20xw eyepiece? (1 Viewer)

I have a new scope with a 30xw eyepiece and am really pleased with the performance. However, I am wondering about getting another eyepiece to extend the range. Most people seem to think that the 20-60 zoom is well worth it: bright at 20x and detail at 60x. What about the 20xw? There seems to be little mention of this eyepiece. It has obvious advantages over the zoom: wider better corrected field, greater DOF and larger exit pupil making viewing more relaxing. It seems to me that a 20xw might be good for low light work, birds in flight, and also for wide field astronomy! The zoom is perhaps not so useful as the 60x end can only be used when there is not much wind, not much heat haze, and the bird is not moving around a lot. Does anyone disagree, or think the 20xw is really good/useless?

Bear in mind 20xw=£125 and zoom = £200, which is not insignificant, though a minor factor in the decision, if any. (I might just carry on with the 30xw which is superb.)

The one factor that you left out that can make or break an eyepiece for digiscoping is eye-relief. You don't mention the brand in question, so there is no way of knowing what the eye relief of the 20xw you mention is.

In the case of the Swarovski eyepieces, the 20xw has less eye-relief than the 30xw. These few millimeters are make the eyepiece useful but not optimal with my CP5000. The limited eye relief pretty much negates its wide-field advantage over the 20-60x zoom when digiscoping. The Swaro 20xw is also not designed to be used with the Swarovski DCA adapter. Though I do have a workaround that helps quite a bit.

The 20-60 zoom is listed (from memory) with the same or similar eye relief as the 20xw, but its eye relief changes over its zoom range and actually has about 3-4mm more eye relief at 20x than at 30x and above. So even though this eyepiece has a more limited AFOV, I can use all of it because the eye relief is sufficient.

I'm a fan of relatively low power digiscoping and see that people using eyepieces with powers as low as 12x seem to get great results. So I'd think a 20xw would be a good choice - assuming the eye relief was at least 19mm and hopefully even a few millimeters more.

I must admit that I wouldn't even consider the 20x. The 30x and the 20-60x - yes.

On my Kowa 823 I had these two (well 32xW) and really the 20-60x was the one most used as it was excellent quality equivalent to the 32xW.

The Swaro 20-60x is pretty good, but I'm seriously considering buying the 30x for digiscoping.

I guess IMHO the 20-60x is the most versatile for viewing, but the 30x may be better for photos. The 20x seems to me a backward step as for viewing it would be of less use to me.

Leif, I wouldn't want to be without a magnification that allows the full resolution of the scope's objective to be visible, even if field conditions don't always permit it. Sometimes they do, and in any case that level of resolution is one of the things you paid for. In your scope that would be at least 40x. Henry

I guess I should have mentioned that the intended use is visual rather than digiscoping. (There's already so many good pictures on BF!)

henry link said:

Leif, I wouldn't want to be without a magnification that allows the full resolution of the scope's objective to be visible, even if field conditions don't always permit it. Sometimes they do, and in any case that level of resolution is one of the things you paid for. In your scope that would be at least 40x. Henry

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The general concensus does seem to be that the zoom is useful, and the 20xw less so, if at all!

Hi Leif,
Leica 20xw is one of the best eyepieces i know for the very reasons you listed: "wider better corrected field, greater DOF and larger exit pupil making viewing more relaxing" - that's exactly how I feel with it. BUT, I am afraid that you will sooner or later need that 60x (zoom) too - sometimes you just need more power...

Ilkka

Leif said:

The general concensus does seem to be that the zoom is useful, and the 20xw less so, if at all!

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Leif, I have the 20xw because when I bought my Apo Televid the zoom had not been out yet (and neither the 32xw). I have since bought a 32xw, but still mostly use the zoom. The 20xw, however, pretty much just sits in a cupboard. I am just too much a person who likes to get things a bit closer once found. And I sure hate to change eyepieces in the field, particularly while whatching something. So I consider the zoom the ideal lens for my purposes which, until now, have also been restricted to viewing. I do intend to do some digiscoping in the near future, however. So I'll see whether that unused 20xw might still get a chance to rise to fame.

Thanks for the replies. The zoom is now on my shopping list!