Reviews for Orion Shorty 2x Barlow Lens, 1.25"

Orion Shorty 2x Barlow Lens, 1.25" by ORION

Orion Shorty 2x Barlow Lens, 1.25" Our Price: $43.95
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital camera reviews of Orion Shorty 2x Barlow Lens, 1.25"

Digital camera Review: Helps, but not as much as I thought
Summary: 3 Stars

This lens is supposed to double the magnification of any given eyepiece it is used with. I suppose it does, but to me the difference wasn't that obvious. Probably depends a lot on the aperture of your telescope (mine is 114 mm), since magnification can only do so much with limited light. However, the quality of the materials/lens itself seems adequate, and you can't beat the Orion company's customer service.

Digital camera Review: You get what you pay for.
Summary: 2 Stars

Performs as expected... mediocre. Not the best choice for a dobsonian, where lens length is typically not an issue.

Digital camera Review: A must have for any amatuer astronomer!
Summary: 5 Stars

I picked up this Barlow lens after reading that Barlow lenses were must haves for any telescope kit because they basically double (in theory) the amount of eyepieces you have. For anyone who doesn't know how they work, you simply slide the Barlow lens into your eyepiece slot like a normal eyepiece, and then your normal eyepiece will slide into the Barlow. So in essence, if you have 2 eyepieces, with the Barlow lens you now have 4. The magnification boost that the Shorty gave to my .10mm and .17mm eyepieces was pretty incredible to say the least. I use a Konus 4.5" reflector telescope and with the Barlow boosting my .10mm eyepiece Saturn looked absolutely stunning. You could see the divisions inside the rings, something that was not easily done with the eyepieces alone. Another very convenient thing is that the Shorty can be swapped out just as fast as any normal eyepiece. That being said, I would find the object I was looking for with the wider viewed .17mm eyepiece, then just swap out that one with the .10mm Barlow-loaded eyepiece and the object would be in the center of my FOV within a few seconds. Long story short, if you want some extra magnification power for your eyepieces, look no further. At first I was a bit skeptical that the magnification boost wouldn't be very noticeable, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how well it really worked. For the price, you can't beat it.

Digital camera Review: A whole new world
Summary: 5 Stars

I got one of these for my StarBlast 4.5EQ and I was amazed--the Cassini division and cloud bands on Saturn were opened to my view. Highly recommended for getting that last bit of "oomph" from a small telescope.
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