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10 December 2008 17:30
- a device inserted into the optical path that splits the light from a telescope's objective into two eyepieces
- since the light path is being split between two eyepieces, the each image is dimmer than looking through a single eyepiece
- people often say viewing through a binoviewer is more natural and/or easier
- contrast with binoculars, which have two objectives and light paths (typically mirrors/prisms), and allow for true stereo vision
- contrast also with binocular telescopes, which are two full-size telescopes set up for simultaneous viewing
- binoviewers require sets of eyepieces matched in focal length and almost always by design and manufacturer
- some binoviewers have mechanical means of moving filters and/or barlows into the light path without removing the binoviewer and/or eyepieces to make them more versatile
- since the space between peoples' eyes (interocular distance) differs, binoviewers adjust the distance between the eyepieces like binoculars; however, some people still have issues "merging the images" in binoviewers
- a person talking about his Denks is referring to a particular top-of-the-line brand of binoviewer, Denkmeier
- some telescopes may not be able to come to focus with binoviewers due to the additional length of the light path through the binoviewers
- the weight of the binoviewers and the additional eyepiece may need to be taken into account when balancing the telescope on its mount
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Orion Telescopes
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