Denkmeier Binotron 27 Binoviewer Review - With 3D Eyepieces!

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[lufrankpiarulli]

For those of you on the fence about purchasing a binoviewer, I won't comment on the best or worst. I will say the power switch is a game changer. It allows one pair of eyepieces to become three. Right there is a huge savings, thus lowering the price. The unit is very well made but I think the real game changer is the customer service. When can you call a number and have the owner and developer answer? Russ is one of those rare breeds, honest, passionate about his product and just generally a nice man.He will spend time with you not to sell but to teach Try that with a large company. This is like having the store down the block, there when you need him if a problem arises and assurance that he will solve it.

[ksu]

Russ has always produced excellent equipment. He's available to answer questions directly from potential and actual purchasers..

[mikereilly]

The day I got my first ''and only'' binoviewer, I would never go back to single eye . I got the Televue, Great w all scopes. Incredible with a Meade 14''. sct w 2 Televue 19mm Panoptics . OMG ! I have a fear of hight, Sitting in an observing chair,
I found myself spreading my feet apart and reaching out for safety ! The view triggered my fear of hight. It was like leaning out of a helicopter over a sand pit, Looking at the moon . I couldn't get friends to leave the chair, It was so awesome.

[dannylynch]

Excellent Review Ed! I must say that the Binotron has transformed my Urban stargazing and has kept me in the Hobby ( I live in a Bortle 7-8 in SE mass). the Binotron system with power/filter switch is a game changer. Trust me when I say that your first look at a star cluster through the 3D eye pieces are unforgettable! Russ says this system is maximized in Dark skies, but I give a personal endorsement for all my friends struggling under light polluted skies! It brings so much value to the much smaller assortment of deep sky objects available to us!

It also feels great to support a small business. For those who don’t know Russ designs, assembles and hand collimates each unit. Russ IS the factory Ed ! Haha .

[dougfinch]

I’ve had the pleasure of using the 21mm 3D eyepieces and it is a game changer for me. First of all it was not subtle. M22 was a religious experience. Diamond pinpoints floating in space detached from the surrounding stars. Changing magnification did not lesson the effect. It was really interesting seeing this effect on different objects. M11…wow. The Omega nebula literally floated around the eyepiece. I’ve been looking at it for 30 plus years but it felt like I was discovering it for the first time. In 3D. I was using it on a 7” refractor and it just rocked. Globulars are just crazy with this setup. I highly recommend calling Russ. Tell him exactly what equipment you have and he will build you a bino setup that will blow your mind. I was really apprehensive due to recent cataract surgery and he talked me down. Everything he said turned out to be right on the money. You can trust Russ. This stuff is not cheap, but man what a huge difference it will make in you observations. Respectfully, Doug Finch

[fazergazer]

Observing planets, moon, sun (with appropriate front aperture filter of course), clusters the apparent perceived increase in contrast and detail is simply astounding!

[chrisruthford]

Russ is a great guy, I love a business owner who will spend the time personally to help a customer. I talked to him for 20 minutes, he assessed my needs and sold me the appropriate equipment.

[Rigpasword]

Thank you so much Ed for this informative video on the Denkmeier B27 binoviewer system. I've had mine for a few months and am only now getting a chance to use it (due to living in a northern coastal cloudy climate). I really appreciate your showing how to configure the system for all three types of scopes since I have one of each. There are so many parts and adapter pieces that it's confusing without some guidance. Your description of the many parts, eyepieces, 3-D effect, and how they all function is extremely helpful. I now want to get out there are see how well it works on each of my scopes. Russ at Denkmeier has been very helpful answering my questions as well.

[davidstaiti]

I just bought this exact bino just before Ed's video. I'm taking it on a trip to Bortle 2 skies during the March New Moon and I cant wait!

On my two tedt runs, one with a 16" Dob, the other and 8se, the only quirk was figuring out the extentions to use, or not, to get it to focus on all 3 powerswitch positions.

I'm only using 24mm Televue Panoptics.

[brentjablonski]

Great review, Ed. Very thorough description of the setups for different types of scopes.
Personally, I have an inexpensive (Orion branded) binoviewer that I regularly take up over 300x on the moon.
I like the power options on this unit, and the option to re-collimate. Want!

[ChristianDesmarais]

Thanks for adding Maks! I use an older Denkmeier binovewer model on my Skywatcher Mak 180 and it is amazing :)

[jrwestimate]

Another outstanding review. Thank you Ed. It came at a great time for me. I've been thinking about getting a binoviewer to help my wife get more interested in astronomy. I think she would like the viewing experience better then with a single eye piece.

[ryankoch]

Great review! I’ve been binoviewing for 20 years, this is the best overview of the challenges I’ve seen. The binotron is also my favorite unit after using nearly all available binoviewers.

One error I’ll point out, merging trouble is not related to magnification like he mentioned at start of review! It’s related to eyepiece focal length only. Let’s assume Ed needs a 15mm eyepiece to reach is max 120x he said he can merge in the video. If he used the 15mm eyepiece with the 3x amplifier setting on the binoviewer, his ability to merge would be identical as it is at 120x, but he’d now be at 360x and able to merge. He would not be able however to merge an equivalent 5mm eyepiece without an amplifier. This is why it’s essential to use some sort of amplifier ahead of the binoviewers to reach high powers (there are other optical benefits to doing this too). The longer the focal length of the eyepiece, the easier the merging. The power is irrelevant, and any amplification ahead of the binoviewer is immune to causing merging problems.

[slmdaddy]

I bought the complete set last year including the 3D eye piece, I mostly image but have really enjoyed it. I find the 3D effect very nice and enjoyable

[MountainFisher]

My friend has a Denkmeier and he asked me to bring my C6-N f/5 reflector to our next Moon-Gaze. Note, my C6-N had the mirrors refigured to 1/12th wave and .98 Strehl, it is like a refractor on how sharp it is. I brought it and he had an EQ6 mount for it, which was good as my iOptron AZ Pro wouldn't hold that weight way out there very steady nor would my CG-4 mount hold it steady either.
Anyway after I did collimation he put it in my scope with a spacer and racked it out and had me look. I was amazed at how good it looked and it wasn't the 3D eyepiece, but it felt like it. I thought it would dim the view significantly, but nope. Moon is so bright you wouldn't notice anyway. We were in the town square, but for the Moon light pollution doesn't matter, but I want to use them on Orion. They are amazing.

[lornaz]

Ed, have you thought of doing a vid reviewing binoculars? Like which ones are good what are the qualities one should look for and such?

[perry]

Thanks Ed. Another great review. Would love to see through one to see the difference. I imagine it helps alot with eyestrain.

[marklowry]

I've always wanted to look through an obsession with a binoviewer.

[peter]

Interesting video. I fancied using a binoviewer until I was told what should be really obvious on a previous video of Eds. The light being shared by 2 eyepieces only gets 1/2 the light. Great on the moon, jupitor etc. but not so good with dim objects maybe. They're also a bit too expensive having to have 2 eyepieces as well. Great video Ed, many thanks for posting. Clear skies!

[paullawrencesmith]

Thanks for this review. I’ve been considering the Denkmeier and a skywatcher 12” Synscan collapsible dob. This scope has a dedicated bino-viewer position that gives you about 4 inches of back focus so you can use the binotron without the Barlow. This gives you 6 different magnification options instead of 3 by using it with the Barlow in the standard position. The goto and tracking feature makes higher magnifications more appealing too, especially with a 12” scope. I would appreciate your thoughts on the quality of the standard eyepieces, including the 14mm, and in comparison to a similar Tele vue. Thanks again!