Expression of interest: New TMB Planetary Type II eyepieces

[Sylvain]

Hello everybody, :)

I might be able to get my hands on several new TMB type II planetary eyepieces of 6mm and 9mm.

From the TMB website:
"The TMB Optical® eyepieces are the first long eye relief eyepieces with a comfortably wide field that have the sharpness, contrast, and lack of lateral color and light scatter for planetary observing of the best orthoscopic and Plössl designs. What they don’t have is the ortho and Plössl’s limited eye relief and restricted fields. The six-element TMB Optical® eyepieces provide a substantial 58° field of view with high contrast, a tack sharp view, and surprisingly long eye relief for relatively unvignetted eyeglass use."

I would like to know who would be eventually interested in getting some.

The price would be $49 + shipment.

Please express interest by PM only.
Thanks for reading. ;)

[Roobi]

Hey there phiber. Just wondering will they ship anywhere in aus. I'm in melbourne, any ideas what shipping would be?

[Sylvain]

Hi there Roobi,

Yes I will ship anywhere in Australia, but not overseas.
Postage to Melbourne would probably be in the $5-15 range. It is to cover the shipping cost itself + handling.
Thank you for your interest.

Jason, I would appreciate if you would consider promoting/selling your eyepieces on a separate thread. ;)

Cheers and thanks.

Sylvain

[h0ughy]

Sylvain,

i am interested to know who you work for mate? Seems like that you are a shop by you saying that you dont have "stock"? can you please explain more?

[Sylvain]

Hello David,

I do not work for anyone and I am not a shop either!
I am an amateur just like you or anyone else on the forum.
I have sent you a more detailed answer by private message.

[Sylvain]

Thank you everyone who responded.
I will keep you updated soon.

Regards,
Sylvain

[Max Vondel]

Hi all, just a quick message to let you know that my 6mm arrived in the mail this morning. It was well wrapped. So all is OK David because you did seem to expess concern (rightly, THX for looking out for us). I'm happy to say that "Phiber" is good as gold.
Will do a direct comparison of the TMB 6mm vs the TV 6mm radian.
And I'll post the results as soon as the clouds dissapear and Jupiter pops into view!
;)

[mental4astro]

I got my 9mm yesterday. Thanks Sylvain!

I've had a 6mm for a few months now (obtained from elsewhere), and, ohhhh, it is soooo nice to use.

Such a long eye relief for such a short focal length EP, nice wide FOV so the drift time is so much longer than with anything else I've used. And the image quality is so fine- I haven't noticed any ghost reflections either with the Moon or Jupiter.

And on GC's, man-oh-man, nice and bright and tight star images.

I just can't wait for a clear night to give this one a fang...

The 6mm gives me 333X on my 17.5" dob- too much for most instances. This 9mm will give me 222X, much more practical, but still requiring good conditions.

[Stu Ward]

You got PM !!!

[macsen2]

thanks sylvain,fast delivery,good value..6mm jupiter,very nice...regards mac

[Max Vondel]

Hi all
Finally had a chance to do a comparison between
the TMB6mm and the TV Radian 6mm.

Just to clarify my vision is quite poor with astigmatism of 2.5.
Yet I prefer to view without glasses as I consistantly see more without them.

Tonights targets were an almost full moon and Jupiter.
Telescope TOA130 fl1000mm so 167X.

First thing I noticed was a greater sky darkness with the TMB, maybe the TV needs a clean. There was a nice moon off the limb of jupiter. Details were lovely with both EP's and my poor quality vision was unable to destinguish between the two. The field of view with the Radian was slightly larger I thought. The TMB seemed more contrasty. I preferred the Moons shadow creased limb with the softer Radian. Jovian details seemed easier to spot with the TMB. But it was all pretty much of a close call.

Conclusion: Very impressive for a $50- eyepiece, especially when compared with a quality Televue EP 5 times the cost. My poor vision couldn't tell them apart
:)
With a couple of days hindsight I would like to add that the TMB seemed to be easier to focus well. The Radian produced a similiar quality image but was harder to fine tune. The Radian does have more bells and whistles with the adjusting collar and optional astigmatism compensation lens, but I've never bothered with that. I still find that with my poor vision I usually out perform the casual observer due to my many years as an amateur astronomer. You kinda learn how to look to max what you see.
Clear Skies
PB
:thumbsup:

[Stu Ward]

I have placed my order, looking forward to them coming back into stock after Max's review !!!

