BST StarGuider 60º 12mm ED Eyepieces or Pentax XF 12mm for WO Binoviewer

[+Glafnazur]

I recently bought a WO binoviewer and I'd like another set of eyepieces. I have read that BST Starguider eyepieces perform well and they are reasonably priced however would a pair of Pentax XF 12mm perform significantly better to warrant the extra cost. The BST are £49 each and a pair would cost less than one of the Pentax at £119.

 

Any thoughts or other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Dave

[Nightspore]

17 minutes ago, Glafnazur said:

I recently bought a WO binoviewer and I'd like another set of eyepieces. I have read that BST Starguider eyepieces perform well and they are reasonably priced however would a pair of Pentax XF 12mm perform significantly better to warrant the extra cost. The BST are £49 each and a pair would cost less than one of the Pentax at £119.

 

Any thoughts or other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Dave

 

I've often considered a pair of XF's for my WO bino's. This 'Crowdy Fights' comparison may be of interest. Bear in mind the Pentax has a barrel undercut, which may not play well in the WO's. The 12mm StarGuider is often described as the best of the series, although I've never used one personally. 

[Nightspore]

Also, the Pentax are manufactured in Japan I believe, which is why they cost twice the amount. Barsta (BST) are Taiwanese although I'm pretty sure a lot of their stuff is manufactured on the Chinese mainland for economic reasons. 

[+Glafnazur]

Thanks Nightspore, the Pentax are tempting. One of the reviewers on FLO uses a WO binoviewer and he doesn't mention any problems with the barrel undercut. Still torn though. 

[Nightspore]

It's a difficult decision. A lot of Pentax EP's seem to be designed for white light spotting scopes. 

 

 

The XF zoom is beautifully made and works well for rich field, but shows a lot of lateral colour for lunar/planetary. The 12mm XF probably doesn't suffer CA like the zoom. The build quality of the XF's will be superior to the BST's. I'm just not so sure there will be much difference in performance. The main differences will almost certainly be ergonomic and build quality. 

[tuckstar]

I have the 8.5mm and 12mm pentax for my wo bino-viewer. They fit no problem, even though the BV eyepiece holder can be a bit fiddly but once they're in they seem pretty secure. I had a pair of TV delites but couldn't get on with the ipd. So sold them on and went for the pentax which are narrower and better fit for my face😫. They are lovely, but to be honest, I've hardly had a chance to use them 😖. They came highly recommended by others on here who maybe can give a better judgement, but I don't think you would be disappointed. In different times I would let you try them. Maybe soon.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by tuckstar

[Nightspore]

Treat yourself, get the Pentax! 

[+bryand]

I have both the 8.5 mm and 12 mm Pentax XFs and have used them in both the WO and MaxBrite Binos.  They are crisp, bright and easy to use and I would recommend them for binoviewer use.  Good for lunar craters showing objects 4 miles across (in a WO 132 refractor).

[+Bino-viewer]

Hi Dave,

I think eyepieces are very much a personal thing, and what may suit someone, may not suit someone else so much.

 

I have no experience using either of the two eyepiece pairs you refer to, so can't really help with that one.

I'm sure they are both fine though...?

 

I started out my binoviewing journey with a pair of Tv Panoptic 19mm which i still have along with the 24s.

I've since started using APM ultra wides as well which are quite similar to Panoptics and way cheaper.

They are small, light, with a similar field of view (65º) and have decent eye relief.

 

I find 65º - 70º is a nice sweetspot and personally prefer small light and compact eyepieces

for 2 eyed viewing. How comfortable an eyepiece feels to me comes above anything else.

 

Some users prefer this brand, others a different brand. Some prefer zooms, others have multiple pairs.

Everyone is different. Best advice i can give is to try a few pairs out from different manufactures, buy second hand if you can,

and see what works best FOR YOU.

 

 

 

[+Glafnazur]

On 03/07/2021 at 13:17, bryand said:

I have both the 8.5 mm and 12 mm Pentax XFs and have used them in both the WO and MaxBrite Binos.  They are crisp, bright and easy to use and I would recommend them for binoviewer use.  Good for lunar craters showing objects 4 miles across (in a WO 132 refractor).

I notice that you have a pair of ES 82° 6.7mm eyepieces Bryan,  how do they perform in the WO binoviewer?

[+bryand]

On 06/07/2021 at 12:41, Glafnazur said:

I notice that you have a pair of ES 82° 6.7mm eyepieces Bryan,  how do they perform in the WO binoviewer?

Not as well as the 8.5 mm XFs, which have replaced them. Virtually the same field of view, but the Pentaxes give a more satisfying picture.