Baader Planetarium Q-Turret Eyepiece Set

Baader Planetarium
Q-Turret Eyepiece Set
An Affordable Kit
That Delivers!
By Erik N. Wilcox
I generally view eyepiece kits with a
certain
degree of
of skepticism.
skepticism. After
After all,
all, who
certain degree
can forget
forget the “all-in-one”
“all-in-one” plastic
plastic sets
sets –
can
complete with
with aa case!
case! – and that mostly
complete
consisted of
of a bunch of under-performing
consisted
eyepieces, aa cheap
cheap 3x Barlow,
Barlow, and colored
eyepieces,
filters of limited usefulness. Occasionally,
filters
there have been
there
been eyepiece
eyepiecekits
kitsthat
thatcontaiconned a gem
tained
a gemorortwo,
two,but
butfor
for the
the most part,
I’ve always
always been
been a firm believer
believer in buying
I’ve
eyepieces individually
individually and
and in
in only
only the
eyepieces
needed
focal
lengths.
needed focal lengths.
However, the Q-Turret eyepiece
eyepiece set
Baader Planetarium
Planetarium isis different.
different.
from Baader
Rather than
than include
include aa bunch
bunch of focal
Rather
lengths that
that no
no one needs
needs – does anyone
lengths
4-mm Huygens
Huygens eyepiece
eyepiece with a
really use a 4-mm
view (AFOV)?
(AFOV)?
30-degree apparent field of view
Planetarium Q-Turret
Q-Turret set
– the Baader Planetarium
contains four
four 1.25-inch
1.25-inch eyepieces
eyepieces with
contains
f/lengths that are usable in just about any
amateur telescope. Included is the 32-mm
32-mm
Baader Classic
Classic Plössl
Plössl (the
(the widest
widest true
true field
Baader
possible in aa 1.25-inch
1.25-inch barrel),
barrel), and
and
of view possible
Classic Orthos in focal
focal
Baader’s new Classic
lengths ofof18-mm,
18-mm,10-mm,
10-mm,
6-mm.
lengths
andand
6-mm.
All
All reported
are reported
be “HT”
fully “HT”
multiare
to beto
fully
multi-coated
coated
each features
anofAFOV
of 50
and
eachand
features
an AFOV
50 degrees.
degrees.
Also isincluded
the 2.25xwith
QAlso
included
the 2.25xis Q-Barlow
with alens,
dual-factor
which I’ll
aBarlow
dual-factor
which lens,
I’ll discuss
in
discuss detail
in greater
detail shortly.
greater
shortly.
Initially, what
whatwas
wasmost
most
intriguing
intriguing
to
tomeabout
aboutthis
thissetsetwas
wasthe
the Q-Turret
Q-Turret eyeme
piece revolver.
revolver. As
As soon
soon as
as I opened the
piece
casecase
(which
is very
Astro-Box padded
paddedmetal
metal
(which
is
colorful
and
stylish
I
might
add;
it
has
very colorful and stylish I might add; it hasa
AndromedaGalaxy
anice
nicephoto
photoofof the Andromeda
Galaxy and
a see-through
see-through display
displaywindow!),
window!),I wondeI wonred why
an an
accessory
suchsuch
as this
eyepiece
dered
why
accessory
as this
eyerevolver
wasn’twasn’t
more more
popular.
It features
piece
revolver
popular.
It fea-a
lightweight
aluminum
and heavyduty
plastures
a lightweight
aluminum
and heavytic design
allows
observer
to have
duty
plasticand
design
andthe
allows
the observer
all have
four eyepieces
installedinstalled
at once. at once.
to
all four eyepieces
To change eyepieces
eyepieces(and
(andthus
thusmagnimagnification),the
the user simply
the the
refication),
simplyrotates
rotates
volver
so
that
the
desired
eyepiece
is
over
revolver so that the desired eyepiece
the focuser. No more fumbling around in
the dark with setscrews and trying to find
the right eyepiece; it’s already at your fingertips! A nice firm “click-stop” at the end
of each eyepiece position travel ensures
that the eyepiece is exactly where it needs
Best of
ofall,
all,the
theeyepieces
eyepiecesare
areparfocal
parfoto be. Best
cal with
each
othersosolittle
littleoror no
no further
with
each
other
in focus
focusisisneeded
neededwhen
whenchangchanadjustment in
ging
magnifications.