[mental4astro]

Hey all,

I finally got a chance to give my brand new 9mm a thrash.

I chose my 8" f/4 scope for this knowing that if a particular f/ratio would show any short comings, an f/4 would, making sure it was as well collimated as possible. This scope/EP combo gives 90X neat.

1: Jupiter was first of the rank. Oh, how nice. Nice banding and all four Gallilean moons on show. Moving the moons to the edge of the FOV, the very last 5% started to show the effects of coma, and a tiny amount of astigmatism right on the very edge. I doubt this would be obvious in any other scope of a slower f/ratio. It was only noticeable by really looking for it. Diffraction spikes from the spider were visible only radiating of the bright planet.

2: M7 was low in the western sky, depriving me of its full potential. Still, WOW, nice bright stars all the way across the FOV.

3: 47Tuc- now we're talking. BAM! So many stars! Spectacular resolution, and at 90X nearly the full extension of the GC filled the FOV. I pulled out my 2X barlow, man-oh-man! Still pin-point stars, and the entire FOV totally packed with the massive cluster. The effects of coma were not noticeable with the barlow.

4: NGC 253. As I had suspected, Sydney's sky has gone to the dogs big time in only one year. I had wanted to use this particular scope as the test scope for sky conditions to compare contrast with my open truss scope. My worst suspicions where realised sky wise, thankfully not scope wise. NGC 253 became easier to make out with this TMB Planetary 9mm with the darkened background sky glow. Variation in brightness was noticeable with a brighter core and fading elongated disk.

I am really impressed with this EP. A worthy addition to my collection, and a as good a stable mate as the 6mm I already have.

Thanks, Sylvain. I am in no way disappointed, and all my expectations have been met with this brilliant eyepiece.

Mental.

PS- I forgot to mention the eyerelief: huge.

That is another great feature of these TMB Planetary Type II's, the fantastic eyerielf means much more comfortable viewing as you don't need to sit your cornea on the eye lens to both see into it & see the entire FOV.

Another feature of these EPs is they have a twist cap sleeve. By giving this cap a twist, you raise and lower the rubber eye cup to the most comfortable position for you.

Love it!

[cjpops]

Pm sent! :)

[Jeeps]

Sylvain, I am looking forward to my eyepieces i ordered just before the weekend arriving in the next few days :)

Cheers

[Sylvain]

Sam, they should be there soon. I have PMed you the registered post number, in case :)
Anyway the registered post insures the shipment for $100 - the total value - should there be a problem, which I am convinced won't happen as I take good care of preparing tough packages. :)

[AdrianF]

I am happy with my eyepiece and the price. I have not had chance to use it for astronomy but I have used it to look around terestrially and it is better than a $129 eyepiece I have. I for one would be happy to hear of other bargains Sylvain hears of.

Adrian

[Kevin Trendy]

WOOO my eyepieces arrived an hour ago. Very well packaged, bubblewrapped and taped, only took about 4 business days. Hopefully i can get to use them tonight if the conditions are right (knowing my luck they wont be)

Thanks Sylvain:thumbsup:

[Jeeps]

x2, mine arrived today too. I am looking forward to some clear skies ;)

Thanks Sylvain for the quick delivery.

cheers

[AstroFlyer]

PM sent.

Cheers
Arek

[AstroFlyer]

X 3
Mine arrived this morning - less the 24 hrs from making the payment!:thumbsup:
How's that for service?!
Thank you very much Sylvain.

Arek

[Smyths77]

Thanks Sylvain,

Mine arrived a couple of days ago all neatly packed. :) Thanks for the fast service and secure packaging. I look forward to using this weekend (assuming it doesn't cloud over of course).

Stuart

[Trixie]

Mine arrived today. They were really well packed. Thanks Sylvain. Now for some clear skys to try them out on!

