Astro-Tech 15mm 1.25" Paradigm Dual ED

$65.00

Availability: In stock

This Astro-Tech 15mm Paradigm Dual ED eyepiece gives you the outstanding medium power performance of a high-priced eyepiece at a price that will make you wonder why other eyepieces are so high-priced . . .
Our Product #: ATPARA15
 

Product Description

This Astro-Tech 15mm Paradigm Dual ED is an excellent medium power eyepiece for lunar observing, encompassing globular clusters, picking up detail in emission and reflection nebulas, etc. This 15mm focal length is a good choice for filling in the gap between the 25/26mm eyepiece that comes standard with most telescopes and a high power planetary/binary star splitting eyepiece. It is usable with any telescope type, under virtually any seeing conditions - from fair to superb. (Rain, snow, or fog might limit its usefulness, however.)

With a short focal length refractor it is a medium to low power eyepiece well suited to scanning the teeming star clouds of Sagittarius. With the 400mm focal length Astro-Tech AT66ED, for example (a compact 66mm aperture telescope Astronomy magazine said "everyone should own"), its six lens/four group two ED lens optics provide 27x and a field well over four times as wide as the full Moon. This is well suited for observing open clusters such as the Pleiades, and nebulas such as the Lagoon. Both fit nicely into its 2.22° field with the AT66ED, with a framework of black velvet sky around them to set them off.

It is also quite remarkable for medium high magnification observing with long focal length refractors, reflectors, or catadioptric scopes. On an 8" f/10 catadioptric, for example, it yields 133x. This is an excellent magnification for planetary and close-up lunar observing, particularly when the high contrast of the eyepiece (rivaling that of orthoscopics and Brandons) is combined with its excellent color fidelity. Its overall performance makes it a much better choice as a second eyepiece than merely doubling the power of most scopes' so-so standard 25-26mm eyepiece with a Barlow.

The six lens/four group design and two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements of the 15mm Astro-Tech Paradigm provides all of the optical virtues described at the top of this catalog page - high contrast, a sharp and flat field from edge to edge, excellent color fidelity, and exceptionally low astigmatism and barrel distortion. It has a long usable eye relief of 15mm. Combined with the twist-up eyecup design, the long eye relief makes it a good choice for eyeglass wearers.

This new Astro-Tech 15mm Paradigm Dual ED eyepiece will change your mind about how much truly good optical performance should cost. But be warned. The view through the 15mm Paradigm may tempt you to upgrade all your eyepieces to Paradigms.

Tech Details

Barrel Size 1.25"
Eye Relief 15mm
Field of view 60
Focal Length 15mm
Number of optical elements 6
Weight 6.4 oz.
Warranty 1 year

Reviews

Review by:
I have the 25 , 18, 12 and 8 currently waiting for the 15 and 5 to come back in stock.
I love these eyepieces, stars are sharp to the edge at f8 and f10, stars colors are natural.
the 60 degree fov is perfect for framing most deep sky objects, love the twist up eyecups, makes hitting the sweet spot easy. At the 60 dollar price point, you will not find a better set of eyepieces. (Posted on 6/10/2021)
Review by:
Just tried out a 15mm and a 25mm in my 8” reflector at f 5.8! The Paradigms are great for two things, the field of view is every bit of the claimed 60 degrees! Very flat compared with other inexpensive eyepieces, especially 70degree ones! AND the eye relief is very nice, about the same in both focal lengths! Good! Not so good on planetary views, as Mars showed ghosting in both! The image wasn’t bad, but were two of them , one bright and one dimmer! However on Open Clusters they showed none of this , and the field and eye relief more than made up for this little shortcoming! Probably only use them to find the field, then change to a higher power anyhow! (Posted on 10/8/2020)
Review by:
Tried my recently acquired 15mm Astrotech Paradigm in an 80mm F6 triplet. I found the eyepiece to give wonderful star field views - pinpoint stars on black backgrounds showing pleasing and natural color on colored stars. Edge stars may have been just off the center tack sharp to my untrained eyes, but this was on the very edge of an F6 scope. In use, they present themselves as sharp across the view. My scope wasn't set up with a finder, so I found the 15mm Paradigm worked well as a finder, allowing me to center Saturn in the field, then switch to a 5mm for higher power views of Saturn. The most pleased I've been with an eyepiece anywhere near that price point. (Posted on 10/27/2019)
Review by:
these dual ED eyepieces are a very good upgrade compared to the eyepieces that come with most scopes. nice build quality and better views. eye relief is way more comfortable than the standard Plossols at shorter focal lengths.

