Agena 2" Super Wide Angle (SWA) Eyepiece - 38mm

4.0 Good eyepiece

It is a good eyepiece for the price. Suitable for large star clusters, large nebulae like the laces of the Swan, but also for a global view of the Moon.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Superb value for the price

Superb value for the price

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5.0 First impression

Very impressive craftsmanship!
Having no access to my Celestron 11 now, I can only share my first impressions. Craftsmanship is very impressive. Overall construction, precision and finish are top notch. Field of view is truly wide and edges are razor sharp. Lenses are very clear and coating seems superb. I’ll soon check field performance and complete my review. So far so good! For the money, this one is a clear winner. Grab one!

Francois Pelletier, Canada

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5.0 GREAT SWA 2" EYEPIECE!

This is one of those eyepieces that is reasonably priced and yet gives very good images with an apparent 70 degree field of view. Fully multi-coated optics free of internal dust, generous eye relief and fold down rubber eye cups are just some of the attributes that make this better than good! This is GREAT for extracting low powered views from SCTs, MAKs, Cassegrains and reflectors and refractors with focal lengths of around f:8 or higher, to ensure an exit pupil no larger than your dark adapted eye. People with those scopes and with 2" focusers may have a difficult time finding low powered eyepieces yet this and its 26mm and 32mm peers deliver very nice views. With my Cass f:12 It offers a 2 degree FOV, great for extended nebulae and open star clusters. Highly recommended especially if you like wide expanse eyepieces without the cost associated with the price of a scope itself!

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5.0 I love this eyepiece! In

I love this eyepiece! In my Orion XT8 Dobsonian, it yields beautiful, immersive wide-field views, with crisp focus across most of the view; only subtle distortion near the edges.

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4.0 Excellent Value

Purchased this eyepiece to provide maximum field of view using a 4" f/10 refractor and 8" f/6 Newtonian. Performance in the refractor was very good, showing slight astigmatism and chromatic aberration at the edge of the field stop. In the Newtonian, moderate coma was apparent at the edge of the field stop. Build quality and fit are above average. I am very pleased with this eyepiece and consider it an excellent value.

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5.0 Pretty darn good

So, yes I have premium eyepiece dreams, but this is an expensive hobby to get started in. I bought this eyepiece to compliment my new ES 102 I bought for wide field views and it does that job nicely.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Agena 2" Super Wide Angle (SWA) Eyepiece - 38mm

I bought this eyepiece especially to use with my Celestar 8, and it works very well! I use it also with a 10" f/6 dob, and while not as good at the edges, it is still quite good. Bottom line, I like it!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Glad I bought this eyepiece

Using this in my 8 inch Dob. Comparison. I used a 1.25 in, 25 mm Plossl at 48x power and 1.08 degree field of view to find M13, a 6 magnitude globular cluster. I was worried that it would not appear as bright or even at all with this eyepiece at 31.5x power but there it was, shining just just as glorious. The 2.22 degree field of view makes it much easier to find and focus is crystal clear. Can't wait for another clear sky. So much more to see.

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4.0 Good lens

Good for the purpose I expected.

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5.0 Nice

A nice addition for low-mag observation.

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5.0 Impressive!

I wanted an eyepiece with the lowest power I could use on my f4.9 12” Dobsonian that would not break the bank. Initially it was to be a finder eyepiece but the view is so sharp and beautiful it has become one of my favorite. The price is fantastic for this quality of eyepiece. Though the eyecup rubber is a bit stiff, the eye relief is very comfortable. Impressive eyepiece!

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4.0 38 MM Eyepiece review

Using this on a C-8 telescope it was a very good eyepiece with a good wide field that stays in focus to near the edge of the field with slight curvature & focus issues at the extreme edge. With my 10" F5.6 these problems are much more noticeable of course. I rate it a very good eyepiece for it's price. The latest Eclipse of the Sun looked fantastic in it with the Corona & Corona Loops easily visible!

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4.0 SWA 2" 38mm Review

I bought this for use in my f/6 72mm ED refractor, for the purpose as a "finder" eyepiece. The nice wide field views through this eyepiece allow me to find an object quite easily. In my refractor, the inside 2/3 seems to be razor sharp when viewing images, and the optics are very good. The outside 1/3 of the view through this eyepiece gets blurry in my scope (probably because my scope is a bit fast at f/6?). Overall, for the affordable price and that I'm using this primarily as a finder eyepiece (11x power in my scope), I'm happy with the results for the price paid for the eyepiece.

