13mm T6 Nagler vs 14mm Radian

Hi there

I recently picked up a 13mm Nagler, it was going on Astromart for a price I couldn't turn down and seeing as I had funds from selling some photographic equipment, I bought it. Tonight I got to use it for the first time.

Conditions were good, the moon was full and it washed out some of the sky. I used the pair on my 305mm Orion dob, f/4.9, the fast scope being an excellent test bed.

First up was Jupiter, the planet is high in the south and I popped in the Radian, all four moons and a number of bands were visible. The view in the Nagler was similar, so no winner there. I believe the view of the planets is far better in an ortho.

Albireo was next on the list. Again both eyepieces showed a similar pleasing view and sharp colours were seen in the pair. Another tie.

The Double Cluster was next on the list, this is where the greater field of view of the Nagler came into its own, both NGC 869 & NGC 884 could be seen in the same field of view with ease. The 60 degree field of view of the Radian showed both clusters, but they were at the very edge of the field. A word of note here, both the Nagler and the Radian showed excellent sharpness across the entire field of view, stars being pinpoint to the edge, a testimony to their quality.

Turning to M31 the moon interfered with the view, again both eyepieces showed M31 & M110 in the same FOV and the same details.

M15. The Nagler won out here, just, with the slightly increased magnification stars could be resolved in greater detail to the core. The Radian was a close second.

I turned to the moon, but neither of these eyepieces is a lunar eyepiece and like Jupiter a good ortho is the way to go.

Overall I found that the Radian pushed the Nagler all the way, it gives a similar crisp view, excellent construction, solidly built, and both offer very good eye relief, 20mm for the Radian and 12mm for the Nagler. You can see the quality of the Televue eyepieces when you hold them and view through them.

Is the Nagler worth the extra cost when compared to a Radian? In my opinion, no, I find the Radian to be an excellent eyepiece, I read that the Radian is considered to the weakest of the Televue line, I don't believe that, for the price, second hand they can be picked up for around €100 to €120, they offer excellent value, a second hand Nagler goes for approximately €200, a 31mm considerably more.

I like my 14mm Radian, I also like my 13mm Nagler and I'm sure that the Nagler will shine under moonless skies in the Cygnus-Cassiopeia region and the Virgo cluster.

One final note. I was always a believer in the thinking, "no eyepiece is worth that price," but as I began to use Televues I've changed my philosophy, okay, I'm not going to buy an Ethos anytime soon and I haven't had a chance to use othe premium eyepieces such as Pentax, but it was only when I started using Radians that I realised that some eyepieces are worth the money.

One final, final note. Another reason to purchase a premium eyepiece is the resale value, they will not lose their value greatly over time, bought now for €150 or €200 they should expect to fetch a similar price in a couple of years time.

Anyway, that's my humble opinion, hope I didn't bore you there, thanks for taking the time.

Paul

Paul - excellent write-up and very informative.

Its surprising that there is so little performance difference when the price differential (80 to 100 euro) is pretty big.

I've used a few Naglers and PowerMates in my time and found them simply excellent. I recall views with the Nagler 31mm in New Mexico being mind blowing. Not to mention the utter fear of dropping it!

Excellent review there Paul,
You summed it up pretty well.
They're very similar eyepiece except for the fields of view, as expected given the make.
If you want the bigger field of view, you're gonna have to pay for it. It's up to you if you want it.