Nikon NAV-HW 17mm Eyepiece

[m11]

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking of adding the Nikon nav-hw 17mm to my collection.

Was wondering if anyone has recommendations to where to buy this eyepiece locally? I saw Ageno Astro have it but the USD/AUD is kinda terrible right now.

Thanks,

M11

[beren]

Nikon on broadway might have them......

https://www.nikononbroadway.com.au/index.html


Japanese store Kyoei-Osaka are good , quick check looks a better price then Agena after conversion........

https://www.kyoei-osaka.jp/SHOP/nikon-nav-125hw.html

They accept international orders, just have to send them a email with what you are after and the Manager {Sakabe-San} will get back to you with confirmation and a Paypal invoice .

[m11]

Hi Beren,

Much appreciated for those links.:)

Off to kill more dough on eyepieces :rofl:

M11

[beren]

With Kyoei sometimes it may take a day or two for Sakabe-San to reply {resending a email sometimes help :)} but once through, the order is processed and sent quickly with tracking sent {best packing then any other store I have used}........also it wouldn't apply to that Nikon eyepiece but if you order through them a order over 30000yen avoids a domestic Japanese customs tax.

[m11]

Thanks for that info, good to know.
Will touch base , I am not in a rush but will definetely email Kyoei.
Planning to enventually grab the 17mm and the 12.5mm well.

Do you have those eyepieces yourself?

[ab1963]

Hi Mel
I have the Nav 17/14 and is excellent looks like you could reach in and grab the stars, I did replace the rubber eyeguard with one off a 13 Ethos and it made a noticeable difference , Didn't go for the 12.5 as with the Nav at 14 a little too close so went for the Docter 12.5 for Ortho performance at 88 deg fov and is the sharpest with the most contrast eyepiece i have viewed through plus it comes to focus in any scope i have had it in.

The info to buy from Japan is spot on and could save you around $200 ish but you will not regret the purchase, Why not try the classifieds first it's where i got my second one bought my first one new from Japan and still can't understand why i sold it...:shrug:

[m11]

Hey Andrew,
Hope things are well. :)

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Nikon Eyepiece. I have been thinking of getting it for awhile but wasnt rushing as always things to buy, opportunity cost :rofl:

I think I might get Docter later, I have the apm 12.5mm 83 degrees currently.

Thanks,

M11

[ab1963]

That’s an interesting eyepiece it is basically the Docter back engineered and would be very interesting to have a look through one and see if the glass and coatings are up to it, The Docter is supposed to be 84deg but has been proven to be understated so i wonder if it’s the same with the APM

[m11]

Will give it a comparison when I can get the Docter 12.5mm eyepiece. I have two of the apm 12.5mm for my binoculars.

Its a slow process for me anyway to acquire them all :P

[ausastronomer]

The 17mm Nikon is the best eyepiece I have used.

Contrast, sharpness and throughput like a Zeiss ortho combined with a wide FOV and excellent eye relief. It gets no better in the eyepiece world. The contrast in a high quality large aperture telescope under clear dark skies is just stunning.

The 12.5mm Docter is also very good and IMO a pretty close 2nd to the Nikon.

You will love it.

Cheers
John B

[m11]

Thanks John for sharing your experience. :)

That is definetely high praise for that eyepiece and seems to have close to everything you could want in an eyepiece. It must have been an amazing view in your scopes :eyepop:..

Makes me also want to grab the Nikon 14mm as well. :rofl:

I am building my eyepiece collection for my SDM scope thats coming.Sounds like the Nikon is definetely worth getting to add to my collection.

Thanks again,

[ab1963]

The 14 comes with the 17 Mel it’s a screw on Barlow of sorts and doesn’t affect light though put at all so you do get 2 ep’s for the price of 1

[m11]

Hey Andrew,

Ahh you are right.My bad.
Its a pretty cool feature to get two for one. Was thinking of the 12.5mm Nikon. :D

Thanks for the clarification.

So many eyepieces to get :P

[ausastronomer]

Yes you get a 10mm with the 12.5mm.

Good to hear that your premium eyepieces will end up in a high quality telescope. Peter's scopes are as good as any on the planet.

The optical system is only as good as the weakest link.

$10,000 telescope with a $100 eyepiece = $100 view
$100 telescope with a $1000 eyepiece = $100 view
$10,000 telescope with a $1,000 eyepiece = priceless view

Cheers
John B

[m11]

Hi John,

Yep, reading more there is a corrector which Andrew and yourself have mentioned.