Being
that
this
ing magnifications. Being that this was
such a simple solution, I was interested to
see how it would work in the field.
I was able to get my first light the very
the Baader
same day
dayI received
I received
the PlanetaBaader
rium Q-Turret
eyepiece
set. Shortly
after
Planetarium
Q-Turret
eyepiece
set. Shortly
dark,dark,
I brought
my my
80-mm
f/7f/7
refractor
after
I brought
80-mm
refracandand
mymy
8-inch
tor
8-inchf/5
f/5Newtonian
Newtonian outside
for some observing. I would also test the
eyepieces in my 16-inch f/4.5 Dobsonian
later that evening and on following nights.
As is often
often the
thecase
casefrom
frommymybackyard
backyard4500-feet
at 4500-feet
elevationononthe
the southern
at
elevation
slopes of Mauna
Mauna Loa,
Loa, conditions
conditions were
spectacular. It was a moonless
moonless night and
Orion stood high in the south with the
Milky Way prominently
prominently displayed
displayed across
across
most ofofthe
sky.sky.
I first
detheotherwise
otherwiseblack
black
I first
cided
totoobserve
decided
observeJupiter,
Jupiter,which
which I’d
I’d been
spending aalotlotof of
timetime
withwith
recently.
Unrecently.
fortunately,
thethe
firstfirst
hurdle
came
Unfortunately,
hurdle
camewhen
whenI
realized
I realizedthat
thatthe
theeyepieces
eyepieceswouldn’t
wouldn’t quite
quite
reach focus in my little
refractor
with
the
little refractor
eyepiece revolver installed in the 2-inch
2-inch
diagonal.Though
theeyepiece
eyepiece
revolver
diagonal. Though the
revolver
has
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
37
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET
hasa low-profile design, the added height
wouldn’t allow it to reach focus in that
particular scope, though it was very close –
probably within a millimeter or two.
Renegade
20 Telescope
with the
As
a workaround,
I unthreaded
Precision
Waite Research
Mirrors
lens from
the included
Q-Barlow and
threaded it onto the bottomof the eyepiece
What
YouisWant
revolver,
which
conveniently threaded to
accept
filters
and
other
1.25-inch
accessox Large aperture
ultra-fast
mirror
ries. xUsing
in this manner
Very the
wideQ-Barlow
field: exceptional
for open
clusters,
galaxies, and nebulae
increases
the magnification
by the same
100%the
feet-on-the-ground
observing
2.25xx since
distance from the
Barlow
lens set to the eyepiece field stop remains
the same. This made the effective eyepiece
focal lengths to become equivalent to 2.7mm, 4.5-mm, 8-mm and 14-mm, filing
the gaps between the native focal lengths of
the eyepieces nicely.
But more importantly, it yielded a
nice gain in back focus, allowing each of
the four eyepieces to reach focus in the refractor. I was able to reach focus without
the Barlow lens in the 8-inch scope by removing its draw-tube extension and in the
inch scopedesign,
withoutthe
any added
modifications
a16-low-profile
height
whatsoever
and
suspect
that
if
I’d
wouldn’t allow it to reach focus in thathad
par-a
1.25-inch
diagonal,
which
would
shorticular
scope,
though
it was
very be
close
–
ter than the
2-inch
diagonatl Iorwas
using, I
probably
within
a millimeter
two.
wouldn’t
had any issue
reaching focus
As ahave
workaround,
I unthreaded
the
in thefrom
refractor.
lens
the included Q-Barlow and
It should
bethe
noted
that of
thetheQ-Barlow
threaded
it onto
bottom
eyepiece
lens assembly
also be threaded
directly
revolver,
whichcan
is conveniently
threaded
to
onto any
1.25-inch
eyepiece
that accepts
accept
filters
and other
1.25-inch
accesfilters for
an the
effective
magnification
incresories.
Using
Q-Barlow
in this manner
ase of 1.3x.the magnification by the same
increases
With
2.25x
sincethe
the32-mm
distancePlössl
from and
the Barlow
up into
the turret
and ready
to
lens loaded
set to the
eyepiece
field stop
remains
go, same.
