vixen lvw vs Badder Hyperion

veejo · #1 30-07-2010, 04:59 PM

Bit of a newbie, but learning fast.

Thinking about getting some super wide eye pieces (68 degree). It seems Vixen LVW and Baader are within my budget.

Any advice on which might be better, thinking about getting 3-4 of them becasue I'm hooked on eye relief and wide angle.

The scopes I've got are an Celestron 6se, and have a Skywatcher 8 SCT on it's way.

I can see the scopes changing over time, but the eye pieces look like a long term investment.

JethroB76 (Jeff) · #2 30-07-2010, 05:24 PM

The hyperions are basically clones of the Vixens, and although quite good are inferior in performance to the original. Get the LVWs if you can.

The Pentax XF's should also be considered although they only come in 2 focal lengths - 8.5 and 12mm - and slightly less FOV.

veejo · #3 01-08-2010, 09:25 AM

JethroB76,
thanks for the advice, leaning toward the LVW, thought of getting a set 22mm 13mm and 5mm to get me started ... if I mix it with a short barlow it should see until I learn more (about what I want and what I need). Any other lengths I need while I have to pay postage anyway.

I had thought of the pentax XW, only an extra $60 each and lighter, but a magazine shoot out said the LVW was better.

Suzy · #4 01-08-2010, 09:43 AM

Are you referring to the Sky at Night Magazine? If so, Vixen was only classed as better than Pentax because it was cheaper. You'll see the Pentax had an excellent rap in the article. Hope we're talking about the same article here.

Suzy · #5 01-08-2010, 10:00 AM

I own both Pentax XW & Vixen LVW. Don't expect the same performance with the same brand through out the focal range though. The Pentax XW dominates the shorter focal length range 10mm and down, Vixen out performs Pentax in the 20mm F/L. For comfort, I love the Pentax- and though the Vixen LVW's are great, I way prefer the Pentax for the comfort, the adjustable eye cup, I find the contrast a bit better than the Vixen, and it is dew resistant. In dew, my Pentax has never let me down, where as all the other ep's have. Some people apparently find the adjustable eye cup annoying, but once you get used to it soon enough, it's not a problem at all.

If you can afford the Pentax XW in the 10mm go for it! It is a Rolls Royce Lens.

veejo · #6 01-08-2010, 11:03 AM

Suzy,
you've made a key statement which has now burst my bubble of simplicty, and I was afraid that would be the case.

"Don't expect the same performance with the same brand through out the focal range though"

I had hoped to simply buy a set and be set for life (like ford vs holden) and if I wanted another focal length, jst get the same brand again, but having to pick brands at different length .................... ahhhhh.

I guess it's abit like buying wine, if they make good cabernet, they might not make good pinot noir, and it varies year to year, in optics I imagine it's model to model.

The review was from the sky at night, and it was the excellent eye relief that was more the draw card. I also saw a user based shoot out, and it was the clarity of the reflection on the vixen (due to the multi coating) that made it look better then the hyperion.

The pentax caught my attention .. yes becasue of the dew resistance, last thing I want is fogging or mould, and weight. Also they don't come up for sale often possibly people keeping them becasue there's not much better.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #7 01-08-2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veejo

I guess it's abit like buying wine, if they make good cabernet, they might not make good pinot noir, and it varies year to year, in optics I imagine it's model to model.

Not a bad way to think about it...no doubt some companies have "more" good ones than others but it is difficult to say one brand can rule them all.

Different horses for different courses...or put another way, use the right tool for the job and there are several companies who make some good tools!

JethroB76 (Jeff) · #8 01-08-2010, 04:46 PM

Agree with Suzy if you're considering uping the budget. The Pentaxes are some of the very best at 10mm and less. While you may find other options at longer focal lengths. Buying all one brand isn't necessarily the best way to go

marki · #9 01-08-2010, 09:01 PM

The 14mm XW is a ripper as well. Much better than my 13 ethos for contrast.

Mark

mercedes_sl1970 · #10 01-08-2010, 09:32 PM

Hi

The LVW 22mm is an excellent eyepiece - crisp, sharp, contrasty and wide enough for me. But, can't say I've compared it to the Pentax 20mm xw... The Vixen is one of my favourites in my 8 inch f6 dob and 100mm f13 refractor. The Vixen lvw 30mm is also rather nice.