Pretty interesting eyepiece, from all the reviews and people's experiences , haven't heard anything really negative apart from the price.

Thanks for that. Yah still have awhile to go for the scope. Carl is starting the mirror this month and he will be finished in our springtime.
I wanted to grab stuff in preparation, didn't want to have to worry or wonder later on. I am sure other stuff -family and work commitments will get in the way :rofl:

Thats a good little saying to keep in mind.:)

Was wondering if you have other eyepieces you would recommend? It sounds like you have quite few of them yourself. :lol:

[Ukastronomer]

What made Nikon your choice ?

Thanks

[m11]

Always trying to research and learn from others and their experiences. Nikon NAV-HW eyepieces come out as consistently good eyepieces as well as the Docter.

I have a fair few eyepieces already, I think I will get the Nikon to add to the collection.

I haven't gotten it yet, waiting on Kyoei to respond.

[ab1963]

As John says at that level everything needs to be right in the optical train and i mainly use mine in a Tak FC100DF,FT3035 focuser and a Baader 2'' BBHS mirror diagonal and still get the wow factor every time i point it at the stars it's amazing really

[m11]

Thanks Andrew.

My perspective, one less thing to worry about. Always worried about weather and the conditions already. Like to have the equipment ready and know its as good as it gets.😂

Can't wait to grab one. 😀

You can't ask for more than that if the equipment gives you enjoyment and pleasure viewing the night sky. 😁

[Ukastronomer]

Do you already have a 16/17/18mm eyepiece if so why add this one, what is to be gained, if not what other makes have you considered


.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Jeremy,

I don't own the 17mm Nikon NAV HW. My comment which you have quoted was "The 17mm Nikon is the best eyepiece I have used".

Around this focal length, I personally either own or have exclusive use of as part of my 3RF Australia Equipment, 18mm UO HD Orthoscopic, 17mm ETHOS, 17mm Nagler T4, 14mm Pentax XW and a 13mm ETHOS.

These are all very good eyepieces. None of them are as good as the 17mm Nikon NAV HW. I gave you the reasons already. "Contrast, sharpness and throughput like a Zeiss ortho combined with a wide FOV and excellent eye relief. It gets no better in the eyepiece world." While the others are all excellent eyepieces they are all a fraction behind the Nikon. It has everything one could hope for in an eyepiece all rolled into 1 eyepiece.

If I was starting out from scratch in the modern eyepiece world I would be buying the 17mm (also 14mm) and 12.5mm (Also 10mm) Nikon NAV HW's as my first 2 eyepieces and building my set around that base. I am not starting from scratch. I have had some of my current eyepieces for about 20 years. I don't need to re invent the wheel and start over for the small gains I would make. Particularly so, having regard to the fact that I now do about 1/5th of the observing I did 10 - 20 years ago.

For those that can afford the cost of admission and who own high quality telescopes and want the best possible eyepiece to go with their premium telescopes, then this is the eyepiece to buy. It has no equal in the current eyepiece world. The 12.5mm Docter is pretty good too and IMO runs 3rd behind the 17mm Nikon and 12.5mm Nikon, which is a small fraction behind the 17mm Nikon.

Cheers
John B

[Ukastronomer]

Thanks, appreciated

It is always nice to know "why" someone wants a thing, and really helps people with future cvhoices.

[Don Pensack]

Excellent eyepiece.
Just be aware it requires a position farther in than the in-most setting of the Paracorr to optimize it for coma correction. Not much, though--you're only 2.5mm away from the ideal position when the Paracorr is used in setting A.
It cannot be brought to focus using a SIPS focuser without moving the SIPS lens away from the ideal position.

[ausastronomer]

Hi Mel and Don,

Don raises a very good point. "The 17mm Nikon can't quite reach focus due to insufficient "in travel" when used with the SIPS at its optimum setting."

This is worth mentioning, particularly for those not familiar with adjusting a Paracorr or SIPS and who wonder why the eyepiece won't reach focus, the first time they go to use.

In reality and in the field this isn't any cause for concern. As Don said it gets pretty close. To compensate, you just adjust the SIPS / Paracorr slightly off the "optimal" setting and then the eyepiece will reach focus.

In the field under real sky conditions you can't detect that the Paracorr / SIPS is set slightly off the optimal setting. Observers have been doing this for at least 20 years with the 31mm Nagler and the T1 Paracorr. I also have to do it to reach focus with my 31mm Nagler T5 and my Pentax XW's when used in both my Paracorr T1 and my Paracorr PV2008. Under the stars you don't even notice it.