I excitedly
pointed
little refractor
the
This made
thethe
effective
eyepiece
at Jupiter.
With
this combination,
gas
focal
lengths
to become
equivalent the
to 2.7giant showed
definedfiling
disk
mm,
4.5-mm,a crisp
8-mmand
andwell
14-mm,
andgaps
two between
bands were
Jupiter’s
the
theclearly
native visible.
focal lengths
of
foureyepieces
Galilean nicely.
moons appeared as tiny pinthe
points.
moved
Jupiter justitoutside
the
ButI more
importantly,
yielded of
a nice
field of
see ifallowing
there was
anyofstray
gain
in view
back to
focus,
each
the
light eyepieces
or scatter,to
and
therefocus
was none.
four
reach
in the refracEye
relief
was
comfortable,
and the
tor. I was able to reach focus without
32-mm,lens
as inwell
the scope
18-mm(8-mm),
Barlow
the as
8-inch
by remov10- its
mm
(4.5-mm),
and 6-mm(2.7-mm)
ing
draw-tube
extension
and in the 16snapped
to focus
perfectly
the 80-mm
inch
scope
without
any in
modifications
refractor. I observed several deep-sky gems
including M42, M35, M41, M36, M38,
the Beehive Cluster, the Double Cluster,
the Pleiades, and a few others. Though I
normally spendmost ofmy observing time
x Mirror, secondary and body all made
using wide-fields (none of my mounts are
by Waite Research
driven,
so I often
find wide-fields
to be
x Beautiful,
lightweight
design
most convenient), I found the 50-degree
AFOV
be comfortable
expansive
Enjoy to
a fabulous
observingand
experience
inwith
the both
80-mm
As a side
note, I
feet refractor.
on the ground,
or even
seated!
This
20"
f/3.0
telescope
is
did notice slight vignetting through the 32shorter
than
f/4.5. the
Leave
your lens,
mm
Plössl
duea 15"
to using
Barlow
ladder
at
home.
but this was leveled out by the excellent
image quality.
What
We Deliver
With scopes around f/7 and faster, a
consideration
with20"
anyf/3.0
low-power
x Extraordinary
premiumeyepiemirror withI found
DVD test
ce isprimary
edge correction.
theresults
32-mm
x
Secondary
mirror
by
Waite
Research
Plössl to be nearly flawless in that regard
x Wide
of view,
about
1 degree
with
the field
Q-Barlow
lens
installed
in my
with
your
22mm
eyepiece
80- mm refractor. In the 8-inch f/5 and
x Eyepiece height under 60"
16inch f/4.5 (both with a Paracorr coma
x Short truss tubes for a rigid structure
corrector installed and without the Barx CNC precision fabrication
low lens), I found the 32-mm to have very
good edge correction. I did note a slight
amount of astigmatism near the field stop
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET
(maybe
the outer
10 to 15that
percent)
wella
whatsoever
and suspect
if I’d ashad
as
a
tinge
of
violet
false
color
on
bright
stars
1.25-inch diagonal, which would be shortright
at the
the 2-inch
field stop,
whichI was
I’ve using,
noticedI
er than
diagonal
through
eyepieces.
During
daylight
wouldn’t most
have had
any issue
reaching
focus
hours,
I could also see a slight green ring
in the refractor.
around
the perimeter
thethe
field
stop in
It should
be notedofthat
Q-Barlow
the
well
as be
in threaded
the 18-mm
and
lens32-mm,
assemblyascan
also
directly
10-mm
a lesser degree.
These
small
onto anyto1.25-inch
eyepiece
thatareaccepts
qualms,
however.
Overall, I would
say that
filters for
an effective
magnification
the
32-mm
Baader Classic Plössl has excelincrease
of 1.3x.
lent optics.
With the 32-mm Plössl and Barlow
Speaking
excellent
optics,
same
lens loaded upofinto
the turret
andthe
ready
to
could
be said for
the 18-mm,
and
go, I excitedly
pointed
the little10-mm,
refractor
at
6-mm
Orthos. The 10-mm
Jupiter.Baader
With Classic
this combination,
the gas
in
particular
extremely
comfortable
to
giant
showed isa crisp
and well
defined disk
use.
