Upgrading stock 40mm Plossl

[Sonicfishcake42]

Hi guys, 

I'm looking to upgrade my stock celestron 40mm Plossl as the title suggests. I'm not displeased with the performance of my EP however upgrading the higher power EPs with a Hyperion Zoom contributed to the biggest difference in terms of comfort, viewing and satisfaction thus far. I was hoping upgrading the 40mm would yield a similar result?

Ideally I'd like something with a bigger field of view, would this be limited by buying a 1.25 over a 2''? I'd assume barrel size would directly relate to the field of view? (I'm probably wrong, I've made plenty of incorrect assumptions thus far! - All part of the learning process)  

I've been very pleased with Hyperion so far, I see that they do offer a 36mm Hyperion Aspheric EP which I'm contemplating but the 'Aspheric' could mean 'no glass contained' to me and I'd be none the wiser not knowing what it meant! 

FYI I use a 9.25 Evolution and do not wear glasses. I want the EP for deepsky of course and I appreciate one eye piece does not suit all needs however working my way through the Messier catalogue so I'm wanting a decent EP to assist. I'm looking at spending the same for a low powered as I did for my Zoom + Barlow which works around the £250 mark. Of course if something is recommended at a slightly higher cost I'm willing to extend my budget slightly.

To reiterate I'm wanting to know:

- Whether 2'' low powered EP will be better than a 1.25'' EP of the same power 
- If there are any specific brands or types that will work well with a C9.25

- Should I stick with 40mm or go with a 30mm - 36mm for my needs

Any help, recommendations, personal reviews of your favoured low powered EPs would be very appreciated. Thankyou in advance

Regards,
James 

[NGC 1502]

Hi James.  Can I make an assumption - that your 40mm Plossl is 1.25" fitting ?  If that's correct, then a 40mm or similar 2" EP will give the same magnification but a much larger field of view.

Your 9.25 SCT is forgiving with eyepieces, it's the shorter focal ratio scopes F4 - 6 that are more demanding and benefit the most from expensive eyepieces.  Your £250 budget should easily get you something suitable. You could spend a lot less and be very satisfied, unless an F4 - 6 scope is in your plans - then you could get a top eyepiece and be future proof.

I've read good things about the Hyperion 36mm, wouldn't worry about "aspheric" I think that means more than 1 optical curve on a lens surface, or similar........

A 35 - 40mm 2" fitting eyepiece would complement your Baader zoom very nicely.  You could fit the 2" barrel that comes with your Baader zoom so you can change eyepieces without messing with a 2" to 1.25" adaptor, much more convenient.

Of course I'm also assuming you have a 2" diagonal for your 9.25 ?   If not, that's a nice upgrade.

All the best with your decision, Ed.

[YKSE]

I asked Baader about the aspheric lens, the answer is as Ed guessed, it's glass lens with aspheric surface, from what I can see from my 31mm, its main function should be to reduce distortions which is present in every wide field eyepieces. I would expect the 36mm has the same excellent transmission as the 31mm.

Skywatcher Aero 40mm or TS paragon 40mm is another one worth consideration instead of the 36mm aspheric. It has 46mm field stop, gives max TFOV in a 2" focuser, very light-weight for eyepieces with this field stop size. If you're getting a small refractor with f6-f8, it'll give your true  widest  field of view, excellent for viewing large nebulas like North American or Veil in a dark site (with filters of course).

[Sonicfishcake42]

Sorry for the delay in response, yes the existing EPs are indeed 1.25, that's what I thought. Definitely worth converting to 2'' for a wider FOV + With the Hyperion functioning with 2'' makes the transition easier. Just a visual back and a diagonal required, thankfully my next upgrade was going to be a diagonal so I've asked this question at the right time!

I am planning on buying a much faster scope so I was going with quality over quantity. 

Thanks good to know YKSE, I've been seriously contemplating either the Aspheric range or something from Explore Scientific. I'll have a look at your suggestions now Thanks for the info guys, appreciated! 

[Stu]

I seem to remember that the Hyperions are not great in faster scopes so it is worth doing some more research on this. I've not used them myself but have definitely read this. Not sure about the 36mm Aspheric though.

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[Sonicfishcake42]

Is that right? I'll have to do a little searching around. To be honest I'm not looking for a faster scope for visual use as my C9.25 would take the win on my preferred visual scope. However with that being said I'd be lying if I said I would never use the frac for visual wide field, getting the double cluster in an EP is rather appealing.

I'm very much leaning towards an Esprit ED80 to dabble with imaging when that time comes (after being competent at planetary imaging + buying an EQ mount) - Small steps at a time! Are there any low powered EPs that would be suitable for both?

Thanks, 

James

[Peter Drew]

A F6.3 focal reducer could also help.  

[Sonicfishcake42]

I currently use one with my C9.25 - great bit of kit for visual use! 

[Tonynexevo925]

You know my answers James - 2" baader click lock and 36mm aspheric - been superb and also great in the tv85 and ED80.

For sure there'll be better but I'm happy. Wouldn't mind trying the new Morpheus range but doesn't help you or your question.

[Sonicfishcake42]

What are your thoughts on the Aspheric 36mm Tony? I've been on the edge of getting a 4.5mm or 6.5mm Morpheus for a little while, keeping a close eye on any reviews that pop up! Not quite taken the plunge yet. I'm sure they're optically excellent however good reviews always reaffirm desire! 

