 | Celestron Zoom Eyepiece
rating: 5
I am really glad that I bought this eyepiece. The bottom is threaded to handle 1.25 filters. (There was another that takes .965") The lens is large with smooth movements. I have a manual focus and it is often difficult to fine tune. I am able to use the zoom on this lens to some extent to focus. The lens covers and plastic case are nice to have.
I am no professional so I am not using a $10,000 telescope. I don't need a $500 lens. I have the full Mead 4000 eyepiece set and find myself only using a 40mm or 32 mm, the zoom lens, and a 2X balrow. Get a Barlow with this eyepiece if you don't have one. The barlow makes the zoom more like 8 lenses than 4, and is nice to take the telescope beyond its limits then back quickly.
If anyone was interested this lens does have a green tint.
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Excellent Eyepiece for the price
rating: 5
Ive been into astronomy for 20 years and have probably 18 eyepieces ranging from 3mm to 40mm, plus a 3x barlow lens. One of the frustrating things in astronomy is fumbling around in the dark looking for that higher/lower magnification eyepiece... and can be costly if dropped. The Celestron Zoom Focus has eliminated all that digging around in the dark for me and has bascially replaced almost all my eyepieces from 24mm and lower.
Now I can just instantly lower or raise the magnification with very little re-focusing and also works great with a 3x barlow lens. I was very impressed with the quality, clarity and detailed views given with this eyepiece. The field of view although was slightly less than my other eyepieces it was not really noticeable and everything I viewed fit in the field of view. I have been using this eyepiece with my Meade Lx200 8 inch scope and Meade ETX-125 5 inch scope with outstanding results. Very smooth motion to transition from the different magnifications.
If your new or an old timer in astronomy this eyepiece is a must. For the newcomer it can save alot of $$$$ spent on many different eyepieces with leaving only the need for the wide field 30-40MM+ eyepieces. For those that have many eyepieces in their case this is a great addition giving you easy trasition to different magnifications. I dont think its a total replacement to the much higher end fixed eyepieces..but to the casual observer like myself this is almost all I need. I wish i had purchased one of these many years ago, absolutely the BEST money ive spent on an astronomical accessory to date....a must buy.
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Pleasantly Surprised
rating: 4
I bought this to try out on my son's new Nexstar 4 SE. I also bought the Celestron larger eyepiece/filter kit. I thought we might like the convenience of the zoom (we did!) and I did not see much of a difference in the images between the zoom and the fixed EPs. Unlike the fixed EPs, the focus barely changes when changing the magnification on this zoom, and only slight adjustments are required. I also REALLY like the better eye relief and larger "field of view" vs. the smaller f/mm kit EPs.
The barrel of the zoom is bigger then the stock 25mm, and seemed to be a nice quality item. I kept this, and sent the kit back. I will also get a good Barlow and the moon filter, and feel pretty well set (for now).
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Much better than expected
rating: 5
I was a bit leery of buying a "zoom" eyepiece and suspected that the movement within the lens assembly would greatly effect the optics. I took a chance because I wanted a quick and dirty spotting eyepiece that would give me a sneak peak at objects before I bothered switching eyepieces. I have now tried this eyepiece on my Celestron 130SLT and compared it side by side with a set of comparable fixed Celestron Omni Possls, which should be of comparable quality. I was very pleasantly surprised, as I saw very little visible difference when viewing Mars and Saturn. I had expected the zoom to cause significant distortion outside the center of the viewfield, and to give substantially less sharp views. However, I found the views very nearly the same. I also tried the zoom over my Celestron Ultima barlow with good results. Some minor refocusing was required with any significant change in zoom, but this was not unexpected. That said, there was a difference between the zoom and fixed lens eyepieces. I did see some differences at higher magnifications, particularly with the barlow. As such, I don't think a zoom lens is a replacement for a range of fixed eyepieces, particularly if you're doing photography or viewing deep sky objects. However, this zoom exceeded my expectations and will probably become my main eyepiece for locating and previewing objects. I should note that the barrel of this eyepiece is a few mm wider than other 1.25" Celestron eyepieces and barlows. It still fits nicely and functions well. It just looks a bit bulky when mounted over a narrower barlow.
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