The bands
recessed
“volcano
allowedme
and two
were
clearlytop”
visible.
Jupiter’s
to
my eye
rightappeared
up to the
eyepiece
fourplace
Galilean
moons
as tiny
pinwithout
blackout
whatsoever.
The
points. Iany
moved
Jupiter
just outside
of 18the
mm
6-mm
Classic
Orthos
also
field and
of view
to Baader
see if there
was
any stray
feature
volcano
top lens
design, and
light or this
scatter,
and there
was none.
all three
much larger
Eye have
reliefeye
waslenses
comfortable,
andthan
the
what
you
might
expect
in
a
traditional
or32-mm, as well as the 18-mm (8-mm), 10thoscopic
design. and 6-mm(2.7-mm)
mm (4.5-mm),
Orthoscopic
often
have a
snapped
to focus eyepieces
perfectly in
the 80-mm
narrow
and given
the Baader
refractor.AFOV,
I observed
severalthat
deep-sky
gems
Classic Orthos feature a wider 50-degree
AFOV, I was concerned about the edge
correction. However, the edge of the field
of view in these Orthos was nearly perfect,
even in my fast f/4.5 scope with the coma
x Starlight Instruments
corrector installed. Like the Baader ClasLightweight Feather
sic
Plössl,
there was no scatter or ghosting
Touch
focuser
WAITE RESEARCH 20µ F3 UNVEILED AT NEAF
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whatsoeverM42,
in any
of the
Baader
including
M35,
M41,
M36,Classic
M38,
Orthos.
Though
the
6-mm
was
a
bit
too
the Beehive Cluster, the Double Cluster,
much
magnification
in the
16-inch
(351x)I
the
Pleiades,
and a few
others.
Though
on the nights
testedofit,my
it performed
well
normally
spendI most
observing time
in both
the 80-mmand
8-inch
scopes.The
using
wide-fields
(none of
my mounts
are
10-mm soClassic
Ortho
out to be
driven,
I often
find turned
wide-fields
my favorite
eyepieceI in
the set.
provides
most
convenient),
found
the It50-degree
a nice magnification
in my
Dob
AFOV
to be comfortable
and16-inch
expansive
in
(210x)
and performed
admirably.
the
80-mm
refractor. As
a side note, I did
I installed
a couple through
of other the
eyepienotice
slight vignetting
32ces ofPlössl
similar
lengths
the eyepiemm
duefocal
to using
theinBarlow
lens,
ce revolver
(1) an out
inexpensive
10-mm
but
this was– leveled
by the excellent
Plössl, quality.
(2) a cheap 9-mm wide-field, and
image
(3) aWith
high-quality
9-mm wide-field)
– anda
scopes around
f/7 and faster,
compared thewith
viewsany
of low-power
Jupiter. Theeyepiece
Baader
consideration
Classic Ortho
showedthea brighter
is10-mm
edge correction.
I found
32-mm
image to
than
the 10-mm
Plössl,
Plössl
besample
nearly one,
flawless
in that regard
and athe
crisper
imagelens
than
sampleintwo,
the
with
Q-Barlow
installed
my 80low-end
9-mmInwide-field.
mm
refractor.
the 8-inchThe
f/5 view
and was
16also much
“whiter”
the Classic
Ortho
inch
f/4.5 (both
within
a Paracorr
coma
corthan it installed
was in sample
three, thethehigh-quarector
and without
Barlow
lity
9-mm
wide-field.
Additionally,
I could
lens), I found the 32-mm to have
very
see slightly
more detailI in
good
edge correction.
didJupiter’s
note a cloud
slight
bands inoftheastigmatism
10-mm Baader
amount
near Classic
the fieldOrtho
stop
when compared
the 10-mm
(maybe
the outerto10sample
to 15 one,
percent)
as well
Plössl.
as
a tinge of violet false color on bright stars
didthesome
the 32rightI at
fieldcomparisons
stop, whichwith
I’ve noticed
mm, 18-mm,
6-mm During
as well. daylight
Though
through
most and
eyepieces.
double-stars
aren’t
main
arearing
of
hours,
I could
alsoreally
see a my
slight
green
interest,the
I split
a few for
the field
sake stop
of com
around
perimeter
of the
in
parison.
