Eyepiece Reviews? (1 Viewer)

Dear All,

I am a “when I get the time” birdwatcher and have muddled along happily with budget kit for the best part of a quarter of a century.

Recently bought a mint AT80HD with original 20-60 zoom second hand, and I’m really loving it.
A huge step-up from my prehistoric Swift Viewmaster with 22x wide as you can imagine!

I understand that “ye cannae defy the laws of physics, captain”, and that at 60x the zoom is going to be somewhat dull.
Thinking, therefore, about adding a 30x or 40x as I enjoy seawatching, and (as always) thought I would see if there are any reviews on the forum to see if it is worth the expense.
The review section is an excellent resource for anyone thinking of buying a scope.
(Had narrowed it down to a Nikon ED82A and the Swaro on the basis of so many helpful comments.)

Wondered if it would be worthwhile adding a section to the Equipment Reviews forum specifically reviewing eyepieces?

Just a thought for the mods.

Thank you for considering this.

Sp70.

Unfortunately Swarovski have discontinued the fixed focal length eyepieces.
If you can find a 30x W this can be strongly recommended. It has a 65° Afov, lots of eye relief and on my ATM 65HD it has the best edge sharpness and lowest distortion and astigmatism I have experienced on any binocular or scope.
I have some experience using astronomical eyepieces on the Swaro scope with an astro adapter but none of them approach the overall performance of the original Swarovski eyepiece, which was obviously designed to complement their scopes.

John

Hi John,

Thanks very much for your helpful reply.

I have been keeping note of the focal length I tend to use most often and have found that somewhere between 30x & 40x is the range I tend to use.
This has been at a loch, at the sea and looking at managed wader scrapes locally.

The 30x seems very tempting indeed given the fantastic reviews, but I am concerned about lack of "reach" whilst watching on the coast.

Is the 40x viewed with similar respect?

I am, btw, simply amazed by the low-light performance of the original 20-60.

Many thanks,
Sp70

I have a 66mm Astro scope for birding and use a fixed 30x ultrawide eyepiece for most normal observing. For more power when I “need more reach” I swap to a good zoom I have to get upto nearly 50x, but it has a smaller apparent field of view so isnt as nice for normal use. I have another eyepiece for 77x but the view is usually rather dim so I rarely have it with me.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your reply.

I think this will eventually be the setup I settle on, or something similar.

I am finding that when I push the zoom to it's limit the image is a bit on the dim side for comfortable continued viewing, but when I pull it back to around 30 - 40x it is much more usable without causing me to lose too much detail.

I guess I am learning that there is a limit even to the best of optics!

Thanks for taking the time to reply and offer help.

Regards,
Sp70

Not sure why you wouldn't (funds permitting), just put the 25x-50x wide zoom on it. Otherwise apart the excellent 30W there is the 45W. You could end up wanting both those fixed eyepieces when the wide 25-50x zoom covers those ranges. They're all excellent eyepieces

I have a friend with the old AT80 and that is all he uses (the 25-50x zoom). Apart from the weight and modern coatings compared to the ATS the AT doesn't give much up. And you can put the lovely wide zoom on it.

Dipped gave you good advice above.

The 30x and 45x W eyepieces are harder to find, and are stuck at their fixed magnifications. The 25-50 Wide zoom is a more modern construction than either of those or the 20-60x zoom, and due to better AR coatings, has slightly brighter image and truer colours. I know some birders who use the 25-50 on an AT80 HD, and like it a lot.

Incidentally, as the AT80 has a slightly longer focal length than the ATS/ATM series scopes, the Wide zoom will yield approximately 26,5-53X magnifications on it.

Thanks for the heads-up re: using the 25-50 on the AT80.
At the moment, it’s a “funds permitting” issue!

I’m used to the wide angle on my old setup and not used to the narrower f.o.v yet.
Loving the upgrade at the moment, however, so happy to enjoy it as is.

Thanks for all the helpful comments!

Sp70