Since my STUPID sale of my Pentax 20mm, I had been using a Vixen LV 8-24 zoom. A decent EP (not QUITE parfocal), which shows good colour.
I recently bought a Vixen LV20, since I usually only do wide to medium fields. I of course compared the two in terms of clarity and performance, and found some interesting traits.
With some slight margin, the LV 8-24 zoom shows better colour. Interestingly though, in the SAME scope, on the same night, WELL after the scope had acclimated, the LV20 showed SIGNIFICANTLY more FAINT stars (compared to the zoom EP set at 20mm) in the same field.(NGC 4755 was MUCH better resolved and displayed more high magnitude stars). The LV20 also comes to an INCREDIBLY sharp focus - MUCH better than the Pentax EVER did.
Absolute convert to the LV EP's now. The FOV and eye relief is about right for me, so cannot see any benefit going to LVW's.
I must say how right you are ...they are exceptional eyepieces....20mm eye relief across the range.
Just beautiful to use.....very very sharp....comfortable on the eyes....beautifully made and Japanese quality..
The views with my Vixen NA140 are nothing short of incredible....ever so sharp and clear .... just superb.
They perform equally as well in my TeleVue 76.
Flash......
Last edited by FlashDrive; 24-07-2013 at 09:17 AM.
I'll add my endorsement for the LV's too. I have a set of 8 LV's ranging from 2.5 mm through to 25 mm. They are the only eyepieces I have and they meet all of my observing needs. I'd like a really long focal length one, but as Wavytone has commented they are hard to find.
I am a big fan of the long eye relief - AFOV combination of these eyepieces. I works for me too Lewis!
There is a very simple endorsement for the fine merits of the LV's in that they essentially continue to exist to this present day largely unchanged reincarnated under the name NLVs. The optical design/components are identical and Vixen has simply changed the eye cup shroud to a plastic twist-up in the NLV's.
For what it is worth the apparent logic for this change was to accommodate a marketing perception of continued refinement in the development of their eyepieces and to appease apparent complaints (perhaps from a vocal minority - I don't know) about the original rubber fold-down eyecups.
FWIW - I have tried both the LVs and NLVs and while I found their image to be identical I always found the LVs to be more comfortable to use. Having said that some of my favourite current eyepieces are Pentax XWs which are all twist tops
Today the LVs 2nd hand represent superlative value for money but if you are hell bent on getting them and can't find them then the NLVs are always readily available and all things considered remarkably cheap even brand new.
I am continuosly amazed at the price for some EPs which carry a certain well known brand name, made of standard ED glass and these days are largely made in Taiwan (there still remain a few exceptions).
In comparison the Vixen LVs/NLVs/LVWs to this present day (as do Pentax EPs) still maintain the original mantra of being genuine Japanese optics with all the QC features and utilise Lanthanum glass.
Lewis and others.....I won't split up the Set ....If I sell....it's the whole Set including the Wooden Box and have most of the original Boxes and Caps for each eyepiece.
I have other very nice eyepieces also......if I do let my Vixen Set go...I'm not without Premium eyepieces to use.
I had a 5mm LV, once upon a time. It was the only EP I've ever wanted to roll in front of a fast moving truck! I bought it to use in my C5, following on from the good reviews of the time. I became so exasperated with it I just gave it away.
Today, my experience with EPs & different scopes, I suspect that the 5mm was just a poor match with the C5. The eye position was so critical it was frustratingly impossible to use comfortably. Funny enough, this EP experience I've encountered with one other EP, my Pentax 10mm XW. In my Newtonians it is a fine EP, easy to use. In my C8, nope. Again eye placement is critical, being very small the position to view before blackouts start to happen. If one is just observing, then maybe this could be more tolerable. But with my sketching, & constant to-&-through at the EP, this is a significant flaw.
For me it is a symptom of an optical mismatch between EP & scope. I never used the 5mm LV in a Newtonian, so there is a small gap to fully quantify the comparison. But on the balance of things, the similarity in performance of these two EPs in an SCT is enough.