[Sylvain]

My pleasure guys. We all need clear skies but I don't see that happening anytime soon :/ New equipment sure won't help! ;)

[Radiation]

Just got my 6mm, delivery was fast and it was really well packed. The eyepiece itself screams quality, it certainly doesn't look like it only cost $50.

Can't wait to give it a shot, though I may have to wait till I can get to a dark sky site to give it a good run.

[Cosmic]

PM sent.

Cheers,
Dan

[Sylvain]

EPs are still available, just so that you know!
Cheers :)

[M110]

pm sent

[Sylvain]

Thanks mate, I have replied :)

[rjoz2010]

PM sent :)

[keni]

I ordered both as well and received them well packed and very promptly.
I have even been able to try them both just now and am very impressed.
Great value and great service.
Thanks Sylvain.

Ken.

[Sylvain]

Thanks for the feedback Ken, glad you like them =)

Cheers and thanks!
Sylvain

[OICURMT]

Just received mine today... they look great but... can't test them because...


IT IS CLOUDY IN PERTH NOW :windy: ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!


It's been clear for over a month... I swear there is something to this madness of clouds rolling in when you get new equipment :mad:

Honestly, What did I do to deserve this :confused2:


BTW: Nice packaging Sylvain, but I don't live in Brisbane, so you didn't need to protect them from the floods... :lol: soooo much tape the box could easily float and never sink.

All the best
OIC!

[slipsons]

PM sent

[Sylvain]

:lol:

[vk2emq]

Sylvain,

just back from holidays - with pair of TMB 9mms to welcome me home. Very professionally and frustratingly packed - took ages to hack through the cellophane, cardboard and bubblewrap to discover two individual cardboard boxes each with an eyepiece wrapped in more bubble wrap and sealable plastic bag. Each eyepiece had plastic dust covers for eye end and telescope end. To enhance the ongoing preservation of the eyepieces when used in the field I would recommend that the eyepieces be sold in their own firm plastic storage cylinders rather than just a cardboard box. On opening the eyepiece boxes I found eyepieces of exquisite construction which belied their exceedlingly affordable price - around the $50 mark.

Having not seen many heavenly bodies in the night sky for many weeks I tried roaming from my front verandah through the tree tops of the local rain forest with the eyepieces fitted to a William Optics binoviewer on a SV115 f7- with OTA extension removed so no barlow lens was needed - giving a nominal magnification of 800/9 = 89.

The magnification was too high to follow moving objects but I was able to watch with ease the antics of a pair of cockatoos at their nesting hole in a tree vaguely discernible by the naked eye. I noticed no trace of CA and images were undistorted to the edge of the field of view. The eyepiece has an adjustable outer sleeve to provide a comfortable location for the eye affording significant eyerelief.

Based on my experience I can heartily recommend the service and products from Sylvain.

Without wanting to go into any sort of sales pitch I noticed that Sylvain has a "presence" on ebay and was offering some interestingly affordable ultra wide angle 100deg 2in eyepieces and an ED OTA and would be interested if any other members had tried these out and could provide a user review.

regards,

John - vk2emq

[mangrovedutch]

TIMES 2X

I don't know Sylvain from a bar of soap, and as described, John nails it. I think these pieces are frustratingly rapped and must be worth 2-3x sales value. I've bought two pieces of him now, and yep I'm only a newbie, but can tell the difference in the quality of my supplied pieces and Sylvains, and I think he's doing some Barlows as well. This isn't an excercise in giving a leg up, but as a forum member recognising some quality pieces at good prices, however another 10% off on top gladly taken :P.

Good point- have you thought about doing individual containers for eye pieces, I'd pay extra, and get a few extra as well.
Regards, Dutch

[Sylvain]

Thanks for the feedback guys, it's much appreciated :)

I'm glad you're happy with the EPs :)
I'll look in the plastic containers (bolt type) thingy.

Cheers and many thanks!

[Cosmic]

Received mine today :thumbsup:

Simply awesome build quality for the price. Well packed, good communication and couldn't ask for smoother sale.
Like everyone at the moment, just looking forward to clear sky's.