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5.0 Love those low power wide views

Accurate,Easy to Use,Quality Lenses

Heavy

This is used in my Orion XT8i for low power wide field views. Gives me 2.2 degrees and 31.5 power. Especially nice when I want to survey the sky or when I want to see the moon in a wider context.

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5.0 Very Good Optics, Excellent Value

Strong Construction,Accurate,Quality Lenses

See the set for longer review. These eyepieces work well in F6 telescopes, and very well in F6.5 and above. Very good engineering and manufacture. I have and use TV and UO with similar AFOV. But for star parties, Astronomy Merit Badge, Grab and Go, other "many hands, eager hands" uses these just can't be beat. The set of three costs less than one of "the best". Peace of mind combines with the Agena SWA very good optics to create comparable views in the central 2/3s of the field, with the surround enhancing the experience. Include Agena's case, excellent customer service, and prompt free shipping and you are at 5 stars.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Excellent Bang for the Buck

Strong Construction,Lightweight,Quality Lenses,Sharp Close To Edge

This was my first 2" eyepiece for my recently completed 12 1/2" F/5.2 Dob. Stars are crystal clear pinpoints practically to the edge of the field of view. No detectable coma either. While it may not have that "window in space" feel to it like some premium eyepieces, for the price it's an excellent value.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great eyepiece

Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Strong Construction,Accurate

This is a high-quality eyepiece that I use to observe the deep sky with my LX90 10 inch. What I really like about this 38mm eyepiece from Agenas is its wide field of view. At this price I don't believe that you can find anything better in terms of optical quality and construction. This is often the only eyepiece I use in a single observation session. I would have purchased the 26mm and 32mm if I had not owned at the time of the order two other eyepieces of almost similar focal length (24mm and 31mm). A fantastic eyepiece. Great customer service.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great for the money!

Quality Lenses,Strong Construction,Easy to Use

Great eyepiece for the money..Great for lunar, DSO..Stars are pinpoint almost all the way to the edge in my Meade ACF 10"..The only thing I don't like is this and the 26mm have developed some spots between the lenses..Doesn't seem to effect the performance though..

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5.0 Agena eyepieces great for my SC T

Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Strong Construction,Accurate

I have had this 38mm eyepiece (as well as the 26mm version) for about a month now. I have an 8" SCT f10 scope and this eyepiece could not be better, Clear pinpoint stars to the edge and a great wide field. The pleiades was spectacular. I am totally happy with the Agena quality and the price can't be beat. I can't speak for faster scopes, but for my needs, a more expensive eyepiece would not have provided any better views. Go with Agena and save some cash!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 High quality for low price

Quality Lenses,Accurate

Heavy

I was need the eyepiece with maximal physical view field. The Agena SWA 38mm provides 47mm of field with really good image quality, despite of its low price. In the middle region (~70%) of the field there are no visible aberrations or parasite reflections. The coatings quality is comparable to more expensive models. If you are looking for the wide-angle eyepiece I would definetely recommend SWA38mm.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Another great performer

Quality Lenses,Easy to Use,Strong Construction,Accurate

Another excellent low cost EP that performs like a high cost EP!! With the FMC lenses you get great "being there views" on those great nights! 2" is the way to go when you want to eliminate field stop restrictions and have wide field views!!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Fantastic eyepiece!

Strong Construction,Excellent build quality,Wide Field of View,Quality Lenses,Good contrast

None

Fantastic eyepiece, especially for the money. Performs very well in my f/10 8" SCT. With the 38mm eyepiece I can fit the entire Double Cluster in my field of view! It's great to know that even though I can't spend hundreds of $ on a TeleVue or Explore Scientific eyepiece, I can still get such amazing quality and performance at a price that's affordable. Don't even hesitate to get any of the Agena SWA's.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great for the price

Quality Lenses,Easy to Use,Strong Construction

I was very surprised how bright the objects were in the lens (comparing to orion Sirius 25mm) the contrast and color are great. Well worth the price for a cost effective alternative. One does require a bit of a counter weight for this piece, I just used a rice bag on the end of my Dob 8" until I get proper weights. I highly recommend this for the beginner or cost conscious person starting out. It's a good way to compare lenses as to the quality of view.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Best Bang For The Buck...

