Sky & Telescope - October 2021 - 68

S&T Test Report by Dennis di Cicco
Meade Series 5000 UHD Eyepieces
Do these eyepieces hit the sweet spot between performance and affordability?
tThe Meade Series 5000 UHD eyepieces are
very well made both optically and mechanically.
The author used a variety of telescopes
to test this set that fits 1¼-inch focusers and
includes focal lengths of 24, 18, 15, and 10
mm (left to right).
Meade Series 5000
UHD Eyepieces
U.S. Price from: $120
Meade.com
What We Like
Excellent optical and
mechanical construction
Nice star images across
the entire field of view
Extremely low distortion
What We Don't Like
Bottom of 24-mm eyepiece can
interfere with thumbscrew lock
on some 1¼-inch focusers and
star diagonals
THE AVAILABILITY OF MODERATELY
priced, quality eyepieces in the marketplace
continues to grow with the new
Meade Instruments Series 5000 UHD
eyepieces. Currently the line includes
four models that fit 1¼-inch focusers
and have focal lengths of 10 mm
(priced at $120), 15 and 18 mm ($140
each), and 24 mm ($200). There's also
a 30-mm model ($245) that's made
for 2-inch focusers. The latter eyepiece
wasn't available at the time we borrowed
the other four for testing.
68 OCTOBER 2021 * SKY & TELESCOPE
The UHD series features " flat-field "
performance, which is a somewhat
vague description for eyepieces, but
most of us will translate that as an eyepiece
showing quality star images across
its entire field of view. And the UHDs
do indeed deliver well on that front. But
there's more to this flat-field performance
that I'll get to in a bit.
The 10-mm model is listed as having
a 60° apparent field, while others have
65° fields. Personal preferences vary, and
while I certainly enjoy today's extraordinary
wide-field eyepieces for some types
of observing, I find apparent fields of
around 65° extremely pleasant for general
observing. The field is wide enough
to avoid feeling restrictive but still shows
a defined edge that you don't have to roll
your eye around to see. I always know
where I'm looking in the field and where
the central sweet spot is.
On the test bench I measured the
10-mm as having an apparent field of
58°. The 15-mm has an exact 65° field,
while the 18-mm was about 1° smaller.
The 24-mm, on the other hand, has an
apparent field of just 61°. Nevertheless,
when I was at the telescope and switching
rapidly between the 15- and 24-mm
eyepieces, I perceived no appreciable difference
in the diameters of their apparent
fields. What's far more noteworthy,
however, is the true field of view (the
amount of sky actually seen) with the
24-mm eyepiece. It is virtually the same
as that visible in my Tele Vue 24-mm
Panoptic and 32-mm Plössl eyepieces
- two eyepieces often highlighted
for showing the maximum possible
amount of sky visible with an eyepiece
having a 1¼-inch barrel. (For further
information on the apparent and true
fields of eyepieces, see the article " Some
Thoughts About Today's Eyepieces " on
page 64 of the May 2021 issue.)
Those who observe without wearing
eyeglasses should find the eye relief
of these eyepieces more than adequate
since it's 16 mm for the 10- and 15-mm
eyepieces and 20 mm for the 18-mm
model. And with 29 mm of eye relief,
the 24-mm eyepiece should easily
accommodate eyeglass wearers.
The UHD eyepieces are made with
first-class construction that's right
up there with the best I've seen. The
precision-machined aluminum bodies
are black anodized and have cranberryred
anodizing on the aluminum accent
rings. Even the wide, textured rubber
grip is a substantial 2½-mm-thick collar
that will clearly stand up to years of
use. The pliable rubber eye guard is also
substantial but easily folds down when
needed. Internally, the metal retaining
rings for the lenses are precision
machined and carefully blackened. The
multi-coated lenses are blackened on
their edges to reduce scattered light.
And the eyepieces are said to be waterproof,
which will certainly help prevent
dust from getting onto internal lens
surfaces even if you have no intention
ALL PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
http://www.Meade.com
Sky & Telescope - October 2021

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