TeleVue Panoptic 35mm

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Brand and Model:TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
Price ($USD):$365.00
Type:Misc Wide Angle
Focal Length:35 mm
Barrel Size:2 in
Apparent FOV:68.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:38.7 mm
Eye Relief:28 mm
Elements:6
Weight (lbs):1.8
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
I must echo all the praise in these reviews. A stunning eyepiece in every respect... Much higher contrast and noticeably sharper than a Pentax 40 XL (with a similar field of view at higher magnification!) Wider field AND sharper at the edge than my 32mm Takahashi Erfle.

(Yes, I’ve looked through 31 and 26 Naglers and were it not for the substantial price difference would not trade my 35 Panoptic for either of them. I’ve found that for me, beyond 68 degrees is largely wasted, and both the 31 and 26mm Naglers develop a red ring out at the edge that really bothers me during Lunar observing.)

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=311174

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
As has been said by many this is one outstanding widefield eyepiece. Image, build quality and sharpness and contrast are top notch. No big issue with pincushion distortion when used with a variety of my refractors with stars being crisp to the edge. View of several deepsky treasures recently at a truly dark site with my 127 f/6.45 refractor {23 power/2.7 degree true field} has me convinced of the optical magic of Al Nagler. The 35mm panoptic is a enjoyable experience at the eyepiece of a telescope.

Stan Taylor Vancouver B.C. Canada

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=449570

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
It is really hard to say enough good things about this eyepiece. I originally purchased it about 18 months ago in order to extract the maximum field of view from a 10 inch f/10 SCT. The 35mm Panoptic does exactly that, providing a [theoretical] one degree true field through this 2500mm instrument. Owners of the more typical 8 inch f/10 SCT can expect nearly 1.2 degrees of true field. That is enough to take in the M81/M82 galaxy pair, although the quarters are a little tight for my personal preferences. Nevertheless, the sight of two bright galaxies in the same field of view is worth the price of admission for this eyepiece and the necessary upgrades for a 2 inch format.

This eyepiece really came into its own for me when I later acquired a 4 inch f/8.6 refractor. The view through this combination provides an impressive 2.6 degrees of true field. Putting this field into a real perspective, M31 fits into this field of view from a dark sky location (magnitude 7). The two bright stars of Lyra's paralleogram neighboring M57 easily fit within the field.

The 35mm Panoptic has earned a place as one of two "must have" eyepieces with this telescope, the other being a 17mm Nagler Type 4. The greatest enjoyment I have found with this eyepiece is panning the Milky Way with my refractor from a dark sky location. It is an incredible experience to start near Sagittarius and Scorpius and then work your way up towards Cygnus. For some reason it is a lot more fun to simply happen upon a cluster or nebula within the rich star fields of the Milky Way than it is to simply go looking for the object. Try it - you'll like it.

One final word. There are reports of people experiencing a seasick feeling while panning around with this eyepiece. I have never experienced this sensation, but as always, your mileage may vary.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=147165

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
Poor man's alternative to the 31mm Nagler. Not bad pincushion distortion at all. Used in a 10" F/5,6 dob. Showed some coma without a paracorr, but with a paracorr it was perfect. Nice wide field.

Best view of the Auriga clusters were in this EP, Framed them perfectly.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=430963

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
This is my "default option" eyepiece. I begin every observing session with it. The wide FOV it provides allows me to acquire faint DSO's easliy and center them prior to increasing magnification. Sharp, contrasty , and bright! All the eyepiece I need for many open clusters. M81 and M82 both fit in nicely with plenty of room. M31 is a stunning jewel at 29X , and only an experienced eye can tell that it is barely squeezed in. A perfect eyepiece to compliment a 5" APO.

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=332031

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
Excellent eyepiece. Even my wife has mentioned that
she likes it saying it views look like the magazines (we were looking at Orion nebula) and she is not really into astronomy. Beautiful huge fields. Huge eye relief. Works in all my scopes, but there is a touch of coma in my f5 dob, which gets bad if the scope is not collimated very well. Heavy monster, but that sort of makes it seem more high quality. There is some pincushion, but for me that's not a problem.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=204096

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
This is one great eyepiece! Wide field and very sharp all the way to the edge. Plenty of eye relief even with glasses. I have never got the sea sick feeling that I have heard others talk about. The Down Side: I noticed dust the collects in/on the concave eye lens and is very noticible when viewing bright objects like the moon. Pin cushion distortion is very mild.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=369688

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
Awesome, pleasant eyepiece to look through. Very sharp and a very flat field for the focal length. Eye relief is okay but I wish it were a little longer.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=142905

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
This is the benchmark eyepiece for my FCT-150. Simply jaw-dropping results for nearby viewers and myself. I could stare at M27 all night with this wonderful ocular. However, in the FCT, I get unusually high amount of "pincushion". It is very, VERY evident when you slowly move the refractor amongst the Milky Way. The stars will appear to be further away in the edge of the field than when in the center. I have never seen it this bad outside of this Takahashi triplet. Maybe, just maybe we have discovered the famous apo's Achilles Heal!

Oh well, I do give this eyepiece a big fat "10" when used in my 12-inch reflector. It just doesn't get any sharper or prettier than this!

Andy Sedlacek
Veradale Observatory

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=42221

TeleVue Panoptic 35mm
Notice on this site that the Panoptics are rated better than the Naglers? After trying a University Optics 40mm Mk 70 and a 31mm Nagler T5 (which I returned the next day because of the large red/orange band occupying about 15% of its perimeter view), I have happily settled on the Panoptic 35, which I consider to be better than either. It affords an easy, relaxed, wide view of the heavens and is a delight. More contrast than the 22mm Panoptic. Smaller and lighter than the 31m Nagler T5 and no red/orange band. The Nagler 82 degree view is not needed or for me really wanted. The 68 degree view of the Panoptics is fine and comfortable. No lens affords a "porthole to space" in my view. The 35mm Pan is also a great terrestial lens too.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=42219

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