Barlow lenses

[paulcunny]

Hi all, i'm new to thus hobby, but i've got a question thats probably been asked before? but i cant find the answer!

i have a barlow x2 which i have used and was very impressed by! but i've just been given another one in a lens set as a xmas gift, am i able to put one inside the other to make it a x4 or am i just wasting my time?

been cloudy as hell since i was given it, so not been able to give it a go!

[rwilkey]

Hi Paul, yes, in theory you can do that, but in practice the magnification will be too much, there will also be some image deterioration as well, as generally, unless you have a top of the range Barlow or 'tele-extender' it will not work very well.

[ronin]

Both, Yes you can but you are likely wasting your time.

I guess they are designed to be used as a single item and so just don't go well with a second barlow. May be that the focal planes are wrong, so the delivery of the image from the first barlow is at the wrong position for the second.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Yes you can stack two barlows together but not many people do. You have a 2x already and the other one in the lens set i'm guessing is also a 2x (maybe a 3x). Use one or the other.

More info on the kit you have will help, but as a rule...............stacking barlows is not a done thing.

[paulcunny]

thanks, just tried it! wasn't successful! my kit is a celestron astromaster 130EQ-MD, kinda wish i had saved more money and got a more powerful one! but it seems ok!

one downside is that spotting scope, it's about as much use as a chocolate fire guard! gonna look into replacing that!

[rory]

Astromaster Finder scopes are as you say , absolutely useless . Why on earth they continue to put those bits of plastic on what is otherwise a perfectly usable telescope I don't know.

I had s 90mm astro master and discarded the Finder almost immediately . I purchased a half decent low power eyepiece , this worked well for wide field views and and a Finder . ( 32mm plossl). Later I bagged myself a telrad . it's a great bit of kit , one of the best purchases I ever made .