(Sorry if this is on the long side)
Nearly three years ago I got an MM3 60 ED scope + SDL V2 zoom eyepiece and have been very happy with its performance (optical, size, weight). The more I look through other scopes the more impressed I am with the image quality of the MM3 60 ED. Some months ago I got a fixed x32 eyepiece (a demo 40858 HDF that Pete Gamby very kindly offered me here at BF; cheers for that!) and I’ve been using it almost exclusively since then. Given the logical compromises of using a x32 in such a device as the MM3, I am frankly quite impressed with the performance of this x32 fixed eyepiece. So much so, that now I’ve got myself a fixed eyepiece of lower magnification (especially for dark conditions, and some stargazing where I don't want so much magnification). I've bought a second-hand 40810 HDF T that delivers x17 in the MM3 60 and a stunning wide field view. Find attached a couple of pictures to illustrate this (SDLV2 vs HDF 40810); the same tree as reference. Taken with a smartphone, not ideal I know, but enough for you to have an idea of the difference in fov you get. Mind you the zoom was set at x15, not x17 (so the difference is actually bigger). If you compare the branches, you can see that with the fixed x17 (40810 HDF) the phone camera is simply unable to show the field stop, and even so, the wideness of the image is mindblowingly greater (don’t pay attention to the quality of the picture, since it was taken through a window). The pictures come straight from the phone, no editing or cropping whatsoever.
As per size/weight. There is something about using fixed eyepieces on the MM3 that feels just right. They are way smaller than the SDL V2; both shorter and narrower. The weight of the zoom is 270 g and the x17 fixed is just 150 g (and so very short), while the x32 weights 210 g. I remember reading how FrankD preferred the HDF zoom to the SDL, among other things because it somehow made more sense and balanced the scope better (or that was my take). I think I can now understand his rationale. The x32 fits the scope perfectly, and the x17 just makes it so short and nimble it is a joy to use and carry around, it takes the ensemble below the 900 g threshold.
So, given the impressive performance of both fixed eyepieces, now I think I am spoilt and find hard to justify the use of the zoom. Ok, we all know that the zoom gives you flexibility/dependability, but I find the optical performance of both eyepieces so much nicer (which is obviously to be expected). So the question now is: has any user of the MM3/MM4 scopes completely abandoned the use of zoom to the extent of not owning one? (in my case, the question would be, should I keep the zoom at all?)
Thanks for reading this far. All your comments and ideas are welcome. It is actually because of the comments and ideas exposed by the members of BF that I got the MM3 in the first place!
*A last comment about “cash-flow” The price of a brand new SDL V2 is 329 GBP, I was lucky enough to find nice used samples of the HDF 40858 and 40810 for less than 200 GBP combined (instead of the MRSP of 319 GBP combined). So the idea of selling the zoom to fund the fixed eyepieces sounds attractive.
Nearly three years ago I got an MM3 60 ED scope + SDL V2 zoom eyepiece and have been very happy with its performance (optical, size, weight). The more I look through other scopes the more impressed I am with the image quality of the MM3 60 ED. Some months ago I got a fixed x32 eyepiece (a demo 40858 HDF that Pete Gamby very kindly offered me here at BF; cheers for that!) and I’ve been using it almost exclusively since then. Given the logical compromises of using a x32 in such a device as the MM3, I am frankly quite impressed with the performance of this x32 fixed eyepiece. So much so, that now I’ve got myself a fixed eyepiece of lower magnification (especially for dark conditions, and some stargazing where I don't want so much magnification). I've bought a second-hand 40810 HDF T that delivers x17 in the MM3 60 and a stunning wide field view. Find attached a couple of pictures to illustrate this (SDLV2 vs HDF 40810); the same tree as reference. Taken with a smartphone, not ideal I know, but enough for you to have an idea of the difference in fov you get. Mind you the zoom was set at x15, not x17 (so the difference is actually bigger). If you compare the branches, you can see that with the fixed x17 (40810 HDF) the phone camera is simply unable to show the field stop, and even so, the wideness of the image is mindblowingly greater (don’t pay attention to the quality of the picture, since it was taken through a window). The pictures come straight from the phone, no editing or cropping whatsoever.
As per size/weight. There is something about using fixed eyepieces on the MM3 that feels just right. They are way smaller than the SDL V2; both shorter and narrower. The weight of the zoom is 270 g and the x17 fixed is just 150 g (and so very short), while the x32 weights 210 g. I remember reading how FrankD preferred the HDF zoom to the SDL, among other things because it somehow made more sense and balanced the scope better (or that was my take). I think I can now understand his rationale. The x32 fits the scope perfectly, and the x17 just makes it so short and nimble it is a joy to use and carry around, it takes the ensemble below the 900 g threshold.
So, given the impressive performance of both fixed eyepieces, now I think I am spoilt and find hard to justify the use of the zoom. Ok, we all know that the zoom gives you flexibility/dependability, but I find the optical performance of both eyepieces so much nicer (which is obviously to be expected). So the question now is: has any user of the MM3/MM4 scopes completely abandoned the use of zoom to the extent of not owning one? (in my case, the question would be, should I keep the zoom at all?)
Thanks for reading this far. All your comments and ideas are welcome. It is actually because of the comments and ideas exposed by the members of BF that I got the MM3 in the first place!
*A last comment about “cash-flow” The price of a brand new SDL V2 is 329 GBP, I was lucky enough to find nice used samples of the HDF 40858 and 40810 for less than 200 GBP combined (instead of the MRSP of 319 GBP combined). So the idea of selling the zoom to fund the fixed eyepieces sounds attractive.