To all devoted cyclops viewers,
The binoviewer movement is no fad and no hype, when taken for exactly what it is. For one thing, Tele Vue does not have the nicest binovs for sale, although they have been at it longer than most. Lightness is a real asset here, and Siebert Optics has the lightest binovs and matching EP's to be found from anybody. The SO range of OCA's isn't even remotely matched by anybody else. For only about twice of what you pay for the cheap and flimsy Chinese binovs, you can have a Siebert BN22 that is a very definite step up in quality. $300 is dirt cheap compared to a Tele Vue binov, and the light weight will not cause diagonal/focuser sag nearly as much as with TV's and Denks. Especially if you also use Siebert Optic's featherweight eyepieces. I own a LOMO Asele 150, and since it needs no OCA to bring a binov to focus, this scope kills with my Siebert BN22. I run 375X mag (the theoretical maximum) with a pair of 6.4mm Star Splitters, and on a night of excellent seeing, the LOMO Astele 150 MCT begs for more mag on bright objects. Gary Hand told me it would easily run 400X and more and defy the rule-of-thumb of max power (2.5 times the aperture in mm) when properly outfitted and collimated. The Siebert BN22 really allows a comfortable viewing experience when running at such high mags. A moon filter is not needed at such high mags, and the binov alleviates my eye floaters which were very bothersome through a single EP.
My second Siebert BN22 is on order and due to arrive shortly. The Chinese binovs are gone for good, never to return. I have a Power Mag Wheel on order for my Meade SNT and refractor. I have another pair of Siebert Optics Star Splitters in 4.4mm FL on order to back up my 6.4mm and 8.9mm pairs when the seeing permits. I can honestly say the Star Splitters are my best planetary EP's, no matter if using them singly or in a binov. The Star Splitters and BN22 are always grabbed first when viewing through the LOMO at high mags. I ordered a single 38mm Observatory Series EP from Harry Siebert when going as wide as possible with the LOMO. Low power, wide field deep sky viewing is the only area where I feel that binoviewing takes a back seat to cyclops mode, but probably only because I don't have the proper scope and money for Harry's 2" Elite series binoviewers. I use cyclops mode in my terrestrial scope for quick looks and quick setup. The Echelon and Elite series of binoviewers with their advanced mirror design that gets rid of prism effects will probably kill the idea that binoviewers cause a marked degradation of image at very high powers. I'm not seeing the high power image degradation even in my BN22's, probably because the floater reduction counteracts the prism effects. That makes my opinion user dependent, but for older people with eye floaters, binovs are more than a nice accessory with psychologically positive effects. The effects are very real and very noticeable and make for a much more comfortable viewing experience.
Some important point to remember: No scope that needs an OCA to bring the binov to focus will equal an MCT, SCT or long focus refractor of very high quality that needs no OCA in the light path. A fast Newtonian is not the ideal scope for a binov, although my f/4 SNT with 1.8X Maxlite OCA from Siebert Optics does a pretty good job on deep sky anyway. Panoptics, Naglers and Axioms will NOT equal the performance of Star Splitters, Ultimas, TV Plossls, or UO HD Orthos in binovs. You want SIMPLE EP's to get the most out of binovs, unless a wide angle spacewalk is your big thrill, and that is problematic as binovs are not conducive to rolling your eyes around without blackouts. You look straight ahead and slew the scope around, just like when using binoculars in terrestrial viewing. I use my Axioms quite a bit on deep sky with my BN22, but they really fall down in comparison to a good planetary EP when running high mags on bright objects. Get some good Ultimas, Star Splitters, TV Plossls or UO Orthos before blowing big money on heavy and expensive wideangle EP's from Pentax, Tele Vue, Meade, et al. The Star Splitters have the widest AFOV in the economical eyepiece world, and they are my favorites for that reason and more. They were designed in the beginning for binoviewers, and their constant eye relief across the series is a BIG plus; although too short for eyeglasses, you will never need eyeglasses at the tiny exit pupils that are the realm of planetary viewing. If your eyes are that bad, no eyepiece at any price is going to seem much better, I would suspect.
Get a good, steady mount for high mag binov work. The best for the money is the Synta Atlas mount sold by Orion and others. I got in just under the wire. The price recently raised to $1200 and $1430 depending on whether you need the GoTo computer or not. I would spend big bucks on a VERY steady mount before spending big bucks on expensive wideangle EP's for binoviewing. At least get the Synta Sirius mount if using a 6" or smaller MCT or SCT. You can chain the tripod to the ground for additional steadiness, with a turnbuckle for tension adjustment. Don't get Chinese binoviewers unless you REALLY cannot pay the $300 for a Siebert BN22 or $400 for the Denk Big Easy. Neither of my Chinese binovs were critically collimated as my BN22 is. You want a tough binov that has good collimation to begin with and holds it through bumps and rough handling.
Clear skies and open eyes,
Phil