Regards, Dan

[mangrovedutch]

My 6mm arrived today as well, thanks Sylvain. Gave the parcel to my kids, only took them 15 min this time to open it. LOL

Regards, Dutch

[rjoz2010]

Received my 6mm today, thank you very much for an easy and quick transaction, and for packaging it extremely well. :)

Also appreciated the updates, will be happy to puchase in future.

:)

[slipsons]

My 9mm and 6mm eyepieces came this afternoon. I'v tried them out already. Fantastic, they are great value for money.
Thanks again Sylvain

[Sylvain]

Tony, thanks for your much appreciated feedback, glad to see you like them :)

Still have some ;)

[legoman_iac]

PM sent regarding 6mm EP.

[CarlJoseph]

Just reporting that my eyepieces come in yesterday (picked them up from the post office today).

Wonderfully (over)packed. ;) Had a nice personalised note from Sylvain too. They look like very good eyepieces indeed but I fear I won't get to try them out for a week yet until these Melbourne clouds disappear.

Cheers,
Af.

[Sylvain]

Thanks for the feedback, appreciated :)

[Largamus]

My eyepiece arrived Wednesday and all i can say is ditto to what everybody else has said . just perfect , thanks very much Sylvain



All the best John :thumbsup:

[Sylvain]

Just letting you guys know, this is still on.
Thanks everyone :)

[legoman_iac]

Hey Sylvain,

Thanks for the super prompt shipment, the 4mm eyepiece arrived very safe and sound, awesome bit of kit and great value!!! Thanks again!

- Daniel

p.s. As soon as I'm allowed to order more bits and pieces, I will, haha!

[Sylvain]

Ahah it has to go through the lovely wife I bet ;)

[legoman_iac]

Haha ... well kind of, plus I feel bad for causing all this rain we've had since Saturday, haven't bought gear in ages - and it hasn't rained in age, now looks what happens when I try and get 120X optical zoom!

But yes, comes down to budgetry requirements too!

Haha, thanks again!

[bahoogas]

i just bought a 6mm eyepiece late last week, so maybe i'm also to blame?

given the weather i haven't been able to test it properly, but as others have said the build quality is great.

also, sylvain is a really nice guy. he kept me constantly updated and even left a personalised message with the package. shipping was quick and it was well packed.

now i'm very keen to use it for it's intended purpose. the sky looks promising this morning...

[FlashDrive]

I recently obtained a 5mm TMB Planetary Eye Piece from Sylvain in a package deal...he left a brief message of thanks and appreciation for my purchase. Kept me updated on postage and delivery etc.

Top Bloke ....sells good quality eye pieces also... You won't be disappointed. :thumbsup:

[Red Nine]

Just received a 6mm TMB Planetary EP from Sylvain. Wonderful service and product looks very good quality.

Hopefully will get to take it out later on, a bit of high cloud floating around at the moment.

Thanks Sylvain!

[MikeyB]

Outstanding service and value and these TMB eyepieces really look like the business. Sylvain, you're a champion - thank you.

[cookie8]

PM sent

[cookie8]

EP received with thanks. Lightning fast delivery!

[Sylvain]

Just a heads up following a PM question: yes, both eyepieces are still available.

[johnnyb]

Just wanted to add my recommendation for Sylvian's service. I ordered the 6mm eyepiece which arrived very well packed (it took too long to get into the box!), and with fast postage.

Just wish the clouds would go away so I could aim for Saturn :(

John.

[Stu Ward]

Pm sent and payment made !!!

[doug mc]

I am interested in a 4mm . How much extra is postage. Doug

[BrisGreg]

PM sent

Cheers
Greg

[BrisGreg]

Hey Sylvain,

My 6mm arrived today and saw first light tonight. Thanks for the great service.

Cheers
Greg

[Sylvain]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for your feedback!
I hope you like you eyepiece and get plenty of clear sky!

Cheers and thanks =)
Sylvain

[joecool]

PM sent re 2x 9mm.

Mark.

