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View Full Version here: : First light, Andrews ACS bino


doug mc
15-08-2014, 10:36 AM
I read online that using binoviewers reduced the effect of eye floaters one can encounter using high magnifications. If this was the only advantage that would justify there purchase in my books. After swapping back and forth from mono to bino view using the same eyepiece in my C8, the reduction in visible eye floaters was true enough. Purchase justified. I also noticed something else that was even a bigger bonus. Due to the fact that my observing eye (my right) has a few problems, such as more floaters, when in bino mode my brain favoured the left, giving sharper views over just using mono. I find it difficult to train my left eye. This favouring the best eye is a real major plus using both eyes to view. I understand that being a low cost unit, low power views with longer focal length eyepieces than the 20mm GSO plossls i bought with this unit, you get darkening towards the edge of the field of view. I tested this with a 20mm 82 degree wide field eyepiece i own. In the C8 using the bino with 2inch GSO dielectric SCT diagonal extends the focal length to about 2400mm. This is due to the 100mm extra infocus needed to reach focus. Using a 2inch ED GSO barlow lens screwed into the 1.25 to 2inch adaptor provided with the diagonal, focus is a lot closer to the original position. This boosts power to about 2.5x. I recomend binos to anyone. :eyepop:

dannat
15-08-2014, 12:32 PM
happy they worked out for you Doug

doug mc
15-08-2014, 01:18 PM
I was concerned about the issue of joining images, but no problems there. I worked out the light path length by first placing one of the 20mm plossls in my 80mm f/11 refractor without the diagonal, and measureing the distance between the eyepiece and the ota, then placing the bino in with both eyepieces and measureing the in focus difference. Spot on 100mm. I am thinking of making an adaptor ring which would join the bino less the nose piece directly to the diagonal with its eyepiece holder section removed, just to lessen the effect of extending the focal length of the C8 optics. Would be nice to be able to have one of those powerswitch binos. :rolleyes: