Antares 1.25" Kellner Eyepiece with Focusable Cross-Hair - 27mm

3.0 Nice, but could be better

Easy to Use,Lightweight

Poor Lens Quality

All in all it is not bad, however, the crosslines are loose, and they give the impression of a "wavy cross". I had to modify it, to get a good straight-line crosshair.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Works well

Lightweight,Easy to Use,Compact,Accurate

Excellent, fills a real need.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Perfect for precise GoTo alignment

Easy to Use

Works perfectly for more precise GoTo alignments as well as daytime finder/scope alignments. I was worried that a non-illuminated reticle might prove too dim for use, but not at all (and my eyesight is not that good anymore). Looks sturdy enough, and for the limited amount of use it will get, should last a long time.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

3.0 Works OK

I wanted more accurate alignment between my telescope and my spotter, this did the deed. Came in a nice Agena plastic "bolt" case too.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 A good eyepiece for the price

Lightweight,Compact

It would be better if this eyepiece has a wider field of view (70 deg). And yes, the price will change if the fov is wider.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

3.0 Low build quality but works somewhat OK

Lightweight

Low Build Qiality

I was looking for an eyepiece with reticle, so that I could use it for a 3-star alignment of my recently-bought Celestron telescope with the GO-TO functionality. Most of the reticle eyepieces had a focal length of 12 mm, which provided too little field of view. This one was at 27 mm. "Perfect", I thought.

My first impression. The build quality is not good. The eyepiece does not fall apart, however it is noticeable the materials are of not high quality, and the parts do not fit too well together. For example, there is a snag on the ring which holds the reticle wires. I can see this snag at the edge of the aperture when looking through the eyepiece. The single cross reticle wires are not the thinnest which would not translate to the high precision aiming. One could adjust the focus of the eyepiece, so that the reticle wires could come into focus. This feature is implemented for the people with short-sightedness or long-sightedness, so that they could adjust the focus. There are markings on the focussing ring indicating zero power, positive and negative power directions... however, there is no complementary marking on the eyepiece body against which one would align the focussing ring. Also, the focussing ring rotates without sufficient friction against the eyepiece body.

In conclusion, I believe the reticle eyepiece is worth only half of the asking price... and for the half price, I would recommend it to a friend.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Exellent for alignment stars

Accurate,Compact,Easy to Use,Lightweight

For years, I often struggled with getting low warp factors for my 10 inch Orion Intelliscope. General opinion is not in favor of a centering eyepiece, so I put off the purchase. The usual advice is to defocus the star in the eyepiece to center it. It doesn't work for me.

I tried everything- a new alt encoder, choosing stars which are more degrees apart. No success at consistently low warp factors.

I decided after buying some 50MM O-rings from Agena (which are better than the OEM on the Orion 50mm finder) to also buy a centering eyepiece. Bingo- each time I use the eyepiece I get a lower warp factor. The first try!

The eyepiece is not for viewing. It is simply a centering eyepiece. I don't recommend unscrewing the bottom part of the eyepiece and taking out the delicate cross hair assembly. Best to keep the eyepiece assembled. It has an excellent case. Also- a Telrad and optical finder can be exactly centered with this eyepiece. Formerly, I used the Telrad as a pointer, but I am finally using it to find DSO's.

Agena service is excellent. Very responsive.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

3.0 Nice price, but QC needs to be tightened

Easy to Use,Lightweight

I use this eyepiece in my Agena 50mm finder scope as an aid in getting the guide scope optically aligned with my OTA. It does the job, but I was not impressed with the mounting of the single intersecting crosshairs. It appears that they were mounted "loosely" which results in them not being perfectly straight and/or orthogonal to each other. Minor issue for what I use it for, but has the potential for being a fine, inexpensive finder eyepiece if the crosshair QC issue is addressed.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great value

Lightweight,Quality Lenses,Accurate

The Antares crosshair eyepiece is very adequate for my purpose in synchronizing the views between my main telescope and its finder scope. I also use it to do "drift" polar aligning without and then with a Barlow lens; however, thinner crosshairs would be preferable. Also, the focusing ring is too easily moved out of adjustment if one's fingers accidently touch it, but not to an unusable extreme. The lenses are very good for a simple Kellner design.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 A necessary and smart buy eyepiece.

