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Old 19-06-2017, 01:03 PM
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First Light Impressions of TV Delites

Went out on June 2 to my site for some observing, and as it turns out I was treated to some excellent seeing. I have 2 new Delites, the 7 and 9mm. I used my 8" F/6 dob.

It took a bit of getting used to the adjustable eyecup, but after playing with it, it is a good feature and easy to use. The main issue was the real tight bottom caps, these took a bit of muster to get off, and at one point I think I even inadvertently unscrewed the barrel of the 9 Delite trying to get it off. I certainly did dislodge the adjustable eyecups in the process. Unfurling the rubber eyecup after taking the cap off resulted in the eyecup coming off, so had to re-attach it under dull red light, which was a bit awkward. Was a bit put off by all this, but as the night went on, I slowly got used to the nuances of these eyepieces, and I am sure I will get settled into a routine after more uses, just like with anything else new.

Now for the observing report. It took a bit of getting used to the eye position after being an LVW user for the better part of a decade. I found setting the bottom of the adjustable eye cup at the top of the lower hexagon symbol thing worked well.

I compared the following combinations on the moon, in excellent seeing after my 8" dob has been cooling for well over 2 hours.

9mm delite = 133x
7mm delite = 171x
22mm LVW + 2x Powermate = 136x

The 7mm threw up a beautiful, clear, neutral colour tone with jet black shadows. It was honestly like seeing Hi-def for the very first time. Amazing. The night side of the moon was clearly seen, despite the phase being gibbous on this night.

With the 9mm Delite, again the shadows were jet black with knife-edge contrast to the sunlit areas. The 22 LVW+2.5powermate provided almost the same magnification. The Delite provided a cooler, more neutral tone. Shadows seemed to be a tad richer black and crisper with higher contrast, the image seemed cleaner overall and very fine detail like tiny craters seemed to present easier in the Delite than the LVW combo. The limb of the darked side of the moon seemed to be presented in slightly higher contrast compared to the background sky in the Delite.

The 9 Delite just seemed to present a "HD" image compared to the LVW combo, contrast was fantastic, the neutral colour tone really gives that intense impression of contrast and very fine detail seemed more obvious. The light weight of the Delites was also a welcome relief, and it felt good not having to worry so much about balance.

I would prefer a bit more AFOV but the lightweight of these are a joy. I was using the crater Walther for comparisons as it has a number of tiny craterlets close to the edge of detection. There are 4 craterlets in a trapezium arrangement just north of Walther N. These are less than 2km across and were visible in both the 22LVW+2.5x combo and the 7 Delite, but the Delite was showing a tad crisper image with sharper contrast. The greys of the lunar surface were finer and more natural than in the LVW combo but what struck me most was the knife-edge contrast between the bright sunlit surface and the jet-black shadows and terminator. These boundaries were noticeably cleaner in the Delite. Ofcourse, comparing an 8 element eyepiece + 4 element Powermate to a single eyepiece isn't exactly fair, but it does make a case for less elements to maximise the lunar and planetary observing experience.

I'm really considering grabbing the short FL Delites, but on some nights even the 3mm is not short enough...
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Old 19-06-2017, 02:00 PM
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seems very positive
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Old 28-06-2017, 06:33 PM
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I have the 15,7 & 5mm Delites. The 7mm is the most often used and seems to work well in every scope I have tried so far (all refractors)

Great EPs; they tick all the boxes for me!
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Old 01-07-2017, 09:44 PM
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I went out observing last night, and at some stage during the night I found myself viewing the carbon star near Beta Crucis. I was using my 8" dob. I decided to do a comparison between the 9mm Delite and the 22mm LVW +2.5x Powermate. The carbon star appeared slightly more vivid in the Delite, but the most striking difference was in the visibility of a faint star just north of Beta but well within its glare. This star was visible about 80% of the time flickering in and out of the seeing in the LVW+Powermate combo, but, in the 9mm Delite, it was distinctly easier to see and held it vision 100% of the time. The 9mm Delite offers 133x, while the LVW+Powermate 136x, so identical for all practical purposes.

Now, I've been observing for years using LVWs in the Powermate for high power views. It appears I've been ripping myself off. The combo results in 12 lens elements, a fact I've never considered. That is not good enough, and from this obs, I saw first hand how much the extra glass restricts light throughput. My eyes have been opened.
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Old 01-07-2017, 10:51 PM
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The glass in the DeLites has a better polish than most eyepieces, which means greater transmission and less scatter. This is likely the reason for the difference you saw rather than the number of elements. The LVWs are also known for being slightly dim compared to the top eyepieces like TV and Pentax.

I've used the 11mm and 7mm DeLites and agree they are fantastic performers.
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Old 02-07-2017, 01:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MortonH View Post
The glass in the DeLites has a better polish than most eyepieces, which means greater transmission and less scatter. This is likely the reason for the difference you saw rather than the number of elements. The LVWs are also known for being slightly dim compared to the top eyepieces like TV and Pentax.

I've used the 11mm and 7mm DeLites and agree they are fantastic performers.
It was a quite a stunning comparison, while I would never powermate a 22mm eyepiece, I did spend years powermating the shorter FL LWVs. I did not even realise the amount of light loss I was subjecting myself to. My simple test last night woke me up big time.

I was also viewing the moon with the 22LVW+2.5x, the 9mm Delite, the 5mm LVW and the 7mm Delite. Honestly, the Delites provided unreal contrast, and that neutral tone, it was like viewing in 4K, just amazing. The views in the LVWs were inferior, like in standard HD. I'm setting aside my coin for the 3mm and 4mm Delites... and if TV ever decide to go shorter, I'm willing to remortgage my place....
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Old 02-07-2017, 10:40 AM
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The only 'down side' of the DeLites is the AFOV, but of course you can buy Delos instead if you need a wider field.

I like lightweight eyepieces so the DeLites are the best option.
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