Great eyepiece to have when you feel like 'surfing the sky'. The 24 mm focal length is nice in viewing the 'bigger picture'. Not quite the 'wide angle' view of my 40 mm plossl, but definitely effective for viewing smaller star clusters. Being able to 'infinitely adjust' the focal length down to 8 mm is considerably easier than changing oculars and having to re-focus, making sure the object being viewed was solidly in the middle of the field of view before zooming in, of course. Images were sharp at the high magnification as well, something I was pleasingly surprised to find. Wish my zoom microscope was as effective.
It's a great eyepiece for casual sky viewing with a Newtonian scope; the 'only lens you need' for the most part. The almost-par zoom capability meant little re-focusing adjustment between low (24 mm) and high (8 mm) magnification, so I could quickly explore objects of interest without a lot of need for adjustment. Worked well with the 2X Barlow lens as well, although the light reduction at that magnification with dim objects was very noticeable.
Zoom action is a bit stiff; my hope is it's just a built-in 'tightness' as opposed to a lubricant which may become stiffer with winter temperatures. There were no 'click stops' for separate focal lengths, just markings on the outer barrel . . . which isn't a big deal, just an observation. Zooming was always smooth but tight. Solid mechanical arrangement.
As is typical for zoom lenses the effective aperture decrease at the higher magnification (8 mm) results in a noticeable dimmng. It was necessary to increase the focal length a bit to be able to still discern a dim spiral nebula in deep space. Viewing the moon was a delight, however, as that is normally so bright a neutral density or double-polarizing filter is necessary to reduce the intensity. Images remained sharp at all focal lengths.
Great addition to my accessories . . . but too long to fit into the space I have left in my larger accessories kit. However, don't usually take that with me unless I'm planning a long observation session.
| Manufacturer | Celestron |
|---|---|
| Place of Business | TORRANCE, CA, 90503 US |
| Item model number | 93230 |
| Product Dimensions | 10.16 x 2.54 x 2.54 cm; 130 g |
| ASIN | B0007UQNV8 |
