Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm

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Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
very good eyepiece, yes there is some ghosting and below 9mm F/L the images were not as crisp. Using with Helios 80mm short tube and televue barlow. Not as good as individual ep set but for the money. Have also used it in 8 inch Maksutov Newtonian with good result

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=53709

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
Used on an ETX90. Excellent contrast and sharpness between 21mm and 10mm, softens below 9mm. (Comparing to Orion Explorer 10mm, Orion Sirius Plossl 6.3mm, Meade Super Plossl 26mm).
Shadow transit (Ganymede) very clear last night at about 15mm, infact my best view ever!
Excellent construction quality for the price. Only slight focus drift on zooming. Zoom action is a little stiff for my liking - enough to cause image shift especially at high power.
Easier to use than my 6.3mm eyepiece because it is physically longer.
I noticed that you have to get your eye lined-up carefully for the best view.
Overall an excellent buy, but best considered as a 9-21mm zoom.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:7 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=56900

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
Agree with above comments. Very sharp and bright above 9mm, somewhat dimmer below.As good as Orion sirius Plossl 10mm eyepiece on Orion 127mm Apex with greater eye relief. I bought this on the strength of the above reviews and am very happy with it, thanks guys. For £53 this is an absolute bargain if ever there was one!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=58681

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
either i have got a lemon or the rest of you are easily pleased! a typical zoom
eyepiece looks good on the outside and the idea sounds good but totally lacks to perform on my starmax 127, contrast non existent, reminds me of a cheap 60mm refractor i owned as a kid ,very
washed out views. stick to a good plossl
otherwise i think you will regret!

Overall Rating: 2
Optics:2 Value:2
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=97114

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
I bought one to use in a C-90 daytime spotter scope, but immediately returned it because the FOV was so narrow -- like looking through a tunnel. No way can it compare to my Vixen 8-24mm zoom. Granted, there is a sizable difference in cost between the two, but even looking at it on price vs value, I would not recommend it.

Overall Rating: 3
Optics:7 Value:3
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=235580

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
I purchased this eyepiece about 6 months ago on Astromart and only starting using it recently. I do a lot of lunar, planetary, and daytime viewing with an Orion 5" Mak and usually use Televue plossls or UO orthos because of their clarity and light throughput. To my surprise, the Orion Explorer II provides much of the same clarity and brightness, especially in the mid range (10 - 18mm), as these other eyepices and is a snap to use. It seems well coated, has generous eye relief, includes a useful eyecup, and does not ghost on bright objects. The FOV gets narrow at 21mm, but nothings perfect. For the price of a mid-level quality plossl, it does alot of things right and is fun to use. Highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:8 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=366044

Orion Explorer II Zoom 7mm-21mm
For a very inexpensive zoom eyepiece, I found the performance of the Orion 7-21mm Zoom quite surprising. Sure the field of view is very narrow, even compared to other zooms available. However, at higher magnifications in the 12-7mm range, it performed quite admirably on Jupiter and Saturn - nearly equal in brightness, contrast and sharpness to my 9mm and 6mm Vixen LVs. Eye relief was generous and the FOV was adequate in this focal range at around 45 degrees.

It is a definate "best buy" if you really want a zoom for higher magnifications but don't have the money to spend on the pricier Televue or Vixen 8-24mm.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:7 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: https://www.excelsis.com:443/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=429699

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