Timebandit

I have a foot in both camps. Reflector and Refractor And Dob mount and tripod mount. So no real bias on my part. Just trying to give a newbie an idea of what scope I would want recommended to me , for best bang for buck with great performance to get into the hobby. In my opinion a good 200mm reflector does really take some beating for a great all round scope 👍

Hello. The best bang for buck telescope in my opinion is a 200mm reflector on a dob mount. Great for the beginner and will last you for years. Great on DSO, Luna , planets. A real proper first scope. Hope this helps

I love using my Green and Black glass in my Binoviewers. I am talking about the late and great BGO 's . Just a lovely eyepiece in Cyclops and ever better doubled up for stunning Binoviewing on Luna .

Hello and welcome to SGL Personally I prefer separate eyepieces. If you are going to use some sort of Barlow then make sure it is a high quality one , or a powermate as otherwise you risk the cheaper ones producing inferior sharpness/ transmission. I prefer separate eyepieces , because I consider the sharpness of a quality single eyepiece probably better than a barlowed one. The eye position at the scope is also changed due to the Barlow length and possible extra weight . To my personal preference and eyes I just consider the experience of a quality single eyepieces, better than a barlowed ones.

The Nagler 20mm T5 gets my vote. A cracking eyepiece. I use mine in both my refractor and reflector. Pin point stars and great contrast. Nice FOV and sensible size and weight. I understand these are now discontinued. But if you can pick one up used then go for it ,a real "keeper"

Hi Mike. After all the praise and quality that you have viewed through your DC over the years, I am shocked that it has departed. I thought this was really a "Scope for Life" . I hope the new DZ is certainly to the same high standards that you have obviously enjoyed. It would of been interesting if you have managed to hold on to the DC for a while for a DC and DZ comparison Enjoy🔭👍

Another eyepiece I have used in my 14" Dob with great success is the Vixen LVW. The 13mm LVW has eye relief of around 20mm and not an overbearing Fov of 65d .The 13mm producing a great contrast between the dark Sky's and points of light. The stars are pinpoint in appearance. A great mid range focal ratio eyepiece. Such a shame Vixen I understand no longer produce these LVW, but they do come up occasionally used.

Hello. The Pentax 10XW is a great eyepiece, high light transmission , sharp as a tak image also. This eyepiece is like a quality Ortho , but much better fov and great eye relief. The Pentax 10 XW is all the benefits of an Ortho , but without the drawbacks. Hope this helps

Hello. When it comes to CA then a good ED will show considerable improvement especially on the brighter targets like Luna. CA bothers people to a more or lesser degree depending on personal preference. But I know when I got my SW 120 ED then a considerable improvement in viewing experience especially on Luna and brighter planetary targets. For me getting a good ED scope was certainly money well spent to increase my viewing experience. Hope this helps

Hi . Try the ISS this will be so much easier , but still fun ☺

It sounds if this lockdown is giving people the time to have weakness of will to temptation of "Eyepiece's" and they are getting trigger happy 😀. FLO will be keeping busy by the looks of things

Well I have moved into the pricer brackets by now in the hobby. Been into the astro for a few years now. As I have a OOuk 14 Dob and a SW 120Ed then it was time to get eyepiece's to do these scopes the fov and optical sharpness they deserve but with sensible eye relief. So over the last couple of years I have build a collection up of mostly Pentax XW in the 3.5 to 10 mm range and for a wider fov around the 20mm a TV nagler ,also a few BGO. Most of my gear has been purchased used. I think when it comes to astro gear you need to do a balancing act with your gear. As the views are only as good as the weakest link in your optical chain. Hope this helps

Also keep a look out on the second hand market ,such as SGL sales site. You can sometimes make a considerable saving buying used, and most of us look after our astro kit. So some nice used gear comes up at very sensible money

Hello . The stock eyepiece's that come with the scope and usually just to get you going. The BST starguider range are a decent next step up in eyepiece's that lots of members on this site use with good results. Also don't get hung up with magnification. There is no point having a super high power eyepiece that when viewed the image is soft or blurred. You are much better having a slightly lower magnification that is sharp and well defined. Hope this helps

Hello and welcome to SGL Have you considered a refractor ? A refractor with a good reputation, especially for those on a budget is a SW 80 Ed. Keep a look out in the SGL sales page and you may see a good AP scope come up at sensible money. Hope this helps

Louis that is one "Big" eyepiece collection. Do you think you may have one or two eyepiece's to many 😀