[joecool]

Thank you Sylvain,
Fast delivery; posted Friday, got them Tuesday (Monday being a public holiday) in Adelaide.
Tried them out individually and in my William Optics binoviewers. Wow! Saturn in 3D. And on the moon, well, clear view all across the image. Had to use a grey filter as I blinded myself at first haha. I'll think i'll be using these instead of the 20mm privided with the binos. The 20mm gives a full frame image of the moon, but the 9mm lets you see far more detail. And objects like the jewel box and Omega Centauri are framed perfectly with the main scopes 1800mm focal length at 200x. Compared to my 9.7mm Meade Plossl they give a much wider field of view, and I don't even have to jam my forehead against the rim of the eyepiece like with the Meade. Looking at Saturn up to 1 foot away from the eyepiece is brilliant and it takes an age to track across the view (the dob does not have tracking so this is sweet!).

Thank you
Mark.

[CC Bear]

Hi Sylvain,

New to the forum and trying to contact you unsuccesfully by PM to order a 6mm TMB if you still have one...

Sorry to be a nuisance but could you PM me with availability and postal cost to Castle Cove in Sydney and pmnt method (if close I can pick up perhaps) ???

Many thanks, Tim!

[Sylvain]

Mark, Thanks for the feedback! It's always much appreciated.
I'm glad to see they work well with your bino! hehe :)

Tim, no worries, no one is ever a nuisance, especially beginners who might not yet know their way around the forum =).
I have successfully received your PMs and have just sent you a reply.

Cheers and thanks!
Sylvain

[CC Bear]

Thanks Sylvain!

Got your PM and have just sent my pmnt with address details via Paypal...

Will let you know once I've received the eyepiece.

All the best,
Tim

[UniPol]

Hi Sylvain,

I saw these same eyepieces on eBay from a seller caller phiber3317 and the price is more than they are selling here on IIS IceTrades however I see in a couple of replies to your original post i.e. #2 & #7 that you are referred to as "phiber", I am confused ? Are you the same seller?

[hotspur]

Do you still have 9 mm ones?.

Thanks Chris

[Sylvain]

Hi guys,

Steve: yes it's me. Prices are higher on ebay because the eyepieces are different ones, and because there are fees to cover on ebay.

Chris: yes, I still have 9mms :)

Cheers
Sylvain

[CC Bear]

Thanks Sylvain,

Got my 6mm eyepiece today - excellent!

Cheers, Tim

[Sylvain]

Thanks Tim :)

[Jerous]

Just buzzed you a PM, looking for a 6mm please.

[SteveInNZ]

Another happy customer from across the ditch in NZ.
Great service and eyepiece.

Steve.

[Draconis]

Hi Sylvain, PM enquiry sent. Cheers, Mick.

[Sylvain]

Cheers for that Steve :)
PM sent Mick ;)

[AstroFlyer]

Another PM sent.:D
Cheers
Arek

[ZeroID]

Hi Sylvain. EP's arrived safely and promptly. I've even managed to grab a quick look between clouds in the little 80 mm and I'm impressed. Managed to 2 x barlow the 6mm and despite what the books for that scope/EP combo say it worked. A definite improvemment on my old Plossls.

Many thanks.
Brent

[Jerous]

I got to try the 6mm out tonight. I have no basis for comparision, as it's the first 6mm I've ever used but it got me some views of Saturn for the first time, which was a great thrill.

Super quick postage and very easy to deal with.

Thanks for the purchase!

[Orionrules]

Hi there,

I am interested in the 5 mm piece.
Can you contact me on 0433116932?
Thanks.

[Orionrules]

Hi,

6 mm, not 5 mm.
I am a newbie on this forum, so I am not sure as to how to make the purchase.
Can you advise back?

[Sylvain]

Hi Jerous, thanks for the feedback, greatly appreciated! :thumbsup:


Hi James, :welcome:

Thanks for your message.
I have just sent you a private message (PM) with all the details.
Please let us know here if you have issues finding your private messages (should be at the top right corner of the forum header).

Thanks :)

Sylvain

[WingnutR32]

Hi Sylvain,

Will PM for more info

Regards
Sam

[Paduan]

pm regarding 6mm

[Sylvain]

Thanks Brett, I have just sent a reply ;)

The weather is so terrible in Sydney I don't think anyone is gonna use any eyepiece soon -_-' 4 days raining non stop...crazy!

[Paduan]

we have had 12 months of it. I caused it, i purchased a new scope 12 months ago and the weather has not been clear since.

