-
Final Announcement: We're Saying Goodbye to AstronomyConnect. Read Our Closing Notice.
More Views
Agena 1.25" Starguider Dual ED Eyepiece - 15mm
| Brand | Agena AstroProducts |
| Part Number | E-AG-SGED15 |
| Availability | available |
| Share |
Product Info
Manufacturer Description
With a true flat field and two high quality ED glass elements of different glass types, the new Agena StarGuider Dual ED eyepieces are characterized by a significantly high contrast image. These 1.25" fully multicoated (FMC) eyepieces give maximum detail and definition across the entire 60 degree field of view (FOV). This feature is especially useful for telescopes without tracking capability where the object drifts across the field of view during observation. A great value, these eyepieces are exceptional at nearly eliminating lateral color aberration and light scatter often associated with more expensive eyepieces that are better suited for deep space objects.
The eyepieces are parfocal, minimizing the amount of refocusing needed when switching from eyepiece to eyepiece within the series.
Agena Dual ED Eyepieces vs. More Expensive Eyepieces:
Premium (and costly!) eyepieces that have similar wide fields of view need many exotic glass elements to achieve that wide field of view - as many as 9 lenses or more. More lenses mean more cost and more glass, which attenuates the amount of light you see. That also means there are more air-to-glass surfaces that can scatter light - reducing contrast and sometimes causing multiple reflections (ghosting) when viewing very bright objects such as the Moon and planets. Extra lenses can also mean compromises in the overall design that can often lead to other issues.
One such issue of all that glass is lateral color aberration. This results when different wavelengths (colors) of light pass through the eyepieces focal plane at different points and appear as a cloud of false color around bright objects. Another issue is light scatter seen as a distracting halo or glow around bright objects. This can also reduce contrast. Light scatter and lateral color are rarely seen in very wide field eyepieces when observing faint deep sky objects, but they become very apparent when viewing lunar, planetary, and double star objects. These objects don't need an extra-wide field of view to see small details and subtle contrast differences. Our 60 degree eyepieces provide high contrast, no scattered light, and the highest possible definition.
Agena Eyepieces - Rooted in Solid Design:
Orthoscopic and Plossl eyepieces have traditionally been the designs of choice for lunar, planetary, and binary star/star cluster observations. Their low number of lenses (typically four) and air-to-glass surfaces give better contrast and definition than the more exotic extra wide field eyepieces. A high quality orthoscopic or Plossl eyepiece on a good telescope gives views of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn that can be breathtaking. But even these designs can be improved upon for lunar and planetary use.
Long Eye Relief - Up To 20mm!
Agena's StarGuider Dual ED eyepieces are the first long eye relief eyepieces with a comfortably wide field for planetary observing that also give the sharpness, contrast, and lack of lateral color and light scatter of the best orthoscopic and Plossl designs. What they don't have is the limited eye relief and restricted fields. Our eyepiece eye relief averages around 18mm and is as much as 20mm in the 25mm focal length model. Even the 5mm eyepiece has almost 16mm of eye relief! Experienced observers will truly appreciate such generous eye relief at significant magnifications.
The nicely machined body is rubberized and scalloped grooves around the circumference at the top provide a secure grip in all conditions.
Sharpness, Great Contrast and Flat Field of View:
With up to six lens elements in this unique design, these eyepieces are fully internally baffled and all internal spacers have antireflection microbaffles on their edges with flat black anodizing to reduce reflections. The field stop also has microbaffles in its edge to reduce off-axis flaring and produce a sharply delineated field edge. Every air to glass surface is broadband multicoated for peak light transmission and outstanding contrast on subtle lunar and planetary detail. The lens edges are blackened to eliminate internal reflections.
The eyepieces have a twist-up eyecup that can be raised or lowered as much as 11mm to provide the eye relief you find most comfortable. Spherical aberration of the exit pupil is well controlled, so there are no serious blackouts or kidney-bean effects if you move your eye slightly off the axis. Dust covers are provided for both ends of each eyepiece. A groove is machined into the nose piece barrel to ensure the eyepiece is less likely to fall out of the diagonal or focuser if the capture screw becomes accidentally loose.
