Orion 52071 User Manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Orion® BinoViewer

#52071

Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion
BinoViewer.

detail for planetary, lunar, and even solar vistas. If you are try­ing to tease out extra features on Saturn or the craters on the
Moon, the binoviewer will deliver the view in 3D-like majesty
unavailable with monocular vision. Planets will appear less like
flat discs, and more like floating spheres. The lunar landscape
will look like it is flying underneath the window of your space­craft. All this in greater viewing comfort, since you won’t have
to strain to close one eye.

The binoviewer will work on any telescope with approximately
4" of inward focus travel. If your telescope has less focus travel,
you can use the included 2x barlow lens with the binoviewer;
this combination only requires approximately 1.5” inward focus
travel.

How to Use the BinoViewer

First, take the binoviewer out of its case and remove the cover
caps. The eyepiece holder uses a single thumbscrew and a
compression ring to ensure the eyepieces are centered in the
eyepiece holder. This is important to achieve a sharper, merged
image, especially at high magnifications. The eyepieces must
be identical to get a clear image. After inserting the eyepieces,
secure the thumbscrew and bring the binoviewer to the focuser
of your telescope.

Connection to the Telescope

Before inserting the binoviewer into the focuser, make sure
any adapters or diagonals in the drawtube are secure. The
binoviewer weighs much more than an average eyepiece,
therefore all connections must be extra secure to support it.
Place the binoviewer’s chrome barrel into your star diago­nal (if using a refractor or Cassegrain) or focuser (if using a
Newtonian) and secure it with the thumbscrew. Now, adjust
the interpupillary distance of the two eyepieces. Adjust the

The binoviewer provides superior contrast and

binoviewer so the center of each eyepiece glass is directly in
front of each of your pupils. This is done by grasping both sides
of the binoviewer and bending them together or apart. When
the image from each eyepiece becomes a single merged
image, the interpupillary distance is set for your eyes. You may
also rotate the entire unit in the focuser so your neck is at a
comfortable angle.

Focusing

Now you are ready to focus. First focus with your telescope
focuser. If the image looks a little soft, you can adjust the focus
of each eye individually with the helical focusers at the base of
each eyepiece holder. Cover your right eye and focus the left
eyepiece holder by rotating it until the image appears clearest.
Then cover your left eye and do the same for the right eyepiece
holder. The binoviewer is now focused.

If you rack the focuser all the way inward, and still can’t achieve
focus, the included 2X barlow lens threaded onto the front of
the binoviewer's barrel will usually solve this problem. This will
likely occur in Newtonian reflectors and some refractors, but
rarely in Cassegrain telescope designs.

Image Orientation

As the light travels through the binoviewer, the image will be
rotated 180°. If you observe a mountain scene through the
binoviewer, the sky will be on the bottom of the image, and
the mountains will float on top. However, this image rotation is
hardly noticeable when viewing the night sky.

Use of the 2x Barlow Lens

As an extra bonus, the Orion binoviewer comes standard with
a high-quality 2x barlow lens. This lens threads onto the front of
the binoviewer’s chrome barrel, and doubles the magnification
of any eyepieces used in the binoviewer. As noted previously, it
also reduces the amount of inward focus travel required for the
binoviewer to reach focus in a telescope.

Keep in mind, however, that when the barlow lens is employed,
the field of view and image brightness will be reduced. This is
fine for viewing objects such as planets, as they are small yet
quite bright. On the other hand, some deep sky objects, such
as nebulae, can be dim and wide, so using the barlow lens
might not yield the best view.

Using Filters

Your binoviewer’s chrome barrel is threaded for Orion 1.25"
filters. Simply thread the filter onto the barrel and re-focus.
The binoviewer’s excellent lunar and planetary views can be
further enhanced by color filters such as light blue, yellow, or
red, and the classic Moon filter to block excessive glare. Since
the binoviewer works best for brighter objects, a light pollution
filter may only work on the brightest deep space objects. A
broadband filter, such as the Orion SkyGlow, may improve the
contrast and eliminate distracting haze from city lights.

IN 276 Rev. D 03/10

The barlow lens also accepts filters. Simply thread them onto the
front of the barlow lens when it is installed on the binoviewer.

Solar Observing

Your binoviewer reveals copious detail on our nearest star, the
Sun. A white light solar filter placed on the front aperture of
your telescope will provide a safe view of the Sun accentuated
by the binoviewer. These views are best enjoyed at medium
power, from 50 to 100X. Never look through a telescope

without using a safe solar filter!

Storage

Although your binoviewer is durable, it should avoid prolonged,
unnecessary exposure to the elements. Keep the binoviewer in
its case, with caps on when not in use. It is also recommended
to leave the binoviewer in a dry place with caps off and case
open overnight to let it completely dry out.

Store the instrument in a cool, dry place; storage in a humid
environment will result in mold growth on the exterior of the
prisms that can destroy optical coatings. This is not covered
by the warranty.

Cleaning

The prisms of the binoviewer and lenses of the 2x barlow lens
are coated with anti-reflection coatings, which can be dam­aged with careless handling. Avoid touching prism or lens
surfaces with your fingers or any coarse material. Clean the

prisms and lens surfaces if they get noticeably dirty. Always
use lens cleaning tissue and fluid specifically designed for
telescope optical coatings. Do not use regular tissue or fluids
made for eyeglasses or household use. Do not disassemble
the binoviewer to clean it, with the exception of the chrome
barrel, which may be unscrewed to better access the forward
prism surface.

To clean the prism and lens surfaces, first blow air on the sur­face with a blower bulb or compressed air to remove any large
particles. Then brush the surface with a soft lens brush and
blow air on it again to remove any dislodged particles. Put two
drops of lens cleaning fluid on a sheet of lens tissue; never put
lens cleaning fluid directly onto the prism or lens. Wipe the sur­face gently with a circular motion, taking care to avoid undue
pressure or rubbing, which can scratch the coatings. Quickly
remove the excess fluid by wiping with a clean, dry lens tissue.

Specifications

Prism coatings: Fully multi-coated

Prism type: BAK-4

Interpupillary distance: 53mm to 74mm

Barlow lens: 2x, fully multi-coated

Weight: 1 lb. 2 oz.

One-Year Limited Warranty

This Orion BinoViewer is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year
from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this
warranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted
instrument that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89
Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. If the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy
of the original invoice) is required.

This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or
modified, nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and
you may also have other rights, which vary from state to state. For further warranty service information,
contact: Customer Service Department, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA
95076; (800)-676-1343.

Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

OrionTelescopes.com

89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076

Customer Support Help Line (800)‑676‑1343 • Day or Evening

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