Building for the future

[iatm1976]

Hello, a new member here looking for some guidance on starting a good collection of eyepieces and accesories which I can use not only now but in the future too.

I own an Orion 90mm F/14 MAK-CASS, with a 25mm plossl, a 45° erecting prism and a 7-21mm zoom, all mounted on an EQ-1.  

I know I won't see everything with this equipment, but the more or the less at least I'd like to view it with quality.   

As a first step I considered getting a good star diagonal for astronomic use, as I read somewhere erecting prisms didn't suit well for this kind of use.  My first option is the William Optics Dura-bright and the second one is the Televue Everbrite, both dielectric, both 1.25" and both with excellent reviews (maybe one ore two not so good about the WO).  I know Televue produces outstanding products (at a higher price), but there's a good chance my next telescope will be a reflector (which don't use diags) and this turns the balance in the WO's direction because I'll be using it only with the 90mm MAK, besides its less expensive.  Unless there's important cons, I'd prefer the WO, but I'm open to all your opinions.

The second step, I think should be the eyepieces.  For starters I want a good set for planetary/moon observing with some capability for doubles and bright DSO's (which are the kind of objects within my scope capabilities). I've read very good reviews about the Celestrons X-Cel LX line (and something about these being the same as the Meade 5000 HD-60 series, don't know about that).  The fact is I'm interested in EP's within this price range, and don't want to start with the ultra FOV eyepieces yet, I think the 60° FOV will be OK for now, so I'd like to know how well the Celestrons performs in my target type of objects.

Finally I'm considering a 2x Barlow.  I didn't research yet about this and don't have any preference, so I'm all eyes to read your recommendations about the best ones considering optic quality and compact size, as I don't want to overload the little mak.

If there's any other accessory you consider will benefit the overall quality of the viewing, please just let me know as well. Thanks.

     

[Roy Challen]

You have a long focal length scope and at high mags the EQ1 mount is going to be the weak point. Related to this is the need for a Barlow. A x2 Barlow will double the effective focal length hence double the problem. Consider upgrading the mount first.

The long focal length is also forgiving on eyepieces so most will work well. This is a very subjective topic, but the EPs you mention should serve you well.

[ronin]

One useful addition would be your location, just a town if UK but otherwise a bit more.

We have a lot of people now from the US, Australia, assorted bits of Europe.

It is simply that saying go look at Eyepiece A,B,C from Freds Eyepieces is fine if you are in the UK but not if you are in Perth Australia, and the US will have a slightly different range of items to select from and the prices are different. The BST's often talked of here are £49 here and the X-Cels are £63, in the US the same 2 eyepieces are $60 and $61. So effectively the same cost in the US but a fair difference here.

For the 90mm you will need longish focal length eyepieces and the BST Starguiders seem to suit better, simply there is one more at these longer focal lengths then the X-Cels so you have a bit more flexibility.

Your scope will be around 1250mm focal length so the 25mm will give 50x and a view of just over 1 degree, pretty good for Orion Nebula and Pleiades.

The 18mm will give 70x, the 15mm giving 83x, and the 12mm giving 104x.

The X-Cel eyepieces appear to perform the same, but they do not have the 15mm, they have one more at the shorter focal lengths then the BST's, which would likely be irrelevant to the 90mm.

[iatm1976]

Very greatful for your comments!  About my location, I'm in Panama City in Central America and I'm sorry to say that amateur astronomy its a difficult hobby to follow here as there is not many people around sharing the interest, we don't have organized clubs or many specialized stores to choose from (just one good store in fact but limited to some few brands).  The thing is I love astronomy, I want to stick with it, and I'll probably have to buy a lot from the Internet, that's why I need to be careful and very precise with my choices.  

I'm agreed with Roy about the EQ1 being a weak spot, it actually trembles a lot any time I touch the RA or DEC adjustment knobs, or when focusing the mak.  But I think I can live with it at least until getting a new larger scope.  

I've read about long focal length scopes being forgiving with EP's, that's why I want to choose EP's which will work in the future as well, with a shorter focal length scope. I'm still open to consider any recommendation as I don't know yet all the brands, wich are good or which are best to avoid.  I guess as my primary targets are for now the moon/sun/planets and the ocasional double or bright DSO I guess I won't need a large focal length EP for the moment, as I understand those are best suited for deep sky wide field observing.  

The smallest focal length EP which will work OK within my scope capacity is a 7mm maybe a 6mm, thats why I'm considering a 12, 12.5 or 13mm with a good 2x barlow or maybe another option could be getting a 7 or 8mm EP instead of the barlow.  I still like the barlow idea because with it I can double my EP collection, but if it will be an annoyance because of my scope limits I can leave it for later. 

I'd really appreciate your opinions about the star diagonals I mention before as I'm not shure if worth spending a lot of money in the TV if the WO will give me the same optic quality. 

Thanks again!!

[Highburymark]

I would definitely recommend the WO diagonal. It delivers much brighter and cleaner images - particularly on mid-market scopes like the Nexstar - and presumably your Orion - where stock diagonals supplied with the scope tend to be of poor quality. I haven't experienced the TV option, but I doubt it would offer much better views than the WO. Shame you are not in the UK as a WO diagonal has just been advertised on SGL's classifieds for £45.

[iatm1976]

I would definitely recommend the WO diagonal. It delivers much brighter and cleaner images - particularly on mid-market scopes like the Nexstar - and presumably your Orion - where stock diagonals supplied with the scope tend to be of poor quality. I haven't experienced the TV option, but I doubt it would offer much better views than the WO. Shame you are not in the UK as a WO diagonal has just been advertised on SGL's classifieds for £45.

Thanks!  Thats´s almost USD15 less from where I'm pretending to buy it. Still I think is very affordable when you compare with the TV.

http://www.highpointscientific.com/william-optics-1-25-quot-dielectric-diagonal-w-carbon-fiber-plates-d-125d-c-db

[Highburymark]

That's a great price. The other thing about the the WO is that it's very well built and looks great too.

[Gazabone]

I second the comment about needing a steady mount, a good mount will "improve" a mediocre scope and a poor mount will render a good scope to mediocre (at best). My favourite eyepieces are Baadar Hyperion and whilst I have 8, 10, 13, 17 and 24mm focal lengths in these, I do at least 90% of my night time observing with the 24mm.