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Pentax EDAII 65mm With Explorer Scientific 1.25 68 Degree Eyepieces ???? (1 Viewer)

gcole

Well-known member
United States
Hi Everyone .... I came across these eyepieces on the web. These come in 16,20 & 24mm being argon purged waterproof. The reviews I have read are positive. I was just wondering if anyone has tried using these in the 65mm Pentax. I have been looking for a low power (16x) waterproof eyepiece that performed well but would not be too costly. I was curious about the 24mm, would it focus properly ? With this eyepiece it would have about 16x with 18mm of eyerelief, cost on line $119 US. ...gwen
 
Hi,

The only thing I can tell you is bring your scope to a local shop and ask to try them. I have tried some TeleVue and Celestron some work and some do not.

Mike
 
Other than the Baader Hyperion zoom I don't remember running into an eyepiece that didn't reach focus at infinity with the Pentax.
 
Other than the Baader Hyperion zoom I don't remember running into an eyepiece that didn't reach focus at infinity with the Pentax.

Thanks Mike/Frank ..... Since I don't have a dealer close by to try in my Pentax , I ordered one & it will be here maybe on Thur. I will post how it works? when it arrives in case there are any Pentax owners out there who might be interested ...... gwen
 
Thanks Mike/Frank ..... Since I don't have a dealer close by to try in my Pentax , I ordered one & it will be here maybe on Thur. I will post how it works? when it arrives in case there are any Pentax owners out there who might be interested ...... gwen

I have also been considering this eyepiece and look forward to reading your post.
 
Thanks Mike/Frank ..... Since I don't have a dealer close by to try in my Pentax , I ordered one & it will be here maybe on Thur. I will post how it works? when it arrives in case there are any Pentax owners out there who might be interested ...... gwen

Well it arrived. First I would like to say for an eyepiece in this price range($119 US) it looks & feels like it should cost much more. I seemed to be saying this a lot recently " If it was not marked made in China, I would never had known " My first thought when I took it out of its really nice padded/box was same as when I received my first Tele vue Nagler & the Pentax XW eyepieces I now own. Now I am not saying this $119. eyepiece will get you the same glass/specs as my 14,20mm XW's or a 2" Nagler, but I would say if Pentax did come out with a XW in a more compact size with a 24mm focal length, give it 18mm of eyerelief/68 degrees & compare it side by side with the Explore Scientific in the 65mm Pentax giving 16x Iam not sure which one would be better ? One thing I do know, the 24mm Explorer made in China with my eyes was just as sharp/clear in my Pentax as the Vixen NVL 25mm I once owned. The Vixen had 2mm more eyerelief then the Explore Scientific but the 68 degrees with the Explore Scientific makes it seem longer. Now getting back to my original post ..... I found the Explore Scientific 24mm 68 degree 1.25 eyepiece had no focus problems in the little Pentax, it fit the eyepiece holder well with the collar ring being able to snug it nicely. The eyepiece is bigger than a Vixen NVL 25mm but smaller/more compact than the Pentax XW 20mm. Optically this is the nicest 16x lower power eyepiece I have had in the little Pentax & its waterproof. I took one picture ....... gwen
 

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Gwen, how is your new ES 24 mm 68 degree eyepiece with respect to pincushion distortion at the field edge? It has the same specs as the 24 mm Panoptic which I own, but no longer use for terrestrial viewing because of its pronounced pincushion distortion. The Pan is good for astro views, however. -Bill
 
Gwen, how is your new ES 24 mm 68 degree eyepiece with respect to pincushion distortion at the field edge? It has the same specs as the 24 mm Panoptic which I own, but no longer use for terrestrial viewing because of its pronounced pincushion distortion. The Pan is good for astro views, however. -Bill

Hi Bill ..... That's a tough question for me to answer since 99.9 percent of my spotting scope use is daytime terrestrial use not Astro with my view being fixed on the center sweet spot. Having said this I think this eyepiece provides a very sharp view right to the edge with my "eyes" seeing little to no distortion while using it during the day....... but that's with my eyes on this scope. The Explore Scientific, like many others which provide a wide view combined with the long eyerelief/large ocular if not held properly to your eyes when looking side to side you could experience the dreaded black out ..... gwen
 
Hi Bill ..... That's a tough question for me to answer since 99.9 percent of my spotting scope use is daytime terrestrial use not Astro with my view being fixed on the center sweet spot. Having said this I think this eyepiece provides a very sharp view right to the edge with my "eyes" seeing little to no distortion while using it during the day....... but that's with my eyes on this scope. The Explore Scientific, like many others which provide a wide view combined with the long eyerelief/large ocular if not held properly to your eyes when looking side to side you could experience the dreaded black out ..... gwen

I forgot to mention there was never a issue with the dreaded black out with my 22mm type 4 Nagler for me, but this is not a low cost $119. eyepiece.
 
Gwen, thanks for your reply and comments. Pincushion distortion is mostly visible in daytime terrestrial views. As you pan with the scope, straight tree trunks appear bowed as they enter the field, straight in the middle of the field, and bow the opposite way as they leave the field. At the field edges, the top and bottom of a tree trunk image (for example) bow away from the center of the field. This shows up a lot when using the 24 Pan, very little when using the 20 XW. I suspect folks differ in their tolerance for this effect. - Bill
 
Gwen, thanks for your reply and comments. Pincushion distortion is mostly visible in daytime terrestrial views. As you pan with the scope, straight tree trunks appear bowed as they enter the field, straight in the middle of the field, and bow the opposite way as they leave the field. At the field edges, the top and bottom of a tree trunk image (for example) bow away from the center of the field. This shows up a lot when using the 24 Pan, very little when using the 20 XW. I suspect folks differ in their tolerance for this effect. - Bill

Bill ... Today I looked for that distortion, comparing both the Pentax & the Explorer ...... what I saw was so slight, I never would have noticed it had I not looked. What pincushion distortion was there when comparing the two, I could not tell which one was worse or better. I am now even more impressed with the Explore eyepiece. ..gwen
 
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Gwen, thanks very much for taking the extra time to check out and compare pincushion distortion between the Explore Scientific 24 mm 68 degree eyepiece and the Pentax 20 XW. Sounds like the Explore is a real winner for very reasonable cost wide field views in the Pentax scopes. - Bill
 
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