Pentax SMC-XW 5mm

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Brand and Model:	Pentax SMC-XW 5mm
Price ($USD):	339
Type:	Ultra Wide Angle
Focal Length:	5 mm
Barrel Size:	1.25
Apparent FOV:	70.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:	6.2 mm
Eye Relief:	20 mm
Elements:	8
Weight (lbs):	14.0 oz
Description:

Vote Highlights

Pentax SMC-XW 5mm

Used in my TV-85. F7. Gives 120x. Along with my 5.2mm XL, is my planetary ep. I love both of these eyepieces. Very good eye relief, sharp to the edge, great contrast, no ghosting, easy to use for long periods.

My Tak 5mm LE is just as sharp and comfortable, but does so with considerably less FOV: which makes for a little more work in the manual tracking dept. using an alt-az mount. I would be happy with the TAK but it requires rebalancing (it is lighter) and refocusing (not parafocal with my other Pentax eps).

I had a Nagler 5mm t6 and was very unhappy with the blackouts and kidney bean effect. And constantly cleaning the eyelash grease. Also unnecessarily wide FOV (IMHO). I prefer to see the whole view without bobbing and weaving too much.

The XW is the best 5mm ep I have looked through in my scope. Due to its noticeably wider FOV, I would rate it only slightly better than the 5mm XL. The 5mm XW strikes a perfect balance between FOV and comfort. If I did not already have a collection of XLs I would not hesitate to buy more of the XW line. That said I am selling the XW and keeping the XL as it is parafocal with my other XL eps.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 06/08/2004 10:45:18 pm PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.8.15)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=364588

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