Eyepeice's for Skywatcher Explorer 200p

[WireD64]

Hi everyone, I just bought my first telescope this week, a Skywatcher Explorer 200p with EQ5 mount and i'd like to know what peoples opinions are for a decent eyepiece upgrade over the stock ones.

I think i'm happy enough for now with the stock 25mm EP but what should i get to upgrade the 10mm? I'd like to know what the best bang for the buck is, and also what is the outright best.

Thanks

[WireD64]

Forgot to mention that i'll be viewing planets for the time being, but wouldnt mind a few options for deep sky

[cuivenion]

You might be best off saying what your budget is, and if you wear glasses.

[Charic]

..........best bang is an 8mm BST Starguider? @ £49 or a 6 or 8 mm Delos for about  £256 and everything in-between? 

The BST's are great value and work  very well.  TeleVue 'Delos' are world famous but carry the  hefty price tag. Televue also have, at their cheaper end,  the Plossl range, but the eye relief may not be to your liking at the higher magnification of  8mm. Try a BST first. If you no like it, send it back and get your refund.

[Uhwaz]

I pretty much use only Baadger MKIII Zoom 8-24mm

[WireD64]

Thanks for the suggestions. I dont need to wear glasses and my realistic budget is up to £100 really, but want to know what the top dogs were.

I like the look of the BST starguider, ive read a couple of reviews now and seems like a good choice.

Would you recommend the 8mm as a good planetary EP, or maybe something a little shorter?

[Uhwaz]

While the Baader zoom is bit over 150 its worth 5 EPs thats 30 for one EP

[rwilkey]

The BST StarGuider 8mm will do well for planetary observation giving 125x, not overly high but a good starting point.

[WireD64]

Thanks.

What would be a good length for high power planetary obversation?

[Charic]

Thanks.

What would be a good length for high power planetary obversation?

Its all down to personal choice, and your own eyes. An EP in one telescope may not so good in the next. For your highest magnification, if you use your focal ratio as a guide, and pop in a 5mm EP you will have an exit pupil of 1.0mm. Anything less will provide a dimmer image.  BST doesn't have a 6mm in its range for me, so tried the 6mm TMBPII , which was not to my liking, so I went for the 5mm Starguider. I have no regrets, However, I have just taken purchase from a fellow SGL member, the  6mm WO SPL, with matches my focal ratio perfectly,  giving me the 1.0mm exit, but I've not had a  full proper  session with this EP to fully appreciate its ability.  But  I'm happy using all my EP's. They all get used every session, every target, until I find the one that frames my subject the best.  Now from 5mm to 32mm each EP gives me something different, I just try to find the best without just selecting, what I think I should use, I just use them all. I should have an EP adaptor like a filter adaptor, just to speed things up a little, If it was as quick as Stellarium, It would be even better?

[Uhwaz]

I have same scope and 4mm is about max giving 250x 

can use it only on good nights when seeing premitting

[rwilkey]

Thanks.

What would be a good length for high power planetary obversation?

I think planets like Jupiter excel at 150x, whilst other planets can take more magnification ie 200x or more dependant on seeing conditions.  Saturn certainly looks great at 200x.

[WireD64]

Thanks for the info guys, been very helpful. As you can tell i'm new to this hobby and just trying to fill my brain with knowledge before spending cash on the wrong equiptment.

So rwilkey, Seeing as you have the same scope as me what would YOU use for a 200x observation?

and to Charic, The place i was looking at buying the BST 8mm Starguider from have just taken stock of a 3.2mm, is that just a bit silly?

[RichM63]

Same scope, see sig' for EP details. (same price range).

The 6mm is great @167x but for going nuts on the Moon I can get away with a 2x barlow in the mix.

The 32mm, is simply my best friend for absorbing the night sky.

A 3.2mm EP will like as not be a disapointment in that you won't be able to use it all that much due to 'seeing' conditions etc.

[Charic]

Thanks for the info guys, been very helpful. As you can tell i'm new to this hobby and just trying to fill my brain with knowledge before spending cash on the wrong equiptment.

