100° Apparent Field Eyepieces
From Astronomy magazine's 2010 Star Products -- a yearly list of outstanding products.
Tele Vue 21mm Ethos eyepiece
The first view you have through a Tele Vue Ethos, regardless of the focal length, will be one of those astronomical moments of a lifetime. Capitalizing on the company's success with earlier focal lengths, Tele Vue introduced a 10mm Ethos, as well as the 21mm model we single out here. Like the others, the 21mm Ethos offers an incredible 100-degree apparent field of view. One look and you're hooked for life. For the true connoisseur of fine eyepieces, the 21mm Ethos offers panoramic views of large-scale objects in unprecedented crispness and clarity.
— Harrington, Phil. "Star Products". Astronomy (Sept. 2010). p. 52.
Excepts from Sky at Night Review of 21mm Ethos
- "...may just be the new crown jewel for ultra wide eyepiece lovers."
- "Visually, the performance is stunning. The field is flat and the whole view comes to focus at the same point. The eyepiece also lacks any detectable astigmatism - stars focus to points, not crosses."
- "...interior light baffling is excellent, so there are no problems with internal reflections or stray light."
- "The 21mm Ethos is an amazing eyepiece: the finest (and only) 'über wide' in this focal length on the market. Its focal length is a great addition to a superb line-up..."
- "The Ethos's field size is astounding. With the introduction of the Nagler design, it's said that Tele Vue defined the term 'spacewalk'. If that's the case, then these eyepieces redefine it. A 100º apparent field of view is, at the moment, the next best thing to being there."
- "The optics are crystal clear. The 21mm's kilo of glass is about as close to completely transparent as one can imagine. The views are superb for any application, from deep space to lunar and planetary observing.".
Excerpt from Astronomy Technology Today Review of 21mm Ethos
When I compared it with my other 2-inch wide-field eyepieces, it became obvious that the Ethos provided a completely different experience. I'd liken it to looking through binoculars with one eye closed, then popping the Ethos in and "opening the other eye". The difference was indeed that dramatic.
— Wilcox, Erik. "Tele Vue 21mm Ethos: King of the Hill". Astronomy Technology Today (Jan/Feb 2010). Full Review.Excepts from SkyNews Review of 21mm Ethos
- In my 12.5-inch f/4.8 PortaBall reflector, the 21mm Ethos provides a magnification of 72x and a stunning 1.4-degree field of view. I enjoyed the best view of M31 that I've ever seen though this telescope, with tight stars at the edge of the field.
- When the 21mm Ethos was used in a Tele Vue 76 refractor, the resulting magnification of 25x and the humongous four-degree field of view provided an outstanding view of the Pleiades star cluster floating in a star-rich field.
- While the 21mm Ethos excelled in the short-focal-length refractor, it was most impressive when used with the SCT -- so much so that I'm going to christen this focal length the "SCT-Ethos." SCT owners are no longer restricted to relatively low magnification to enjoy a comfortable field of view.
Sky & Telescope Hot New Product for 2010 Award
- Ethos 10- & 21-mm Eyepieces
Observers world-wide have raved about the experience -- two new Ethos eyepieces (10- and 21-mm ) from Tele Vue, the company that pioneered the 100° astronomical eyepiece.
Excerpt from Astronomy Technology Today Review of Ethos Line
It didn't seem to matter that I was looking at an AFOV that seemed like twice that of my Naglers, all of the Ethos were perfectly, and I do mean perfectly corrected right to the field stop. Stars looked exactly the same in the center of the field as they did right at the edge.
— Wilcox, Erik. "Tele Vue Ethos: The Ultimate in Wide-field Observing!". Astronomy Technology Today (Nov/Dec 2009). Full Review.First Editorial Impression of 10mm Ethos from Astronomy Technology Today
- We got our first peek through Tele Vue's latest Ethos, the 10-mm, and its performance was truly as incredible as any in that growing family of hyperwide, supremely-corrected, high-fidelity eyepieces. You'll have to try one in person to understand the significance of Tele Vue's accomplishment - words cannot capture the experience.
