Hi All
Last night after work were the first clear skies here since recieving 5mm and 7mm BO/TMB Planetary series eyepieces from Frontier Optics. I have the 3.2mm on back order. My first and only target for the night was Saturn. The telescope was my 305mm Newt at f5. Atmospheric clarity was 10/10, seeing 7/10
Both eyepieces are of impressive size next to similar f/l GSO plossl and UO Ortho eyepieces. Both have twist up rubber eyecups for comfort; both of which I found most suitable wound up around 4mm.
Prior to using either new BO/TMB ep, I viewed Saturn using my 9mm UO Ortho, and 6mm GSO Plossl, to get a feel for a comparison
7mm: Wow. The first impression is the immersive feel the extra width of the afov (quoted @ 60 degrees) gives you. Contrast was on a par with the Ortho. The image was crisp and clean all the way from the edge to centre of the fov. This was way beyond my expectations. I didn't measure eye relief, but as mentioned, with the eyecup extended around 4mm, I found it very comfortable. There was no obvious flaring nor any stray light apparent. No false colour was noted.
5mm: The extra field of view makes a big difference in my dob mounted newt at this magnification (300X). Ditto the above comments for the image clarity and contrast. During moments of steady seeing, detail became sharp. Even the feathery "C" ring was visible, and the Cassini division was a crisp black ring.
To say I that am impressed is an understatement. To find this quality at this price IMHO represents great value for money. My toughest descision is going to be which three will I buy next?
Cheers