TeleVue Radian 3mm

Ratings:Top:Astronomy:Equipment Reviews:Eyepiece Reviews:TeleVue Radian 3mm

 Info  Votes  Messages  More Stats  Up One Level
Brand and Model:TeleVue Radian 3mm
Price ($USD):$240.00
Type:Misc Wide Angle
Focal Length:3 mm
Barrel Size:1.25 in
Apparent FOV:60.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:3.3 mm
Eye Relief:20 mm
Elements:7
Weight (lbs):0.5
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
TeleVue Radian 3mm
Overall, it is a pretty good eyepiece. Not perfect but pretty darned good. I don't mind the Instadjust because I have modified the friction so that it does not slip whenever I pick it up. Construction is first rate. Eyerelief is excellent (20mm) with minimal blackouts.

The views are decent and about what I expected for 3mm focal length! Moon's terminator showed all detail in crisp, high contrast. One thing I noticed is that the colour rendition is very slightly yellow, compared with the Nagler or Pentax. Scatter is minimal on planets. When used indoors, I can spot dust on my table lamp from 40 ft away.

It is a little on the expensive side when bought new, hence my rating of an 8 on value. It is also rather heavy, 0.77 lbs, so causes balance problems on my scopes.

Simon

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=356507

TeleVue Radian 3mm
I was trying to decide between the 3mm Radian and the Pentax 5.2mm. My main need was high power planetary and moon viewing in a 8" F6 reflector. I decided on the Radian because it would give me maximum power and provide the largest field of view at that power. The point that finally convinced me was that the 3mm Radian has a 60 AFV. The Pentax if barlowed to 3mm would have a FOV of about 37.5 degrees. That fact made me try the radian. On my first night out I focused on Jupiter and Saturn. First impression was that this eyepiece is incredible. I try to rate an eyepiece on comfort and ease of use as well as optical performance and the Radian did well in all catagories. It was easier to focus than some other eyepieces I have used. The image snapped into focus and showed a tremendous amount of detail. The 20mm eyerelief provided an excelent comfort level for long viewing periods. There was a minimal amount of kidney beaning but once you correctly set the click stop eyeguard it's hardly noticable. Both Jupiter and Saturn were crisp and pleasing. Since the viewing conditions were very good I decided to try my Ultima barlow with this treasure. I figured I wouldn't be able to bring the image into any form of focus but I had to at least try. To my surprise I was able to focus cleanly. The image was not as sharp but seeing Saturn take on a 3D ball shape was amazing. I could clearly make out ring divisions and banding on the planets surface. I moved to Jupiter and was able to see lots of detail in the many cloud bands that were visible. As the seeing conditions worsened so did the views.
The bottom line is that I may have been lucky to have superb seeing conditions to try this eyepiece under. But the views I was rewarded with will last a lifetime. I'll try and repost after I have a few more viewing sessions with this piece.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=85392 

>... The point that finally convinced me was that  the 3mm Radian has a 60 AFV. The Pentax if barlowed to 3mm would have a FOV of about 37.5 degrees. ... 
 --------------------------------------
Your barlow lens cut down your apparent field of view ??? Actually a Pentax XL 5.2 has an AFOV of 65°, if you barlow it - it still has 65° AFOV (not 37.5). The only thing which changes is the real FOV.  The difference in FOV in your scope is as follows: TV Radian 3 mm FOV 0.148° , Pentax XL 5.2 mm is 0.277° (with 2xbarlow it's 0.138°) , so the difference is only about 6.5 % in FOV.
TeleVue Radian 3mm
I use this on a TV-85. It is a first class eyepiece and is a marvel for a 3mm. I agree with all of the comments above. My complaints are about the Instajust, which I improved by tightening up the slip ring. The bigger complaint is about the tendency to produce blackout kidney beans - albeit minor but problematic for newbies looking through my scope. I may get the 4mm Radian because the seeing conditions often don't allow 3mm. Among other high power eyepieces, I have a Pentax 5.2 XL which is truly a 10. See my comments about the Nagler 3-6mm zoom.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43600

TeleVue Radian 3mm
I have the 3mm TV Radian for about 5 months now. It yields
293x (75X/in) through my Tele Vue 102 APO refractor. With
so many 9's and 10's said so far, all I'm left to offer is
just a few words. It's incredible that its eye-relief is an
unbelievable 20mm! My excellent 5mm Tak LE with its 52
deg AFOV made me felt "strapped in". This 3mm Radian truly
gives me a "high power space walk" with its 60 deg AFOV.

On the few nights I've been able to use on planets, it
was simply gorgeous. I allowed me to verify that I saw
the tiny tip of Syrtis Minor during this past Mars opposition.
The view was still very sharp, contrasty.

On DSO, I've nailed many bright, or dim, or teeny planetary
nebulas with my eyepieces. It was suprising how often I could
use this 3mm Radian and still have a gorgeously bright and
contrasty view and still see the context of its surroundings
(due to its wide view). M13 and M22 are wonderful in that
there are no image breakdown and kept on resolving the stars.
The entire globular still unbelievable fit into its entire
FOV! Its ability to retain the brightness at such high
magnitude is truly astounding. If Al Nagler comes out with
a 2.5mm or 2mm TV Radian, I'll also definitely be his customer
as well.

Here's an exerpt from my log of NGC 6572, the Blue Racketball:
"At 293x, 4 stars form a square (part of the racket) to the
east and fit the FOV!"

I have the 8mm, 6mm and 4mm TV Radian. The whole Radian
line is truly radiating ;-).

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43599

TeleVue Radian 3mm
Excellent EP for short focal length refractors. I thinbk the Pentax XLs have maybe a touch highr contrast but, of course, Pentax doesn't have a 3mm unit either! When the seeing is perfect I can use the 3mm Radian with a 2x Barlow on my Traveler providing spectacular views of the planets.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43595

TeleVue Radian 3mm
Outstanding eyepiece. I sold it because, for my telescopes, it was just too much mag... pity. Perhaps the only eyepiece in the world that I couldn't use but still gave it maxiumum points...

Nicely done.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43601

TeleVue Radian 3mm
Great high power ep for refractors or smaller SCT's. Now if Al would come out with a 2mm or 2.5mm and I'd be in heaven.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43598

TeleVue Radian 3mm
Best high power ep. Period.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43597

TeleVue Radian 3mm
This is my high power eyepiece on a TV101. It yields enough power to see just about all the detail possible with my scope. The contrast is outstanding. The eye relief is very comfortable. I have tried virtually every eyepiece/barlow combintation you can think of and nothing beats the 3mm Radian for high power on a 101. I can see more detail, more comfortably with the 3mm Radian.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43596

TeleVue Radian 3mm
Great eyepiece.
Very confortable in my MK67 and MN56.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43594

[Click Here to Login]
Don't have a login? Register!

Jay Freeman's Eyepiece Primer
Starting out in Amateur Astronomy
 
How to use This Site
Why Register?
Voting Guide