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18-20 mm eyepiece? (1 Viewer)

I'll no doubt enjoy reading a comparison, Frank, though my mind is pretty much set on the XW series.
btw, I got my scope body, but the EP won't be here 'til Thursday. I'm so goofy, I've got the scope on a tripod in the living room so I can look at it, and am so tickled I haven't been to sleep even though I have to get up in 4 hours.
Retarded, I know:-O
 
Owen,

Far from it. ;) I find comparing eyepieces on the Pentax to be a very useful, and mostly less expensive, way of distracting from binocular comparisons.

To save a bit on the suspense the three eyepieces I have coming are the Siebert 22.5 mm Ultra (new design from the 18 mm I had previously), the Orion Stratus 20 mm and the SWAN 20 mm wide angle. All three seemed to fit my criteria in terms of performance and price. One of them, I believe the SWAN, should be here tomorrow. The others will take another day or two if I am not mistaken.
 
CP,

I was hoping you were still around. The last time I remember chattin' with you it was about the Bushnell Legend porros. I eventually picked up a pair but didn't do the Siebert upgrade at this point. I am actually pretty impressed with them just as they are but like to know that I have the option in the future.

I was also thinking of you recently because I remember your mentioning the HD videoscoping comment before. I was looking at 1.25 inch eyepieces and noticed that they now have several that allow videoscoping straight from the eyepiece. Is this similar to what you are doing or something totally different?

Good to see you.
 
I have one, the William Optics DCL-4337 that allows me to screw straight into my camcorder and do videoscoping. Very nice.

Some other eyepieces that I have that videoscope well are the Pentax XW20 (but not the others, haven't tried the XW30 since it's a 2"), Scopetronix Maxview14, and Siebert Performance 35.

For no vignette videoscoping without turning the zoom up all the way, I've found the Panasonic HD camcorders to be the best because they allow you to take off the front threads and lens cover thus allowing the eye lens to sit closer to the camcorder lens.

For my Siebert Ultra eyepieces, I've found that they work better in my astro scopes than they do in my Pentax spotter. Apparently after I OCA them for binoviewing, the view becomes delightfully razor sharp. On the Pentax, they are a tad softer.

Sadly for you, I find the very best 20mm eyepiece is still the Pentax XW20. My Siebert Ultra 24mm, Edumund RKE 21mm, Siebert Ultra 17mm along with the rest of the cheaper eyepieces I've reviewed last time all lose to it. The closest cheaper alternative for you maybe the Siebert Performance 25mm if you don't mind the fully coated coatings and narrower 55 degree fov; that's the same eyepiece that go into the Siebert QMod binos. I've also read good things about the Hyperion 21mm though I've never tested it.

Another one worthy of consideration maybe the Orion Edge-On 19mm eyepiece with 65 degree fov and 17m eyerelief; it is well coated and constructed with a nice view. The barrel on the 27mm version that I tested was a tad narrow for the Pentax spotter to lock it in place. One would have to wrap the barrel with black electrical tape to widen its barrel's outer diameter enough so the Pentax spotter can secure it. I sent the 27mm back simply because the magnification wasn't significantly different enough from my XW20 and Siebert Ultra 24's.

Glad to say, I got my QMod'd Bushnells back. They certainly haven't disappointed and work very well. My only gripe again, is the fully coated coatings instead of fully multicoated coatings. Maybe one day I'll pay Siebert some extra dough to produce me a custom pair of fully multicoated eyepieces to upgrade the QMod's.

Heh...I'm looking forward to your review as well.
 
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CP,

What are your thoughts on the Ultra 22.5 that I have on order? I see that it looks to be of a somewhat different design than that of the 19 mm.

I emailed Harry today to get an approximate time on shipping. The site says 1-2 weeks. :)
 
I haven't tested it since I have eyepieces with focal lengths on both sides of it but on paper, it should be a good one since it is rated down to F/4.

The 17mm Ultra that I have, which is a similar 4 element design as your former 19mm Ultra, probably works better at a higher F ratio; thus the supremely better performance after I OCA'd it which effectively lengthened my scope's focal length.

Siebert has stated that the 22.5mm Ultra uses more elements so it should in theory work pretty well, as good or better than the Stratus.

Thus I am waiting with great anticipation on your findings.
 
CP,

Would it surprise you to find that I am not too thrilled with the Stratus 21 mm? I immediately noticed color fringing around the outside edge of the image as well as more field curvature when panning. The little SWAN 20 mm is more to my liking. Speaking of which, it reminds me very much of the Knight Owl 20 mm in terms of physical looks and the image it provides. Any comments on that?