Starting
with
I foundand
the
the
32-mm,
as well
as Castor,
in the 18-mm
6-mm
Baader
Classic
Ortho
to
be
well
up
10-mm to a lesser degree. These are small
qualms, however. Overall, I would say that
the 32-mm Baader Classic Plössl has excellent optics.
Speaking of excellent optics, the same
could be said for the 18-mm, 10-mm, and
to the task,
and
whenOrthos.
compared
an in6-mm
Baader
Classic
Theto10-mm
expensive
6-mm
wide-field,
the
difference
in particular is extremely comfortable to
was The
quiterecessed
apparent;
at 210xtop”
(with
the Baruse.
“volcano
allowed
me
lowplace
lens my
through
the up
80-mm
to
eye right
to therefractor)
eyepiece
the 6-mm
Classic
Ortho showed
without
anyBaader
blackout
whatsoever.
The 18-a
crisper
noticeably
mm
andand
6-mm
Baaderbetter
Classicdefined
Orthossplit.
also
Thisthistrend
repeated
with
feature
volcano
top lensitself
design,
andseall
veral other
doubles.
thethan
exthree
have eye
lensesAside
muchfrom
larger
cellentyou
optics,
the expect
other thing
really
what
might
in a that
traditional
impressed me
was light transmission. It is
orthoscopic
design.
very Orthoscopic
difficult to detect
a difference
lighta
eyepieces
often in
have
transmission
as
the
human
eye
requires
narrow AFOV, and given that the Baadera
varianceOrthos
of about
10 percent
order to
Classic
feature
a widerin50-degree
actually Iseewas
a difference.
in the
a couple
AFOV,
concerned But
about
edge
of cases (likeHowever,
the comparisonmentioned
in
correction.
the edge of the field
the
last in
paragraph),
I could
notice perfect,
a small
of view
these Orthos
was nearly
difference.
With
four-element
even in my fast
f/4.5simpler
scope with
the coma
designs,
as Orthoscopics,
is
corrector such
installed.
Like the Baaderthere
Classic
less
light
loss was
(assuming
equalorquality
in
Plössl,
there
no scatter
ghosting
coatings)
fewer
lens
whatsoeverdue
in to
anytheof fact
the that
Baader
Classic
elements
are usedthethan
inmore
Orthos. Though
6-mm
was acomplex
bit too
designs.
Some
widefield
designs
can
emmuch magnification in the 16-inch (351x)
ploy
ormore
lensit, elements,
eachwell
of
on theeight
nights
I tested
it performed
which
lose up to
percent
ormore
in
bothmay
the 80-mm
andtwo
8-inch
scopes.
The
of their light
throughput.
10-mm
Classic
Ortho turned out to be my
The eyepiece
coatings inonthethese
favorite
set. eyepieces
It providesarea
absolutely
superb. Viewed
an angle,Dob
the
nice
magnification
in myat16-inch
coatingsand
appear
slightly
greenish to my
(210x)
performed
admirably.
admittedly
somewhat
color
I installed
a couple of
otherchallenged
eyepieces
eyes.similar
Looking
straight
intointhe
the
of
focal
lengths
thebarrel,
eyepiece
glass almost
disappears
– one can only
see
revolver
– (1)
an inexpensive
10-mm
flat
black
with
no
shiny
surfaces.
The
BaaPlössl, (2) a cheap 9-mm wide-field, and
der aClassic
Plössl 9-mm
and Classic
Orthos
are
(3)
high-quality
wide-field)
– and
advertised the
as being
“fully
HTThe
multicoacompared
views of
Jupiter.
Baader
ted,” andClassic
this means
every air-toglass
10-mm
Orthothat
showed
a brighter
surfacethan
is coated
this
two Plössl,
diffeimage
sample(in
one,
thecase,
10-mm
rent aoxides
ontosample
the glass
in the
six
and
crispere-gunned
image than
two,
layers) to reduce reflections and allowmore light to pass through. The “HT” means
high-transmission, and these eyepieces
definitely have nice high-transmission
coatings.
