Binoviewers

Hello again,
A question or two for the binoviwer lads again,

I will be using these with a 12" dobson telescope, will there be focusing issues with this setup.
I have picked up various brands of eyepieces over the years, do I have to use same brand of eyepiece in the binoviewer or is it just recommend for quality reasons. ie, could i use a 20mm soligor and a 20mm meade eyepiece?

Any advice would be appreciated

Sean

I will be using these with a 12" dobson telescope, will there be focusing issues with this setup.

Yes, you will have focusing issues. Typically, in dobs, a binoviewer won't come to focus straight off, but usually will if one has a SCT, due to the much greater range of focus.
You'll probably need to use a barlow with the binoviewer to get it to work. The WO binoviewer comes with a little barlow, except this is a screw-on type which screws on like a filter. This helps it to come to focus with some scopes (particularly refractors), but not all. If this doesn't work, then a barlow usually will work.

I have picked up various brands of eyepieces over the years, do I have to use same brand of eyepiece in the binoviewer or is it just recommend for quality reasons. ie, could i use a 20mm soligor and a 20mm meade eyepiece?
Sean

I'd strongly recommend you get two matching eyepieces - the binoviewer (or rather the brain) is very sensitive to getting them matched. Many people find that even if they get two eyepieces of the same make and model, with quality control issues and just slight variations in manufacturing, it can still make a difference. So, in short, you need a pair of matching eyepieces for sure. However, don't let this put you off. Binoviewers are the bees knees - well worth getting.

Hope this helps,

Good on you Michael, I couldn't have asked for a better answer, thank you!!

I think I will go for the WO binoviewers on your advice and because this weather is forcing me to retail astronomy :roll:

Cheers

Sean

Trust me Sean, they will open up an entirely new world to you and you'll wonder how you ever got along without them.