Recently come back from our 2 weeks away so saving for accessories can now commence! =D

[Tonynexevo925]

I find that I spend a lot of time with the 36mm aspheric - really crisp imo and with 2" baader diagonal it means cruising around the sky is great. The fov is really helpful for me on planetary as well and the clicklock makes changing EPs easy.

I can't buy a Morpheus - might find I like it too much and will need to sell a kidney if I buy anything else!!!

[Sonicfishcake42]

Hahahah!! You've got a right collection thus far! Selling a kidney; what a fantastic idea! 

I love the idea of the clicklock diagonal, I've wanted one for a while! My challenge is convincing the other half that it's a worthwhile investment. However using 2'' set up is much more desirable for sky surfing! 

[Tonynexevo925]

Definitely the best single investment I made going 2" on the 9.25. That and the feather touch focusser. In addition to the fov I find the ease of changing EPs and the secure feeling of the clicklock just brilliant.

The baader bino viewers have arrived but u haven't had chance to try them out yet - hoping to use them for solar and was considering the Morpheus EPs for these... How many kidneys do I need?

[Stu]

Some info here Sonic.

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/460817-baader-aspheric-eps-in-faster-scopes-bad-idea/

If you google search for Baader Aspheric 36mm in faster scopes, there are plenty of entries.

The TV85 and ED80 aren't particularly fast f7 ish I think, so would most likely be fine with the Aspheric. If you are down at f5 or below then I think you will see more issues. Great in the 9.25 though I bet

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[Sonicfishcake42]

It's definitely the next thing I want to invest in (2'' set up) will take your advice and go down the clicklock route!

Around 7 Kidneys if you keep accumulating expensive glass Tony! 

The Esprit 80ED is F5. I think it's the Evostar ED80 that's F7 (or there abouts). Had a quick Google which brought up plenty of results in regards to Baader in fast scopes. That's a shame, I love Baader products too  

[Tonynexevo925]

If the esprit will mainly be for imaging then I'd base decisions for visual on the 9.25.

[YKSE]

Yes, I think Esprit is f5, Equinox is f7 and Evostar ED is f7.5.

If we look at the edge corrections only, Skywatcher 40mm Aero ED works very slightly better than 31mm Aspheric in my f7.5 80ED, and 31mm Aspheric was clearly better than 38mm TS WA Erfle (SW 38mm  Panaview and clones?)  and better transmission in 80ED when I compared them.

I'd expect 40mm AERO has better correction in the edge than 36mm aspheric in faster scopes, with as good transmission and wider TFOV.

[Sonicfishcake42]

Got my clicklock visual back ordered today & waiting patiently for payday for my 2'' click-lock diagonal

Great info YKSE, I appreciate your feedback always helps with deciding what to buy! 

[KenG]

I use Vixen Lanthanums with my f4. I don't often see them mentioned in the forum, but they're super eyepieces and worth checking out.

[John]

I use Vixen Lanthanums with my f4. I don't often see them mentioned in the forum, but they're super eyepieces and worth checking out.

The Lanthanum's are pretty good optically but their 45 degree apparent fields of view can make tracking hard work when used with an undriven scope such as the dobsonian. They won't show much coma even at F/4 because you are not seeing as much of the off-axis field as a wide or ultra wide eyepiece shows.

The Lanthanum's were replaced by the NLV range which have now themselves been superceded by the SLV's.

On the Baader Aspheric 2" eyepieces, I briefly owned the 31mm Aspheric to compliment the Hyperion 8-24mm zoom that I had at the time but I was rather dissapointed by the 31mm's edge performance even with my F/7.5 refractor. The zoom is better in this respect even though it's apparent field is rather limited at the 24mm focal length.

[KenG]

John, are we talking about the same eyepieces here? Vixen LVW Lanthanums? My 17mm which is probably the one I use the most has a 65 degree apparent field of view with 20mm eye relief.

Ken

[Stu]

The 40mm Lanthanum in 1.25" was only about 45 degrees afov I seem to remember, I had one a long time ago!

[John]

John, are we talking about the same eyepieces here? Vixen LVW Lanthanums? My 17mm which is probably the one I use the most has a 65 degree apparent field of view with 20mm eye relief.

Ken

The LVW's are 65 degree eyepieces and long eye relief. They go up to 22mm in the 1.25" fitting then there is a 30mm and 42mm in the 2" fitting. The LV's are 45 degree eyepieces also with long eye relief. I think there was also a 30mm and a 50mm in the 2" format in that range giving 42 and 45 degree field of view repesctively.

Sorry if I confused things Ken !

[Chris]

The LVW's are 65 degree eyepieces and long eye relief. They go up to 22mm in the 1.25" fitting then there is a 30mm and 42mm in the 2" fitting. The LV's are 45 degree eyepieces also with long eye relief. I think there was also a 30mm and a 50mm in the 2" format in that range giving 42 and 45 degree field of view repesctively.

Sorry if I confused things Ken !

I think the LV 30 might be 60 degrees? I noticed theres one in the classified section at the moment so I looked into it, could be wrong though  

[John]

I think the LV 30 might be 60 degrees? I noticed theres one in the classified section at the moment so I looked into it, could be wrong though

I thought that but the Vixen (USA) website stated 42 degrees for the 2" version

Sounds more like the 1.25" spec though.

I think there is a 30mm 2" LV with 60 degrees as well (one in our classifieds section as it happens !)