Technical data:
- Focal length: Available in focal lengths of 5mm, 8mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm and 25mm
- 1.25" with filter thread
- Field of view: 60°
- Fully multi-coated on each glass/air surface
Reviews
-
Jun 24, 2019
Big improvement over Plossl eyepiece
Pros: Cons: Comments:The 15mm wide angle ED eyepiece made a huge improvement in the usability of my 6" Orion Dob. No longer do I have to keep my eye in exactly the right position -- as was the case with the 10mm Plossl eyepiece -- to be able to see anything in the scope at high magnification. Combined with the 2X Barlow I have been, for the first time, able to see Jupiter's great red spot. The image is sharp and bright with and without the Barlow. This eyepiece cost more than I paid for the used scope, but is well worth the cost!
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Jan 25, 2019Excellent value
Pros: Cons: Comments:Very pleased with this eyepiece, which is now one of my favorites to use with my Celestron f/10 6" SCT.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
I strongly recommend it and am considering purchasing others in this line.This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sep 7, 2018Simply excellent
Pros: Cons: Comments:I just bought the 15 mm and 8 mm (my Plossl 25 mm is still acceptable). They are strikingly good, sharp across the field, excellent contrast, no significant chromatic aberrations, and the equal of EPs at a much higher price. The eye-relief adjustment works very well. Plus, solidly made (I like the substantial heft!). Can't beat 'em!
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Jul 8, 2018great value
Pros: Cons: Comments:I did a lot of reading about eyepieces and these were mentioned in a few articles as being great value. They seem to be just that. I purchased this and the 25mm version for an inexpensive Dobson scope. They were much better than the eyepieces that came with the scope. When I move to a more expensive telescope, these should continue to serve me well.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Feb 25, 2018Great views
Pros: Cons: Comments:One of my first premium eyepieces and the difference was striking. These EPA are highly regarded and often recommended across popular forums and owning one makes the reason for their popularity obvious.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Ronald Zincone New Member
- Skill Level
- Unknown
- Time with Product
- Unknown
- User Notes:
- Review by Ronnie Z.
Jun 30, 2017Lovely eyepiece
Pros: Cons: Comments:This has become my goto eyepiece, just right for most viewing. I like the adjustable eyecup a lot. A very comfortable eyepiece.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Jun 9, 2017Agena Starguider Dual ED Lens Eyepiece
Pros: Cons: Comments:Hi, I got into Extra Low Dispersion Glass when I got a new refractor. So when I saw these ED eyepieces for $60 I decided to try one. I liked it so much I collected all but the very high power (the 2.3mm I think). Anyone would be pleased by these eyepieces. The 18mm also works great in my 50mm finder scope. They work great in all my scopes from F-5 to F-10. The 18mm had some black outs in my F-5.9 80mm refractor. It's a very short refractor. I had no problems other than that. Great eyepieces! Good Luck! BY!
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
May 31, 2017Well made Nice Quality
Pros: Cons: Comments:I was looking for an eyepiece between 9mm & 26mm power for my ETX125 scope. The eyepiece is very well made. Sharpness is great and the FOV is great over basic eyepieces. I am very happy with this purchase and the 15mm Starguider makes a great addition to my collection. I was impressed with the view of Jupiter and the sharpness of it's moon with the Starguider.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Feb 4, 2017Fine eyepiece. Excellent value.
