Customer Reviews

Meade 2inch 26mm QX Wide Angle Eyepiece

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I borrowed the 26mm model from a friend and tried it out in my scope and loved it. Sure, it has a fishbowl effect at the edges, but I don't use the edge of the field anyway.

I have a 16" f/6.4 and the coma produced is not as bad as it might be in a shorter focal length scope, but for me, it didn't affect my observations of over a dozen faint galaxies that night. The center correction makes up for the edge.

Since then, I've obtained a set of the Orion Q-70 series, which are almost identical, and I'd give them a five star over the four stars I'm giving the Meade version because their edges are a little less distorted.

I'd go for these over a Nagler any day, as there are fewer elements the light has to go through and I don't really care if the field is flat all the way to the edge. And don't get me started on price! But that's just me. Highly recommended.

This eyepiece is good for wide field, initial looks at messier objects and star parties. Views are decent in my 8" f7 Discovery dobsonian but in my Stellarvue nighthawk7, the design flaws really come out. That being said, I paid 40 for this eyepiece, so I am not expecting it to hang with my Pentaxes, but it does help keep them out of my scope at star parties.

I purchased this eyepiece a few months ago from a Meade dealer, not knowing that it was a closeout item. Had I known, I would have purchased two, I believe that this will be my most used 2 inch eyepiece as time goes on.

I have been in this hobby 2 years, the one all-around eyepiece I have used in 30 different types of telescopes has been the 1.25 inch Meade 4000 Super Plossl. Although not a wide angle design, it has been a reliable "first look" item in scopes of all focal ratios. Not designed for eyeglass wearers due to the recessed eye lens, it never exhibits the kidney bean effect and is especially good when the moon is bright or if one must contend with nearby lighting.

When I began buying telescopes with 2 inch focusers, I began buying inexpensive 2 inch eyepieces, finding them OK but not even very good until this one. The large rubber eyecup serves nearly as well as the recess in the 1.25 SP, but the wider angle and larger field stop combined with the good coatings and decent build make this the best 2" EP under $100 I have come across yet. Clean crisp views and only a bit of distortion at the perimeter on faster scopes (much less than the advertised "superwides") - on SCTs and f/8 up refractors it is excellent.

Sorry to see it closed out. It may have become too expensive for Meade to continue carrying it under their banner. Perhaps it will turn up under another name, I have seen this design offered by a Chinese broker. Highly recommended.