Quote:
Originally Posted by casstony
Hi Ross, in lieu of replies from other owners here's my 2 cents.
I've always liked the convenience of zooms and have owned a variety of them over the years; the Hyperion is one of the better zooms in that it has a wider field of view than most, varying from 50 degrees at 24mm to 68 deg at 8mm. It has decent eye relief though not quite enough for glasses and produces very sharp images that are just a little less contrasty than Televue's etc.
Though I also own Televue Delos, Pentax XW, etc the zoom still gets used when I want to carry minimal gear or when I want to be able to continuously vary the focal length to find the best magnification/exit pupil to give the best view of faint deep sky objects.
There's no one right way to advise someone on how to set up their eyepiece collection since there are so many variables (location, scope, personal preferences, cost) but I think the zoom makes the choice easier since it may remain useful even after you've gained experience and purchased other eyepieces.
I note 'Astro Pete's' shop has the Baader zoom for sale at $299 but is out of stock atm. You could call to see when it will be back in stock.
As an alternative you could look at the Explore scientific 82 degree eyepieces which are very good and modestly priced, especially if purchased via a wanted ad in the classifieds  . |
Thanks for the advice T. I'll champ at the bit a little longer before I make a decision.
The zoom does look like a useful piece of kit that will keep me entertained for some time to come. It's a good thing I got a few extra guys today to earn me some play money!
On a side note I just discovered what bad atmospheric conditions are. No love tonight.
Twinkle, twinkle little (big) planet....
So much to learn.
Ross.