[Paduan]

Ep's arrived well packed and as promised now to wait for the weather to clear up. :thumbsup:
Thanks Sylvain

[Draconis]

Thanks Sylvain, EP's arrived today! Excellent service, very well packaged.

Thank you! :)

Mick

[morry]

Got mine today...gotta say great work on the packaging, not even my 2 yr old could destroy it.

[Sylvain]

Ahah, so funny how many of you get their kids to try to open the boxes :D
I should get a "Kids-Proof" stamp on the boxes!

Good stuff guys and thanks for the feedback, it's always very much appreciated!
;)

[silvadel10]

Hi,
any 9mm still available?
rwdelacey@hotmail.com
Cheers
Rob

[Forgey]

Hi Sylvain, I sent you a PM a early last week not sure if you received it.

[silvadel10]

I'm still interested in a 9mm EP
Rob

[Raybot (Ray)]

Hi Sylvain,

received my 6mm, all good, thanks Ray

[Sylvain]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback, always much appreciated.
Apologies if I have been a bit slow in my responses to you lately, things have been going on in my personal life and have left me with little time for the forum. Apologies for that.
EPs still available :)

Cheers,
Sylvain

[firstlight]

Hi Sylvain, are there any eyepieces still available?

Tony

[PCH]

Tony,

I PM'd him a couple of weeks ago and no reply. So he's either crook or off on hols somewhere not reading his emails :D

[firstlight]

No problem PCH... If anyone knows Sylvain maybe they could poke hime in the ribs and see if he's awake? :)

[mental4astro]

I just saw this post and gave Sylvain a call to see if he was still alive!

He is!

Sylvain appologises for not being able to respond in his customary quick manner. He's just moved house and has been having all manner of problems in getting his internet set up (and he's an engineer, :lol:!!)

He'll be back on top of this very soon.

Mental.

[Astroman]

Does anyone have a report on how these EP's perform?

[dannat]

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4863925/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1#Post4877269
Andrew hers a thread on CN talking about the series II

[Astroman]

thanks Daniel :)

[cookie8]

PM sent re: 9mm

[koputai]

I've owned a few of these, and sold them all as they were quite poor in my f/6 and f/5 scopes. Lots of reflections.

That said, they are a cheap eyepiece (around $45), so what can you expect. For the money, I reckon GSO Plossl's are a better eyepiece.

Cheers,
Jason.

[mental4astro]

Hi Jason,

I am very surprised at your experience with them. I've got the 6mm & 9mm, and niether in any way are inferior to the GSO Plossls. Very much the opposite!

The 6mm isn't the best in f/4 newtonian, the 9mm is better suited, sure, but that goes for many EP/scope systems. Yet it performs well in well in my slower newtonians and my SCTs. The original 6mm design was particularly flawed, and was removed from the TMB line for some time until these problems were overcome. The current 6mm is no way the same EP from that original. The redesign of the 6mm lead to the creation of the "Type II" line. All this is info is readily avialable from the TMB site and from many reviews, including Cloudy Nights.

Have a read of my review of the 9mm that I posted in this very thread:

9mm TMB Planetary II review (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=650033&postcount=12)

The eyerelief alone provided by these EPs alone sets them above 'cheap' eyepieces, including Plossls.

On a sad note though, the price of these is due to an abuse of foreign patents by the manufacturer. The founder of TMB, Thomas Black, passed away a few years ago, and the company charged with the manufacture of many of the TMB line of eyepieces has decided to cut out the TMB company, a small family run enterprise, and sell these EPs without honouring their contract to TMB since Black's passing. The TMB Paragon design has been cloned in the same way, with cheap copies being sold as rebadged EPs, undercutting the price of the original.

[cjpops]

I'll be interested in the 9mm also if avail..

[cookie8]

PM sent 5 days ago but no reply. Are you still watching Sylvian?:question:

[Simon Holmes]

Is the 9mm still available?
Would like to purchase one, please advise price.

[fuso]

Everyone please see link http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/4974412/page/1/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

I don't mean to put u on the spot sylvian, but did we (I purchased a 6mm), get legitimate TMB or clones?
They look like clones in the above link.