Quality Lenses,Strong Construction

Heavy

Very nice EP for the price. A bit heavy but then again it is a 2" 38mm eyepiece.

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5.0 Excellent value!

Strong Construction

Heavy

I use this eyepiece with my 4" f/9 refractor for a 3

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 FANTASTIC EYEPIECE !!

Quality Lenses,Strong Construction

A great low power eyepiece to scan wide sections of sky or observe entire constellations. Easy to focus, great glass, stays sharp edge to edge (for the most part!) Is slightly heavy, but what do you expect from a 2" eyepiece at this focal length ? AN EXCELLENT VALUE that you will consistently use !

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Good product, quick shipping

Compact,Strong Construction,Easy to Use,Accurate,Lightweight,Quality Lenses

Good quality eyepiece at a reasonable price

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great eyepiece

Strong Construction,Quality Lenses,Accurate

The Agena eyepiece was a quality product and produced great images.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Perfect finder eyepiece

Accurate,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses,Reasonable price,Sharp images

This is my low-power finder eyepiece. In my 80mm f/6 refractor I get 12.5X, a field of view in excess of five degrees, and an exit pupil of about 6.4 mm, making a telescopic finder superfluous. Everyone should have an eyepiece that, like this, gives as much light as their eye can hold. In my 102mm f/10 it yields 26X, a 2.7 degree field of view, and a 4mm exit pupil. This is perfect for framing extended objects like the Pleiades and M31. With either scope just cruising the Milky Way is a joy. No doubt there are better eyepieces available--for 3 to 5 times as much money--but the incremental improvement is slight, and they wouldn't serve my purposes any better.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great Quality Views at a Bargain Price

Quality Lenses,Excellent value,Strong Construction

Heavy

Back in March (2009) I purchased the 38mm SWA from AgenaAstro Products (great site)! After almost 12 months of use, I have to say I am so very impressed with the SWA 38mm in my f10 SCT.

Several mpnths ago I had the chance to compare my 38mm with an Ethos 17mm. Granted it's not a fair comparison, the Ethos wins hands down (more contrast, super flat field, razor sharp focus to the edge and no noticable distortion to the edge of the FOV...plus it's 100

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 A great view indeed!

Quality construction, Clear clean views, Tons of fun to use

none

I love this line of lenses and have had many nights of great viewing with them. This lens is my super low power wide view lens, the big daddy. It gives me such a complete view of the night sky it's almost overwhelming. It's a big sky out there and with this size of lens you can truly take a large chunk in all at once.

I use this lens with my XT8 Dobsonian and it's a nice match. The stars focus down to sharp points while the image is nice and dark. A whole lot of fun to use.

The quality of construction is very nice. The glass was flawless, the barrel threading was nice and smooth, the rubber eyeguard soft and comfortable. Also the eye relief is perfect. I suffered no blackouts of any kind either.

If you're looking for a good 2" low mag wide field lens look no further. This lens delivers great views and a lower price tag, two great things to keep in mind.

5.0 Great lens, I love using it!

Accurate,Compact,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses

None

I love this line of lenses and have had many nights of great viewing with them. This lens is my super low power wide view lens, the big daddy. It gives me a such a complete view of the night sky its almost overwhelming. Its a big sky out there and with this size of lens you can truly take a large chunk in all at once.

I use this lens with my XT8 Dobsonian and its a nice match. The stars focus down to sharp bright points with a nice dark background. And its a whole lot of fun to use. :) The quality of construction is very nice. The glass was flawless, the barrel threading was nice and smooth, the rubber eyeguard soft and comfortable. Also the eye relief is perfect. I suffered no blackouts of any kind either.

If you're looking for a good 2" low mag, wide 70 degree FOV then look no futher. This lens delivers with both great views and a lower price tag, two great things to keep in mind.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Good Performer for the Price

Quality Lenses,Strong Construction

Soft focus at edge

Very good price for a good eyepiece. Bear in mind this is no Nagler or Panoptic but at a fraction of the price, you'll get your money's worth.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Very nice quality at a good price

Strong Construction,Quality Lenses

Use this as a wide field low power eyepiece with my 11" SCT and 6" F6 Mak Newt. Performs very well in both scopes. As close to a premium eyepiece as you can get.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Excellent Price-Performer

Economical,Strong Construction

I bought the 38mm SWA thinking I would use it exclusively as a public star party eyepiece. After using it in my f10 SCT, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of construction and excellent views, and decided to use it myself for low-power wide-angle observing. The eyepiece is a great bargain, and I recommend it highly when used in a slow scope.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 First impressions

Pros Solid construction. Even coatings, very clean, no dust. Low $, high quality images.

