Binoviewing

I'm a newby with a Meade AR 6" Refractor. I upgraded my AR6 with a new Moonlite focuser,and Televue 2" Everbrite 90 Diagonal. I am interested in Binoviewing with a Denk2 and a couple of Televue 11 mm Nags. Befor I spend any more money, I would like to hear from those who have had some experience with Binoviewing and or Denkmeier.
1)Is Binoviewing nice, but not worth the money? etc.
2)Do I have the right scope for binoviewing? etc.
3)Any experiences with the Denk2? etc.

I bought a Denkmeier II a couple years ago and am totally addicted to it, use it almost all the time! I find that it is easier to see low-contrast details with two eyes than one. There is a slight loss of brightness due to the light being divided into two paths.

The power-switch feature is wonderful. I use my viewer with a pair of 24mm Panoptics and 9mm Naglers; will probably never buy another eyepiece. This pretty well covers the entire range of useful magnification except for low-power 2" wide-field viewing for which I don't use the binoviewer. The 24mm Panoptics have a 27 mm field stop which well matches the 26 mm optical path of the binoviewer.

There are two potential problems with binoviewers, of which you are probably aware: tube balance and inward focus. I had to add quite a bit of counterweight to my 14" Newtonian to balance the binoviewer. And I actually shortened my tube a bit so the system would come to focus at the lowest magnification. Denkmeier has done a good job of addressing this problem with their various adjustable corrector lenses (which also seem to do a good job of eliminating coma).

All in all, the Denkmeier is a very well made product and I'm very pleased with it.

I think you'll be pleased with the views that a binoviewer & your 6-inch refractor will provide. I have Tele Vue's binoviewer, and use it with a Takahashi TOA-130 (5-inch refractor). Eyepieces include a pair of TV 32mm Plossls, 24mm Panoptics, and 14mm Radians. I occasionally set up the binoviewer at Denver Astronomical Society open houses, and the usual reaction from members of the public is "wow!" 8O

A friend has the Denkmeier & powerswitch setup, and it provides great views and a lot of flexibility with regard to magnification.

Ron
Equipment Forum co-moderator

Since some people have trouble merging the image, you might try someone else's first if you can, or failing that pick up a pair of the entry-level binos (StellarVue, William Optics, Burgess, etc.) to see if binoviewing is for you. If it is, then go for a pair of the premium binos.

Ken....

James,

I have 3 pairs of binoviewers. The Siebert Black Nights, Denk standard, and the Denk II with dual arm power X switch so you can see I am a big bv fan. I find it much more relaxing to view through them for extended periods that mono mode. Here are some things you are going to need to keep in mind. I ran some numbers for the Nag 11s you said you want to use. I am not familiar with the AR6, but I very much expect you are going to need an optical corrector to compensate for the added 110 mm or so that the BVs add into the light path. You will not have enough infocus to use them without one. These usually add 1.5 to 2x to the focal length to your scope. If for example you chose the Denkmeier with the 2 arm power switch with the supplied OCS, you would be looking at magnifications at about 150x with the focal reducer switched in, 250x with both arms out, and 450x with the magnifier arm in, the last being, in my opinion, unrealistic for this scope. If you went with Harry's BNs and used his OCS which is 1.5 or 1.8x (please check his site to be sure) you would be at 166x or 200x magnification. This may be the range you are wanting to work in, but it may make you want to rethink the 11mm Naglers as your starting set of eyepieces. Anyway I rarely use Cyclops mode any more unless I need really wide field views which can only be obtained with the 30mm+ Nags and other such style eyepieces.

DanL