Hello. This may or may not be of help? A lot of people cannot get a laser ,Cheshire/cap to agree. I know I have had this problem myself in the past . Astro baby's simple collimation guide is great. I would put the laser to one side. Follow astro baby's guide with the collimation cap/Cheshire once more. Then do a star test of the scope. If in clear good sky conditions you can get a good star test result, then you have successfully collimated. If this fails then I am sure there is an astro club or SGL member in the area that will have a look for you . Best of luck

Woow Olly , I am not an imager , but I can appreciate a stunning photo 👍

Hi . In light polluted Sky's you are going to struggle with binos. With the fainter fuzzies you need Dark Sky's and as much aperture as possible. In my light polluted Sky's you can be looking straight at them, and not be visible to the eye due to the light pollution washing these faint fuzzies out of view. Dark Sky's are where its at. I would keep a look out in the SGL sales section and get yourself a SW 200mm reflector, maybe on a dob mount, they come up at very sensible money used. And then make the effort and travel to a "Dark Site" the faint fuzzies that have been near impossible to find in light polluted areas ,will start to pop to the eyes. It really is worth the effort to travel to a Dark site for that Woow experience.

I would be careful on putting to much weight on the mount, better to edge on the side of caution. Otherwise you may damage an expensive mount,or at worse have a load of expensive kit on the ground if a serious failure occurs What sort of Sky's do you have where you live? Are you in a dark site area or light polluted skys As that is going to take a lot of setting up/balancing by yourself on an AZ ,if you need to travel. The best requirements for faint fuzzies, if that's your primary goal is "Dark Sky's" and as much aperture as you can manage. How about some type of quality ulta compact Dob in around the 18" Would make a manageable and great DSO hunter ,

As they say Two heads are better than one, you have a good mate their. Happy you got to the bottom of the problem👍

Your name should be Dick Turpin 😀 what a find , what a price If I was you then keep a look out for a reducer/flattener and have a go at AP with it, you may drop lucky and see one in the SGL sales at a bargain price. After a purchase like that you have nothing to loose, a great visual scope and with the ods and ends you may get some decent image's. Good luck 👍

Hello and welcome to SGL You seem to be torn between visual and AP. Personally I think you should be looking at two scopes. The short answer something like a SW 200mm , Dob for your visual. These 200mm reflector scopes are so versatile and great for planetary, DSO, and Luna and no budget busting either on your wallet. Probably the best bang for buck scope available. Look out in the SGL sales section, some great scopes at good prices For AP I would be looking at something like a SW 80 ED these scopes do come up at very sensible money second hand also . And a good 80ED has a great reputation for producing fine AP quality, . When it comes to mounts do not skip on quality here. Needs to be solid and accurate with tracking capabilities, or otherwise a quality scope will not produce the goods if matched to an inferior Mount. For AP also recommend the book "Every Photon Counts" Hope this helps

A lot of my experiences have been trial and error, finding out what my particular eyes like for the targets I am viewing. But by using more experienced astronomers successful and negative feedback on eyepieces as a bit of a guide. My particular eye's do not really feel the need for these hyper wide fov eyepiece's for the DSO targets and therefore I am more than happy with my 20mm nagler and Pentax XW for these targets. As for planetary and Luna. The Pentax XW work very well in both the reflector and refractor, and these eyepiece's fov seem great for my eyes preference. And the Pentax XW contrast and sharpness are so Ortho like. The set of BGO I have seem to work that bit better in my refractor than the reflector . And so BGO fov and sharpness are kept mostly for refractor use on planetary and Luna. And the BGO are so good on these targets, especially when you have those brief moments on near perfect seeing conditions (for the UK ) and the Ortho really comes into its own, due to the tight fov I prefer this on planetary as it seem to draw you in more and concentrate the eye on the planetary target better. The great thing with the BGO ortho also is that I have paired some up for binoviewing on the refractor. Personally I think eyepiece's not only need to be matched to the scope, but ones eyes own preference. Eyepiece's that work for others, may not work for your eyes . As we all have are own preference, but others experience can be a great starting point for a well put together eyepiece case.

Hi . Personally If you want a first "proper scope" then I think there is only one scope I would recommend. That's a reflector 200mn something like a SW. This can be on a dob mount or if you have a bit more money some sort of AZ. These scopes are just such good bang for buck, ideal Luna ,DSO , planetary. Just such good all round visual scopes ,and you can put your phone up to the eyepiece with a steady hand and take some Luna photos. These scopes can be picked up second hand at very sensible money. At a later date if you have a bit more in your budget and if you still want to do some AP then there is the refractor SW80ed, such a well respected AP scope at sensible money second hand I hope this helps