The apparent field of view of the SWAN is about 7 degrees wider than the KO EWA but I cannot say it is really noticeable. Color fringing seems to be very well controlled in the SWAN though eyeplacement seems to be much easier in the Stratus.
 
Well, it wouldn't surprise me if the SWAN IS a rebadged Knight Owl. If I recall, both are 5 element eyepieces with identical eyerelief and similar FOV. And both are in the same price range and made in Asia.

Guess your eyes just like the KO better...LOL.

One thing I'm wondering is the SWAN flat across the whole field? Reason why I went with the Sieberts as opposed to the SWANs is that the SWANs lose clarity towards the edge from my observation while the Siebert Performance series are sharp across the whole field.

There is another eyepiece that is similar to the Pentax XL that you originally wanted to get. That's the Vixen LVW which the Stratus and Hyperions are knockoffs of. The Vixen also use lanthanum glass like the Pentax and on CloudyNights reviews clearly bested its clone competitors the Hyperions and the Stratus being noted as having better glass and better coatings.

You can get them here:
http://yhst-1469288697390.stores.yahoo.net/vilvwlaey.html

And here is a guy offering to trade his on Astromart (note his comment on their quality):
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=605250
 
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CP,

I will check the links you mentioned shortly.

As for the edge performance of the SWANs, I was trying to examine this earlier today. They seem to be better than the Knight Owl in this regard. They are not sharp to the very edge as the Pentax XW was but they seem reasonably close. I also do not get that impression of noticeable field curvature like I do with some of the other eyepieces.

I have just taken some digiscoped shots through the SWAN of some Pine Siskins that are visiting the backyard. If I get a chance later I will post them.
 
For those interested, I have not given up the hope of comparing at least two of the 20-22 mm eyepieces. I sent the Stratus back as the excessive CA was too much for me. Otherwise I found the eyepiece quite impressive minus the huge size.

I kept the SWAN 20 mm and am just waiting to receive the 22.5 mm Siebert Ultra. Apparently they are quite busy and the products weren't shipping for 1-2 weeks after initially ordering. I received an email late last week that stated they should be shipped by today so keep your fingers crossed. ;)
 
Did you get the eyepiece yet, Frank? I'm curious to see how well it works. I've recently gotten a 2 inch diagonal for my Eon 72mm scope so I'm interested getting a few 2" eyepieces...possibly some 2" versions of the Siebert Ultras.
 
CP,

I wish I could say I had but I haven't. I emailed Harry some time ago and he said that they should be in by the end of last week. I still haven't seen anything but then our mail hasn't been delivered for the last two days because of icy conditions. I am going to email him again after I post this to see if they shipped yet.

I will be sure to post as soon as it arrives.
 
Frank, I'm in the same boat, looking for a 20mm? I have recently gotten the SWAN also! Guess if I can't find what I'm looking for will have to fork-out for the XW! That's the only one I didn't buy??? I have XF zoom, XF 12, XW 7, XW 10, XW 14 plus some other astro EP's... Hopefully you have luck with the Seibert Ultra, I'am anxiously waiting!!! Bryce...
 
STD,

Good to see you. It has been awhile. May I ask for your thoughts on the SWAN. Admittedly, I am fairly impressed with its performance, especially for the price. It has a better level of brightness and sharpness when compared to the Knight Owl EWA along with better color fringing control especially for a non-ED style eyepiece.

No luck hearing from Mr. Seibert at this point. I am going to give them a call tomorrow to see what the status is.
 
Frank, have not had a chance to really put the SWAN through it's paces as of yet. What I have seen mirror's you're comments as well. For a simple design I was quite impressed with it's sharpness. Had no problems resolving details at any distance... Color was quite good, I think that suprised me as well,didn't notice any major fringing! My only problem is that it isn't a very large EP, I like being a little further away from scope. Lol! Bryce...
 
Bryce,

How coincidental! I was thinking much the same thing. Balance not withstanding I tend to prefer the larger eyepieces as well. ;)

I am now left thinking if I should invest in a higher mag. SWAN. I do not even know if they make them. I do know they offer lower powered units but I don't remember seeing anything about a 15 or 10 mm.

Still no word on the Seibert. I am going to call tonight.
 
I spoke with Harry last night. Very friendly gentleman. He said the eyepieces showed up at his place two nights ago. He was shipping it out either today or tomorrow so I should have it by Monday.

More to follow.....
 
Bryce,

No, sorry. I am still waiting...patiently. ;) I was hoping to see it on the step when I got home today but I did not have any luck in that regard.

Maybe tomorrow...and most certainly by the end of the week. I asked for USPS Priority Mail and if he shipped it Thursday or Friday then I should have it by tomorrow or Thursday at the very latest.
 
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