Explore Scientific 100 deg 14mm

[erick]

Any experience of this eyepiece? [Edit - actually, that would be impossible since it hasn't shipped yet :D ] [UPDATE - OK, I've found the CLoudy Nights threads and will have a read of them.]

USD499 with USD100 rebate [edit - for orders] until end of June.

http://explorescientific.com/eyepieces/100_degree.html

Found the FAQs:-

Q: Do you have any reviews comparing 100° Series Waterproof™ Nitrogen-Purged Eyepiece 14mm (http://explorescientific.com/eyepieces/100_degree.html)? Particularly about the star quality in an F4.5 reflector? Also, will there be an undercut, so you don't accidentally drop the eyepiece while removing it from the focuser.
A: The new 14mm 100° Series Nitrogen-Purged Waterproof™ Eyepiece does not have the "undercut" barrel design. Instead the barrel design is tapered so that the eyepiece can be smoothly removed and inserted into the eyepiece holder, and will securely hold in position when locked in.
As far as optical quality goes, users will be pleased with the pinpoint images right to the edges of the field. Explore Scientific stands behind the optical quality and we invite direct comparison with other brand eyepieces of similar type. We think you will agree that the contrast, sharpness, and transmission characteristics are every bit what one would expect from the very finest eyepieces obtainable. We invite direct comparison, and we are certain that there will be product reviews forthcoming.


Q: When do you expect your products to be available?
A: We expect our products to be available for purchase by mid-June 2009.


Q: Are your products available for sale worldwide?
A: Unfortunately, not all of our products are available for purchase worldwide at this time, due to distribution agreements.

[erick]

OK, here are a few comments off CN.

(Mod please delete if I'm breaking T&C here)

"The eyepiece is quite good based on my experiences with the protoypes, it is not a clone, they did not reverse engineer the ethos, they just designed an eyepiece that also hits 100deg with excellent correction, however they did it, they did it. I was expecting to be disapointed, and I was very suprised. In a well corrected, but fast scope such as the 6" f4.8 david levy mak newt, the moon on the edge was as sharp as the moon in the center, with minimal edge color. In a big 22"f5 dob, m13 was ALMOST as sharp at the edge as it was in the center, and I will attribute that to coma, since a paracorr was not being used.

If the production model performs as well, this will be a good performer.

Scott Roberts at Explore Scientific is top notch in my opinion, lots of experience from his years at Meade, this EP will be a winner."



" The ES 14.5 eyepiece is made for ES by Jing Hau in China. A top notch company. Scott Roberts and Paul Levy are some of the best people in the Industry. I can't wait to get my hands on an ES for a reasonable price."

[wavelandscott]

I saw a demonstration model at NEAF and had a look through it at the gymnasium ceiling.

The view looked okay with no obvious faults or problems during this daytime viewing. Fit and finish looked fine...

I did not get lots of time to play with it as other people were interested in getting a peek too.

In the daytime I had no problem with eye placement and the eye relief seemed comfortable to me.

My personal thoughts...not facts...again, I am not trying to state facts only my opinion.

How will it compare to the Ethos?...I have no idea.

Would I buy one in the first production run?...Nope

Why?...They don't control the manufacturing directly and until it is demonstrated that they have sufficient QC/QA I'm not interested in being a "tester"...I believe that Explore Scientific is a subsidiary/partner of the manufacturing company so I am not sure which tail is wagging what dog. Having said that, there was nothing visibly wrong with the demonstration eyepiece at NEAF and if it is representative of the prodcution runs it should be a nice eyepiece.

Do I think the folks at Explore Scientific will try and release a quality product?...Yes, I believe that they will try. I got the impression that they wanted to be "in the market" for the long haul. The people I met at NEAF from the company seemed genuine and sincere (purely my impression)

[ausastronomer]

Hi Erick,

Dr Robert Werkmann actually had the first prototype at Coonabarabran over the past new moon period.

I tried it in my own 18"/F4.5 Obsession and in the 18"/F4.2 Ultra compact.

It's an excellent eyepiece and very similar in its performance to the 13mm ETHOS. It is a bit bigger and heavier than the 13mm ETHOS. It is clearly a better performer than any previous Chinese made eyepiece clone I have used. Considering the price saving it probably represents good value. Like the ETHOS the eye relief is too short to use with glasses on.

Cheers,
John B

[gary]

Hi John,

I had a look through it too at Coonabarabran on the Obsession 18"/F4.2 UC and
it was delivering good views.

Best Regards

Gary

[erick]

Thanks for the reports. It will be interesting to watch this range develop. The price difference from TV Ethos is significant if one sets out to build a kit of say, three different focal lengths.

[GrahamL]

Going to get one Eric? :)

Wonder if weight will get some thought when buying this one
Am I reading right .. over 900 grams ?.

[mswhin63]

900g :eyepop: , If that is true, blimey going to need extra set of alt brakes on the Dob knob.

