Excelsis Ratings/Reviews - Votes:Black Night Binoviewer

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Black Night Binoviewer

I previously owned the generic Chinese binoviewer of the Burgess BV125 version. I like my BN22 MUCH better. The self centering EP holders are much nicer than the fiddly Burgess setscrews. The BN22 is lighter and more ruggedly built with prism covers that screws hold on instead of being cemented on. The BN22 is better collimated and holds collimation better. I have the 1.8X Maxlite OCA that converts the BN22 to Newtonian duty. I get good illumination at the f/7.2 focal ratio it produces. Axiom eyepieces of 15mm to 23mm work very well in this binoviewer, as do all the 30mm and shorter Ultima eyepieces. The Siebert Star Splitter eyepieces are my favorite eyepieces for planetary and lunar observation in the BN22. I like my 15mm and 23mm Axion EP's for deep sky observations. Don't waste money on the generic Chinese binoviewers if you can afford $100 for the BN22. The BN22 is better in every way, and it is based on the BW Optik binoviewer that elsewhere sells for $500 to $800. Lumicon sells the BW Optik version with a helical focuser nosepiece for $800. You can get a Borg nonrotating helical focuser for $80-$100 and put it on the nosepiece of the BN22 and get about the same thing for around $400.

Where the BN22 really shines is on a long focus f/15 to f/20 Mak-Cass or classic Cassegrain scope where you can achieve focus without an OCA and the fully illuminated field is almost as large as the input aperture of 22mm. The sharpness and contrast can beat the view in a fast APO refractor that requires an OCA to come to focus. I use mine a lot in a Russian LOMO 150mm f/14.2 Mak-Cass, and the lunar views are the best I have ever seen. The resolution exceeds what you seen in a single EP without the binoviewer, and eye floaters are reduced about 75% in my case.

Every serious lunar and planetary observer should checkout the Siebert BN22. You get your money back if you don't like it, and Harry says he almost never gets a unit back. This is one of the last astro accessories I would ever consider selling. The Tele Vue and Denkmeier units get you very little more, mainly they just cost and weigh more.

Overall Rating: 9
Performance:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 06/19/2007 04:47:13 pm PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.37.206)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=559565

Reply Replies: 0

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