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.

Hey James,

I can pretty much second what Jarno has said. I've never had a Denk-I've got one of those can't-be-named binoviewers, too. After playing around with them on a wide variety of objects I can tell you that I use them mostly for high magnifications on the Moon and the planets. Much easier than squinting, and if floaters are an issue for you they disappear with two eyes. Had some great views of Saturn through them on an 8" f/6 dob and a 14" f/4.7 dob
Larry

James,
I don't have a Denk, but I can say that the answer to the first two questions is YES and YES. Well, you can binoview with most any scope, but some might be easier to use than others. With the AR6's long 1219mm focal length, you are going to be getting high powers out of the binoviewer. You will need some kind on optical corrector to reach focus, and they will increase magnification. (The amount depends on the type of corrector). If you are new to binoviewers, I recommend walking before jogging. I would start out with pairs of longer focal length eyepieces, like 20mm to 32mm plossls. Then work your way up the power ladder as you see a need. Many people have trouble working with binos at first, and the lower the power you start with, the easier it is to start merging and focusing. I can merge at 200x now. But at first I had trouble even with 55x and had to practice outdoors on stationary objects. Have you considered the Denk Big Easy? You get everything you need (except eyepieces) to start bino-ing with your AR6 for much less money than the Denk II. You can check out the Denk website for details but the biggest difference between the two is in the coatings. I don't think, with the quality controll that Denk has, that you will see any difference in the resolution or image detail between the two with your AR6, although the image will most certainly be a bit brighter with the Denk II.

David E

With the addition of a proper solar filter over the front of your telescope, a binoviewer is a wonderful way to enjoy solar observing. Using two eyes at night is an improvement. Using both eyes during the day is a huge improvement. It is much harder to "ignore" the non-observing eye during the light of day, and the binoviewer provides a nice solution to this problem.

Clear skies, Alan

James - I have a Denk II and use it primarily with a two of my scopes (8" LX200 SCT/5" AP 130 EDT). The Denkmeirer binoviewers are terrific quality (even the standard and the Big Easy versions). I do think binoviewing is worth the money, but the costs can add up quickly.

Your Meade refractor will work with a binoviewer, but I would recommend you talk to Russ at Denkmeirer first - he'll include the necessary adapter tubes to make it work properly. I wouldn't hesitate to go with the Denkmeirer Big Easy or Standard and a decent set of eyepieces with reasonable eye relief 12-20mm. I use a pair of 19mm Panoptics in my Denk II, but you really don't need to spend that much for good performance.

For what it's worth, I had trouble merging images with both a Burgess Optical and a Williams Optics binoviewer. I didn't experience the same issues with the Denkmeirer. I'm not sure why that was, but I wanted to mention it.

James Wilson said:

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.