ATM Vixen Lanthanum Zoom Eyepiece vs. Televue Zoom

[Ari <Ari@birmingham-us.crosswinds.net>]

Vixen:
$199 6.6 oz
8mm-24mm fl
Seven element fully multi-coated
Lanthanum in one of the lenses (supposedly reduces aberrations and
increases eye relief
17mm-19mm eye relief (I wear glasses, so this is good)
40deg. to 60deg. apparent field
nearly parafocal
threaded

TeleVue:
$219  6.6 oz
Imported from Japan, but examined by TV
8mm-24mm fl
don't know how many elements, but fully multi-coated
don't know eye relief, presumably around 10mm or less
40deg. to 50 deg. apparent field
nearly parafocal
threaded

All specs/prices are per Orion. (No this isn't an endorsement, I just
had one of their catalogs in front of me.)

It seems to me that even though the TV eyepiece has a well-known name on
it, the Vixen is the better choice. Has anybody ever looked through the
Vixen, or the Vixen and the TeleVue? This is a big purchasing decision,
so I don't want to mess it up.

Thanks in advance,
Ari Friedman
        There's light at the end of the Sonotube.