Experience with Zoom Eyepieces

Started by Peter Glus, 06/23/2006 08:00PM
Posted 06/23/2006 08:00PM Opening Post
Does anyone have any recent experience with zoom eyepieces? Strangly enought, there doesn't seem to be a review of these on AM Reviews and no forum threads on this subject. I am interested becuase it seems like the perfect accessory for planets / db stars.

There appears to be a wide range of prices, from 59 bucks to hundreds +. Also, the reviews for the GSOs and Scoptronix's (lower price end) seem very positive (?). Can anyone share their experience here on the subject? Particularly the performance of the lower price end models?
Posted 06/23/2006 08:33PM #1
There are plenty of reviews if you search around.
I have two TV zooms and I use them quite a bit.
I find them useful for quick magnification when showing certain objects to new viewers.
Closing in on a lunar crater comes to mind.
Posted 06/24/2006 08:41AM #2
Well, I'm afraid being kind of an exotic since I almost exclusivly use with my TEC 140 apo my Leica zoom 22mm...7.3mm. My only other eyepiece is the 26 mm Nagler T5 (38x, 2.1 deg TFOV).

In addition I have a Zeiss-Baader VIP-barlow screwed directly into the 2" filter thread giving 1.75x barlow factor (to be varied between 1.6x and 2.3x by means of T2-extension rings).

Thus I cover the complete range from 3.7 mm exit pupil down to 0.6 mm exit pupil with just two eyepieces and a barlow.

The zoom gives extremely sharp and contrasty views with high light transmission. The low AFOV for the longer focal lengths (above 16 mm fl yields less than 50 degs) is not used (exit pupil above 2.1 mm), since this range is covered nicely by the 26Nag.

I've compared the 10-mm-setting against a Pentax XW 10mm and with 2x barlowing against a 5 mm Nagler T6, and the Leica could compete very well.

Andreas