JPaladin's Stats
- Review Count9
- Helpfulness Votes37
- First ReviewSeptember 20, 2011
- Last ReviewNovember 28, 2011
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating4.6
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First Review CommentNone
- Last Review CommentNone
- Featured Review Comments0
JPaladin's Reviews
The 25mm Orion Sirius Plossl Eyepiece is a low powered eyepiece that is ideal for viewing deep space objects. It is ideal for all types of telescopes and has a wide apparent field of view that provides extremely sharp high contrast images.
Rating
My first eyepiece is still one of my favorites
PostedNovember 28, 2011
Optical Quality
4
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Ease of Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
In the 8+ years I have owned this eyepiece which came with my 10" Orion Classic Dob, I would say I have looked through this eyepiece not only more often than any other eyepiece, but more often than all of my other eyepieces combined. Great low to moderate power views, depending on focal length of scope (usually 48x in 1200mm, 60x in 1500mm), good eye relief, big lens, relatively wide apparent field. In the time since, I have gone on to other more exotic and expensive eyepieces, but my observing night almost always starts with this one old reliable standard.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad Starry Swaths in Milky Way
Pros: optical quality, big lenses, good eye relief, wide apparent field
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
The Orion RedBeam Mini LED Flashlight is an essential astronomy accessory for reading star maps or looking inside your accessory case at night. It has an aluminum housing, rubber ON/OFF switch and includes batteries and key ring.
Rating
Yeah, but...
PostedNovember 28, 2011
Quality
3
/
5
Value
3
/
5
Adequate product I bought about 3-4 years ago, does what its supposed to, but there are problems. First, no matter how hard its tightened, if its on a key chain as mine is, eventually it unscrews itself and splays the 3 expensive little batteries in various locations on the floor or ground. Secondly, the little push button switching mechanism eventually wears itself out of alignment and acts "moody," switching on only when it wants to, or if done repeatedly, shaken, etc. Because of this, it is not useful as a regular key chain light in an urgent or emergent situation. Third, the brightness of the light seems to wane in time regardless of the battery strength. Fourth, this little light was expensive to begin with. However, because of the many times I have used it to read star charts or select/change eyepieces, I will give it my bare minimum recommendation.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad Starry Swaths in the Milky Way
Pros: saves night vision
Cons: unreliable, quirky, expensive
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
A complete assortment of accessories for your telescope, the Orion Premium Telescope Accessory Kit comes with five Sirius eyepieces, a Shorty Barlow, and six filters for lunar and planetary observing, and a case. Everything you need, all in one kit!
Rating
Great Compliment to any Telescope for intermediate to advanced users
PostedNovember 28, 2011
Optical Quality
4
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Bought this as an accessory to my 12" Intelliscope and I am very pleased. I like the thought that was put into the eyepiece sizes, omitting the 25mm commonly included in other scopes' packages in favor of the fantastic 17mm mid power (now my most-used eyepiece) and the very good low power 40mm. The 7.5mm is a great high-power eyepiece as well-Jupiter at 200x is fantastic! The 10mm is good for when you misplace or dirty the one you may already have, and although the 6.3mm is getting pretty tiny with the eye hole and eye relief, especially for those, like me, who must wear eyeglasses it still pleases me under a steady sky when I need that extra bit of magnification. Shorty Barlow works fine and makes for an even wider variety of magnifications.
With regard to the filters, the 13% moon filter is by far the most used, and the color filters excel when combined with the moon filter. The moon looks like an orange pumpkin in October through both the moon filter and orange, and makes you want to sing "blue moon" when combined with blue. However, the color filters are a little too dense for most of the planets except Venus and Jupiter-even the blue tones down Jupiter a little too much.
As good as this product is, and it is excellent, I would suggest Orion make a super-deluxe package with premium eyepieces and filters for more advanced observers. The quality of and variety included in this package just makes me want more.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad Starry Swaths in the Milky Way, Jupiter
Pros: value, variety, quality, price, eyepiece selection, moon filter quality, barlow
Cons: some color filters too dense on some planets
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+8points
8of 8voted this as helpful.