[erick]

I may be interested in their longer focal lengths when they come.

My 35mm TV Panoptic is 725g

[ausastronomer]

I didn't weigh it but I can tell you its big and heavy. I wouldn't even think about using one in a dob smaller than about 12" aperture, unless you like playing with counterweights a lot.

It is physically larger than the 13mm ETHOS and weighs quite a bit more. I didn't compare them directly, but I guess it would weigh about the same as my 17mm Nagler T4 or even a little bit more.

Cheers,
John B

[GrahamL]

big and heavy all right john
The 35 panoptic is no pocket dweller either .. man thats large
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Board/Eyepieces/Number/3177799/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1
:eyepop:

[erick]

I get drawn back to checking out Explore Scientific's eyepiece wares from time to time.

Today I observe that they are bundling the 9mm, 14mm and 20mm together for USD1,150 - until end of year, I think. (Compare Ethos 14/13/21 from a US supplier - USD1,928.)

I read this in the eyepiece cleaning section of the site:-

Nitrogen-purged and waterproof, the 100˚ Series eyepieces are very easy to maintain and clean: Start by placing them under running tap water, then spraying them down with pure distilled water before drying them with compressed air. If there is stubborn debris (e.g. grease, makeup, pollens, dust, food, etc.) then wash them in a bath of water and liquid dishwashing detergent. Use wet tissues or cotton balls to remove very stubborn materials, then rinse well before spraying with distilled water and drying with compressed air."

Just hose them down, it seems! :eyepop:

[Omaroo]

I've had the 14mm for a while Eric, and report that it is my favourite eyepiece in my Mewlon 210 by far. The views are identical to a friends Ethos 13 in the same telescope. No aberrations that I can easily detect (Mewlon DK design aside) and comparable in every way to the Ethos for day to day viewing. When used with my Tak refractors it's just fantastic as well. Sharp to the edge.

Whilst I run a 2" heater strap it's rarely needed - it just doesn't seem to dew up much.

I've heard how to wash it down, and will give it a go shortly as there is a little eyelash grease left on it after a public night recently. Should be fun. :)

[qld]

i own a 14 and 20 explore scientific(100 deg) and the ethos range of eps as well.the explore is right up there with the ethos however both eps produce differnt but interestng views eg when looking at tuc47 with the ethos you notice the cluster is slightly brighter particulary the center stars,the same object through the same scope using the explore scientific shows the diffenent colours of the stars in the cluster particularly at the center(perhaps not as bright,but that might account for the colour identification) similar outcome with omega centauri the scopes i have used with these eyepieces were a 8inch astro system dob at f6 a10inch skywatcher dob,at f4.716 lightbridge at f4.5 ,16inch obsession at 4.7and 25 obsession at f5,the 20mm explore scientific ep is in my opinion the best of the lot and no paracor is neded for it in any of the aforesaid scopes (nor for the 14 explore scientific),the same cannot be said for the ethos in faster scopes.the price is not relevant its about performance i am not talking about comparing the performance of these eps with cheap plossels, andrews specials or clones of older designs as some on this forum seem to do,or speculate on performance of eps they dont have or have any experience with....the explore scientific range is excellent and does not need to be compared with the ethos its like trying to compare a falcon with a holden ,,,pretty much the same enjoy

[Archy]

Based on what you say, the price differential, and the high exchange rate, my ES 20 is the way from Opt Corp

I will compare the views from the ES 20 with those from an Andrews 30 to see whether the higher cost of the ES 20 is worth it.

[erick]

I look forward to your report, George.

However if the ES 20mm 100 deg doesn't "blow away" an Andrews 30mm 80 deg, I'd definitely want my money back :D

[Archy]

We'll see: different scopes, different eyes, who knows what the outcome might be. I'll be comparing with and without paracor.

[Archy]

With the current weather, the view with all my eyepieces is the same.
I'll try again next new moon

[Jeeps]

I'm keen for a review too ;)

cheers

[erick]

:eyepop: On further sale! Total bundle now USD950.

http://store.explorescientific.com/100degreeserieswaterproof-eyepiece.aspx

9mm is out of stock. I just started clicking on the 14mm for USD300 until I found shipping would not be less than USD100 - I stopped clicking. :sadeyes:

UPDATE:- Found a US dealer with a better shipping price. I've ordered the 14mm. (Credit card starting to groan :rolleyes: ) Best view I have had of NGC 253 is through a 13mm Ethos. I look forward to the view through the 14mm ES being as good. :prey:

[Liz]

Woohoo .... good luck with the 14mm Eric!!


