Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm

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Brand and Model:Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
Price ($USD):$69.00
Type:Plossl
Focal Length:3.7 mm
Barrel Size:1.25 in
Apparent FOV:55.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:20 mm
Elements:6
Weight (lbs):
Description:Orion Telescopes ED-2 Page

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
I have had no problem with blackouts. Optics were fine. It held the power well in my 14" F/4.7 reflector.

I did have a serious problem others have not mentioned. It poorly fits in my Moonlite focuser. Even inside my house the only way I could get it to fit was to remove the adapter and force it onto the EP. Then I could place the EP/adapter assembly back into the focuser. I do not have this problem with any other EP.

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:8 Value:9
Weight: 12 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=486533

Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
The problem with this eyepiece is kidney-beans, namely blackouts, which is annoying. Otherwise, it is sharp and with good contrast. Sharp to edge. Eye-relief is excellent.

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:7 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=132138

Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
I got this eyepiece because I needed a long eye relief high power eyepiece. When I received it It was a lot bigger and heavyier than I expected and seemed well made. I took it out that night despite some hazyness and tried it out. All I can say is I was disappointed. I could never get it to give me the wide field veiw that I wanted. It blacked out seeming at every little move. Because of the hazyness I could not really tell how sharp it was so the night was a washout (or blackout). About two weeks later I was out again and it was a good night and saturn was up. Just like before it blacked out but I could tell it was a nice sharp view. With this scope about 200X . The edges were sharp too when it didn't black out. Then I began to get used to the lens and found out the the eye relief is so long that I was too close to the lens. When I was a little back and didn't crowd the lens the blacking out quit. In fact by the end of the evening I was enjoying the view so much that I lost track of time. Viewing with such a long eye relief just had to be gotten used to. Once I was "trained" it was a real enjoyable lens to use. The wide field views give you a feeling of looking out a porthole into space.

In conclusion it is not like a 300.00 lens from televue but I can't afford that lens. It is sharp edge to edge and is very well made. Well worth the 70 I paid for it.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=142243

Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
I bought one of these for better eye relief than orthos can provide. While not as sharp as an ortho, I like it so much that I bought another for a binoviewer. It is a very long EP at 5", but is not too heavy. Coatings are adequate and blackouts are not a big problem. The eye relief is comfortable I doubt I will ever use my Vixen 4mm orthos again. Very good value at $69.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:8
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=139826

Orion Epic ED-2 3.7mm
I have had this eyepiec for about 5 months and have repeatedly tested it on an Orion XT8, and (mostly) on an Orion short tube 80. Using it on the XT8 is not very practical since it wil give a mgnification of about 320x, which is usually too much power. but on the Short tube 80 it will give magnification of 108, and 216 with a barlow.
So far I'm not real satisfied with it. It is very heavy (for eyepieces) and even though it has good eye relief, it is a bit difficult to avoid the partial blackouts if you don't have your eye at the right distance away. I recently purchased the Orion 6 mm expanse, and that eyepiece with a barlow gives better images than this ED eyepiece without the barlow (and obviously at lower power). I will "caveat" this opinion with the admission that I am still quite an amateur at this hobby, and that eyepiece evalutation is subject to a ton of variables, but my vote is based upon many nights of effort in trying to find a good use for this eyepiece. So far, the only good use I have found for it with the two scopes mentioned is on the moon at 108x with the short tube 80. Any other targets are better served by using the 10 and 25 mm Plossels and the barlow, or the aforementioned expanse eyepiece.
Just my opinion, but I think there are better eyepieces for the money.

Overall Rating: 5
Optics:7 Value:5
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=192781

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