Worth mentioning for sure. Not a reason not to buy the eyepiece!

Cheers
John B

[m11]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the info regarding the parracor and sips. I haven't really used thr type 2 parracor I had.

The new scopes I am getting will have sips. Can you elaborate regarding moving the sips lens? Do you mean move the whole sips unit away of the scope focuser?

My apologies for my basic questions.

Mel

[m11]

Hi John,

Thanks for the info on the parracor and sips settings. I dont have much experience with parracor and sips at all.
Can I ask in particular for sips is it just using the focuser? Not sure on parracor at all.:shrug:

Thanks for the heads up, still alot to learn for this equipment for me.

Definetely planning on getting this eyepiece, something I will need to adjust and keep in mind.

Thanks,

Mel

QUOTE=ausastronomer;1463558]Hi Mel and Don,

Don raises a very good point. "The 17mm Nikon can't quite reach focus due to insufficient "in travel" when used with the SIPS at its optimum setting."

This is worth mentioning, particularly for those not familiar with adjusting a Paracorr or SIPS and who wonder why the eyepiece won't reach focus, the first time they go to use.

In reality and in the field this isn't any cause for concern. As Don said it gets pretty close. To compensate, you just adjust the SIPS / Paracorr slightly off the "optimal" setting and then the eyepiece will reach focus.

In the field under real sky conditions you can't detect that the Paracorr / SIPS is set slightly off the optimal setting. Observers have been doing this for at least 20 years with the 31mm Nagler and the T1 Paracorr. I also have to do it to reach focus with my 31mm Nagler T5 and my Pentax XW's when used in both my Paracorr T1 and my Paracorr PV2008. Under the stars you don't even notice it.

Worth mentioning for sure. Not a reason not to buy the eyepiece!

Cheers
John B[/QUOTE]

[Ukastronomer]

Well............... I am leaning a lot here, thanks

[Don Pensack]

The Paracorr can be moved in and out with the focuser if an eyepiece needs to move in a bit more (like the 20mm 100° Explore Scientific, for example).
The SIPS, though, is like having a fixed Paracorr. If the eyepiece needs to move in, you bottom out. The only solution is to move the SIPS lens a bit farther away from the focuser (usually possible). You will need to "reoptimize" its position once removing that eyepiece and going back to your other eyepieces. A tiny white mark on the edge of the lens and its housing can easily facilitate that.
So, it's not impossible to use the SIPS with the 17mm Nikon, just a bit more difficult than using the standard Paracorr.

[m11]

Thanks Don for taking time to explain how the sips and parracor work. I havent play with any of this equipment but will be getting a sips equipped scope soon.

Many thanks again :)

[GrahamL]

Dropped all my pennies on the floor when they told me the admission price.:(

[m11]

They are not the cheapest eyepiece in the world but my understanding is you get two focal lengths for the price with 102 degree view.

Reviews and people's comments are generally favourable.

I will grab the Nikon 17mm to play with later.

[m11]

Just to close the loop, was provided an opportunity to acquire the Nikon Nav HW 17mm which I grabbed quickly ( my thanks to the forum member).

Compared the view with the my 17mm Nagler and 13mm Ethos against the Nikon at 17mm and with the EIC to make the eyepiece 14mm in my 16inch dob.

I am really impressed with the view, took a bit to get used to looking side to side to get the full hyperview but the constrast and view was vivid is the best way to explain it. It seemed to show the whites as more crisperier white when compared to the Ethos 13mm.

The eye placement is not too bad and eye relief was good - I didn't experienced any blackouts during my eyeball placement. :eyepop:

Eyepieces were tested on M42, Eta Carina, Jewel Box, Omega Centauri and 47 Tuc.

Might look at getting the Nikon 12.5mm if the dollar ever recovers.

Its not a small eyepiece and it defintely has some weight to it :)

Many thanks to everyone for their advice and sharing their experiences.

[Don Pensack]

They are so close to exact copies that one person on CN uses one of each in a binoviewer.

[ab1963]

yes that's food for thought Don another iis member has a pair for binoviewing and wants to buy the Docter (Now Noblex) maybe he doesn't have to but whatever i will be keeping my real deal, It's a similar thing i suppose with the 13E and the ES14 100 deg i prefer the ES it is the only one in the 100 deg lines from both makers but they really got something right with the 14 and this is why i would love to have a look through the APM.......