Sky & Telescope Hot New Product for 2009 Award
- Ethos Eyepieces
In recent memory, no new product has received more universal praise than Tele Vue's 13-mm Ethos eyepiece. With its unprecedented 100° apparent field of view, it shows at least half again as much sky as any other eyepiece of the same focal length. Now Tele Vue has introduced the same 100° field in eyepieces with focal lengths of 6, 8, and 17 mm.
8mm Ethos is Cloudy Nights Reader's Choice for 2008
- Back in the waning months of 2008 we asked you - our forum members - to nominate and then vote to choose the best and most interesting gear of the year.
- Tele Vue 8mm Ethos
Well, you've got to hand it to Tele Vue. And apparently, you did. They were your landslide pick in 2007 with the 13 Ethos, and they've repeated the performance in 2008 with their introduction of the 8mm Ethos. For those who have been living under a rock, or on a deserted island in the south pacific (or both), the Ethos line of eyepieces is the first commercial widefield to break the three digit AFOV barrier. The performance of the 13mm was nothing short of amazing, and the 8mm follows in it's bigger brothers footsteps. Who would have thought that the 82 degree field of yesterdays uberwides would ever feel restrictive?
Excerpt from Stephen James O'Meara review of Ethos 13mm in Astronomy magazine
Moon-lovers get an extra bonus because the Ethos brings out sharp details across the Moon's face. This gives the disk a three dimensional, curved quality. Through the Ethos, it looks like you're orbiting high above the Moon's curved horizon.
Astronomy Technology Today excerpt from 13mm Ethos review
- I think the most memorable view was M57, it truly felt like I was floating in space above the nebula - the telescope had disappeared!
- The immersive view delivered by the Ethos' 100-degree field of view combined with its amazing clarity and pinpoint definition is like putting an IMAX on your telescope.
— Menard, V. "Tele Vue's Ethos". Astronomy Technology Today (April 2008). Full Review.
13mm ETHOS' in bino-viewer! Cloudy Nights Review
- WOW! OMG! (and many "expletives deleted"!).
- Forget about the 100-degree field (well...I know you can't but...), this is quite simply the finest eyepiece I've ever seen - period!
Contrast, sharpness, light-throughput, etc. are all just amazing. There is simply NO ghosting or other internal reflections...the background is jet-black and the stars (even in my 28" f/3.66)are absolute diamond-points to the very edge!
I've owned and used all of the "gold standards" over the years and NOTHING I've seen can match this!
Along with about a half-dozen other observers we did "A/B" testing with other top-of-the-line 13 and 14mm eyepieces (M-51, Thor's Helmet and M-42 were the targets). EVERYONE agreed that the ETHOS seemed to add additional inches of aperture. The increased detail in all of the objects was instantly apparent!
As a bonus, the fine detail on Saturn equaled or exceeded the best "planetary" eyepieces any of us had ever used. And, again, NO ghosting or internal reflections. This baby does it all. - And, as for the 100 degree field, Vic said it best... "you feel like you're going to fall in"..."the scope just gets out of the way and it's like you're standing in space looking at the objects".
- If I were only going to have ONE eyepiece (or one 'pair') THIS IS IT!
Sky & Telescope Review Excerpts of Ethos 13mm
- Rated 5-stars: "Sensibly perfect. No meaningful improvements possible."
- Just as the original 13-mm Nagler set a new standard for deep-sky observing in 1981, the Ethos sets a new standard today. Owning one will guarantee long lines at your telescope during any star party.
- [I]f I were dropped on a desert island tomorrow with the 12-inch scope and only one eyepiece, I'd want it to be the Ethos.
- Some of the views were simply stunning. The globular cluster Messier 13 in Hercules appeared as a sprawling sphere with thousands of resolved stars, many sweeping outward in sinuous arcs.
- Even under the most critical examination, bright stars look sharp and round across the entire field.
- The Ethos hasn't sacrificed one bit of on-axis performance in achieving its 100° apparent field.
- [T]he view of a starry sky with the Ethos and TV-NP127is is nothing short of breathtaking.
- Besting the fields of other astronomical eyepieces by more than 20% in diameter and more than 50% in area, Ethos is a stunning optical achievement.
