Best match for APM/Lunt 100 ED APO Bincoculars

[jeelan]

hey all,

I've just purchased an APM/Lunt 100mm ED APO binoscope and wanted to know what people's thoughts were around best match for eyepieces.

Given I already have Pentax XW's and Vixen LVW's, I was thinking of doubling up on a couple of the XW's (which I have read go well with the APM binos) - just not sure which ones would good combo.

The focal length on the APM is 550mm and objective size is 100mm. They are only compatible with 1.25" eyepieces.

I've read a few comments where people prefer a single magnification and dont change much, and others where people prefer 2 eyepieces.....

Has anyone got any thoughts on what combo goes best with these binoculars or any personal experience with how they use these type of binos?

just wanted to prompt some discussion - bino's are about 2 weeks away so will post pics when they arrive.

cheers
Jeelan

[anj026]

Hi Jeelan

I would suggest 24mm and 19mm Panoptics. However for Pentax and LVW then XW20 and LVW22 would probably be best.

There is a lot of discussion of this Binocular on Cloudy Nights Binocular forum. Many happy users. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you try them.

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/488264-new-apm-100-mm-90-degree-ed-apo-binocular/

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/532427-apm-100-eyepieces/

[GUS.K]

I've got the Oberwork/Andrews BT100mm 45 degree Binoscope and have tried numerous EPs, and the pair that I find the best fit for most of my observing are the Vixen 22mm LVWs, the ER and AFOV just work out great. I have a pair of 24mm Panoptics, but prefer the LVWs.

[wavelandscott]

I have one of these machines but have only had a few nights under the stars to try it out. Cloudy Nights has a number of threads on this and the 24 Pans seem to be good.

I happen to have the Denkmeir 14 and 21 and I found them to be nice in the little time I have had the binoculars. Lots of eye relief and big lenses made them easy for me to use.

On a lark I had a pair of the TMB 8 mm planetary eyepieces laying around and found them to be fun to look at Saturn especially considering ftheir cost.

I am hoping to get more time with them in our fast approaching fall.

[Allan]

From personal experience and what's widely written, the ultimate pair in the APM Bino is the 12.5mm Docter. Great ergonomics, eye relief and optically as good as it gets.

I have a pair that I'll use in the APM 120. Tonight I was out comparing the Docter, Ethos and Delos in mono mode, and the Docter was performing very well.

That's my suggestion for higher power. I'll be using the 24 Pans for lower power, and those two pairs are probably all I will use. If you have a 22 LVW I would start there with another one and see how you go.

[jeelan]

Thanks all for the suggestions..

The suggestion to get a second LVW 22 or Pentax XW 20 sounds good. I'll start looking around to see what's on the various forums.

I'm also interested in a higher power eyepiece (relatively speaking) and whilst I know the Doctor's are highly regarded, at $1K each, I'd prefer to look at purchasing a 2nd eyepiece to match a brand that I've already got.

The Doctor 12.5 would give 44x magnification - am i better off looking at the LVW 13? This would give me the closest match for magnification. Or perhaps the XW 14 or 10??

Cloudy nights has some really good feedback on the edge to edge flat field with the XW 10....

Also, I just noticed that the XW's are still on Amazon Japan for very reasonable prices so they may be a more attractive option..

cheers
Jeelan

[dannat]

Denk 14's, the docter 12.5's would be sensational though

[ab1963]

I will second the Docters ,i have only ever used cyclops and nothing compares period IMO ,so in bino mode i can only imagine how superb that would be

[Satchmo]

I'd put in a vote for a pair of 13mm Type 6 Naglers . Would give you a 2mm exit pupil - Ideal for detailed deep sky work , and the eye relief is just good enough to see the whole field if you dont need glasses to observe . I find apparent field gets really enhanced by binocular viewing - it seems to feel even wider with two eyes so an 82 degree apparent field is an awesome thing in binoculars .

When I was working on a 12" F5 binocular telescope , the 24 Panoptics and 13mm Naglers were pretty much the only eyepieces I ever used or needed though the 10mm Radians were nice on the Moon .