Lacks retaining ring on barrel that goes into focuser, some minor edge sea-gulling or coma

I just received today 3 Agena SWA eyepieces, the 26mm, 32mm, and the 38mm...all 2". I finally had the opportunity to view with them, just a bit a few nights ago but much more thoroughly tonight.

Tonight the viewing was pretty good for Florida, with low humidity and temperatures in the upper 50's as I was working with the eyepieces. My telescope is a 12.5" f5.0, but is well corrected with a good edge. This is my second self made mirror, the first being a 6" f4.5 of excellent optics ( I didn't figure that one). Only the 12.5" was used in these reviews. Prior to use, the telescope was allowed to thermally equilibrate, and was laser collimated prior to use.

Here's my first impressions of the 38mm eyepiece, the others will be posted separately:

The glass looks flawless, no bubbles (yes, I've had an eyepiece that arrived once with a bubble in the glass about 40% off center from another company, it was returned no questions asked), and the coatings are nicely uniform across the glass, no blemishes, blank spots or variance in the coatings is visible on any of the 3 eyepieces. And absolutely no dust....not a speck on them, and I looked hard. Construction looks and feels solid, that 38mm is a hefty chunk of eyepiece and they all have nice lens opening (is the proper term aperture?) at the eye end. Supple soft fold down rubber eye cups, not too stiff or not too soft. And they all have a nice nubbly rubber grip surrounding the eyepiece. Chrome on the insert end looks substantial but one drawback on these eyepieces is that they do not have that detent retaining ring or depression on the barrel end to secure the eyepiece in the focusers. A minor point to be sure, but those retaining ring depressions have become somewhat of a standard and they're missing on these.

This time of year (mid Feb) Auriga is directly overhead in the early evening hours, offering up a few nicely placed open clusters as test objects for the eyepieces. My first stop was M37. Through the 38mm the cluster was a pretty site, the stars well resolved pinpoints, the center orange star of the cluster nicely colored. The stars in the FOV were pinpoint sharp across most (I'd call it about 85%) of the field, then a bit of coma like seagulling of the stars beyond that. This I don't attribute entirely to the eyepiece, it's just the eyepiece doesn't 'correct' for it, a Paracorr did when used with this eyepiece. Surprisingly, there was no evident field curvature, where I would have to either rack in or rack out focus in order to bring stars at the edge to focus. They were still focused, just exhibiting that sea-gull look common to most fast 'scopes. Still, it didn't detract from the image which I thought very sharp. Contrast: this is probably a difficult term to quantify since so many variables affect what we describe as 'contrast'....sky brightness, transparency, element coatings, internal reflections, etc. My impression (since this is so subjective) was that the 38mm had a fairly bright view, it wasn't the type of 'brilliant little diamonds scattered upon black velvet" look. To be fair, the 38mm was the first of the eyepieces tested, and whether my eyes had fully dark adapted might impact this impression. I also tested the eyepiece on M25, M36, and finally on M42 with nice views of each. The Trapezium in M42 was easily resolved with the 38mm, although the E and F components were not seen. Eye relief was excellent, I wear glasses at the scope and no blackout or kidney beaning was evident. I typically roll down the eye cup routinely, not a real necessity here as the FOV was easy to see without having to get right up to the glass.

Finally, I placed the eyepiece in my TeleVue Paracorr. The stars now resolved into pinpoints across the entire FOV. The take away on this eyepiece is that it gives excellent images although in a fast scope like mine, some edge coma will be evident, but I wasn't bothered by it ( I might have been if a large percentage of the field showed this but this wasn't the case). Personally, the amount of sea-gulling was minimal, and I probably wouldn't drag the Paracorr out routinely with this eyepiece. This is a great eyepiece for sweeping the sky and using as a 'finder' eyepiece. Nice wide FOV with (dare I say it) that 'spacewalk' effect of pulling you into the image.