University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Great wide-field views (a whopping 70 degree AFOV), sharp nearly to the edge. For the money this surely must qualify as the "poor man's 27mm Panoptic". The only draw-back is short eye relief, but taking in the entire FOV is no problem, and the eyepiece is quite comfortable.

Works well in combination with my 2x Big Barlow, and also with my 2" 4x Powermate Barlow.

Overall Rating: 9
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Great low power eyepiece, with good star sharpness for a Konig and a wonderful 70 degree field. Only drawback is that it requires a lot more in-focus travel than other eyepieces, meaning a big change in focus whenever I switch to it. Has filter threads on the top and bottom of the eyepiece.

Overall Rating: 9
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Very fine eyepiece offering low distortion and wide FOV. Bright pinpoint stars, a much better performer for the money that my TeleVue Nagler 22mm Ty 4.

Overall Rating: 10
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
I recieved my 25mm yesterday. I haven't had time to try it out under the stars yet but thought I would post some first impressions. First, the eyepiece looks like a baby 40mm Mk-70. For those that like the looks of the 40mm, the 25mm will not disapoint. The other significant difference besides size is the filter assembly on the eye lens side does not unscrew.

I also investigated the focus position mentioned by another poster. Indeed it will require a fair amount of in-focus. For some reason UO decided to have the focal point within the eyepiece rather than inside the barel which is more customary. It therefore will require ~1/2-3/4" more infocus than most other eyepieces. To be fair, the 40mm suffers the same problem, but in the opposite direction! So changing from the 40 to the 25 will require your focuser to traverse about an inch of travel. Fortunately my crayford will handle this, but those with helical focusers will find this a pain (if the eypieces focus at all, that is)...

Visually on terestial objects in a small f/6 refractor, I noticed the 25mm seems to suffer much less pincushion than the 40mm, but astigmatism still seems to be present right at the edge. I also noticed when holding the 40 and 25mm eye to eye that the 25mm seems to have a slightly larger AFOV, perhaps by about 5 degrees. However I also noticed that in order to see the whole field you had to put your eye so close that black outs started to be a problem. So, while it may actually be a 75 AFOV eyepiece, your probably are still restricted to 70 degrees in reality.

I still need to try this one out under the stars, but so far I'm reasonably impressed.

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
I am really enjoying this eyepiece in my C-9.25. While the eye relief is a little critical, I find by fixing my nose against the outer barrel I can stay in full view for long periods of time. The views are quite clear to the edge and the view is bright and as far as I can tell, color free. For the price, this eyepiece is a steal. I have used PanOptics in the same range and I would rate them very close, perhaps too close for my inexperienced eye to tell apart.

Overall Rating: 10
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
after buying the 40 mm mk-70 and loving it'i thought i give this 25mm a try.well when i first got it i tried to focus it and couldn't as it takes alot of in travel.i have a jmi focuser on a discovery 120 in. pdhq. well i thought darn i will have to send it back . then i check my focuser and i had the back set screw to tight. losen it and had a another inch of in travel and bang in focus.this ep like the 40mm is fantastic. well worth the money. a littel softness on the edges but still very good. great light transmision. contrast and sharp. i tested it on m81 82.and this ep showed more detail than my ultrascopic 25mm.i hghly recommend. bob hart

Overall Rating: 9
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
When I'm using the 9.25 it's my main eyepiece. On the C14 it takes back
seat to the 40mm. The 25 mm is 150x on the c14 and helps zoom in nicely
on dsos. I have used it with the UO 2x barlow and gotten very good results
on bright objects like M57 and M13, nice resolution of internal stars on
m13. I usually test M57 by drawing a map of surrounding star field but havne't
hada chance to do this.

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
When I'm using the 9.25 it's my main eyepiece. On the C14 it takes back
seat to the 40mm. The 25 mm is 150x on the c14 and helps zoom in nicely
on dsos. I have used it with the UO 2x barlow and gotten very good results
on bright objects like M57 and M13, nice resolution of internal stars on
m13. I usually test M57 by drawing a map of surrounding star field but havne't
hada chance to do this.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Just purchased it. Use it with my MK67. Image is sharp to the edge. Very wide field (1 degree) at 72x power! Going to use it with OIII filter to find some nebulas as soon as I get that. I'd give it a 9/10 (no rubber eyecup).

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
A follow up rating to my "initial observations" above. Basically it does perform well in my 8" f/6 Newt. but I'm a bit disapointed by the edge of field astigmatism. I expected it to improve over the 40mm Mk-70 but actually it worsend some. The distortion and chromatic aberation now starts about 20% away from the field stop where as with the 40mm it's only the last 10% or so. Some of this actually could be a result of the slightly extra AFOV of the 25 over the 40, but why provide the extra if it isn't useable?

Otherwise it performs admirably and falls in line with my expectations based on my 40mm. The view on axis is plenty sharp and very contrasty. The blackout problem I noticed in the day light completely disapeared under the night sky. There was absolutely no problem with kidney beans or blackouts and it was very very easy to approach, find, and hold the view. Perhaps the problem during the day was an exit pupil issue.

Eye relief is similar to the 40mm which is probably around 12mm. That is to say, it is on the tight side but it's not going to be a problem comfort wise unless you are an eyeglass wearer.

I've decided to give this eyepiece an 8 for the added distortion, of which there is just enough to start to become annoying even when what you want to see is in the center. There is also the issue of the extra in-focus needed by this eyepiece which is just plain bothersome when changing eyepieces, especially when comming from the 40mm Mk-70. I'll keep it for now but will probably audition the Meade 24.5 SWA, Spears-Waler 25, or Celestron Axiom 23 to see if it can be bettered.

