13.8 & 18mm Meade SWA's???

Hi Astromart guys and gals,

I would like your opinions on the Meade 13.8 & 18mm SWA eyepieces for use in f/5 (fast) reflectors. I know that they won't be quite like a comparable Panoptic, but usable?

Please give me your opinions!

Attached Image:

Jeff,

I have the 32mm SWA, the 14mm UWA and the 8.8 UWA E.P.s and for the most part I think they are comparable to the panoptic E.P.s. I had a chance to compare a 35mm Panoptic (or was it a 32mm… I forget…) and for the most part the Meade kept up with no problems. I know many astronomers here is Austin believe the same too! The only disconnect between my reply and your question is I was using an f10 LX200. I regularly use a focal reducer to speed up the scope to an F6.3 and I have noticed no visual aberrations whatsoever. You may want to get some opinions form the dob users though.

I think you will be pleased with them.

Joe.

Hi Jeff,

I've used the Meade SWA 13.8mm and 18mm in F/6 and F/7
refractors, and I thought the edge sharpness left alot
to be desired. They are close to the performance of
the old TeleVue Wide Field 15mm and 19mm, but the
TeleVue's were slightly superior for edge sharpness
in fast scopes. The Meade SWA were really quite nice at
F/15 but not F/6 -- my "un-educated guess" is that they
were probably optimized for use in their F/10 SCT scopes.
I also thought the TeleVue WF had a little better coatings.

But, yes, they are tolerable. I actually thought the
view on the Meade SWA was nice and comfortable, so there
is one plus (even if less sharp). Reasonable eyerelief
and less-critical eye position compared to TeleVue WF
and Panoptics.

If you see a used TeleVue WF, maybe give it a try --
a little sharper in fast scopes -- comparable price.

The Panoptics are really in another leauge altogether
compared to Meade SWA and TeleVue WF, but so is the
price.

- John B.

I've been using an 18 SWA for a few years. It's great in my f10 5" SCT, although I have a 17mm plossl that has far better edge sharpness and therefore provides nearly as much sharp field of view as the 18. The 18SWA edge sharpness deteriorates rapidly in my f5.6 ST90 to the point it is not a good choice for that scope. Likewise it doesn't do very well at the edges in my f5 6" newt, but it is giving a 1.5° fov at 42x. Several times I was ready to sell the 18, but I keep it because it is a very easy eyepiece to look through. Comfortable eye relief, instant image and a nice clear contrasty view.

edz

I’ve had a 24.5mm Meade SWA and the view was good but stars at the edges where very degraded. Keep in mind that this was on an f/10 SCT. The two Meade UWA eyepieces that I have(14mm & 8.8mm) are very sharp all the way up to the edges and provide a very good performance on both my f/10 and f/5 scopes. I have since sold the 24.5mm and replaced it with a 31mm Nag T5. Now that is an eyepiece....