The SkyQuest XT10 is a very affordable intermediate Dobsonian. The stable base and the attached EZ Finder II make it easy to move the telescope and find objects. The XT10 allows you to view objects brighter and in more detail than the XT8.
Rating
Lots of good times together with my first big scope
PostedNovember 27, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
4
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Bought this scope back in 2003 with the Mars super opposition in mind, and from the first crystal clear glimpse of the moon on the evening of assembly, I knew I had made a good investment. I can still remember the fantastic sight of Mars at opposition under a clear sky in late August at 120X-the purplish lower region, the ice cap, and the orange desert. With this scope I discovered the Ring Nebula in Lyra, just barely a green glow of the Orion Nebula, Jupiter's stripes, and rediscovered Saturn's rings, I sight I had not seen "live" since the late 1970's.
Scope was relatively easy to assemble and disassemble, and optical tube fit neatly in the trunk of my car, while the base sat in the back seat. Lightweight enough for one person to handle easily. The two eyepieces provided, 25mm (48x) and 10mm (120x) were excellent, as I used solely these two eyepieces for several years.
Left the scope out on the porch for a few years as my interest waned for a while in the mid 2000's, and a Noreaster or two blew the cover off and snowed inside the tube. Eventually a spider made a web and lived her entire life inside the optical tube. When my interest flared again a few years ago, I purchased this scopes' excellent siblings, the 6" StarBlast and 12" Intelliscope, both based on the fine experience I had with this 10" scope. I still use the same two eyepieces in the newer scopes, as well as a few more, and when I get up the gumption, I may have the mirror cleaned on this 10", as it is quite convenient for such a large scope, and the dust covering the mirror may now be protecting it.
I look at this scope the same way some folks look at old cars they have driven with a sense of nostalgia. Some people reminisce about the many miles they have driven and places they have gone in their old car. I have kept the scope in the same location and gazed much much farther into the night sky and seen places to which no one has ever been.
Favorite viewing location: The grassy knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad starry swaths in the Milky Way
Pros: aperture, optical quality, portability, ease of use, price
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
The UltraView 8x42 Wide-Angle binoculars are the ultimate in eyeglass friendly binoculars. Just retract the twist-lock rubber eyecups and start viewing. The extra long eye relief allows the full field of view to be seen by all, even with eyeglasses.
Rating
So nice, I bought it twice!
PostedOctober 12, 2011
Optical Quality
4
/
5
Mechanical Quality
4
/
5
Portability
5
/
5
Ease of Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
This little gem is still in good condition after 15 years of use and abuse, but I liked it so much, I bought a new one a few years ago. Sturdy, durable, even after dropping the older twin off of embankments and driving with it on the roof of my car for a few miles. Optics are very good for light astronomy use, like Orion nebula and general stars and satellites, but this instrument really excels for terrestrial use. Sporting events, football, baseball, race tracks, license plates on wanted vehicles fleeing at a high rate of speed are all easy for little Mr. 8x42. As a glasses wearer, I love the long eye relief, large apparent field of view, wide angle, and big lenses.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: The Sky
Pros: portability, durability, optics, long eye relief, versatility
Cons: aperture
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
The UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle binoculars are the ultimate in eyeglass friendly binoculars. Just retract the twist-lock rubber eyecups and start viewing. The extra long eye relief allows the full field of view to be seen by all, even with eyeglasses.
Rating
Excellent overall. This is my most used astronomy tool.
PostedOctober 12, 2011
Optical Quality
4
/
5
Mechanical Quality
4
/
5
Ease of Use
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
The thing you use the most is the best. Out of the 3 telescopes and 7 pairs of binoculars I own, I use this product the most. Great for lying on your back in the grass spanning broad starry swaths in the Milky Way, tracking satellites including the space station, the moons of Jupiter, or just barely glimpsing Saturn's rings. Just as great for watching football games, fall leaves, or distant terrestrial objects, be it bird or plane or fire tower on the mountaintop. Wide apparent field really transports you out into space. Light and portable, it sits in the trunk of my car all year round. Optics are good, but not tack sharp near the edges, especially at night. Some slippage can occur in the diopter adjustment, but overall focus is very good. If you are thinking of buying some kind of astronomical instrument, but not sure which one, start with this. Even if your interest wanes, these binoculars will always be useful.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad Starry Swaths
Pros: portability, ease of use, optics
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+9points
9of 9voted this as helpful.
