Panoptic Eyepiece 24mm This Sky & Telescope "Hot Product for 2003" is designed to produce the largest true field possible in a 1-1/4" eyepiece. (Its 27mm field stop is the same as the 32mm Tele Vue Plössl). The higher power darkens the sky background while the greater magnification yields more details on extended objects. Further, its light weight (1/2 lb.), comfortable 15mm eye relief, and tapered top instantly make the 24mm Panoptic the ideal eyepiece for getting the maximum field for binocular viewers.
Concept: Using my Wide-Field design as a starting point, I looked to bring Nagler-like performance to the 60 degree+ field class with the Panoptic series. The idea of a lens to "interface" between the eyepiece and Barlow struck me as the proper way to keep size, weight and cost to a minimum while improving edge of field performance even further. I later developed this idea into the Powermates. Al Nagler 