BUT, this is my experience with only 1 LV, & 1 XW. It would be unfair to dismiss an entire range on the performance of one EP in one scope design. In the little I know, I've learnt that different EPs within a range can perform very differently in different types of scopes. So, sorry boys, there's more to this story than just out right praise to be had,
Also, one thing often overlooked is the sample size of individual reviews. Most often the sample size is one. However. there is bound to be some sample variation between different eyepieces of the same kind. I know the issue of sample variation is diminished as you enter super-premium territory, but even there it does exist.
I had a 5mm LV, once upon a time. It was the only EP I've ever wanted to roll in front of a fast moving truck! I bought it to use in my C5, following on from the good reviews of the time. I became so exasperated with it I just gave it away.
Today, my experience with EPs & different scopes, I suspect that the 5mm was just a poor match with the C5. The eye position was so critical it was frustratingly impossible to use comfortably. Funny enough, this EP experience I've encountered with one other EP, my Pentax 10mm XW. In my Newtonians it is a fine EP, easy to use. In my C8, nope. Again eye placement is critical, being very small the position to view before blackouts start to happen. If one is just observing, then maybe this could be more tolerable. But with my sketching, & constant to-&-through at the EP, this is a significant flaw.
For me it is a symptom of an optical mismatch between EP & scope. I never used the 5mm LV in a Newtonian, so there is a small gap to fully quantify the comparison. But on the balance of things, the similarity in performance of these two EPs in an SCT is enough.
BUT, this is my experience with only 1 LV, & 1 XW. It would be unfair to dismiss an entire range on the performance of one EP in one scope design. In the little I know, I've learnt that different EPs within a range can perform very differently in different types of scopes. So, sorry boys, there's more to this story than just out right praise to be had,
That's my sting in the tail,
+1
Hi Alex
Yes = totally agree. My own view is purely from refractor usage and the OTA in question is "also" a critical point
I had THE best ever image of Saturn last night using the LV20 in the Megrez 72. Yes, low magnification, but the detail was obvious, and the delineation of contrasting areas was superb!
I could CLEARLY see the separation of Saturn from her rings, colour banding in the rings and banding on Saturn, as well as pin prick moons with absolute consumate ease. This EP/scope combo is about perfect.
The XW family each have their own unique set of characteristics by design, unlike TV that cop out and use one design across a range
I find the 40 is less fickle than the 10, but the 10 is my goto eyepiece for planetary, which I think it does a great job with. The 10 has given me my top 2 Saturn views (ever) in the past few weeks, once in the C8 and then barlowed in my WO drop 'n look. The 40 gives me the widest view from my C8. They're both keepers! Those who've peeked through my scope so far have a high probability of it being one or the other.
LV sounds interesting, I look forward to a peek someday
Only one thing better than one LV is two NLV's in bino's.
Have read on Cloudy that the NLV's are a bit better than than the LV's.....maybe because they are new and therefore clean.
I prefer the NLV's over the LV's the eyecup feels better to me.
I have had an incredibly good offer of a near-complete set of LV's, and yes, I have jumped on it!
VERY happy indeed.
Anyone got comments on the Vixen barlows? I need one I want CLOSER...
Good one Lewis....see if you can complete the set....
BTW....I came to realize that some of the eyepieces have ' yellow ' writing on them....most of mine have ' white ' writing .... so,I sold the ' yellow ' one's and hunted down the remaining ' white ' one's .. to make the Set all the same.
Only one thing better than one LV is two NLV's in bino's.
Have read on Cloudy that the NLV's are a bit better than than the LV's.....maybe because they are new and therefore clean.
I prefer the NLV's over the LV's the eyecup feels better to me.
I think part of the performance difference may be attributable to their comparitive age - the LVs (unless surplus stock or in storage) are typically going to be much older eyepieces than the NLVs and thus there may be some difference due to condition of the coatings.
However, the choice of eyecup is a mystery to me - I may be biased as I had the LVs first and hence prefer them simply because I used them first. However, there may be a trend amongst manufacturers and thus why some have shifted towards the twist ups. The Pentax XFs are another twist up design but again quite different to the NLVs and XWs
