Looking for Feedback on a 5mm Ultrascopic

After nearly putting my eye out this past weekend while viewing Saturn through my 5mm and 6mm orthos, I've finally resolved myself to the fact that I need a high-power eyepiece with longer eye relief.

I observe primarily with a 6" f/5 reflector and need some feedback on modestly priced ($100 and under) options for planetary viewing. Much as I know the Televue radians are superior, they are far too rich for my budget.

Does anyone have any experience or feedback with the 5mm Ultrascopic (sold by Orion and Antares)? This is the 7-element model with the built-in barlow. Any other suggestions that might meet my need for a modestly priced (under $100) high power, sharp, high contrast eyepiece in the 5mm range with longer eye relief? Thanks!

It is a very comfortable eyepiece. I'd rate its eye relief as perfect for non eyeglass wearers. Field of view is substantially larger than orthos but the field itself has the very flat ortho look that is lacking in plossls. Field stop is easy to see, is crisp and well defined. It gives up a smudgen in light thruput to simpler designs like my 5mm Clave'. At the same time I much prefer it to the Clave' because the Clave' has practically no eye relief so that your eye is hard against it and its all but impossible to see all the way to the field stop all the way around. I'd say its as sharp on axis as the Clave'. To tell you the truth I've had a hard time spending enough time with my eyeball hard against the Clave' to make a lot of judgements about its optical quality. Not so with the Ultrascopic.

I like my 5.25mm Pentax XL better than the 5mm Ultrascopic in practically every way. The Pentax actually has more light thruput as well as a substantially larger field of view but its also a lot more expensive.

All in all I think the 5mm Ultrascopic is a great deal for under $100 and a lot better overall than the $50 or so competing eyepieces because of the comfort factor at that short a focal length. You miss a lot of good seeing moments no matter how good the eyepiece is if its too uncomfortable to look thru for an extended period of time. Hey, I observe for fun! Clear skies!

P.S. I believe the Celestron Ultimas may be the same design but I only have the 12.5mm in that line(it is also an excellent eyepiece IMO).


Ralph Junius