TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm

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Brand and Model:TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
Price ($USD):$385.00
Type:Ultra Wide Angle
Focal Length:17 mm
Barrel Size:2 in
Apparent FOV:82.0 degrees
Field Stop Dia.:24.3 mm
Eye Relief:17 mm
Elements:6
Weight (lbs):1.6
Description:

Vote Highlights Vote
TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
It's perfect. Stars are pinpoints across the entire field. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this ep!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=548414

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
I have owned this eyepiece for about nine months, having originally bought it for use with a 10 inch f/10 SCT. It was my first Nagler, and has since become my most used eyepiece in the SCT. Later I acquired a four inch f/8.6 refractor, and the 17mm Nagler sees a lot of use in that scope as well.

First impression: this eyepiece is large and heavy! It's about the same weight as a 35mm Panoptic, but not quite so large in diameter.

Some of the diameter on the Nagler is contributed by the instajust eye guard, whereas the Panoptic is all barrel and glass. For those of you new to this, instajust is a sliding collar that fits around the outside of the eyepiece barrel and holds the rubber eyecup. You can adjust it up or down to help set the optimum eye position. Some people hate these because the heavy eyepiece can slip through the collar, convincing you that you are about to drop the eyepiece. The collar doesn't actually come off, so there really is no danger. Other people just don't like adjustable parts on their eyepieces, but it has never bothered me.

Using this eyepiece with my 2500mm SCT produces 147X, which is within the sweet spot for most planetary observation. While I hadn't thought of using it for that purpose, the 17mm Nagler does spend a fair amount of time on Jupiter and Saturn. The reason is that 147X is useful virtually every night under any seeing conditions with this scope, so in a way the 17mm Nagler has become my fallback eyepiece when the seeing isn't so good.

Let's talk about the true field in practical terms. 147X brings out plenty of bands and zones in Jupiter, but the 17mm Nagler allows you to take in all four big moons with Callisto and Ganymede at their fullest elongation from the planet. Not only do you take them in, but you have almost half of the true field to spare!

This eyepiece is also a good choice for globular clusters with an SCT, provided you like your globulars set in a larger area of dark sky. Nearby stars remain as pinpoints all the way to edge of field, which is nice for giving your eye something to compare to when studying globulars.

Where I have really found the 17mm Nagler to excel is with large, bright nebulae such as M-42. Here again, the true field is wide enough to set the target in a nice field of dark sky. Adding a Lumicon UHC filter really coaxes out the detail from my suburban location.

About five months ago the 4 inch refractor came along, and the 17mm Nagler has seen it's share of time in that focuser as well. In this application the true field is 1.6 degrees, which is good for taking in open clusters, the double cluster in Perseus, or rich star fields.

In summary, I find this to be my most useful eyepiece because it pulls double duty between two scopes. It is a bit pricey, but I would still rate it as a must have even if I were limited to just three eyepieces.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 20 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=91475

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
Compliments my Meade LX90 extremely well . . . gorgeous views . . . as another person has stated, the best of the "teens"!

Sold a brand new Meade 14mm UWA (which I hated) to help purchase this eyepiece!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=353887

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
The views through this eyepiece are wonderful!!! I should have rated the optics in this gem a 12! How can people rate cheap plossel eyepieces with low quailty optics 9 and 10s on this rating system? If they can do that, then I should be able to rate this eyepiece a 20 in comparision! If you really love astronomy buy it!,,, you will not regret it.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=112014

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
Excellent eyepiece, but I don't like the Insta-just. Very cumbersome. Prefer an eyepiece that you don't have to fidget with.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:8
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=80851

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
This is my second most used eyepiece! pinpoint stars across the entire field of view in my 8" f10 scope! the instajust eyeguard is wonderful! this eyepiece would be a great addition to your eyepiece collection! very expensive but well worth it!!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=80536

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
The 17mm Nagler type 4 is an awesome eyepiece. It provides a very wide field of view and ample eye relief for eyeglasses. Even without eyeglasses, the eye relief is helpful: more comfortable, less fogging, and less film from eyelashes. Although there is some pincushion distortion in the 17mm Nagler, it is far lower than that found in the Nagler type 1 (the 9mm, the 7mm), type 2 (the 16 mm), or type 5 (the 31mm), the 35mm Panoptic, or the 30mm Leitz. There is only slight color at the very edges, which you would not normally notice in use. The coatings clearly transmit more light than the older Japanese Nagler type 1 (7mm) or type 2 (16mm) eyepieces based on looking at reflections of bright lights. The eyepiece appears sharp pretty much throughout at f/4.3 with a Paracorr and at f/6.8 without. The disadvantages are the cost, the weight, and the focal plane (not parfocal with most eyepieces, but not too far off). The newer stiff Instadjust is fine. In summary, this degree of sharpness and clarity over a very large, relatively flat field of view with ample eye relief is amazing. I do not know of a better eyepiece in this regard at any focal length. Some may prefer a premium version of a simpler design, giving up field of view for a largely theoretical improvement in contrast, but this is a hobby, and I vote for the most beautiful, comfortable image.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=64187

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
I sold my beloved 19mm Panoptic on the gamble that this Type 4 Nagler would provide slightly higher magnification while providing a larger FOV. I expected a slight improvement in contrast with the ability to better frame extended objects such as the Veil. Would kidney-beaning be an issue? Would the click-stop be a nusiance? Would it be worth the added cost even with the offset from the sale of the Panoptic? What about weight/balance issues?

I laid down my chips, stepped up to the table, and rolled the dice. A 7! I got all the positives and none of the negatives! Wonderful medium power EP on my 15" f/4.5 Dob prividing sharp images to within about 5% of the AFOV. This close to the edge of the field you have to have to really work to notice it by having the click-stop all the way down, eyeglasses off, and head cranked at an angle to even see it. Will a Parracorr eliminate it? Yes. Is it worth it? In my opinion, no. On my 7.1" f/6.2 Mak-Newt it provides a stunning 1.25* AFOV at 66x. Screw in a UHC (or O III), and I was completely surprised to see the best view of M42 I have ever seen at any aperature...period.

If you factor in all the performance parameters of the 17mm Nagler Type IV, it is indeed a truly great EP; worthy of replacing the venerable 19mm Panoptic. When you add an intangible such as the pleasure derived from it's use; it becomes a wise investment.

Clear skies, Mark Rieck

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 6 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=43661

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
I have used two of these 17mm Naglers in three of my f-5 dobs(12" 20" and 25") and it just doesn't have the hyped up performance that most people are giving it. Both have shown great star points in the center of the field of view, but by the time the star is in the outer third it's unacceptable. Unless you use a Parracor you will have this problem in a f-5 scope and faster. Maybe most reviewers are using this eyepiece on slower SCT's and refractors? On the other hand my old 20mm T-2 Nagler is great...and also great are the T-6 Naglers from the 13 down to the 5mm (haven't tried any higher pwr ones).

Overall Rating: 7
Optics:7 Value:6
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=599032

TeleVue Nagler Type 4 17mm
Great eyepiece but a bit on the expensive side.Very high optical quality!I use this as a fairly high power eyepiece for my CG-14,A medium to low power choice with my TOA-130,and a low power choice for my Vixen ED 80.It absolutely is incredible on open clusters in the APO's and is pretty decent on planetary and lunar in the big SCT.It is definately one of my favorite eyepieces and the views will not disappoint regardless of the instrument.Ask any serious amateur with serious equipment and the choice usually is Televue.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=573510

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