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

Very good eyepiece, great clarity and ease of alignment and can be used as a simple eyepiece if you remove the cross after being unscrewed the bottom (easily removed).

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Good finder eyepiece

Quality Lenses,Accurate,Lightweight,Easy to Use

Has surprisingly good image quality with short-focus objectives, making it a good finder eyepiece. Also useful for estimating position angles with direction of drift as a reference. The barrel diameter seems slightly small, so it is a loose fit in my 1.25" adapter.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Excellent Product

Does what it says

This is a very useful EP. I use it in addition to the 12.5mm illuminated EP I have, especially when the object I goto doesn't fall into the FOV of the EP..slip in the 27mm, center the object and then finish up with the 12.5. Use it all the time.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Focusable Cross Hair Eyepiece

Easy to Use,Lightweight

Good eyepiece for land watching and testing out scope for alignments and such.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 A must-have for computerized telescopes

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

I have a NexStar 5SE and a CGEM 800. They both work better when you consistently align the star in the exact center. I use this eyepiece on my NexStar. The price is excellent and you can focus the crosshairs. For the CGEM I use an illuminated eyepiece that cost $100 but you can't focus the crosshairs on that one. Ideally you would have illumination, ability to focus the reticle, and a wide field of view. I usually use the NexStar in the city where there is a lot of light everywhere and the fact that the reticle is not illuminated is not a problem. Save your money and buy this eyepiece.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 I would highly recommend this eyepiece

Quality Lenses,Strong Construction,Easy to Use,Accurate

This is a wonderful eyepiece for assisting in aligning my telescope. It is also a great value. I found it easy to use and does the job well. Focusing is smooth. In my mind this is a practical way of aligning my scope in spite of all the hype about an illuminated reticule.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Excellent eyepiece! Excellent seller!

Nice and sharp

Great on my CGEM

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Good focus-able eyepiece

Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Lightweight,Strong Construction

The cross-hairs are easily visible, no need for an illuminated reticle when you're doing an alignment. Eyepiece has focus travel.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great Finder Eyepiece

Quality Lenses,Accurate,Strong Construction,Compact

If you have a finder that uses 1.25" eyepieces, this is the one to have. Great clarity and the focusable cross hairs is perfect. If only they made a 33mm or so for lower power and wider field of view. This one will do till then.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 This is a decent crosshair veyepiece

Accurate,Compact,Strong Construction

This is a decent crosshair eyepiece for centering your scope. No need for illuminated reticle.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Need for quick calibration

Accurate,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses,Compact

Need for quick calibration, you need not be illuminated, good optics, very nice rotation adjustment

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Really helps with alignment!

Compact,Accurate

If you have a Nexstar or similar scope, this is a great accessory for centering the alignment stars! Makes your alignments a snap! The crosshairs are easily visible, no need for an illuminated reticle when you're doing an alignment. Excellent value!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Works fine!

Accurate,Strong Construction

Great for centering objects in eyepiece before switching to a shorter focal length. One hint: Set up in daytime. Then, take either a silver marker, or some pieces of tape, and mark your preferred orientation for the crosshair & the eyepiece focus on the eyepiece!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Antares Kellner Cross Hair.

Accurate

The product works great for what it is supposed to do. It really helps center your alignment star for go too telescopes. It is not bad for regular observing either! Built well. Great bang for your buck.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Well-built, great with alignments!

Strong Construction,Accurate

This is a really well-built reticle eyepiece. It uses the proven Kellner optical design. It does what I bought it for, making good setup alignments. I liked the fact that it was simple, robust, and didn't require batteries like the illuminated models.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Antares Cross-Hair Eyepiece

Strong Construction,Compact,Accurate

This eyepiece makes setting up my computerized Celestron mount a breeze. Comes in a nice Agena case, too.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com