The 32-mm appears to feature
a blackened baffle/field stop, and I
admire the fact that the threads on
this eyepiece seem to go all the way
up the barrel past the field stop. This is
nice because textured or rough surfaces
(like these threads) tend to stop stray light
better than smooth surfaces. It’s often de-
tails
like these
can make
a difference
low-end
9-mmthat
wide-field.
The
view was
in
alsoperformance.
much “whiter” in the Classic Ortho
I’m not
a big
of the
thanAdmittedly,
it was in sample
three,
the fan
high-qualwinged
eye-guards
included
on these
(and
ity 9-mm
wide-field.
Additionally,
I could
many
other)more
eyepieces.
suppose
they
are
see slightly
detailI in
Jupiter’s
cloud
useful
outBaader
ambient
lightOrtho
sourbands in blocking
the 10-mm
Classic
ces,
but
as I mosttooften
observe
from
dark
when
compared
sample
one, the
10-mm
skies,
Plössl.I find them to be a bit cumbersome.
I justI flipped
them
down so they
did some
comparisons
withwere
the out
32of
the
way,
but
because
of
this
I
did
notice
mm, 18-mm, and 6-mm as well. Though
adouble-stars
touch of kidney
beaning
aren’t really
my(blackouts)
main area in
of
the
32-mm
anda few
18-mm
when
the
interest,
I split
for the
sakeusing
of comBarlow lens. A standard fold down eyeguard would alleviate this issue, and it
would be great to see Baader Planetarium
offer that as an option with this set in the
future.
After corresponding with Thomas
Baader via email, I realized I’d completely
overlooked the useful extension tube for
the 32-mm Plössl, which is included in
the Q-Turret eyepiece set. This handy little device attaches directly to the 32-mm
Plössl and allows users who don’t wear
eyeglasses to comfortably take in the enAstronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
39
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET
FEATURES
tire
field Starting
of view without
any blackouts
or
sake surface
of this isreview,
found
it to two
be perparison.
with Castor,
I found the
glass
coatedI (in
this case,
difkidney
beaning.
Additionally,
the
winged
fectly
adjusted
right
out
of
the
box.
6-mm Baader Classic Ortho to be well up
ferent oxides e-gunned onto the glass in six
eyeguard
becompared
attached to an
theinexexI was
initiallyreflections
concerned
themore
eyeto
the task,can
andalso
when
layers)
to reduce
andthat
allow
tension tube
if desired.
In later
piecestomay
spaced too
pensive
6-mm
wide-field,
the observing
difference
light
passbethrough.
Theclosely
“HT”together
means
sessions,
the extension
be
when installed in the
and would
was quiteI found
apparent;
at 210x tube
(withtothe
high-transmission,
andQ-Turret
these eyepieces
defuseful enough
that I the
simply
choserefractor)
to leave
interferehave
withnice
the observer
during use,coatbut
Barlow
lens through
80-mm
initely
high-transmission
it installed
on the 32-mm
Plössl. showed a
that simply wasn’t an issue. Although that
the
6-mm Baader
Classic Ortho
ings.
I was
impressed
with
the 2.25x
couldThe
be the
case if appears
bulkier eyepieces
werea
crisper
andalso
noticeably
better
defined
split.
32-mm
to feature
Q-Barlow.
It isrepeated
threadeditself
andwith
appears
to
installed, I didn’t
find that
be a Iproblem
This trend
several
blackened
baffle/field
stop,toand
admire
featuredoubles.
a flockedAside
bafflefrom
inside
barrel,
withfact
the that
included
Baader on
eyepieces
or any
other
thetheexcellent
the
the threads
this eyepiece
which the
I thought
was that
a very
touch.
other to
1.25-inch
size
optics,
other thing
reallynice
impressed
seem
go all theeyepieces
way up of
thesimilar
barrel past
The
Q-Barlow
performed
very
well
with
that
I
used
to
during
my
observing
sessime was light transmission. It is very diffithe field stop. This is nice because textured
no
image
qualions.rough surfaces (like these threads) tend
cultnoticeable
to detect adegradation
difference ininlight
transmisor
ty
versus
using
the eyepiece
by itself.
Using
Onestray
of my
about surthe
sion
as the
human
eye requires
a variance
to stop
lightfavorite
better aspects
than smooth
the
2.25x10Q-Barlow
observerseea
Q-Turret
set is like
its convenience.
