At £80 there are certainly cheaper Plossls available than the 32mm offering from Televue and at times it certainly can be benefiacial to save the pennies but this 32mm is one of those times where you get what you pay for being one of the finer Plossl available to the eager astronomer.
Televue have used 4 lens elements in two groups, on the plus side this ensures no extra glass between the object and the observer which makes for crisper, sharper views. On the down side using only 4 elements can produce a relatively small field of view, the 32mm has a 50 degree field which is small even amongst Plossls. However , the magnification of this eyepiece is so low that objects will move slowly across the field making it less important to have a wider field.
As the focal length is 32mm this Plossl will get it’s best results when used on extended deep space objects such as m31 (the Andromeda galaxy) or large open clusters. With this in mind a flat field would clearly be desirable. Televue have produced a wonderfully flat field and one that keeps images sharp and defined even in the outer field. Stars remain point like even as they’re disappearing out of the field of view. Colour rendition is very good indeed and contrast is high. High contrast makes it all the easier to pluck out faint and elusive deep sky objects.
Optically brilliant as this Plossl is, it wouldn’t mean a thing if the eyepiece was uncomfortable to look through. Thankfully Televue have given as much time to the viewers comfort as they have making it a great visual performer. There is a very generous 22mm of eye relief meaning you can move your head freely around up to that distance and still see the whole field of view. This also makes the Televue suitable (and even comfortable) for spectacle wearers.
There is a rugged rubber grip ring which helps to avoid dropping the plossl and a soft rubber eyecup to shield from local stray light. Also a safety ring has been cut out of the barrell meaning it’s almost impossible for the eyepiece to fall out of your telescope when it’s not properly secured.
Televue have proved time and time again that they are amongst the best eyepiece manufacturers in the world today, the 32mm only serves to further validate this fact, exuding optical quality, supreme comfort and effective safety features for observing with cold and stiff fingers.
