View Full Version here: : 15mm shootout
iceman
11-08-2005, 02:24 PM
Ok, so Slice is kindly sending me his 15mm series 500 eyepiece, and I've already got a 15mm GSO eyepiece.
So it's time to do a shootout.. Time to test the quality side by side.
However I also though it might be worth throwing a couple of others into the debate..
Rod has a 15mm GSO SuperView, might be worth comparing that against the other two 15mm's? Apart from the wider FOV, does the GSO SV offer anything better than the standard 15mm plossl?
Also as a benchmark, it might be worth comparing the three against a (known to be) good quality 15mm eyepiece, like a pentax, televue or something. Does anyone on the central coast, sydney or newcastle area own a good quality 15mm eyepiece that I can borrow for the shootout? I have a Meade UWA14mm S4000, but the ultra wide FOV and slighly increase magnification might make direct comparison harder.
iceman
11-08-2005, 02:30 PM
Oh also if you live further away and have one I can borrow (and you won't miss it too much for a couple of weeks :)), I'm happy to pay postage.
h0ughy
11-08-2005, 03:16 PM
I have the 15mm series 4000 meade, and a network to fix :D
shredder
11-08-2005, 03:29 PM
Well I am fairly sure I have a 15mm GTO somewhere you are welcome to test.
What is a GTO I hear you ask? Well its a cheap plossle that I got from the US which is supposed to be a main stream brand rebadged. Personally I had two of these and they were so bad I decided to cut one up to see if it was even a plossle, so I am down to one.....
Was it? Well yes it actually was!
Peole did reviews of them on Cloudy Nights and thought they were great value, which is why I got them, but in reality they arent worth the postage cost.
M
sounds like a great idea mike!
iceman
22-08-2005, 09:08 AM
Thanks to Slice who sent his s500's, and thanks to Rod, who dropped off his 15mm GSO SV yesterday, I now have the 3 "budget" range ready to test..
15mm Series 500
15mm GSO Plossl
15mm GSO SV
With the moon rising later this week I'm hoping to get outside with the scope and give them a test run.
Will hopefully have some results to writeup next week.
sweet, thanks mike. it'll be interesting.
from best to worst in an f5 I am expecting:
GSO plossl good to the edge
GSO SV with 10% seagulls
500 series with almost the same clarity but not quite as good as the other 2
but I guess we'll see. If it was f6 and up the SV might turn out to be better. anyhow thats just my opinion
dhumpie
23-08-2005, 05:08 PM
I agree with David. Still it will be interesting to read about your observations.
Darren
iceman
24-08-2005, 09:44 PM
Went out tonight for the first night of observations with them.. So far, there's really not a distinct difference in the three.. Obviously there'll be a full report after i've had them out for another couple of nights, testing against more objects, especially the moon and barlowed on the planets which I haven't had a chance to do yet.
What I've noticed so far though, is that it can depend on which object you're viewing as to which eyepiece performs the best.
Anymore more tests needed..
ballaratdragons
24-08-2005, 09:53 PM
How does a Star test compare Mike? Not a Star-test for collimation, I mean 'pinpoint', 'clear' or 'blurry'?
iceman
25-08-2005, 06:28 AM
All of them were pretty sharp last night, because the seeing was very good. Obviously they all performed best in the middle of the field with your eye on-axis. They all started seagulling towards the edge of the field or if you tried viewing with your eye off-axis.
More in the full report.. hopefully will get out again tonight with them.
gaa_ian
25-08-2005, 06:38 AM
I look forward to your full report Mike, Lee is still keen on selling the 500's with his scopes claiming they are virtually the same !
I have already been telling prospective buyers to insist on GSO Possol's.
how that compario coming along mike?
iceman
29-08-2005, 01:30 PM
Almost finished.. was able to check out Venus and Jupiter in them on Saturday night.. just need the moon now so I'll try and do that tomorrow morning, early!
