge).

The yen is so weak at the moment that these aren't worth me buying. They are almost the same price as Pentax XW once the postage is taken into acount.......

Shame. They look pretty good and if I was in Europe I'd definitely buy one.(the threads for camera adpters are lacking on Vixen LVW)