| Brand and Model: | Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm |
| Price ($USD): | $54.95 |
| Type: | Zoom |
| Focal Length: | 7-21 mm |
| Barrel Size: | 1.25 in |
| Apparent FOV: | 30.0 degrees |
| Field Stop Dia.: | 0.0 mm |
| Eye Relief: | 0 mm |
| Elements: | 4 |
| Weight (lbs): | |
| Description: | Orion Explorer II Zoom Eyepiece
This Eyepiece if from Orion in the USA. It is manufactured in Taiwan.
It is ideal for Department Store scope owners who want a better eyepiece than the cheap trashy oculars supplied with most of these scopes. This eyepiece has a twisting body housing that alters the focal length between 21 and 7mm or anything in between.
This EP is ideal for ‘capturing’ an object at low power, and then smoothly zooming in with a one-third-turn of the body. Operation soon becomes second-nature. Surprisingly, the focus doesn’t change much and only needs small ‘tweaks’ when altering the magnification. It is very easy to use.
I believe it uses a 4 element design and the lenses are coated (looks like MgF2 to me). The quoted eye-relief varies from 33mm to 16mm over the range of focal lengths and the AFOV varies between 30° at 21mm to 43° at 7mm. The long eye-relief was a pleasant surprise. A fold-down rubber eye-shield is supplied. The barrel is threaded to take standard filters.
This EP surprised me. It is inexpensive, £53 in the UK including tax &
delivery, especially so considering it is a zoom type. The EP is finished in a satin black aluminium body with a clear anodised pointer ring near the base. The tooled rubber grip on the body makes adjustment of the focal length easy, even when wearing gloves. This EP provides good image quality for the money, especially in the mid-range focal length values (10-12mm) and I much prefer it to my ‘generic’ 10mm Plossl because of its bigger eye lens, sharper, brighter image quality and much longer eye relief. It is a delight to use, a very versatile eyepiece.
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