Vixen Lanthanum LV12mm

4.0 Vixen Lanthanum LV12mm

Solid construction; Reasonable price; Long eye relief.

Can be expensive; Only 50 degree field of view; Eyecup difficult to fold down.

Every now and then, one gets the urge to make a purchase of an astro item based on the manufacturer's name or some exotic moniker. Such was the case for my acquiring the Vixen Lanthanum LV12mm on Ebay. I paid around $90, including shipping for this eyepiece.

The biggest thing this eyepiece has going for it is the long eye relief, stated to be around 20mm. It has a rubber-clad body and is a little over 3" in length. Lens edges are blackened and are fully multicoated. The fold down rubber eye-cup is quite pliable, and somewhat tall.

You can think of this eyepiece as a very good plossl with long eye relief. The AFOV is about 50 degrees and I can't say that the Lanthanum lenses add or subtract from the view. I could not detect any ghosting or flaring when used with my Orion 100mm f/6, but of course there was some color on bright objects.....but I fault the scope for this. Detail and contrast are on par with some of the best long eye relief eyepieces on the market. The exception, of course, are some of the premium models from Televue and other high end units.

All in all, this isn't a terrible eyepiece, but a good alternative and solid performer for those seeking a better than average plossl with long eye relief.