It’s
of about
percent ingives
orderthe
to actually
faces.
It’s eyepiece
often details
these that can
wide
range ofBut
effective
focal of
lengths:
32perfecta for
“grab and
go” use, and I often
a difference.
in a couple
cases (like
make
difference
in performance.
mm,
18-mm, 14-mm,
10-mm,
6found
myself justI’m
leaving
set the
atthe comparison
mentioned
in the8-mm,
last paraAdmittedly,
not athebigentire
fan of
mm,
4.6-mm,
2.7-mm.
tached toeye-guards
the focuser
on my little
refractor.
graph),
I couldand
notice
a small difference.
winged
included
on these
(and
“dualfour-element
factor” Barlow
lens such
is also
This allowed
to be outside
observing
in
WithThe
simpler
designs,
as
many
other) me
eyepieces.
I suppose
they are
designed
to be removed
one trip;innoblocking
eyepiece case
Orthoscopics,
there is easily
less and
lightthrealoss
useful
out necessary!
ambient light
ded
onto equal
the bottom
of coatings)
any 1.25-inch
In many
these
are observe
the ultimate
(assuming
quality in
due to
sources,
but asways,
I most
often
from
eyepiece
for
an
effective
magnification
in“sleeper”
eyepieces.
When
I
first
opened
the fact that fewer lens elements are used
dark skies, I find them to be a bit cumbercrease
1.3x,complex
which allows
forSome
even widemore
the box,
my flipped
initial thought
was so
“starter
than inofmore
designs.
some.
I just
them down
they
possible
focal
the
set,” but
this case,
Baa-I
field designs
canlengths.
employ For
eightexample,
or more lens
were
out itof appears
the way,that
butinbecause
of this
effective focal
of 24-mm
when
der put
a high
the functional
elements,
eachlength
of which
may lose
upthe
to
did
notice
a emphasis
touch of on
kidney
beaning
lens percent
was paired
directly
withlight
the through32- mm
design and optical
this set
two
or more
of their
(blackouts)
in theperformance
32-mm andof 18-mm
Plössl in this manner was especially useful
and a bit
less on
cosmetics
outward
put.
when
using
thethe
Barlow
lens.and
A standard
during
observing
Also, attaappearance.
This is positively
refreshingthis
as
Themycoatings
on sessions.
these eyepieces
are
fold
down eye-guard
would alleviate
ching the Q-Barlow
lens toatthe
of
it allows
high-performance
absolutely
superb. Viewed
an bottom
angle, the
issue,
and this
it would
be great to seeeyepiece
Baader
the eyepiece
revolver
(for greenish
a magnification
set to be hadoffer
for athat
surprisingly
low price
coatings
appear
slightly
to my
Planetarium
as an option
with
increase
of 2.25x)
allowscolor
for an
additiowithout
admittedly
somewhat
challenged
this
set inany
thesacrifice
future. in optical quality.
nal 25-mm
to the
accommodate
Don’t
get me wrong, with
the anodized
eyes.
Lookingback-focus
straight into
barrel, the
After corresponding
Thomas
scopesalmost
with limited
inward
focus
black barrels
withI realized
readableI’dwhite
letters
glass
disappears
– one
can travel.
only see
Baader
via email,
completely
revolverThe
is
are functionally
practical
and certainly
flat The
blackQ-Turret
with no eyepiece
shiny surfaces.
overlooked
the useful
extension
tube for
itself a great
inventive
piece of
gear.
look32-mm
nice enough.
But there
are no in
fancy
Baader
Classicand
Plössl
and Classic
Orthos
the
Plössl, which
is included
the
It isadvertised
lightweight,
precise,
andHT
themultiassuknurled grips
on the
andlittle
the
are
as being
“fully
Q-Turret
eyepiece
set.eyepieces,
This handy
ring “click-stop”
system that
works
perfectly.
eyepieceattaches
revolverdirectly
uses simple
coated,”
and this means
every
air-todevice
to the setscrews
32-mm
Though it is partly constructed of plastic,
rather than the setscrews with brass reit feels rugged and durable. There is a Philtaining collars that are often common on
MADE IN THE USA BY
lips screw in the center of the unit (which,
higher pricedASTRONOMERS
accessories. Fancy knurled
FOR
by the way, threads into a brass nut, not
grips don’t makeASTRONOMERS!
stars look any better, so
directly into the plastic body) that can be
I’d rather have excellent views through the
HOODED
OBSERVING
VESTwhen I look at the eyepiece!
