Curiosity got the best of me last night when viewing conditions were quite good. I setup my ED82 with the 25-75 zoom alongside my least-perfect ED50 with a variety of lenses. I concentrated on M42 (Orion Nebula) and the Trapezium in particular.
The ED82 delivered great views of the Trapezium at 25X with the four main stars clearly separated. No surprise here.
ED50
I started with the older MC 24/30X 7462 eyepiece. Nota Bene: this lens is not recommended for the ED50 but what do I know or care about recommendations. It's 16X when mounted on the ED50.
To my amazement the Trapezium snapped into view with three stars (A,D,C) clearly visible and then, using a bit of averted vision, I got the fourth (B) to periodically reveal itself.
I replaced the 16X MC on the ED50 with the 27X DS eyepiece (50X on the ED82). The Trapezium popped into view with all four stars cleanly separated without the need for averted vision. It was a surprisingly pleasant view!
I tried our other ED50 with the 13-40 zoom but, though pin sharp, the narrow view just wasn't as much fun. I could, however, easily split the Trapezium into four distinct stars.
I went back to the 16X MC on the ED50 just to make sure I wasn't fooling myself. Again, A,D,C showed up and, with a bit of teasing, so did B. The ED82, of course, was brighter and useful all the way to 75X.
I revisited the 27X/ED50 in daylight only to conclude that, yes, it's a great small scope combination. I was tempted to part with the 50X and 75X DS eyepieces but I think they have a new home on the ED50 for casual nightime use.
If you're considering an ED50 for day/night use I'd recommend the 27X DS eyepiece (50X on ED82). The 16X DS (30X on ED82) is another good alternative but the low power does have its limitations.
The ED82 delivered great views of the Trapezium at 25X with the four main stars clearly separated. No surprise here.
ED50
I started with the older MC 24/30X 7462 eyepiece. Nota Bene: this lens is not recommended for the ED50 but what do I know or care about recommendations. It's 16X when mounted on the ED50.
To my amazement the Trapezium snapped into view with three stars (A,D,C) clearly visible and then, using a bit of averted vision, I got the fourth (B) to periodically reveal itself.
I replaced the 16X MC on the ED50 with the 27X DS eyepiece (50X on the ED82). The Trapezium popped into view with all four stars cleanly separated without the need for averted vision. It was a surprisingly pleasant view!
I tried our other ED50 with the 13-40 zoom but, though pin sharp, the narrow view just wasn't as much fun. I could, however, easily split the Trapezium into four distinct stars.
I went back to the 16X MC on the ED50 just to make sure I wasn't fooling myself. Again, A,D,C showed up and, with a bit of teasing, so did B. The ED82, of course, was brighter and useful all the way to 75X.
I revisited the 27X/ED50 in daylight only to conclude that, yes, it's a great small scope combination. I was tempted to part with the 50X and 75X DS eyepieces but I think they have a new home on the ED50 for casual nightime use.
If you're considering an ED50 for day/night use I'd recommend the 27X DS eyepiece (50X on ED82). The 16X DS (30X on ED82) is another good alternative but the low power does have its limitations.