- Bright crisp clean sensation, very forgiving on f/5 optics, and that FOV. Oh, that field! Masterpiece. Thank you very much. — B.D., CT
- High quality, state of the art. Continuous FOV without distortion. Affordable. — G.M., CA
- Wow!!!!! Great, nothing better. — J.W., CA
- Tele Vue has once again completely re-defined the eyepiece, setting an even higher standard by which all others will be judged. The Ethos exceeds my wildest dreams & imagination! — D.G., TX
- The Grand Canyon of eyepieces! — R.B, CT
- Pin points everywhere — P.T, QU
- It has the "You are there" experience on all my telescopes — K.B, ON
- Fantastic! — D.B, MI
- Outstanding! — C.C, MO
- Wonderful — E.C, PA
- A railing should be mounted around the Ethos in order not to "fall into the universe" ;-) — S.S, Germany
- It's the best! — M.B, CA
- Excellent contrast and the field of view is something else, even compared to Naglers. — J.R, CA
- Very satisfied and can find DSOs easier. Objects look superb in quality. — M.M, CA
- Impressive! To say the least. — P.W, SC
- Absolutely amazing contrast. This eyepiece takes visual observing to the next dimension. — G.S, ON
- Jaw dropping when just slewing across the zenith. — F.L, PA
- Sensational! — N.P, Australia
- Ethos - Best eyepiece made. — D.D, IL
- I'm speechless. — B.N, CA
- Breathtaking! Congratulations! — Z.N, Austrailia
- Amazing! — J.K, BC
- Impressive -- especially in small refractors, lots of stars-sharp to the edge. — P.S, England
- Remarkable! The finest piece of equipment I own! This field is stunning and the correction is perfect. A triumph! — BJD, CT
- Take my wife, kids, or car, but don't touch my Ethos eyepieces! — BT, ONT
In the year of introduction, the 13mm Ethos was shown at NEAF, TSP, RTMC, and EPOCH 2007. We thought you’d enjoy sharing in the experience by reading some of the comments written in our "comment" notebook. The following display was created for daytime observation using the Ethos in an NP127is at NEAF and TSP, and an NP101 at RTMC.
The left chart has circles representing field diameters of 50°, 60°, 68°, 82° and 100° with the telescope distance set so that the 100° circle matched the view of the Ethos field-stop. The "crosshairs" are actually small Saturn drawings in 5° increments to illustrate the linear angular-magnification correction. Illustrations of Saturn were placed at the center and edge of the field so contrast and detail (including newsprint dot patterns) could be evaluated.
The chart to the right is an artificial very-rich "star field" made (and conceived) by Rick Scheck in our scope production dept. The bright “star” reflections made a more realistic contrast simulation than simply viewing astronomical pictures and helped to give a “night sky” impression that nicely represented a dense Milky Way star field.
Real night-sky viewing was done two nights at the dark Prude Ranch location of the Texas Star Party using telescopes ranging from our NP127is to the prize winning 12" f/5.5 Newtonian of our own Scott Ewart. Ethos also made its way into various large Dobsonians including those of Barbara Wilson and Larry Mitchell.
At the Riverside Telescope Makers Convention in California, we had two clear, though very bright moonlit nights for evaluation. Using an NP101 and NP127is Ethos treated us to clusters such as M44 and M24.
At EPOCH 2007 in western Indiana, we were pleased to have one very clear evening to demonstrate Ethos with our NP127is and Chris Brownewell's 25" Obsession. Good Luck, Chris, on this new star party venture, and a big Thanx for being a great host.
While all of us at Tele Vue are proud and excited by the response, it’s much more interesting for you to note the recorded comments. On a personal note, I was especially moved by just showing a random star field to a little 10-year-old girl in a group visiting RTMC from Anaheim. Her only words: “Oh my god, it’s beautiful.” It doesn’t get any better than that.
— Al Nagler
Kudos to our Paul Dellechiaie, the principal designer of Ethos.
- WOW you did it again. I like it. - D.D.
- WOW! Tele Vue Visionary at its best! - T.P.
- Wow dizzy. - P.B.
- Wow it’s so wide it’s hard to find the edge. - C.E.
- Aghaaa 100° a galactic experience. - E.M.
- Can’t believe the view. - M.C.
- That’s incredible! - E.E.
- Impressive!! - F.J.E.