Then I just have to write it all up.
gee sounds like a comprehensive review mike!
elusiver
14-09-2005, 04:54 PM
:poke:
any closer???? :P ;)
el :)
iceman
14-09-2005, 07:03 PM
Will do some final moon testing with them tonight, and finish the writeup. This week, hopefully!
elusiver
15-09-2005, 05:25 PM
looking forward to it mike. :D
el :)
iceman
15-09-2005, 07:47 PM
I'm in the process of writing it up, don't think i'll get it finished this week, but early next week for sure.
It's proving to be a PITA actually finding the specs for these eyepieces - eyerelief, FOV, lens elements etc. Several sites have conflicting information.
janoskiss
15-09-2005, 08:00 PM
Give us a scoop! Was the 500 really as much worse as most of us seem to think?
iceman
16-09-2005, 06:28 AM
Nope.
i didnt think so. they arent naglers but they are still quite usable. I had a 15mm 500 and it worked fine.
square_peg114GT
16-09-2005, 11:28 AM
I'm curious about these 500 series eyepieces. I've never heard of them in the states. Could they be GSO's branded with the 500 series name? We have many retailers selling GSO's under different names.
as far as i can tell they arent peggy. I have asked about them at the supplier and they say they have them "specially made" but I am not sure what that means. the GSO EPs have a better eye-cuppy thing that folds down where as the 500s have a hard rubber one that doesnt. also the 500s dont have the retainer groove thingy in the barrel.
iceman
16-09-2005, 02:32 PM
They're badged as GTO plossls in the states.
http://www.handsonoptics.com/ep_gto.html
you have done your homework havent you! :)
square_peg114GT
16-09-2005, 03:02 PM
From the handsonoptics site:
That pretty well establishes what the GTOs are.
elusiver
16-09-2005, 07:24 PM
so celestrons are GSO's?
el :)
gaa_ian
16-09-2005, 09:21 PM
I'm Interested to know then, why the price difference between these & the GSO Possol's ? Also what about the bad reports on them in this forum, does it depend on the focal length of the Eyepiece ?
Are the series 500's the seconds from GSO ?
So many questions, I'm sure Mike will have some answers for us next week ;)
janoskiss
16-09-2005, 09:34 PM
Well, my 20mm 500 is inferior to my 25mm and 10mm GS. The biggest problem with the 20mm is strong light scatter/diffraction along one direction, as if you were looking through a Newtonian with just one very thick spider vane.
square_peg114GT
17-09-2005, 03:02 PM
No, Celestron's are GTOs. If I were to take a guess, it would be that GTOs/Celestrons were made by Synta, the Chinese company that just bought Celestron. Biggest competitor to Taiwanese Guan Shen Optics (GSO).
Hmmmm. I wonder how to verify this?
so 500s are made by synta then?
the thick plottens :P
square_peg114GT
18-09-2005, 02:19 AM
No, that was my guess. I just learned it was wrong. I posed the ? over on cloudynights and got back a reply from one fellow who's got a GTO 32 plossl from Hands On Optics. The box reads, "GSO PL32mm Made in Taiwan". Site admin Tom Trusock then confirmed this. So at least some GTO EPs are really GSOs. Don't read too much into this. Things like full multi-coating and edge blackening can vary with what the retailer specifies, so not all GSO products will perform the same.
square_peg114GT
18-09-2005, 07:17 AM
Watch me spin like a whirling dervish. :rofl:
Now somewhen says just the opposite,
Follow the fun on the CN thread 'Who makes GTO eyepieces?' (http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/603399/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1)
iceman
20-09-2005, 06:49 AM
The review is done!
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=4284
h0ughy
20-09-2005, 07:59 AM
nice review Mike, you did a fair and objective review!
iceman
20-09-2005, 08:03 AM
Reply in the other thread! :P
dhumpie
20-09-2005, 12:58 PM
Great review Mike :) Very detailed comparo's....
Darren
Starkler
20-09-2005, 01:05 PM
Locking this thread , please reply in this one.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=4284
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