Celestron Axiom 40mm

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Brand and Model:Celestron Axiom 40mm
Price ($USD):$279.50
Type:Misc Wide Angle
Focal Length:40 mm
Barrel Size:2 in
Apparent FOV:70.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:19 mm
Elements:7
Weight (lbs):1.2
Description:

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Celestron Axiom 40mm
I'm currently using this new EP with a Meade 16" f4.5. The secondary is huge (4"), producing a large area of full illumination which seems to be critical for this EP. (See Pronto test below...)

The EP has a huge rubber eye-cup which closely resembles a drain plunger in size and shape. The size of the cup tends to hold your eye too far away from the objective, prohibiting a full view. The cup retracts completely, however. And, the cup can be collapsed on the side that touches your nose, and extended on the opposite side. This allows your eye to be placed optimally and does a wonderful job of sealing out extraneous light. So, in the end, despite the awkward and massive appearance of the cup, it works the best out of all that I've tried.

Optically, the Axiom performs VERY well, stars were as round as could be expected to the edge of the f4.5. Contrast was outstanding, and focus sharp. Eye placement was a little critical to avoid kidney beaning, but a little easier than Naglers. Daylight use produces a darkened area in the middle of the field of view, which vanishes completely with night use. The wide field view (1.5 Deg. on my 'scope) is stunning, and makes locating objects a breeze.

I had the opportunity to compare the Axiom side by side with a 42mm Lanthanum Superwide. Seemed like the Axiom may have been more contrasty, but otherwise the EP's were nearly indistinguishable. The Lanthanum had easier eye placement and a much less awkward eye-cup. The Axiom has 1 less element, and more obvious anti reflection coatings. (Not that that really means anything.)

I also tested the Lanthanum and Axiom on a Pronto. The Pronto made eye placement very critical, and seemed to reduce the field of full illumination on both EP's, but the effects were much more obvious with the Axiom. On the Pronto, the Lanthanum outperformed the Axiom by a small margin, mostly due to eye relief and placement issues.

After the side by side comparison, I liked the Axiom more than the Lanthanum (on the 16" f4.5) by a VERY small margin due to slightly better field of view, contrast, eye relief, and price.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44267

Celestron Axiom 40mm
The optics are very good and as sharp as can be expected with a maximum field of view design. I use mostly f/8 scopes and still notice distorted stars around the edge. The eye relief is over-rated. I had to remove the rubber eyecup and screw off the top filter mount ring in order to get in close enough for a full field with my glasses on, but it works fine like that. Those issues aside, I find that my 40mm Axiom is typically the first eyepiece I reach for in my case as a low power finder and for scanning. This design maximizes the true field of view you can get from a 2" eyepiece. The normal new retail price is too high compared to comparable models. I bought mine at a discount so I'm happy with the deal. I was not immediately impressed with the 40mm Axiom, but after many months of regular use I can say that I now rely upon it heavily and haven't found anything better.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:9 Value:7
Weight: 8 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=74302

Celestron Axiom 40mm
Came with no caps. Good lens, but not quite what I expected for the money.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=44268

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