- Very nice to edge. - T.C.S.
- The most perfect wide-field optics EVER! Wow! - G.C.
- Oh my goodness! - K.K.
- Once again Amazing! I want one! - G.
- Love at 1st light. Very nice. Keep it up. - G.S.
- Wow! That’s amazing!
- Killer!!! I Need one! - R.L.
- What a view! - L.K.
- Rather amazing! - J.M.
- That’s a great view, sharp all the way across!
- Incredible. - R.G.
- Goodness Gracious. - T.D.
- Very good, very good, I love it. - M.
- Great! - J.S.
- Fantastic wide field. I almost have to imagine the field stop! And can’t wait to try one in both my TV-140’s.! - E.S.
- When you look thru this piece be careful not to fall onto the view?! Breathtaking. - S.S.
- It’s amazing. - J.L.
- It’s like a porthole to space. - G.N.
- After reading reviews waiting to get a close-up look I was blown away with the eyepiece. Sign me up I want one!! I was inside the telescope reaching out to touch the stars. Amazing!!! - G.W.
- 100° WOW I love it! - S.A.
- Large Field! Wow! Great to have the magnification and the wide field. Best of both worlds. Eyegasm! - Chip (16" Lightbridge)
- Be prepared to look around! The Ethos was lighter than I thought it might be and there was no coma at all in my 20" f/5 Obsession. M-27 was fantastic as was M-13. Viewing the double-cluster thru a TEC 6" I felt like I needed someone to hold onto the back of my shirt so I wouldn't fall in! It's on my list to get! Thanks for the views Al. -- M.M.
- Fantastic - wow - a real winner! Very undistorted. Thanks Al. -- F.H.
- Spectacular! Beautiful eyepiece, very comfortable to look through. Thank you for bringing Tele Vue to Indiana. -- A.M.
- Super Wide Field - Excellent. -- anon.
- 13mm Ethos - Awesome F.O.V.! Almost too much to take in at once. Can't wait to get one! -- D.H.
- Wow! Wow! -- J.M.
- Sweet! Great View. -- R.M.
- Once again - as usual - we can offer perfection to our discriminating customers -- thanks to Al Nagler for making it fun to be a telescope dealer. -- W.M.
- Just didn't think a "31" could be one-upped. I was wrong!! Incredible!! -- anon.
- Super Wide Field Ethos eyepiece: Lagoon nebula had clarity of stars edge-to-edge in view. All stars "tack" sharp. M13 was as if I'd never seen it before. Outstanding. -- J.M.
- Super wide field - unbelievably exceptional / outstanding view; crisp, clear -- wow!! Don't think I've seen anything that great until now. -- S.
- The field-of-view is so extensive that I had to almost crawl inside to look at it all. -- C.D.
- Looking through Ethos 13mm gave me the same exciting feeling I got looking through a Nagler the first time. Same WOW factor. Can't wait for high power Ethos. -- B.C.
- The two most memorable sights of the night for me were both through Tele Vue's incredible 100 degree AFOV 13mm Ethos ocular. M27 through John Vogt's 32" ATM Dob and the Ethos was truly unbelievable and I've never before seen M31 as mind-blowingly extended as I did through Al Nagler's 127mm Tele Vue apochromat and the Ethos. This yet-to-be released new eyepiece is simply amazing. -- Dave Mitsky, A Brief Report from Stellafane 2007, bautforum.com
- [B]lew me out of the water. We used it on the NP101 and a 20" f5 obsession
- to spectacular results with both. This eyepiece takes the Nagler philosophy
to the next level - The same true field at higher magnification means that
you'll see blacker skies and more detail. So, although it's extremely
impressive, the massive sense of immersion could almost be considered a
secondary effect.
But what a secondary effect.
For me, the most striking view this weekend was of M31/32/110 in the NP101 - simply amazing. On this scope, the eyepiece generates about 40x, and nearly a 2 and 1/2 degree field! It was really funny to see a line of up to 20 people in front of this little 4" telescope, and the huge 20" f5 right next to it sitting totally empty. This was definitely one night where aperture didn't win.
The Ethos is truly the next revolution in visual astronomy.-- Tom Trusock, First Light - Ethos, cloudynights.com - eyepiece forum
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