Product Reviews
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Explore Scientific 5.5mm 20mm 100 degree 2" eyepieces
Due to an unusually warm several days in January, I was actually able to test both of these eyepieces in my 115mm triplet APO telescope, as well as compare them against my 13mm Ethos and 31mm Nagler. The actual viewing was done on one single evening and was not an extensive several-hour test. This limited the number of objects observed to a fairly few and included the Orion nebula, some of the bright stars of Orion, the Pleiades cluster and various other stars. Since neither the moon nor any planets were visible during my brief observing session, this report does not cover those type of observations. However, based on my very cursory observations of the mentioned objects, the ES eyepieces appeared to be the equal of the 2 TeleVues in all respects- sharpness across the whole field, fit and finish, etc. Experience with OPT was first class, as usual.
Explore Scientific 5.5mm & 20mm 100 degree 2" eyepieces
Due to an unusually warm several days in January, I was actually able to test both of these eyepieces in my 115mm triplet APO telescope, as well as compare them against my 13mm Ethos and 31mm Nagler. The actual viewing was done on one single evening and was not an extensive several-hour test. This limited the number of objects observed to a fairly few and included the Orion nebula, some of the bright stars of Orion, the Pleiades cluster and various other stars. Since neither the moon nor any planets were visible during my brief observing session, this report does not cover those type of observations. However, based on my very cursory observations of the mentioned objects, the ES eyepieces appeared to be the equal of the 2 TeleVues in all respects- sharpness across the whole field, fit and finish, etc. Experience with OPT was first class, as usual.
Initial Impression Very Good !
Haven't had a chance to use this new 5.5 mm Explore 100 deg eyepiece under ideal condtions yet, but first impressions are very good. First light was under average seeing, and moonlit sky. Scope was a 12.5" Obsession Dob, 1600mm focal length, f/5, (approx 292x) with a variety of targets including several doubles and the Trapezium in M42. E & F stars in Trapezium were clearly visible, etc. In comparison to an Ethos 13mm (approx 138x with Paracorr), which serves as my reference eyepiece with this scope, the 5.5 Explore held its own very respectably considering the seeing conditions and higher power. Didn't notice any objectionable chromatic aberration, kidney beaning, flare, or other issues. I was concerned about edge sharpness, and I was pleased that stars were reasonably sharp to the edge of the field (no paracorr used with this focal length). No noticeable coma. Eye relief was not an issue for me (I don't wear glasses though). Considering the price (value for money), the convenience of having a high power eyepiece with a 2" barrel, and the impressive performance (at least during my first light experience), I think it merits a 4.5-5 star rating.