Ortho Question

I've seen various orthoscopic eyepieces described as "Abbe Orthoscopic"; for instance, UO ortho's, in ads on AM and elsewhere.

Has the apellation "orthoscopic" come to mean "Abbe orthoscopic"? Isn't the "Abbe" ortho a very specific design, by Zeiss, and different from most others?

Just asking...

James Adams

Yes, the Abbe designation is a very specific design. However, because it is highly prized by knowledgeable amateurs, there is a definite pressure in marketing departments of competing companies to use this name. To my knowledge, Zeiss has never published the design of their latest versions, but since they decided to abandon the amateur market, there really is nobody there to mind the store and perhaps raise a ruckus.

I have full sets of the Zeiss Abbe Orthos, and I can tell you that none of the ones called "Abbe Orthos" come anywhere close in performance, on-axis or off-axis.

Rolando