TV 31 Nag.

[FlashDrive]

... is the 31Nag worth buying.... I know it's expensive but is it a ' wow ' kind of viewing when used and worth the money..

And I know they're heavy.

I would be using it in the TV Genesis

Your Thoughts.... or .... who wants to lend me one :eyepop: so I can find out..

Col...:D

[issdaol]

Col....simple answer.....Yes...Get One !! :-)

[Atmos]

Would it be better than the 35 Pan?

[Kunama]

I think the P35 would give quite a large exit pupil of 6.6mm whereas the N31 would be about 5.8mm .

The True Field with the P35 is 4.1 degrees whereas the N31 is wider at 4.4
The N31T5 is my most used eyepiece in the dob at around 83x it is my finder eyepiece, (TFoV 1.0º)

If you want to try one I can post mine up or the Ethos 21 .......

[OzEclipse]

Hi Col

I have had a cheap Andrews UW 30mm 80deg eyepiece for about 11 years. When I bought it Andrews sold it for about $70. I've heard it was a rebadged Olivon eyepiece
https://www.amazon.com/Olivon-Super-80-Degree-2-Inch-Eyepiece/dp/B00CHGMIGY Amazon now sells that Olivon eyepiece for USD129 however I can't guarantee it is the same eyepiece I have. It appears identical on the outside. Andrews no longer stock them, haven't in many years.

I recently purchased a second hand 31mm Nagler. So I have used the UW in more scopes and longer than the Nag.

Just like many eyepieces, their performance is different in different scopes. The Nagler is a stunning eyepiece on practically any instrument. I have not tried it on a fast dob. Reviews claim it deals with coma on a fast dob quite well. Matt's comments confirm this.

The $800 price difference isn't always accompanied by a large performance difference depending upon the instrument used. The UW30 works very well in cassegrains, SCT's, & Maks f9-15, I have an 8"f9 Vixen VC200L, the differences in the two eyepieces are not great through this instrument. These scopes are very forgiving on eyepieces. It also gives excellent views through my ED80 f7.5 again with a small out of focus edge the 20x80mm has a 4 degree F0V and 4mm exit pupil, your Genesis will have a much flatter field than my ED80 even though it's faster, a Petzval is flatter. I'd expect the cheaper eyepiece will perform very well in your scope.

The Nag being more highly corrected, retains sharpness right to the edge of field. However it does this with distortion. In a star field, this distortion is imperceptible. Put the moon or any extended object near the edge of the field and it becomes oval shaped.

The UW30 doesn't distort but loses sharpness at the edge of field. As the f ratio drops (gets faster) and especially in a fast Newt, the Nag is clearly in front.

I would not expect the UW30 to work well on a fast newt. Matt and I could confirm this with a comparison of the eyepieces on his 18" scope one night.

For me, the outer region of an 80+ eyepiece is there to give the sensation of looking through a large window into space. Like most observers, I don't do detailed observing on the edge of the FoV. My acute vision is centre of field, & averted vision. The wide field is there for sensation and as Matt said, to help finding objects. So neither edge distortion nor edge focus bother me in the slightest

Your question was, "is the Nag 31 worth the money" indicating a cost benefit aspect, The Nag 31 is probably the best eyepiece in class and will always outperform the cheaper UW eyepiece as you would expect. In some instruments, the difference is marginal, others great. if money is no object, spend the extra $700-800 and get the N31. If you intend to us a fast newt, get the Nag31. If cost is an issue, look at your use, scope type and consider the trade off between edge focus and cost. Olivon or other ultrawide eyepiece. My comments refer only to the 30mm UW, other focal lengths in the Olivon range may have quite different characteristics.

Joe

[FlashDrive]

Thank You all for your thoughts on my question.
A lot of information given by Joe ... thank you.
My intrest in this eyepiece has come from the reviews I've read.
People ' rave ' about its performance and excellent wide views you get, but I have never ' owned ' one myself.

Matt ...I have sent you a message.

Col

[issdaol]

He He thats called quoting from the "Sacred Texts" .....good armchair Astronomy ;)

[AG Hybrid]

Consider the ES 30mm 82 degree. Even the most seasoned observer would struggle to see a difference between the two in anything but a sub- F/5 Newtonian.
The price difference is substantial too.

[sopticals]

I have both, there is a noticeable difference in favour of the Nagler. To my eye better colour rendition, and overall better viewer satisfaction. However the ES is also an excellent ocular. If you haven't enjoyed the N31 experience then the ES is fine. Pic of contenders.

Stephen

[AG Hybrid]

Well, for 200% of the price of the ES I would expect better viewer satisfaction. Right now you could get a ES 30 delivered from the US for about $450AUD. How much delivered is the Nagler from a local shop in AUS? Over $1000? You might get one delivered for about $900AUD from the US.

Better color rendition? I wonder. Have they updated the coatings to that of the Delos line? Because last time I looked through an assortment of Nagler's (admittedly early 2016) they had a warm tone to the color. Which is fine if that's what you like I guess. Actually so did the Panoptics now that I think about it. The ES 30 has a more neutral/cool color tone to it. Not unlike Pentax, and Delos eyepieces.

As I mentioned earlier - correction is better in fast scopes. F5 and less. Its obvious. But for >F6 refractors, cats and newtonian's the ES correction is excellent from edge to edge.

But, you know. If one does get the 31 T4 at least there will be no doubt in their mind they have pretty much the best corrected lower powered view possible. $450-$500 difference is a lot of money though. You could get 2 extra ES82 eyepieces for that money.

[brian nordstrom]

:question: Colin , I have the Celestron Axiom LX 31mm ( Not the Lumios ) and it has been put up against a few 31mm Telemanglers over the years and we have all agreed that the 31m Nagler is better by about 5% , , thats the last 5% at the edge in an f5-6 scope and in a f8-10 they are identical .

You hardly see the 31mm Axiom's for sale anywhere because people that have them hang on to them ;).

There is:eyepop: definatly something in a 31mm , 82* eyepiece like the Axiom and Telemangler so I really think if you want the views grab the Nagler ,,, or :question: save a bundle and grab the ES 30mm .

Hard call , Genesis and Telemangler would be hard to beat tho :help::help::help:.
Your call buddy .

edit : Lo and behold , an ES 30mm 82* just popped up in the classifieds for $300 ,,,

Brian.

[Camelopardalis]

Cracking eyepiece :thumbsup: but I've been thinning the herd and I have a 30mm Pentax ;)

[issdaol]

Usually that extra 5% of performance is what costs the extra $$ when manufacturing any product.

Some people are happy without the extra performance when it comes to a cost benefit/budget constraint. Others will pay the extra for that little bit additional performance.

However at the end of the Day I have found that it really comes down to personal preferences and experience with both EP's and scopes with your own eyes and location/targets.

One person will prefer the Nagler 31 and another will prefer the ES or Pentax etc etc etc.

I try to make purchasing decision after I have compared things with my own eyes :-)

[FlashDrive]

Good Idea Phil ......