University Optics - Testimonials About Our Eyepieces, Oculars and Telescope Accessories.

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Here is just a small sampling of the kind words many of you have sent to us over the years.

Good Day,

Would you kindly email me the field stop diameter of the 18 and 25 mm Abbe Orthoscopic eyepieces? It would be much appreciated.

After reading the testimonials on your website, I thought I'd email a few "objective" findings for you to add to your site.

I've been an amateur astronomer for 40 plus years. I've owned over 80 telescopes and hundreds of oculars/eyepieces and other accessories. These include such classics as Clave plossls, Takahashi orthoscopics and plossls, wideangles, and Naglers, Vixen lanthanum widefields and regular plossls, Celestrons, Meades, Pentax, even Zeiss eyepieces. After all those eyepieces, I now only own two brands, University Optics and Vixen widefield lanthanums.

The only brands that usually faired better or were a 50/50 tie when compared with UO Abbes were the Claves, Zeiss, and to a lesser degree, the Vixens. Event he Taks, which are very good eyepieces, usually lost handily to the UO Abbes.

I have had the good fortune to know several optical engineers who have tested University Optics eyepieces, and all three have said that your lines consistently have higher light transmission thru the visual bandwidth, and have less light scatter than 98% of the brands they test. All have said that UO eyepieces rank right there with the ultra premium brand Zeisses, Pentaxes, and Clave eyepieces. Just to know, the Edmund RKEs were also ranked up there as well.

My friend Keith had the good fortune to observe thru the 82" McDonald reflector when observing planet 10. The eyepiece he used was an MK70 40mm. The UO is the eyepiece of choice at the Observatory. Their independent tests showed that the 40mm MK70 had the highest contrast, least light scatter, and highest light transmission of ANY two inch eyepiece on the market today. Of course, the large reflector isn't used much for observing. But the pros at the Observatory all use UO eyepieces almost exclusively in their personal instruments, and also in the big boys, when the have the opportunity to observe with a large reflector.

Thanks for selling us amateurs the best eyepieces money can buy at any price.

Sincerely,

Dr. B. D. S.
May 31, 2006

Wow! What wonderful service you provide! Saturday night here in Connecticut was wonderfully clear and I had an amazing time getting to know these little jewels, using them on Jupiter until it sank behind my house. The contrast and resolution of the Konigs was exceptional. The Konigs are truly spectacular eyepiece, giving me magnificent views of the Great Red Spot and the new "gray spot" that is lingering in the north equatorial belt. I plan on ordering a complete set in installments over the summer months. Again, thank you very much!

BJD
Connecticut

Gentlemen:
The amici finder scope is great. There is no comparison to the Chinese mass produced finder scopes. I never thought I would see four of Jupiter's moon through a finder scope in suburban light polluted skies. Thanks again for your products. They really are superior.

Steve N.

Folks:
After several weeks of reading positive reviews on AOL Astronomy Club message boards about your Orthoscopic eyepiece, I decided to order your 9mm. I have been an amateur astronomer for many years, but during the past three years have focused primarily on lunar and planetary observing (my primary instrument being a CG-11).
I had always though my old collection of Ultra-Huge-Wide-Expansive-Angle-Super Duper Door Stopper Weight Oculars were serving me well in my observing program. That is until first light with the 9mm on Jupiter. Better contrast, richer color, absence of ghosting, very minimal halo around Jupiter (it is an SCR, after all), and above all, a simply sharper image were all delivered by this affordable powerhouse of a planetary eyepiece. I am tempted to tell you it outperformed my __________ Plossl as well, but drawing a conclusion based on a comparison of significantly different focal lengths wouldn't be fair; but seeing conditions permitting, I know which eyepiece will be in the diagonal... My 9mm University Orthoscopic!
Best regards,

D.F.
Jacksonville FL

P.S. After my turn on Jupiter, I turned to the zenith to take in Saturn. The 9mm delivered one of the best views of the planet I have ever had. A closing look at the waning moon delivered just what I had been expecting after the planetary tour - excellent contrast, jet black shadows, and (forgive the cliché) razor sharp detail.

Thank you!
I like the 12mm and 20mm very much. I don't understand why there is such a rush to buy _______ or very wide angle eyepieces. Most objects don't require wide angle eyepieces to view them and I have found that your Kellners to be just as good on them. Amazingly I have read reviews by numerous authors describing viewing the planets with their expensive APOs using ________ or ________ eyepieces and raving about the performance they offer. I have compared these eyepieces to the Kellner or your Orthos and can see no difference in performance.