Yes, I was naughty a couple of weeks ago and purchased a 9mm 100dg Ep from the UK for $310 (delivered).
Its supposedly the same as the TMB or Zhummel in the US.
No chance to use it yet though. :shrug:

[casstony]

Looks like the lens layout is very similar according to these X-Rays:

http://www.svenwienstein.de/HTML/es_14mm_ethos_13mm_English.html

[erick]

Well, I have an ES 14mm 100deg eyepiece sitting in a box on my shelf. Looks good and my, my, it is big. And, you guessed it, several days cloud and rain is predicted for Victoria. And then the remnants of TC Yasi will reach us. Looks like a bit of terrestrial testing is all I can do.

[mbaddah]

Yes I remember my initial impression of the eyepiece when I first grasped it thinking it looked like a small refractor! Look forward to hearing it's first light report, I'm sure you'll be pleased with it.

[erick]

First chance tonight. Not a real test since I was using my cheap 4" f5 refractor. Standing on the table, it just absolutely dwarfs my 35mm Panoptic, and I thought the Pan was huge when I first bought it. The ES certainly is a handful. But first impression is good. No problem with finding the eye position to get a clean view. As with a 13mm Ethos I have looked through earlier, I cannot take in the field stop without moving my head around significantly. The view was being heavily limited by the significant limitations of this little refractor - probably will be Snake Valley Camp in early March before I can truly test it in my 12" f5 reflector. So far, feeling very positive. Bang for buck is looking very good!

[wavelandscott]

Congratulations on your new eyepiece. I hope you get a chance to enjoy it soon.

[erick]

Loving it in my 12" f5. It frames Omega Centauri and Carina Nebula beautifully!

And starting to feel comfortable about the 100 deg FOV. I just forget about it and I see nothing but stars.

Very easy to get eye position, with eyeguard up or down.

Tapered barrel is excellent for insertion and removal. The big rubber grip is great.

The only slight downside is the weight.

Bang for buck - huge!

It's a keeper!

[Suzy]

Hi Erick, can you please give some information on its edge performance, and it's resolution ability (eg how much of the core of a glob can you resolve) say compared to your Panoptic. Though I understand that your Panoptic and ES are different f/lengths, I understand within this range they perform pretty much the same.
Just sometime ... when you get the chance?

Also, how noticeable is the weight of the ep on your 12"dob? And barlowed as well?
Thanks. :)

The performance of their 70 & 85 deg range seems to be a different beast all together according to Cloudy Nights http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2481
Check out the size of it compared to the Panoptic!

[erick]

OK Suzy

I'll try to give more details, but I'm no expert on "warmth" and "contrast" etc.

Re weight:-

My scope balanced fine with a 35mm Panoptic (725g).
But the ES 14mm and my 27mm Panoptic/Paracorr both require some counterbalancing at the mirror box.

Barlow:-

I haven't tried the ES 14mm in a barlow. I will try it in my GSO 2x ED barlow at some stage. Must remember to park the car on the edge of the scope when I do that, to stop it tipping over! That will be a heavy top end!

Edge of Field:-

All of the field I can see when looking centrally in the ES 14mm in my 302mm F5 is sharp. Moving my head until I can see the field stop, I can see that the outer edge - perhaps the last 10-15% of the FOV diameter - starts to degrade a little, but nothing distracting.

Resolution:-

As you say, different focal lengths. I can compare the ES 14mm to my Panoptic 19mm at some stage and see what the relative resolutions look like.

Not sure when I can get the scope out again. Might not be until latter in April?

[Suzy]

Thanks so much for that Erick. And anytime when it's convenient for you to do the tests will be fine.
Not many reviews of this ep so far as I guess they are still fairly new on the scene, so your comments will be useful to many I'm sure. I maybe interested in a 4mm one day.

[erick]

It has been around since 2009.

Have you seen these two:-

http://cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2023
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2139

And these threads:-

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/3502703/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=Eyepieces&Number=4395535&fpart=&PHPSESSID=
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4305318/page/5/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

All Cloudy Nights.

[erick]

I did get a chance last night to test further. Not ideal conditions - pointing out of garage door with moderate light pollution.

I compared the ES 14mm to a Panoptic 19mm with respect to resolution. I used Omega Centauri (tucked under the top of roller door - less than full aperture in use) and close stars in Centaurus and Crux. Allowing for the difference in magnification, I believe that the ES was slightly better than the Panoptic - nothing dramatic.

I tried the ES 14mm in a GSO 2x ED barlow and it worked just fine. All I did see was that the barlow enhanced the chromatic aberration seen on very bright stars (Mimosa and Hadar) when they are close to the edge of FOV. Note that they show slight CA in the ES 14mm by itself - but it is out in that last 10-15% of the FOV.

The weight of the ES14mm and barlow was considerable. I didn't hear the focusser groan, however, and my counterweight approach balanced the tube.

I tried the ES 14mm in the Paracorr and I thought the view wasn't improved much (f5 scope) at all settings of the Paracorr. I am happy with the ES 14mm by itself.

[Suzy]

Thank you for the test Erick, very much appreciated. :)