With 82-degrees of an AFOV, you can consider this eyepiece to be ultra-wide according to the unofficial industry standard accepted by the masses.
With that under its belt and a reasonable price point for an upgrade, the Explore Scientific 82-degree eyepiece has a lot going for it.
Can it really be as good as it seems?
Zooming in…
✔️ Best Feature: 82-degree AFOV
❌ Worst Feature: One-year warranty
👌 Ideal For: Medium-High Magnification, Super Wide FOV, Planets, DSO, Beginners, Intermediates, Experts
- Barrel Size: 1.25”
- Apparent Field of View: 82 degrees
- Focal Length: 11mm
- Eye Relief: 15.6mm
- Field Stop Diameter: 15.9mm
Our Verdict: The ES 11mm 82-degree Waterproof eyepiece is your ticket into experiencing what high-quality eyepieces can do for your observations. With more quality comes a greater cost, and fortunately, it’s still affordable for a premium eyepiece. This is an eyepiece for everyone looking for better performance out of their telescope to experience what the wow-factor is like.
Who is the Explore Scientific 82-degree 11mm Best Suited to?
This particular eyepiece is a champ among the masses. It has a track record miles long and is an absolute favorite as a starter into the high-end market of eyepieces.
It will open up the viewing world for a beginner, provide excellent performance for an intermediate user, and will satisfy the demands of a seasoned pro.
As one of the cheaper, premium eyepieces in the market, it’s one that should be considered first if you’re just starting your collection.
How Does the Explore Scientific 82-degree 11mm Perform?
The ES 82-degree 11mm eyepiece is a high-powered eyepiece you must have if you want to see more from anything you seek out in the sky.
You’ll be provided with high-contrast backgrounds to see wisps of nebulae clouds, striations, and excellent color detail. Just take a look at M57 with averted vision or Saturn to see what it’s like with true color fidelity.
Eye relief is good enough for most users, but some with glasses may find it a little tight at 15.6mm.
But, if you can find a comfortable eye box maximizing the entire exit pupil, you’ll be rewarded with a flat field, pinpoint sharp stars on-axis and off-axis, and ultra-wide field of view at high magnification.
Features & Benefits
82-degree AFOV
With an ultra-wide 82-degree AFOV, there is nothing you won’t miss in the sky. Open star clusters, large sections of the Milky Way, large galaxies and nebulae – you’ll see it all even at max power that you can achieve with the 11mm eyepiece.
You can maintain an object in your field of view longer, view larger objects that are more than 3-degrees wide, and can observe off-axis objects in context to the surroundings.
With this kind of FOV at your lashes, you can’t help but feel like you’re being swallowed up into a fully immersive viewing experience from your eyepiece. Is your eyepiece even there? Oh yeah, it is.
This is not unlike the experience related by those who own wide-view Tele Vue eyepieces.
Optical Quality
The 82-degree eyepiece has had a lot put into its design conception and execution. High-index matched lenses, low dispersion, and enhanced multilayer deposition coatings come together to provide an array of seeing and corrective optical benefits.
Such benefits include incredibly high contrast, higher light transmission, well-corrected optics for false color and spherical aberration, and a very well-done flat field.
It’s so well-done that when you hear about people talking about having “relaxed” eyes, this means they’re able to use the eyepiece to its max potential at any angle of viewing through the eyepiece. You can use averted vision to see different angles of an object to see more or see “through” an object. You also prevent eye fatigue and strain allowing you to view longer and without tired eyes interfering with viewing quality.
Compatible with Focal Extenders
While you may already have excellent high-power views with the 11mm eyepiece, it is worth knowing that the 82-degree eyepiece series are compatible with Explore Scientific’s Focal Extenders. With this accessory, you can increase the power by 2x, 3x, or 5x while retaining the eyepiece’s eye relief and AFOV.
Again, with the 11mm, you’re unlikely to need such magnification, and if you do push it, atmospheric conditions may limit what you can see anyway. But, this is a feature worth pointing out if you have or buy a longer length 82-degree ES eyepiece.
Waterproof & Fogproof
This eyepiece is part of Explore Scientific’s Waterproof series, and it’s an excellent feature that provides dependable durability and eyepiece longevity. It’s waterproof in a meter of water for 30 minutes. While you may not be out in a downpour, it is beneficial to have when it comes time to clean your eyepiece. Microscopic fungi can cut and ruin your glass!
Since it’s also fogproof, you can be confident that the optics will not fog up on you as it acclimates to the dropping temperatures for your late-night observation. It has argon gas instead of nitrogen to ensure it cools down slower mitigating the effects of fogging. Argon molecules are larger than nitrogen, so it will have an extremely harder time leaking through a compromised seal. You can also count on the element coatings lasting longer without fear of fungi growing within the optics.
Limitations
One-Year Warranty
The ES eyepiece comes with a manufacturer 1-year warranty. That’s mediocre for the price of this eyepiece and quality. However, it’s not the end of the story.
If you register your eyepiece with Explore Scientific within 60 days of the purchase date, you will effectively turn your 1-year warranty into a limited lifetime warranty.
How? The warranty coverage converts to the brand’s Explore Star Warranty that is transferable, offers additional free services, and qualifies your eyepiece for the trade-up program.
Popular Questions
Are the Glass Edges on the Explore Scientific Eyepiece Blackened?
Yes! To improve contrast and to control light scattering, the interior of the eyepiece is baffled with a flat, black finish. The glass elements also have blackened edges.
What is the Barrel Size of the ES 82-degree 11mm Eyepiece?
The 11mm eyepiece in the 82-degree Waterproof Series has a 1.25” barrel size. It will fit 1.25” inserts and focusers.
Is the Explore Scientific 82-degree 11mm Eyepiece Compatible with Any Telescope?
The ES 82-degree 11mm eyepiece has a 1.25” barrel size, so it will be compatible with focuser and insert assemblies with a 1.25” size. It works well with all telescope types including, refractors, Newtonians, and SCTs.
Conclusion
The ES ultra-wide view eyepiece is an excellent accessory to have. It’s affordable, as far as premium eyepieces go, and it has exceptional quality to provide the performance improvement you’re looking for from your telescope setup.
This isn’t just a planetary eyepiece or DSO eyepiece as it’s suitable for both and suitable with all telescopes. Extremely versatile, highly corrective, and high performing, the ES 82-degree 11mm eyepiece is more than worth it. It might just become your favorite, go-to eyepiece for all things visual.
