7 on a 1-10 scale. Dark and clear enough to see brighter parts of the Milky Way and most Messier objects with direct vision.
Telescope used
Meade LXD 75 SN-10 Schmidt Newtonian at F4
I bought this eyepiece not quite knowing what to expect. I have heard people talk about black-out problems with the Epic series. I found a used one for sale for a small price, and took a chance. I am glad I did. This eyepiece works great in my SN-10. Sure, there is a little weirdness near the edge, but it is very small, and I hardly notice it. It seems very, very sharp. It has become one of my most used eyepieces. I hate to admit it, but I would say the image is just about equal to what my 13mm Stratus shows, but without the 68 degree field. All this at 1/3 the price. What a great deal!
I think most of the complaints about these eyepieces come from people who don't wear glasses. These are great for those of us who have to wear glasses due to the large exit pupil created by our fast scopes. Without my glasses, yes, the view is awful. There is a little bit of black-out if your eye is not in the right spot, but it is very tolerable for the price I paid. I am more than happy with this eyepiece.
The Epic series is advertised as the Orion alternative to the Vixen Lanthanum series, but they use ED glass instead of Lanthanum. They all have 20mm of eye relief and are designed for use with eyeglasses.
I have not tried any of the others in the Epic series, so I cannot say how they perform. I know others have different opinions and experiences with these eyepieces.
Pros
Great eye relief
Sharp
Cons
Some weirdness around the edges in fast scope
Some observers experience black-out/kidney beaning problems
Rating
8/10
Reader Comments
I have experienced black-out/kidney bean using this in a william optic 66mm petzval refractor f/6.1 during daytime use. It was pretty anoying for me and my friends. But non of us wear glasses. And it outshines som purple color at 18X magnification all over the field of view (not visible with the included swan 20mm eyepice). I am sorry, but this eyepice did not work for me.
The eye relief on these EPs is long, unless you are a glass wearer, you will definitely experience kidney beaning. I like these eyepieces, they are inexpensive and have good optics (ED).
Rating: 7 out of 10
I should have kept this eyepiece. It is sharp right to the edge. It works wonders on scopes as fast as f/4.5. Great eye relief. Probably the best of the series of Epic-2 ed eyepieces!
Rating: 9 out of 10
I enjoy my 22mm Epic-2. I use it alot. I have others to choose from but usually pick this one. I do wear glasses though and need the eye relief.
Orion Epic ED-2 22mm
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