Meade Super Plossl 26mm

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Brand and Model:Meade Super Plossl 26mm
Price ($USD):$79.95
Type:Plossl
Focal Length:26 mm
Barrel Size:1.25 in
Apparent FOV:52.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:10 mm
Elements:4
Weight (lbs):0.3
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
Meade Super Plossl 26mm
I agree with a previous vote...this eyepiece is a workhorse! I have the japan version and it performs exceptionally in any telescope I have used it in....large, small, fast, slow! The galss and coatings are excellent. Contrast is exceptional and have not noticed any hint of edge distortion. Works well with filters...color, OIII, UHC, and HBeta. I would consider this a great value a retail price but many used ones being sold out there for half price! Great Star Party Eyepiece!

Scott

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=179753

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
My low power workhorse. I have one of the Japanese versions and it is a great eyepiece, worth far more than the $25 or so I paid for it on eBay. I have not really tested it side by side with any other eyepiece but a standard Orion 25 mm Plossl that comes with their Dobs but it is head and shoulders above that one.

I am always on the lookout for good deals on high-quality eyepieces but since I bought this one I no longer bother looking in the 25mm range. I have looked through lots of scopes using many other eyepieces of roughly the same focal length and some do outperform the 26mm Meade Super Plossl but they cost 5-10 times as much. This is about as good as it gets for the astronomer on a budget.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=129634

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
Very good eyepiece for the money. Good transmission and fairly sharp to the edge.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=86008

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
A really good EP in this focal range. Works much better than standard Plössl (Meade Series 3000, Celestron Plössl, chinese Plössl and several others) in fast focal ratios, f/6 or f/5, with noticeably better off axis performance. Very good transmission, contrast and colour rendition, with better than average geometrical correction (for a Plössl). It also works very well on slow focal ratios. The only defect, it's only a Plössl with 50º field and a bit pincushion, nothing really serious.
Tested in f/5 refractor, f/5, f/6 and f/8 newtonians and f/10 SCTs.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=71370

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
I paid $60 for a pair when I purchased my binoviewer. The only thing I don't like about them is the eyelens is deep in the barrel so you have to push your eye's into them when used with a binoviewer to see the full field.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=47113

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
I received one of these eyepieces with my new LXD-75 SN-10 telescope. It came in a box clearly marked "Made in China". What a piece of junk! I'm used to really GOOD eyepieces: Panoptics,Naglers, and Pentax XW's. This eyepiece is very astigmatic , and is a very poor match for the otherwise excellent OTA. In a slower f-ratio scope, the astigmatism would not be so evident, and the seagull images not so annoying. The coatings seem to be nonexistant, and there is lots of flare and internal reflection.

I plan to sell mine on eBay if anyone is dumb enough to buy it!

Overall Rating: 3
Optics:3 Value:3
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=431611

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
Well here goes.......... This is my very first Meade EP. I have purchased a set of 26's to go with my Denkmeier 2 Binoviewer. I have a set of 19mm TV Panoptics and also have set of UO orthos @ 25mm fl. among various other EP's. I have Naglers, Pans, Pentax's, UO's, Orion Ultrascopics (incredible EP's) and even a Harry Siebert 4.9mm which I really like. The long and the short of it......

The EP on-axis is excellent. When doing a side by side comparison with a University Ortho, the Meade was SUPRISINGLY slightly shaarper and a bit more contrasty. I spent an hour looking at sunpots which have all sorts of details at varying degrees. The Meade 26 did a very good job, very pleased indeed.....on-axis that is. outer 20% goes away noticably. Thats where the UO Ortho kicked it hands down. UO was sharp to the outer 5% and even the was still very good. So the end result is :

I bought the Meade's on Astromart for $35.00 ea shipped and will use them at star parties (and for private sessions too) and for that price I am very, very happy. But if I had paid $80.00 for it..... ouch. The UO new is $57 and overall a equal/slightly better performer albeit not as comfortable to use. Then I just had to do it... I popped in a TV Pan 19mm and realized there is a real difference in EP's. Not a fair comparrison, but it does underline the point. Dont be fooled by some people that say these are "very close" to big $ EP's. They are a decent EP for the category they are in and I really like them. Find one used and you will be very happy with it, guaranteed.

If you are going to buy one new, think about the Orion Ultrascopics. They are a modified plossl with outstanding optics for about the same $$. (not pushing Orion in particular, but I am very impressed with this particular EP. Celestron also sells the exact same EP.)

Best regards and clear skies,
Erich

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:8
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=228704

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
Again I tend to agree with the previous assessments...it has been my primary EP compared to the 9mm that came with the 2120 LX3 back in 1985.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=113405

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
Everytime I switch to this eyepiece I wonder why I bother with anything else. Bright with good contrast, sharp to the edge, and comfortable to use it stands head & shoulders above most everything else in my small collection. This includes a 20mm TV plossl, a 22mm Panoptic (sharp, but not as bright or comfortable), a 32mm Sirius plossl (bright & comfortable but less sharp with poorer contrast) and a couple of shorter focal length (10 & 15mm) Orion Ultrascopics. Came with my ETX125 and performs well in that and a 4" APO refractor. IMHO plossl's seem to 'hit their stride' in the 20mm to 32mm focal length range & this one is the best I've seen...though I once owned a 26mm Sirius plossl that came close.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=42736

Meade Super Plossl 26mm
I just got a NOS Japanese example, and it's a treat! Bright as an ortho, sharp right across at f/4.5, beatifully coated, and solid. I don't see any color or ghosting at all. The field is at least as wide as advertised; it's wider than many eyepieces that claim more. The view is easy to hold. It wants a little more concentration than some to set a filter straight on the thread; other than that I can't fault it. If there's a better, friendlier eyepiece at this focal length, I've never used it.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=42731

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