Andrew

Wavytone · #11 10-08-2010, 02:02 PM

I have a few Vixen e.p's... LVW 5, 8, 13, 22 and the NLVW30, and I also happen to have an LV50 (a big beast).

I also have found that the TMB Paragon 30mm is a much better eyepiece than the NLVW30 (although it has very little eyerelief), the Paragon 30mm is sharper across a wider field.

For high power my personal favorites are the LVW13 and LVW8 but the Pentax 10mm would do just as well.

veejo · #12 10-08-2010, 08:21 PM

the penatx is $60 more than the Vixen, and becasue it's a long term investment, I don't see it as a big issue.

They are close in price, the bigger choice is which is the "best of breed" in a focal length, and I mainly have sct.

marki · #13 11-08-2010, 07:14 PM

I am not a visual observer by any stretch of the imagination but the first time I plugged my XW 14mm into the LX200 (F10) and pointed it at 47 tuc I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. You just fall through the spiral of stars into a beutifully resolved core. I could stand and stare at that for hours and often sneak a peak before plugging the camera in. This EP is a great match for an SCT. I think the XW 10mm would not get used often as seeing will prevent clear views at that focal length. This is the experience I have had with the 10mm ethos in any case. The 13 and 17mm ethos work well but the ten is just a bit much for the level of seeing I usually get. The 14mm XW does a great job on the planets and DSO's as well and certainly my favourite EP for the SCT.

Mark

StarLane · #14 20-08-2010, 11:35 PM

Hi,

Go the LVW. I own both Vixen LVW and Pentax XW and I've had a couple of Hyperions in the past. The Hyp's are good for the money, better than expected actually but the LVW and XW's are better again. It's a matter of you get what you pay for. From memory the Hyp's are 68 degrees and the LVW's are 65 degrees while the XW's are 70 degrees, so the Hyp's and the LVW are different regarding field of view anyway, not sure if it's a fair comparison.

Cheers

peter_4059 (Peter) · #15 21-08-2010, 08:12 AM

For what it's worth, I've got LVW's in 22mm and 13mm and LV's in 9mm, 6mm and 4mm and wouldn't swap them for anything including an XW.

UniPol · #16 21-08-2010, 09:48 AM

Try these links :

http://www.svenwienstein.de/HTML/stratus_english.html

http://www.svenwienstein.de/HTML/hyperion_-_english_version.html

Gowin (James) · #17 18-09-2011, 12:27 PM

I had a Hyperion purchased from an oversea supplier.
It is crap.....has a coating defect, that is visible at the edge of the fov.
Be careful when buying from oversea.

traveller (Bo) · #18 19-09-2011, 02:24 PM

Sorry to hijack the thread, but are there any differences between the new LVW with the twist out barrel and the older LV with colour banded barrels? The specs seem to be identical for both.

Bo

rmcconachy · #19 19-09-2011, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traveller

Sorry to hijack the thread, but are there any differences between the new LVW with the twist out barrel and the older LV with colour banded barrels? The specs seem to be identical for both.

Bo

G'day Bo,

Do you perhaps mean "... are there any differences between the new NLV with the twist out barrel and the older LV"? If so then I believe the answer is no (other than the twist up eye guard). The LVW series are physically larger oculars that offer a wider (65°) apparent field of view than the [N]LV series.

Clear skies!

traveller (Bo) · #20 19-09-2011, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmcconachy

G'day Bo,

Do you perhaps mean "... are there any differences between the new NLV with the twist out barrel and the older LV"? If so then I believe the answer is no (other than the twist up eye guard). The LVW series are physically larger oculars that offer a wider (65°) apparent field of view than the [N]LV series.

Clear skies!

Thanks for the quick reply, I was more thinking of the LV v LVW, from what I can see, the major difference is AFOV, due to the way the lenses are grouped. http://www.telescope-service.com/vix...s.html#Okulare
From what you are saying above, has the LVs been superceded by the NLV? (New LV?), as their AFOV and construction seem identical.

Bo