Best regards,
W. L.

Dear Folks,
I just wanted to say thanks for the eyepieces you sent me down in Florida while I was on vacation there. The delivery was prompt and right to my door. I have had a quick look-see through the optics (7mm & 9mm Orthos, Klee Barlow) since my return to the U.K. and was delighted with the results.
Best regards,

M.S.
United Kingdom

Dear Mr Seyfried:

I want to express my delight and enjoyment with the University Optics Orthoscopic eyepieces.

During nearly twenty years of experience in this wonderful hobby, I have seen many changes when it comes to equipment. CCD's, computer-driven telescopes, short f/ration apochromatic refractors and extremely wide-angle eyepieces are just a few of the options available to the amateur astronomer today. Eyepiece selection is a critical element in "squeezing" maximum performance out of one's telescope. With the overwhelming variety and types available, it is indeed a daunting task choosing the right eyepiece for one's observing projects. Some eyepieces may excel at having wide apparent fields while others may offer long eye-relief or flat fields of view.

Over the years, have bought, sold, borrowed and used a number of eyepieces. Recent experience has shown the University Optics Orthoscopics having more contrast and resolution than higher priced models. As an example, Jupiter revealed more festoons and ovals than other models costing four times as much. Cassini's Division was traced across the entire face of Saturn's rings. Even Encke's Division was fair game on a night of excellent seeing. Tight double stars were clearly resolved (using the orthos) even though a wide-angle competitor only showed a merged pair. In other double star comparisons, faint members were not seen in the light robbing multiple element, wide angle eyepiece while the high contrast University Optics Ortho clearly revealed the tiny stars.

Wide-angle or long eye-relief eyepieces certainly have their place for certain observing projects. However, if an observer wants to obtain the maximum performance out of their telescope, then University Optics Orthos deserve a place in every eyepiece case. I bought the entire set and have a dedicated case just for these wonderful eyepieces. At the bargain price of less than $60 each, every amateur astronomer should seriously consider owning a few of them.

Thanks for enriching my observing nights,
D.S.
New Hampshire

University Optics:

I recently purchased your new 40mm MK-70 eyepiece for use on a 24" F/10 Ealing-Beck Cassagrain. My designer 55mm Plossl didn't focus in the same tube as my other designer eyepieces, a major inconvenience. And since this scope is a slow F/10, I hoped a less expensive eyepiece would handle the job. I'm not really on a limited budget anymore and can handle the price of those eyepieces, but using an extension tube for my wide-field eyepiece was getting old.

I was in for the surprise of my life. The field of view 40mm is just as wide as the 55mm, the extra magnification is nice, the entire field is more evenly illuminated and stars crisp to the edge. I have fallen in love with this thing. Next, I'm going to put your 24mm MK-70 up against my 27mm________. Designer eyepiece fans can look for a bargain in used eyepieces at eBay!

A warmer and softer rubber rim for my brow contact would be nice. I often observe at zero degree F and lower, and my scope is steady enough that I can press against the eyepiece to position my eye steadily.

Thanks for a great product.
Randy

To J.S:

Just a quick note to let you know that I received my orthoscopic eyepieces last Wednesday which I had ordered from you.

Everything in good order, especially well packed. Had a chance to try them out the same day at our local observatory. Several other members were in attendance and were very impressed with the quality of the images of the moon. We even bumped up the 7mm with a 2X Barlow in a 8" S-Cass for about 571 power and had some interesting views.

All three 7,12.5 and the 18mm gave very sharp images in light of the fact that seeing wasn't that great.

Very pleased.
Thanks again,
R.R.
Ontario, Canada

Dear J.

I had a chance to try out the 6mm HD last weekend and in a nutshell it's performance exceeded my expectation. When used with my 6" f/8 newtonian, it provided excellent images of Epsilon Lyra and M13. Can't wait for the planets to come around again.

Thanks again,
S.T.
Michigan

Contact us: (Our new phone hours are 1pm to 5pm EST Mon - Fri)
Phone: 734-665-3575
Toll Free Line: (800) 521-2828
Fax: (734) 665-1815
E-mail: uoptics@aol.com

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