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Explore Scientific 2" 82° Series Argon-Purged Waterproof Eyepiece - 30mm

4.7 (7 Reviews) Read Reviews Write Review
Brand Explore Scientific
Part Number EPWP8230-01
Availability available

Product Info

Manufacturer Description

Using advanced computer design, combinations of low dispersion and high refractive index optical glasses, and durable multilayer deposition coatings, Explore Scientific 82° Series extreme wide field eyepieces are optimized to produce high contrast, high resolution, and superior flat field characteristics. The visual effect of these eyepieces with their long eye-relief and their 82° apparent field is truly a full-immersion experience. Your eye is relaxed, allowing you to easily use the "averted vision" technique to study faint details across a huge field-of-view.

Each eyepiece is meticulously assembled into precision machined metal lens barrels that maintain the perfect alignment of the optical train for years of rugged use in the field.The 82° Series eyepieces come with a twist-up rubber eye-guard that raise to the desired height for the comfort of the observer, and as experienced astronomers know, eye comfort is critical when trying to observe at the visual limits of the telescope.

To keep internal reflections to a minimum, all internal surfaces of the eyepiece barrel are flat black, as well as the edges of the lenses themselves to minimize the scattering of light within the lenses themselves.

Explore Scientific's eyepieces are backed with their exclusive Explore STAR Transferrable Extended Life of the Product Warranty. Limited Warranty is one year, which converts to the Explore STAR Transferrable Extended Life of the Product Warranty when product is registered within 60 days of purchase. We think that you will find Explore Scientific eyepieces rank among the finest obtainable and represent an outstanding value.

In developing their new eyepieces, Explore Scientific has taken a fresh perspective and addressed several points. Their goal was to produce an ultra-wide angle design that provides pride of ownership at a great value:

Focus on Value - Explore Scientific invites direct comparison to any eyepieces on the market in their category.

Protection from the Outdoors - By making the eyepiece body argon-purged and waterproof, eyepiece internal elements will remain as pristine as the day they were assembled. The sealed, dry environment is impervious to internal fogging and contaminants such as fungus growing in between the lens elements. Their waterproof eyepiece is easier to clean, and there is no risk of cleaning solution migrating from the top of the lens and seeping around edges to be trapped in between elements. To insure a perfect seal they test every eyepiece in one meter of water for 30 minutes.

Creating an Identity - Explore Scientific looks at purchasing fine optical equipment as an investment, and it should be treated as such. With a unique serial number on each eyepiece, they can track when a product was made, and the owner can document their equipment for insurance and warranty purposes.

Providing Peace of Mind - Explore Scientific stands behind their products with the free Explore STAR Transferrable Extended Life of the Product Warranty upon registration of the product. Want to trade or sell your eyepiece? You'll get more value if its remaining warranty can be transferred to the new owner.


Please note:
Even though they're beautiful looking, Explore Scientific's eyepiece boxes have a tendency to tear along the edges during shipping or use. Hence, you may receive eyepieces in which the edge(s) of the outer box has been neatly taped up by us, or it may even tear en-route from us to you. This does not indicate a used or blemished product.

Reviews

4.7 (Based on 7 Reviews) 86% of reviewers recommended this product.
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    1. Guest

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      Review by Craig D.
      1552358481
      Mar 11, 2019

      5.0 huge eyepiece huge views

      Pros:

      Cons:

      Comments:

      Great wide views on my 10" dob, on a dark night I can look at Carinae nebulae or other starscapes for hours

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    2. Guest

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      Review by Brad S.
      1516455555
      Jan 20, 2018

      5.0 First real Eyepiece

      Pros:

      Cons:

      Comments:

      So this is our first real eye piece, prior to purchasing the ES 30mm we used the 10mm and 25mm ep that came with the scope. While they were ok, I could never get them to be focused. The objects always looked a bit fuzzy, now the fine focus on the telescope actually makes a difference. Then there's the view through the 82 degs of lens. Wow, you can look around and see stars every where it's impressive. I was hesitant to spend this kind of money on eye pieces but it was worth it. My Daughter and I will enjoy them for years.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    3. Guest

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      Review by Wingsfan81 of Jackson, MI.
      1475280000
      Sep 30, 2016

      5.0 Worth the money

      Pros:

      Quality Lenses,Strong Construction

      Cons:

      Comments:

      I bought this eyepiece back in March 2016 and have used it multiple times in a 11" SCT and also tested it once in a Zhumell Z10 Dob. I'm both scopes it performed very well. In the C11 M81 and M82 were nicely framed in the field of view. The Double Cluster offered up a spectacular view with pinpoint stars throughout the field. In the 10" Dob M45 was stunning, with this EP showing itself as an excellent low power performer. Lunar and planetary views in the C11 were sharp with good colors and contrast. The 82 degree FOV is spectacular and immersive, and the eye relief on this EP is quite comfortable.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    4. Guest

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      Review by Mike Tahtib of Framingham MA.
      1444521600
      Oct 10, 2015

      4.0 Beautiful views

      Pros:

      Strong Construction

      Cons:

      Heavy

      Comments:

      The best thing about this eyepiece is that it gives a tremendously wide field of view in the sky. With my 8" F6 reflector, I can take in the whole Pleiades, all of the Andromeda galaxy that I can see, along with its companion galaxies, and a lot of the veil nebula.
      Also, Explore Scientific has an outstanding warranty program. If it ever breaks, they will repair/replace it no matter the cause, kind of like a Craftsman tool. The warranty is also transferrable if you ever decide to sell it, which should increase its value. The only catch is that you have to register the product. So make sure you do that.
      At first, I was looking to buy one of these used, but what I found was that they don't come up for sale very often, and when they do, the price is not much lower than new, and they might not have registered for the warranty. After a while of this, I just decided to buy new.
      My first use was a little disappointing. The first chance I got to try it out was early morning, after sunrise, on the moon. I noticed 2 things - there was a bright yellow ring around the perimeter of the field of view when pointed at the moon, and I could see a faint shadow in the center of the field of view. The shadow turned out to be my secondary, which I could see if I defocused slightly. I also had trouble with kidney beaning if I didn't look just right into the lens. I called Explore Scientific, and they said I could send it in to be checked out/repaired/replaced.
      I was going to my first star party that week, so kept it until after. My experience using it under dark skies was completely different. The eyepiece performed beautifully. There was no bright color around the edge, I could not see the secondary shadow, and I got used to positioning my head to avoid the kidney beans. And the view was just phenomenal. I saw the double cluster in Perseus for the first time through this eyepiece, and it was breathtaking to see both clusters surrounded by a black sky. Without this kind of perspective, they are just a bunch of stars; in awide angle view, you can see the relation of the clusters to each other and to the surroundings, so that they are actually recognizable as clusters.
      One other thing is that you really have to put your eye into the eyepiece to see teh full field of view. The top lens is bowl shaped, and to see the full 82 degrees, you have to (or at least it feels like you have to) put your eye into the bowl. I had no problem with this, as I don't need glasses, but glasses wearers might consider this.
      I have since read that the quirks I noticed (secondary shadow, kidney beaning and "ring of fire") are common to very wide angle eyepieces of all brands. To me, these are minor quirks that are easy to tolerate, since most don't really show up in actual use. The views are spectacular, and I am very happy I bought this eyepiece.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    5. Guest

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      Review by Hilbily of VA.
      1424476800
      Feb 20, 2015

      5.0 Works Great!

      Pros:

      Easy to Use,Quality Lenses,Strong Construction

      Cons:

      Heavy,None really

      Comments:

      It's a big honker, but I love the views thru it!

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    6. Skill Level
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      Review by Scanning4Comets of Canada.
      1403222400
      Jun 19, 2014

      4.0 Good widefield

      Pros:

      Strong Construction

      Cons:

      Heavy,2" Barrel Machined Wrong,Can't Use With Glasses

      Comments:

      Bought this in 2013. Very heavy eyepiece. May need re-balancing of your scope. As far as correction went in my fast 10" F/4.7 reflector: It was ok, but brighter stars showed flaring.

      Another small gripe, was that the 2" barrel was machined slightly too small, so when I pulled out the 30mm ES N2 82 and put in another 2" eyepiece, any eyepiece I tried to use after the 30mm Es 82 would not go into the focuser, unless I really loosened it a lot more than I normally would.

      Eye relief is not good with glasses.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? No
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

    7. Guest

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      Review by Kevdog of Desert Hills, AZ.
      1386547200
      Dec 8, 2013

      5.0 My most used eyepiece in 18" Obsession

      Pros:

      Sharp,Strong Construction,Wide Angle,Quality Lenses

      Cons:

      Heavy

      Comments:

      Whenever I set up my 18" Obsession, this is the eyepiece that goes in first and is in there most of the time. With 1.2deg TFOV it gets fairly wide, but still works well in the f4.5 scope. It gives fantastic views of the larger objects, like M31, M42, double cluster, etc. It works much better than the WO 40mm SWAN, which gave a wider view, but also suffered in the faster scope (It did work great in the C11 though).

      I switch to the 18mm ES82 for the smaller DSOs. The only thing to be wary of is the weight. When my scope is less than 40 deg altitude it will start to drift down from the weight. I need to add more counterweight since getting it.

      Bottom Line: Would you recommend this item? Yes
      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

      This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

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      Specifications

      Apparent Field of View 82°
      Barrel Size 2" (50.8mm)
      Bolt Case Included Yes - Free Agena Eyepiece Container
      Bolt Case Size Agena 85x120mm
      Coatings EMD (Enhanced Multilayer Deposition) Coatings
      Design 6 or 7 Elements; Combination of: Dense Crown, Light Crown, Dense Flint, and Lanthanum Optical Glasses
      End Caps 2
      Eye Relief by Design 21mm
      Filter Threads Standard 2" Filter Thread (M48 x 0.75)
      Focal Length 30mm
      Lens Elements 6
      Lens Groups 4
      Rubber Eye Guard Rubber Folding Type
      Blackened Lens Edges Yes
      Additional Information Body: Anodized Black Aluminum; Laser-Etched Description and Serial Number; Rubber Grip: Internally O-Ring Sealed and Argon Purged

      Barrel: Stainless-Steel, Double Taper, Accepts Standard Filters
      Manufacturer Explore Scientific
      Eyepiece Focal Length 20.1mm - 30mm
      Eyepiece Field of View Over 80 degrees
      Eyepiece Series Explore Scientific 82°
      Barrel Type Tapered barrel
      Eyepiece Weight 35oz (992.23g)
      Eye Lens Diameter 29.5mm