Tele Vue DeLite 11mm 62° Eyepiece - 1.25"

The DeLite Line

Each DeLite has 20mm of eye relief and a 62° apparent field. Based on Tele Vue's Delos design experience, it keeps the size and weight down while achieving the best sharpness, linearity (freedom from pincushion distortion) and ghost suppression over the entire field for any speed (f/#) telescope.

Field of View Calculation: The 11.7mm Field Stop in Practice

The true field depends on the field stop diameter and the telescope's focal length. The DeLite manual lists 11.7mm for the 11mm. Tele Vue's formula: TFoV = (Eyepiece Field Stop ÷ Telescope Focal Length) × 57.3.

• With a 1000mm Telescope: The true field is (11.7mm / 1000mm) * 57.3, which equals 0.67°. Room for the Dumbbell Nebula (M27) at 91x.
• With a Tele Vue TV-85 (600mm FL): The true field is (11.7mm / 600mm) * 57.3, which equals 1.12°. At 55x the small Ring Nebula (M57) sits in a wide star field.

Ergonomics: 20mm Eye Relief and the Locking Eyeguard

Every DeLite has 20mm of eye relief, at the top of the 15mm to 20mm recommended for eyeglass wearers. The adjustable, locking eyeguard housing gives eyeglass wearers full eye relief in the down position. Grasp a grip ring in each hand and twist the lower one to the left to loosen it, to the right to lock it.

Without glasses, pull the eyeguard fully out, then slide it down while looking through the eyepiece until you just see the full field with your peripheral vision, and note the height with the green indicator lines. The system minimizes outside light, and the 20mm of eye relief minimizes eye lens fogging in cold weather. Be careful not to unscrew the lower barrel section when rotating the housing.

Exit Pupils from f/4.5 to f/14

Tele Vue's chart gives 2.4, 2.1, 1.6, 1.1 and 0.8mm at f/4.5, f/5.2, f/7, f/10 and f/14:

• f/4.5 Exit Pupil: 2.4mm, for nebulae and galaxies.
• f/7 Exit Pupil: 1.6mm, for clusters and brighter deep-sky objects.
• f/10 Exit Pupil: 1.1mm, for Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon.
• f/14 Exit Pupil: 0.8mm, for double stars.

System Integration: Using Paracorr Type-2 for Fast Newtonians

For owners of fast Newtonian and Dobsonian reflectors (f/5 or faster), coma can soften stars at the edge of the field. Tele Vue's Paracorr Type-2 eliminates coma, and scopes faster than f/5.0 see the greatest results.

It goes in a 2" focuser like a 2" Barlow and has a 1.15x magnification factor, so the 11mm acts like a 9.6mm. With Tele Vue eyepieces an object will be equally sharp anywhere in the field. Tele Vue makes Barlows and Powermates in 2x, 2.5x, 3x, 4x and 5x for higher powers.

DeLite 11mm vs. Delos and Nagler Eyepieces: A Comparison

Comparisons from Tele Vue's chart:

• vs. 12mm Delos: 72° apparent field, 15.0mm field stop, the same 20mm of eye relief, and 14.4 oz against the DeLite's 7.1 oz.
• vs. 9mm and 13mm Nagler Type 6: 82° apparent field, field stops of 12.4mm and 17.6mm, 12mm of eye relief and Dioptrx with an adapter (Y*). The DeLite has 20mm and takes Dioptrx directly.

Accessory Compatibility: Dioptrx, Filters, and FoneMate

Tele Vue's DeLite manual lists these:

• DIOPTRX™ Ready: The DeLite is ideal for DIOPTRX, which attaches and locks onto the top and corrects astigmatism in place of glasses (Y in the chart).
• 1.25" Filter Threads: The barrel takes M28.5x0.6 filters, and the insert lists BandMate Nebustar, O-III and H-Beta.
• FoneMate™ Compatible: The FoneMate smartphone adapter (SFA-0001) clamps to the eyepiece for still, video or timelapse images.

Weight and Care

The DeLite 11mm weighs 7.1 oz (201 g). The manual warns: "To avoid getting dust and dirt into the eyepiece Do not unscrew the chrome barrel!" Tele Vue eyepieces carry a Lifetime Limited warranty.