these are also great for a binoviewer! (Posted on 10/4/2019)
Review by:
I have a wide assortment of eyepieces but these are my 'go to' eyepieces in my observatory. Good contrast to the edge and nice solid feel. (Posted on 8/14/2019)
Review by:
The Paradigm eyepieces are a great value for the price, and much better than other similarly priced eyepieces I have owned. All of the Dual ED eyepieces I own are really sweet, but the 15mm is the one that started it for me. Comfortable viewing and a nice sharp view. (Posted on 7/22/2019)
Review by:
This eyepiece is the best bang for your buck. It's also my most used eyepiece as well. Perfect magnification in my scope (TMB130SS). It's my goto eyepiece if I only have short time to observe. Also doubles a nice microscope eyepiece. (Posted on 1/14/2019)
Review by:
I love the whole Paradigm eyepiece family. I believe they are a fantastic value and perform as well as my Baader Hyperions costing 2X more. The 15mm is a nice step up in magnification from the 25mm and performs beautifully on the moon, planets and deepsky. Paradigms are rarely found used for this reason: no one wants to part with them! (Posted on 1/4/2019)
Review by:
One of my most-used eyepieces. I like the eye relief and contrast it provides with all my scopes. Amazing eyepiece for its modest price. (Posted on 12/27/2018)
Review by:
Nice eyepiece for lunar and even terrestrial observations. Works well with 72mm and nice eye relief, even with glasses. (Posted on 11/10/2018)
Review by:
This 15mm is my favorite eyepiece aside from my Astro-Tech 27mm Flat Field. It looks and feels like a quality eyepiece, and it is, doing a great job in my Meade Infinity 102. I haven't yet used it or my other two Paradigms in a better scope, but I expect they'd do an even better job. Optically it's very good, and the eye relief is welcome, too. Definitely worth the price, especially if you're on a budget. (Posted on 10/24/2018)
Review by:
This eyepiece, along with the other focal lengths is, in my opinion the best for the cost. There are no noticeable aberrations from edge to edge with an F/6 reflector, images are sharp, and the color dynamic is excellent. Hues that don't show in other eyepieces are visible with the Paradigm Dual ED series. The 15mm is a good all around focal length. If you have a budget but want a very good eyepiece, I would strongly recommend these. (Posted on 10/6/2018)
Review by:
For the money, this E.P. is hard to beat. A clear step-up from the typical E.P.s provided with a scope. The 15mm and 18mm are my favorites. I have the complete set. I take them out all the time - despite having E.P.s that cost 3 to 5 times as much. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
I bought one to test in my 8", f/7 Newt and the image was so sharp, with excellent contrast, that I tried it on another, smaller f/6 scope. Same results. I now own 5 different FL Paradigms and they are my "Go-To" eyepieces in all scopes of f/6 or longer. The edge sharpness is as good as center-of-field and the 60* AFOV is a big plus in any Dob. Eye relief on all Paradigms is good so I can avoid spending big $$ on expensive LER eyepieces.

I have "Big-Brand" eyepieces of $200+ each, and still prefer the Paradigms. The price is WAY under what you get in performance. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
Review by:
The 15mm Astrotech Paradigm is not only an outstanding value, it is an outstanding performer that competes with "premium" eyepieces. It has excellent eye relief which easily accomodates use with eyeglasses and there are no problems with blackouts. It is very comfortable and what surprises me is that when observing with this eyepieces I feel like I am getting premium level performance from this $60 eyepiece. Performance of this eyepieces is very similar to Pentax XW's - just with a smaller AFOV. I cannot say the same about other low cost 60 deg AFOV eyepiece lines I've observed with. I will be keeping my 15mm Paradigm. These comments are based upon experience using this eyepiece with a 140mm Vixen Neo-achro Petzval refractor. (Posted on 8/4/2017)
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