Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan
I just bought the 3.5 and 4.5 Delos today. At this focal length I didn't consider any other eyepieces. There is no wide field eyepiece I have used that is the equivalent of the Delos in the shorter focal lengths.
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Hi Allan,
I have to be honest, I think your comments are giving blinkered non objective advice to a newcomer. Delos may be your magic bullet, but they aren't perfect in every performance criteria and there are several good options, some of which cost a lot less than a new Delos.
I own 3 large Pelican cases full of Premium eyepieces including Delos, Ethos, Nagler T4's, Nagler T5's, Televue Radians and Pentax XW's. On top of that I have used a lot of other premium eyepieces like Vixen LVW's, Leica ASPH zoom, Nikon NAV HW, Doctor Optics 12.5mm, Brandons, Zeiss Abbes etc. Some of those are clearly better eyepieces than Delos. For instance, the 12.5mm Doctor makes a mess of the 12mm Delos and the 13mm ETHOS IMO. At about $1,000 an eyepiece, so it should. Similarly, the 12.5mm Nikon NAV HW is a better eyepiece IMO than either the 12mm Delos and 13mm ETHOS. Again the Nikon doesn't leave you much change from a grand. In the shorter focal lengths (sub 10mm) the Televue Delos do not do a single thing my Pentax XW's have been doing for over 10 years. I spent a lot of time evaluating several 6mm eyepieces including, 6mm TV Delos, 6mm TV Radian, 3mm to 6mm Nagler zoom, 6mm University Optics HD ortho, 6mm Carl Zeiss Jena orthoscopic. I also compared the 7mm Pentax XW but because of the difference in focal lengths I left it out of the overall analysis. In some performance criteria, notably EOF correction in my 10"/f5.3 newtonian the Televue Radian outperformed the Delos. In some other performance criteria the Delos outdid the Radian, but it was pretty close and most differences were subtle between them. On the basis you can buy a 2nd hand Radian for sometimes just under $200 compared to over $400 for a new Delos, I know which one is clearly the best value. After the evaluation one thing was very clear, If I had to make a choice between my 6mm Delos and 7mm Pentax XW and one had to leave home, it would be the 6mm Delos which got the boot each and every time. That's not to say the Delos are not great eyepieces, they are, it's saying there are some other excellent options as well. Considering you can land a brand new Pentax XW in Australia for $100 an eyepiece less than a new Delos, I know which represent the best value to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Allan
Maybe you could find someone with a Delos to try out, or else come for a drive up to xone of our Bretti camps where you will get to try dozens of different eyepieces at a site with very dark skies. Just check out the star parties section and look at the Bretti thread.
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Shaun,
If you would like to meet up one night in the Kiama / Shellharbour region I would be happy to let you try some of these eyepieces in your scope before you plonked your hard earned cash down. I have Delos, Pentax XW's, TV Radians, Pentax 8.5XF and UO HD orthos in the sub 10mm focal lengths which you could try in your scope and then buy the one which you like best, which may or may not be the TV Delos.
Cheers
John B