Orion Stratus 8mm

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Brand and Model:Orion Stratus 8mm
Price ($USD):100
Type:Misc Wide Angle
Focal Length:8 mm
Barrel Size:1.25/2
Apparent FOV:68.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:0.0 mm
Eye Relief:20 mm
Elements:0
Weight (lbs):
Description:I got this and a Speers Waler 10mmWA from a dealer to compare. The Speers wins.

The Orion has a very short eye relief, I had to push my head and compress the rubber eyeshield so I could get the full edge to edge view. With my head pushed in to take in the full view, the sweet spot was small. Slight movement of my head gave rise to kidney beaning.

I wear glasses and with these on I could only see about 1/2 - 2/3 of the eyepiece field, due to short eyerelief.

Stars were sharp all the way to the edge, contrast was great. Focus was finicky.

Didn't like the wide body ( 2" and 1.25" ). In the 1.25 holder the eyepiece body was so wide that it made it tough to thread in the holder setscrews. In a 2" holder very little of lip eyepiece was secured in mount.

For the $$ spent these offer great value as view was great, the Speers Waler offer exceptional value as they have none of the issues noted.

Vote Highlights Vote
Orion Stratus 8mm
It's simply a really good eyepiece and you will not be disappointed . . . a Best Buy!

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=541293

Orion Stratus 8mm
Just like my 13mm Stratus, this is a big, Coke can sized portal to the sky. I tested it in my Orion XT10i on 11/09/05. Mars was the object; at prime focus I saw fairly good views. A Lumicon Wratten #21 filter helped bring out better detail in all the familiar Mars features. I tried to use a Orion Shorty Plus on it, but I couldn’t get it to focus real sharp. Hazy suburb air and the 3/4 full moon probably didn’t help. I was then off to the nearby Pleiades to check out the 68° FOV. I saw a faint bluish glow around Alcyone, Merope, and Maia, not too bad with the moon goofing everything up. But the main thing was that there was hardly any aberration in this piece. Flat, sharp views from edge to edge. If there is any field curvature, it might began past 66°. I then rotated the scope back and CCW to the Perseus Double cluster. Both NGC 869 and 884 are a real treat in the 8mm, where each cluster fills most of the FOV. The Stars are both sharp and colorful, easily putting my 10mm Orion Plössl and University 6mm Abbe to shame. I then rotated the scope down to the 3/4 full moon, and through the piece, there was nothing but bright moon. I had to put on a polarizing filter to dim things down a bit. The almost full moon didn’t hold a lot surface shadows, but Tycho crater and its fallout streaks stole the show, tons of nifty detail inside and outside the crater. On 12/31/05 I got a chance to try the 8mm at a New Years Eve party at a light pollution free location far east of Cleveland. There I scanned a verity of objects. M42 was perhaps the most magnificent site I have seen yet. The elegant nebula covered most of the FOV. Wisps, stars and clouds dominated the view, kind of looked like a great bird made of smoke. M43 glowed quite well also. Those who lined up to see the mighty Orion Nebula gasped at the marvelous sight and more that a few commented that they were going to get a telescope of their own soon. Checked out the M31 Andromeda Galaxy. I saw a very large hazy oval with a bright center. Those who have never looked through a telescope before said, “that’s a galaxy!” Much more light is visible than what I can resolve back home in the burbs. The hazy 10th Magnitude dots of M32 and M110 were easily pointed out as well. A few hours later Saturn appeared. The planet was quite a sight. Very bright and colorful with the Cassini Division easily resolved. When holding very still, cloud details on the planet were also seen. Four of Saturn’s moons were also identified. My conclusion is that this is my newest favorite piece. It has all the sharp quality that the 13mm has but almost completely free of field curvature.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=549454

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