SEE
US
adjusted to modify the “feel” and torque
eyepiece than
• 4 oversized XL pockets to hold!
AT NEAF!
needed to move the eyepieces from poIf you’re looking for spectacular optics,
the largest EP’s
sitionNew
to position. This is a nice• 4feature,
a
wide
range of effective focal lengths and
additional smaller EP pockets
because
should the unit “loosen •up”
a bit "Monk"
a convenient
device (the Q-Turret eyepiece
Oversized
hood helps to
Lightweight
withVests!
prolonged use, the user could
theo- strayrevolver)
to use them in, look no further
eliminate
light and improve
contrast
retically make adjustments to compensate
than the Baader Planetarium Q-Turret
•
2.5%
of
sales
donated
to the
for this. Although I did try tightening and
Eyepiece
Set.IDA
You will surely not be disaploosening the adjustment screw for the
pointed.
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40
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Plössl and allows users who don’t wear eyeThetoBaader
Classictake
Orthos
are entire
of an
glasses
comfortably
in the
Abbe-orthoscopic
design.
They
use
the
field of view without any blackouts or kidactual
optical
design
of
the
famed
Zeiss
ney beaning. Additionally, the winged eyeJena
Baader
now
owns
rights
guardorthos
can also–be
attached
to the
extension
to
that
design. In
Because
the Abbe-ortho
tube
if desired.
later observing
sessions,
design
is
maximized
for
an AFOV
of 45
I found the extension tube
to be useful
degrees,
these
Baader
Classic
Orthos
enough that I simply chose to leave it
start
to lose
edge-offield
sharpness past
installed
on the
32-mm Plössl.
45 degrees.
Nevertheless,
of
I was also impressed withthe
theAFOV
2.25x Qthese
eyepieces
was
intentionally
extenBarlow. It is threaded and appears to feaded
thebaffle
optimized
ture beyond
a flocked
inside 45
thedegrees
barrel,
to
provide
users
an
extended
true field
which I thought was a very nice touch.
The
of
view to performed
aid in locating
when
Q-Barlow
very objects
well with
no
viewing
high power.inThere
few
noticeableat degradation
imageare
quality
things
more the
frustrating
knowing
versus using
eyepiece than
by itself.
Using
that
your
target
is
oh-so-close,
but stilla
the 2.25x Q-Barlow gives the observer
finding
yourself
struggling
“find 32it”
wide range
of effective
focal to
lengths:
in
the18-mm,
field of14-mm,
view.This
more 8-mm,
than 10mm,
10-mm,
6percent
increase
in
true
field
of
view can
mm, 4.6-mm, and 2.7-mm.
makeThe
the“dual
difference
between
factor” Barlow
lensquickly
is also
locating
an
object
…
or
continuing
to
designed to be removed easily and threadmumble
to
yourself
in
frustration.
As
ed onto the bottom of any 1.25-inch eyefor
cosmetic
aspects of
the eyepipiecethefor
an effective
magnification
eces,
Thomas
Baader
explains,
increase of 1.3x, which allows for“Well,
even
what
can
I
say.
Whoever
saw
a
real
Carl
more possible focal lengths. For example,
Zeiss
0.965 focal
Ortho
Eyepiece
madewhen
50
the effective
length
of 24-mm
years
ago
will
see
that
these
eyepieces
the lens was paired directly with the 32really
try toinresemble
the original
– not
mm Plössl
this manner
was especially
just
inside,
but
also
outside.
What
we
useful during my observing sessions. Also,
try
to
express
is
modesty/
conservativeattaching the Q-Barlow lens to the bottom
ness
every regard.”
of theineyepiece
revolver (for a magnification increase of 2.25x) allows for an additional 25-mm back-focus to accommodate
scopes with limited inward focus travel.
The Q-Turret eyepiece revolver is itself
a great and inventive piece of gear. It is