Gargoyle_Steve
18-10-2006, 02:31 AM
I am something of a fan of the Orion Stratus / Baader Hyperion eyepiece ranges (owning a couple at present, and a third on it's way *wink*) and as many of you may know these 2 ranges are VERY similar in nearly all respects and would seem to probably come out of the same factory.
I therefore quickly noticed the add for Sirius Optics on page 15 of the brand new Aust. Sky and Telescope today which lists the Orion Stratus range of ep's at $ 125 each. Assuming this is not a misprint it is the best price I have seen by far, I bought my 8mm Stratus just 4 months ago at $185, best price I could find at that time. Seeing this add I immediately wondered why these great ep's may have taken a sudden price drop.
(For those like me with limited budgets who are looking for good quality ep's and can't justify Pentax XW quality at $400+ these are potentially one of the very best on offer below the $200 mark, at $125 they are unbelievable!)
Anyway .... thoughts of sudden price drops in mind I eventually turned over to the full page Saxon add on page 19, and about 3/4 of the way down on the left hand side something caught my eye.
You will find listed under "Coming Soon" some new un-named and un-marked eyepieces (no visible markings in the photos): in particular there is a range of 6 Super Wide Angle 80° ep's in 3.5, 5, 8, 13, 17 & 21 mm. Coincidentally the same 6 sizes exactly currently on offer in the Stratus/Hyperion ranges. The eyecups look the same as my current Stratus, and the bodies look VERY much like my Orion/Hyperions too, down to the distinctive "wide checked" rubber grip ring around the middle of the body.
So ..... is the Orion / Baader contingent moving up into the ultra wide Nagler type field of view market?
Will they still be pleasantly affordable in comparison to other more expensive competitors?
Will the new models, if indeed they ARE Orion / Baader units, maintain a level of image quality, etc, on par with their present models?
Time will tell ......
Cheers!
I therefore quickly noticed the add for Sirius Optics on page 15 of the brand new Aust. Sky and Telescope today which lists the Orion Stratus range of ep's at $ 125 each. Assuming this is not a misprint it is the best price I have seen by far, I bought my 8mm Stratus just 4 months ago at $185, best price I could find at that time. Seeing this add I immediately wondered why these great ep's may have taken a sudden price drop.
(For those like me with limited budgets who are looking for good quality ep's and can't justify Pentax XW quality at $400+ these are potentially one of the very best on offer below the $200 mark, at $125 they are unbelievable!)
Anyway .... thoughts of sudden price drops in mind I eventually turned over to the full page Saxon add on page 19, and about 3/4 of the way down on the left hand side something caught my eye.
You will find listed under "Coming Soon" some new un-named and un-marked eyepieces (no visible markings in the photos): in particular there is a range of 6 Super Wide Angle 80° ep's in 3.5, 5, 8, 13, 17 & 21 mm. Coincidentally the same 6 sizes exactly currently on offer in the Stratus/Hyperion ranges. The eyecups look the same as my current Stratus, and the bodies look VERY much like my Orion/Hyperions too, down to the distinctive "wide checked" rubber grip ring around the middle of the body.
So ..... is the Orion / Baader contingent moving up into the ultra wide Nagler type field of view market?
Will they still be pleasantly affordable in comparison to other more expensive competitors?
Will the new models, if indeed they ARE Orion / Baader units, maintain a level of image quality, etc, on par with their present models?
Time will tell ......
Cheers!