The StarBlast 6 reflector is a great telescope for the whole family. The lightweight and portable design allow you to set this up just about anywhere, and it packs away easily for storage or transport. Good for both planetary and deep sky observing.
Rating
YES!
PostedOctober 11, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
4
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
5
/
5
Portability
5
/
5
Value
5
/
5
Have had this little gem for about 3 years and I still can't get enough of it, despite later buying its much larger brother, the also excellent Orion 12" Intelliscope. First night out of the box, I saw a tack sharp view of blue and gold Alberio under a retina stunning full moon. Got fantastic looks of all the major beginner objects, like the moon-best as a thin crescent, Saturn's rings, a great low power (30X) view of Jupiter with moons and two cloud bands in the same field as Uranus at conjunction!, different colored regions of Mars and its ice caps at opposition, wide swaths of the Milky Way and the Pleiades are stunners. I target the scope not with finder or red dot, but by sighting down the two major clamp screws on the optical tube like sights on a rifle! Very minor cons. After a year, black paint flecks and dust start to accumulate on the mirror. Might be best to store optical tube pointing down. Power is a little low due to short focal length, but optics sharp enough to see detail on the major objects. A moon filter would be a great accessory to include with this scope. Very popular scope to use with friends, children, or demonstrations, as you can quickly thrill them great views of the marquee objects.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: The Sky
Pros: optics, ease of use, wide field views, value for the money, portability, makes you popular
Cons: low power/short focal length, paint flecks/dust on mirror
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+5points
5of 5voted this as helpful.
The XT12i is for the more advanced viewer. It provides brighter and clearer images than the XT10i, allowing you to view fainter celestial objects. As with the XT10i, the object locater allows you to view more than 14,000 celestial objects with ease.
Rating
WOW!
PostedOctober 2, 2011
Optical Quality
5
/
5
Mechanical Quality
5
/
5
PushTo Accuracy
5
/
5
Ease of Assembly & Use
4
/
5
Value
5
/
5
First time I looked deep into the clear dark night through this scope through a wide field eyepiece, it made me aware of how happy I am to be alive. Star clusters look like glistening jewel boxes in the sky at low power; Jupiter's bands are well apparent and contrasted. Ring Nebula in Lyra looks like a Cheerio in space. Optics are simply excellent. This scope is at the absolute limit in size for portability. Can just barely carry it to and fit in and out of car without injuring either scope or myself. Intelliscope guidance computer features work well once calibrated, can zip from object to object with no problem using computer, or star hop using finder scope if you want to challenge yourself.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: Broad Starry Swaths in Milky Way
Pros: optics, resolution, limiting magnitude, value, quality, ease of use
Cons: size & weight
Yes, I recommend this product!
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+4points
4of 4voted this as helpful.
Orion Resolux 10x50 Waterproof Astronomy Binoculars provide spectacular views of the night sky with a pleasing flat field of view. Fully multi-coated with anti-reflection coatings for crisp performance, let 10x50 Resolux binoculars show you the sky.
Rating
Very good optical quality but heavy and inconvenient to use.
PostedSeptember 20, 2011
Optical Quality
4
/
5
Mechanical Quality
4
/
5
Ease of Use
2
/
5
Value
3
/
5
Very Good optics, but difficult to hand-hold comfortably due to weight. Attached eye caps keep popping off when not in use. Because of the inconvenience, it is not good for what most astronomers use binoculars for--wide scanning of broad stellar swaths and satellite tracking. The instrument you use most often is the one to recommend, and this instrument is used rarely, so although I would say overall it is a good product, I cannot recommend it.
Favorite viewing location: The Grassy Knoll
Favorite object to observe: The Sky
Pros: optics
Cons: weight
No, I do not recommend this product.
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+3points
4of 5voted this as helpful.
JPaladin's Review Comments
JPaladin has not submitted comments on any reviews.