So rwilkey, Seeing as you have the same scope as me what would YOU use for a 200x observation?

and to Charic, The place i was looking at buying the BST 8mm Starguider from have just taken stock of a 3.2mm, is that just a bit silly?

A 2.5mm would be the maximum at 400x power. I would think the 3.2mm would not get as much use as the other EP's. It would see some Lunar use, but the Moon won't hang about while you try to view at 400x.

Twice your aperture is your  theoretical limit , but due to the atmospheric conditions, not practical  without issues. Your 200mm aperture is about the best limit for normal conditions. Yes on some clear nights, the the 3.2mm may work just fine, but Barlowing a 5mm would achieve the same result, and with possibly a little more eye relief.  I've already considered the 3.2mm (set building?) but its not a Starguider, so there is the stop for me. Its the same build and quality, no doubt, but I'm certain its produced under the brand name 'Photon'

If the 3.2 'Starguider' does become available, It may become part of my collection, but most probably from someone else who will have bought the EP, and then decides its not worth having due to  the little use it may get.

For my Planetary use  my 6mm William Optics Super Planetary Long(eye-relief)  maybe the EP of choice, as it matches the focal ratio of my scope giving a 1.0 mm exit pupil.

If BST had  made a 6mm Starguider, It would be in my collection.  as you have an f/5  telescope, a 5mm BST could be a good option.

Buying  the 5mm and 8mm and comparing them side by side is the way to go!  The 8mm is a definate with the Starguiders.  You would have seroius issues Barlowing the 3.2 mm whereas the 5 & 8mm would give 2.5 or 4mm respectively.

[John]

Another issue with really short focal length eyepieces is that, when viewing bright extended objects such as the Moon, if you have any floaters in your eye they can become very obvious and distracting. I've found I see a few in 3mm eyepieces but they are bearable but I had a 2.5mm for a while and found them really annoying.

When I had a 200P equatorial I found 250x the maximum magnification that I could practically use and much more often used 180x-220x for planetary / lunar and double star viewing.

[Chris]

Maybe as you don't need glasses something like a 6mm Baader Classic Ortho? This will give you world class optics for less than 50 pounds, the only down side is the eyerelief and field of view on orthoscopic eyepieces can be tight.

However, the Baader classic Ortho does have 10 extra degrees compared to most other Orthos bringing it up to 50 degrees so it might not be too bad with a push to scope like you Dob? 

For comfort the 5mm BST would be better but would give slightly less satisfactory views (but still alot better than the 10mm that came with you scope!)

[rwilkey]

Hi there, the William Optics 6mm SPL is the best planetary eyepiece I have ever used, giving me 166x in the 200P.

[lonebod]

Get a 28mm and 8mm and 2x Barlow. Will give you 28, 14, 8 and 4 mm equivalent and a good range of mags.

[Pyrodave]

Before you buy anything try and get along to a local astronomy group observing session most folk will let you try eyepieces in your scope if you ask nicely, you can then find out which eyepieces suit your eyes as not everyone has the same view 

Link for clubs around the country http://www.astronomyclubs.co.uk/

[WireD64]

Thanks for everyones responses. It's all getting absorbed. I think I will try and get a good deal on a 6mm WO SPL.

My final question on this thread now is would it be worth upgrading my stock barlow. Is the stock one below average?

Rich

[rwilkey]

Hi Rich, no, they are not always rubbish, I would hold fire and wait until you get your WO SPL 6mm, you may find you have no use for a Barlow.  Get using both and see how it goes.

[fondofchips]

Personally as a fellow newbie I would go for the 8mm over the 6mm simply due to the object will stay in view a little longer, (gives you a little longer to focus) but if you think that you can persevere with a 6mm then OK.

+1 for seeking out your local astronomy group though, you will be surprised how many stargazers there are near you & how helpful they are.  Plus the chance to try out some EP's before you buy.

Enjoy!

[Mad Taff]

The 8mm Starguider is my most used eyepiece.