ll-FOV one-eyed optical perfection with a Questar 3.5 and then a Questar 7. I did get a BT 82XL-ED for the binocular wide-field experience though. Under amazing dark skies in ME last year I found myself using the BT82, not just as a 'finder' for the Q7, but as the most Enjoyable instrument to use overall! That convinced me to sell the Q7 (Q 3.5 soon) and get the BT 127XL and I am incredibly happy that I did so. Optically it compares very very well with the as-close-to-perfect-as-possible Q3.5. I (now) think the use of two eyes and the much shorter focal length yields more pleasure than beautiful Airy disks. I just do visual observing and have settled on my eyepieces of choice as Masuyama MOP 20mm, Brandon 20mm, and Takahashi TPL 18mm. These all give ~1.5 degrees TFOV which works very well with SkySafari software (absolutely indispensable!) to allow easy star-hopping. I also use TV Panoptic 24mm for greater FOV and, conversely, Morpheus 9mm for moon/planet observing. While it is easy to swap the eyepieces I prefer to use one pair for the whole session and choose targets to match. Chromatic aberration is absent giving beautiful lunar views (or heck, just looking at Rigel or Sirius). Carbon stars are beautiful as well as eyepiece-appropriate doubles. Clusters are also a joy to observe. Nebulae and galaxies not so much, given the horrible light pollution at my local 'site'. It is interesting to use a filter for observing. I put it in the right eyepiece and can thus alternate the with/without view or, even neater, is to use both eyes and let my brain 'fuse' both views. With an OIII filter, for instance, this allows the target planetary nebula to 'pop' into view and the field stars also remain visible. I can't overstate the Joy of using the BT127XL both for the views and the simplicity of use. No mental gyrations are necessary to understand where I'm looking. All I have to do is lean a bit back from the eyepieces and I can 'see' North, East, and West and thus know, for instance, the PA of a double I might be looking at. The constellations are also as easily accessible and make star-hopping very easy (again, with SkySafari's assistance). Focusing is smooth and adjusting the IPD is also smooth. The optical simplicity and quality is matched with the mechanical as I have the BT127XL mounted on a Nitrotech 612 head on a Manfrotto 161MK28 tripod. It takes me ~10 min to pre-setup everything by picking up the tripod from the garage and putting it in the driveway (making sure it is level with its bubble indicator - this is essential!); taking the BT out of it's case and putting it (dew caps out, eyepieces in) in my car trunk to acclimate and putting out my sketching tools. Then after sunset it takes about 1 min to put the BT on the head and lock it in (yes, the time I spend in the gym helps here as it does weigh ~25 lbs), adjust the axes' drag, swing it around to a convenient bright star, fine-tune the focusing and then I'm ready to go to my first target. No polar alignment necessary! The head is so easy to use I can often just nudge the eyepiece with my nose to re-center the target. Or just pan incredibly easily in azimuth (no seat height change needed!) or in altitude. The cranked elevator height is fantastic on this mount and makes long-distance star-hopping very easy. (Note I have the Oberwerk tripod that I used for the BT82 and Q3.5 and it is also great to use -and very beautiful- but it does not having a crank elevator height and thus does not lend itself for use with the BT127-IMO). In addition to touting the superlatives of the equipment kudos also go to Oberwerk/Kevin. He went 'above and beyond' with an issue I had at first with the BT127XL. He also adjusted the eyepiece focusing to allow my use of the Masuyama eyepieces. Great folks to deal with! I am hoping again for clear (smoke-free?) skies in ME this summer to use the BT127 in a truly dark-sky setting!
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ld. This tripod is strong and more than capable of supporting my binoculars. It's also quite tall, which is great for me because I can stand straight up when observing, unless my target object is towards the zenith. It's also very well built with mostly metal construction, so I'm sure it will serve for many years to come. I do wish it had spreader bars to keep the legs where I want them. I almost bought the 5000 model for that reason, but they were beyond my budget. A minor issue is the extendable center pole. I wish that it hand a type of crank to make it easier to extend and retract. Even with these minor issues, I'm not sorry I got it and I do recommend it to others. Larry
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ice at Oberwerk is outstanding. Kevin, Linda and David all helped me with my choice. Second, they arrived on time and very well packed. In addition to the stout cardboard box, they also came with a form fitting zipper case with a handle and neck strap. The mechanical construction appears to be very strong and they are well put together. Collimation is right on, right from the box. So far, I have only had the chance to try these from my light polluted driveway, but that is enough to determine that the star images are perfect pinpoints of light and there is no CA visible. I am really looking forward to taking these to our local club semi-dark site to test them out on some accessible deep sky objects. I haven't looked at the crescent moon yet, as by the time it's dark enough, the moon is well behind my neighbors house. Finally, the focus knob is not easy to turn, but I see that as a positive since it prevents inadvertent adjustments. The only thing I don't really care for are the twist up eye cups. I have always preferred the softer rubber eyecups, but since this is a matter of personal preference, I won't take off anything from my rating. Larry
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Everything from planes to jets to birds in flight. Something about the way the two axis's are weighted or buffered to resist movement takes all the jerkiness out of my panning and tilting. Also the height adjustable head with a quick release on the elevator is a big help. Once the tripod is set up most of my height adjustments are made with the elevator and not the tripod legs, which really speeds things along. This is a very tall tripod. I'm 5' 11" and it gets high enough for near zenith viewing. As far as weight capacity goes, I've never had anything bigger on it than a short focal length 80mm refractor (FL480mm, 5pounds). At 40x it did just fine. I mostly use it for binoculars. If you've never had the experience of using a video head this is a good cheap way to test the waters. I'm really, really enjoying the tripod. Wished I had known about these things earlier.
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uilding on a Florida intercoastal waterway and I use these binoculars often to view boats and activities in the waterfront park. These binoculars are bright, clear, and easy to maneuver (on a tripod). The magnification is ideal for my needs. It's hard to believe that the price is so competitive with the Celestron because these are SIGNIFICANTLY better, in my opinion. And it's very reassuring that it's impossible to receive a lemon (if there is such a thing at Oberwerk) because someone checks and tests each product with their own eyes before shipping with a hand-marked quality checklist. In my case, it was filled out by the owner/founder himself, even though I had purchased their lowest-priced 20x80 model. Remarkable in this day and age.
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I am pleasantly surprised! Field of view: The contrast is perfect, the edge is clear, I did not notice any chromatic aberrations. Distorted, trailing stars like comets in the last 10% this is normal OK. The focuser is a little hard or does not grip well with my fingers, but this is subjective. I definitely do not regret making this choice and upgrading from Nikon 10x50. I recommend it with both hands :) Linda - thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me with the order. Cloudless evenings to everyone!
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sting eyepieces allow for quick eye relief adjustment and the focus dial is ergonomic and well-made. Clear and sharp images. Just wide enough for my interpupillary distance - so watch that if you're on the wide side. I've been watching birds and the ability to focus at short distances is also very useful.(10x42 Sport ED)
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nd these work fine for me in terms of the exit pupil and eye relief. I highly recommend them. And you cannot beat the price.
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Sky Watcher AZ GTi goto mount for the refractor but sometimes I honestly prefer using the Oberwerk tripod for learning the night sky on my own and the simplicity of non-electronic stargazing. I would highly recommend upgrading to the Smallrig DH-10 if you ever plan on going bigger than 80mm. I wish I did that myself. The 5000 head that it comes with has been perfect for my 80mm but I'll have to upgrade it if I ever get a larger refractor.
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