Overall Rating: 8
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
really nice eyepiece! good on planets with a barlow, galaxies,& star clusters are outstanding!! i own a meade 12.5" 4.8 dob and am very impressed with the performance of this eyepiece! looks good & performs extremely well. stars are sharp to about 70 to 80 percent of the 70 degree field, it dosnt get any better than that at 4.8!!! dont pass this one up!. highly recommended! less than the tv panoptics, radians, & naglers & stacks up well in every area against them!! try one of these truely wonderful eyepieces, you wont be disapointed!

Overall Rating: 10
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Its a keeper . in my 10f/9 scope the stars to the edge are pinpointed with no astigmatism or coma seen. Its a great emission and diffuse nebular eyepiece as well as for globular clusters. Its very light at 15 ounces and the eye relief is not bad for non -eyeglass users. i feel just as good in performance as a TV-27mm Panoptic especially any scope over f/8 and slower f/ratios. Service is the best too with jan as the owner. Thanks telescope8@hotmail.com

Overall Rating: 10
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Had to return it, because I could not get it into focus in my 12.5" Discovery Dob. The EP requires significantly more "in" focus travel than my other EPs. Too bad, since it is a really hefty and nice looking EP at a good price.

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Another great value from uo! wonderful widefield views! clear to the edge in a 8" f10 scope. crisp views. highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
[webmaster note: vote moved from description]

Just a great eyepiece on deep-sky objects like emission and diffuse nebulae and as well as globular clusters. in my 10f/9 dob scope it showed stars clear and sharp to the edge of the fov. it is very lightweight for a 2inch eyepiece and i got it very fast in 3 days. Great service and product.

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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
great quality, great optics, great value!
a little soft at the edges but only about 30% the rest is really good. highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
I have 30 years experience in astronomy. The UOptics abbé style orthoscopic eyepieces are really excellent and I was persuaded to test some of the 2" barrel UOptics konig eyepieces.

The Mk70-25mm is a beautifully constructed and visually pleasing eyepiece with a large eyecup (same as the 34mm Axiom eyecup - a camera hood!) and a solid chromed barrel threaded to hold filters. It is rather heavy as would be expected, but half the weight and cost of a Panoptic 35mm.

Optically, the eyepiece is so-so. UOptics advertising a wide field of view, one would expect the stars to stay focused to the edge. They don't. Images become distorted in the outer third of the field of view, making this eyepiece less useful for wide-field viewing than eyepieces of similar cost, such as the Axiom 34mm by Celestron.

This is basically an erfle-type eyepiece and although beautiful to look AT, it is not great to look THROUGH. I don't recommend it and you will see many "konig" eyepieces for sale on the used market...

Michael J. Spicer,
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Hamilton Centre

Overall Rating: 6
Optics:6 Value:5
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
I've been using this eyepiece now for about four months and have been consistantly pleased with it's performance. On my F-10 SCT w/ 2350mm focal length ( approx 94X ) edge performance is still very good. Light transmission is also very good. The fact is, this is probably my most frequently used eyepiece. Also, it's worth noting that University Optics provides great service, and prompt shipping. If they don't have it in stock...THEY TELL YOU! Now how's that for a novel concept. Also, Jan has discourged me from purchasing items he doesn't feel are a good match for my optical tube...and his recommendations have been spot on to this point. Not a whole lot else to say, good product at a fair price, great service, fast shipping, and you get to talk to someone who knows what they are talking about! This is my fourth purchase from Jan @ University and I've yet to be dissapointed.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:9
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
Wonderful eyepiece! The only complaint I have is that it is threaded both ends for 49mm filters and accessories instead of the much more common 48mm thread!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
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University Optics Konig MK-70 25mm
I have read comments that run the gammout on this EP and I bought it thinking I was getting a EP of great value and great performance. Here's what I found.

I have a MN-71 f/6 in a carbon fiber tube on a GM 8 mount. Thats a 7" Mak Newt with a pyrex main that is 1/8 wave and a strehl of .96. The Secondary is astrocital ("zero" expansion ceramic substrate) and was hand tested and certified by Mike Paleramiti. Not bragging but just letting you know its not a $400.00 Orion reflector. (of which I also own.)

This was my first 2" occular and I was very impressed. It has great resolution and contrast in the center FOV and the stars are truely pinpoints...in the center FOV. Towards the edge its really starts to suffer. Its at about the 30% of the outer edge the stars have little tails...which at the time was tolerable. Barely..I did pay $180 plus shipping.

Then I put in a Nagler......oh my..... 80 degree FOV and tack sharp to the VERY EDGE. I split the double double and let it track out of the FOV....the double was a clean split right off the edge out of view. Bought a Pentax smc XL and same thing. Perfect split at 110 X and watched it track out of view and the split was perfect until out of view. Truely tack sharp across the entire FOV.

The point of all of this yacking.... The mk-70 is a good/OK Ep, but a TV or Pentax wide FOV its not. It appears from the other postings that if you have a slow scope, say f/10 or greater, then it might be OK. Bottom line is, use one in your scope to make sure it works for you. At nearly $200 its not cheap EP. (for me anyways). You can get brand new Pentax's for just about the same price and the performance is night and day. The Panoptics by TV are about twice that and their performance is flawless as well in my scope. Not plugging for Pentax or TV, just giving you my honest opinion and hopefully some good info. Id give it a true 8.5 if possible.

Clear skies,
erich

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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p.s. I have a 6mm UO orthoscopic and its a killer EP. Delivers wonderful views and competes with any EP of this focal length at any price. UO does make some really great EP's that are worth 2-3 times what they charge.

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