Pros: Cons: Comments:I purchased this primarily for birding with an 80mm refractor, but decided to give it a try at night in an 8 inch Schmidt Cassegrain scope. Viewing the first quarter moon with just average seeing conditions I was able to see tiny craterlets at about 130x. The moon looked sharp all the way to the edge and the eyepiece did not add color fringes to the lunar limb. I also tried the eyepiece on Castor which was a very easy split, as well as several closer doubles which it handled well. Although I have no TeleVue or Zeiss eyepieces with which to compare this eyepiece, I would guess that for any but the most serious observers with very expensive equipment and years of experience, the differences would be marginal. For the average viewer who wants a very good eyepiece at a decent price, I highly recommend this product-at least the 15mm which I have tried.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Oct 6, 2016For my money best 15mm made
Pros:Accurate,Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Compact,Strong Construction
Cons:Heavy
Comments:This is the best 15mm eyepiece for under $100 that I have used. I love the wide-field of view and crisp images. In my 90mm F10 refractor this eyepiece brings me a lot of joy. Our moon (in nice detail), Jupiter and it's glorious diamond shining moons along with Saturn. Add a 2X barlow and bands start to appear on our closest jovian planet and the rings on the next. I use this with my 130MM fast F5 newt also. A little astigmatism around the edges but the objects on this piece of glass stay centered because I cheat and use a goto mount. LOL. If you want a good eyepiece without breaking the bank you won't be disappointed.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Mar 11, 2016Worked great for my purposes
Pros: Cons:Heavy
Comments:I use this eyepiece with my Orion XT8 Reflector. It seemed like a good magnification by itself, with a nice wide field of view for finding objects and viewing DSO's. With a 2x Barlow, I'm able to make out the details on Jupiter, Saturn, etc. As a wearer of eyeglasses, I appreciate the good eye relief, and I have no problem wearing glasses while I observe with this eyepiece. Using the Dobsonian mount with this one is nice because the wide field of view (and relatively consistent image regardless of angle) mean that I have to shift the telescope less frequently. Couple all that with the low price, and this eyepiece is quite nice for me!
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Oct 20, 2014Excellent oculars
Pros:Accurate,Quality Lenses,Strong Construction
Cons:Heavy
Comments:I spent a good amount of time and research looking for a new, high quality set of eyepieces to retire my older sets. I wanted a first-class, general purpose eyepiece that had a wide field for DSO and high contrast for planetary and binary stars. A difficult demand to fill at any price. I was prepared to spent more than twice the price for my final set.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
Testing the Agena Dual ED 8mm against an 8mm brass Brandon and 7mm Parks under the severest binary star tests with a 6" refractor, the Agena proved to be of equal performance with the bonus of a much greater field of view. The field is absolutely flat and well corrected. The optical quality of the Agena met all my observational requirements.
This eyepiece immediately impressed me with its appearance, weight and design. Its "out of the box" quality promised good things to come and did not fail.
I am a serious observer of 35 years, a hard core refractor owner and demand the best in optics. The Agena Dual ED is a "dark horse" ocular that deserves high praise. You will NOT regret owning the Agena Dual ED eyepieces.This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Aug 17, 2014Step UP in the right direction
Pros:Easy to Use,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses
Cons: Comments:If you're trying to graduate from cheapy lenses, this is definitely a few steps up. You will notice the craftsmanship of the clever eyecup. Give it a twist. Better on brighter objects as well. No need to spend 2X or more.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
BryanMcC New Member
- Skill Level
- Unknown
- Time with Product
- Unknown
- User Notes:
- Review by Bryan of Northeast US.
Jan 28, 2014Big step up from entry level eyepieces
Pros:Comfortable,Easy to Use,Lightweight
Cons: Comments:Very comfortable eyepiece that is a step up in every way over a standard Plossl. Easier and more comfortable to use, wider field and sharper view. Reasonably priced upgrade from entry level eyepieces.
Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? YesThis review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com
Sort bySpecifications
Apparent Field of View 60° Barrel Size 1.25" (31.7mm) Bolt Case Included Yes - Free Agena Eyepiece Container Bolt Case Size Agena 52x80mm Coatings Fully Multi-Coated End Caps 2 Eye Relief by Design 20mm Filter Threads Standard 1.25" Filter Thread (M28.5 x 0.6) Focal Length 15mm Lens Elements 6 Lens Groups 4 Rubber Eye Guard Yes (Twist-Up Eyecup) Blackened Lens Edges Yes Manufacturer Agena AstroProducts Eyepiece Focal Length 10.1mm - 15mm Eyepiece Field of View 51 - 60 degrees Eyepiece Series Agena Dual ED Barrel Type With safety undercut Eyepiece Weight 5.80oz (164.43g)
