TeleVue Panoptic 41mm - 68° Wide-Angle Eyepiece

TeleVue Panoptic 41mm: 68° Wide-angle eyepiece: Panoptic eyepiece with 68 degree field of view

The Panoptic 41 mm has a field stop of 46 mm and is therefore at the absolute maximum of the 2-inch field. The same true field as the 55 mm Ploessl, but with 68 degrees apparent field instead of 50 degrees and at a higher magnification.

This is the eyepiece for the lowest usable magnification on a slow telescope: the entire field that the size allows, with a 27 mm eye distance.

Why 68 degrees

The Panoptic series is TeleVue's answer to the demand for a wide field without the weight and price of the 82- and 100-degree designs. The 6-element design also corrects the edge of the field in fast telescopes, providing a flat image all the way to the field stop.

The name is a portmanteau of panoramic and optics. In practice, 68 degrees is the point where the field feels spacious while the eyepiece remains light and compact.

The maximum of 2 inches, and for those who work with that

More space than this is not possible with a 2 inch diameter eyepiece. The question is only whether your telescope can accommodate the corresponding exit pupil: 41 divided by the f-number. At f/7 that is a decent 5.9 mm, at f/4.5 a too wide 9.1 mm.

For Schmidt-Cassegrains and other slow systems, this is therefore the ideal overview eyepiece, whereas a fast Dobson is better suited for the 35 mm or 31 mm Nagler.

In your telescope

In a telescope with a 1200 mm focal length, this eyepiece provides approximately 29x with a true field of view of approximately 2.20 degrees. For your own telescope: where field of view = 57.3 x field stop divided by the telescope's focal length.

The effective field stop of this model is 46.0 mm.

Included

• Eyeglass with height-adjustable, removable lens
• Dust caps
• Filter thread abandoned

Featured accessories

The Panoptics work together with the TeleVue barlows and Powermates, so that a single eyepiece delivers two magnifications. Models with 15 mm eye relief or more accept the Dioptrx astigmatism corrector. With a fast Newtonian, the Paracorr ensures point-like stars to the edge of the 68-degree field.

For whom yes and for whom no

• ✓ Slow telescopes from about f/6
• ✓ The largest possible real field
• ✓ Spectacle wearers, with 27 mm eye distance
• ✗ Fast Dobsons, that makes the lead puppy too big
• ✗ Mountings that weigh almost a kilo without the focus ring

Specifications

All wide-angle eyepieces are on the page featuring wide-field eyepieces. You can find the complete selection of this brand on the TeleVue brand page.