JOC

I hadn't considered that there might be instances when there could be benefit to a smaller field of view - that's a different thing to think about.

well it's not quite space, but James Bond had an autogyro that took him into the sky called Little Nelly

I must admit I've never quite seen the practicality of caster wheels on a Dob mount unless they very positively lock into place with no flexion or wobble - I get that they make moving the larger Dobs into a basic viewing position easier, but surely such things would work against the movement of the scope?

What a great discussion folks, I love the number of replies with a 'but' in the answers! I probably don't really have to sell any of them unless I get really hard up, but it's going to be interesting to see how many of them I start to favour and how many naturally fall out of use. I wonder if any will start be favourites for certain types of objects - for example, the Morpheus is great on the moon! Also, there is an outside chance that some nights I might take the little vixen OTA out as well and then might be pleased that I have some duplicates, I guess it might even be the case that some are better in the baby Vixen and some better in the Dob.

I guess what you are having to focus on is the image appearing on the surface of the glass at the eye side of the EP, i.e. that distance that the eye-relief is measured to on an EP. Presumably you adjust the focus of the EP to place a crisp image on the EP top lens surface. Therefore presumably what you want is close up spectacle lenses to see that distance? With varifocals this is awkward as the close up part is one on part of the lens surface.

It must be awkward to use just one eye for something like astronomy or shooting if you are wearing what I will term 'bifocal' contact lenses, this is when one eye wears a distance lens and the other wears a short distance lens and the brain compensates!

Whilst I hate them I have worn glasses for over 30 years. I have tried to view through the EP without them and yes I can reach focus though I am aware that the astigmatism is harder to accommodate. I guess I can view through the telescope adequately without them, but I become very aware that I don't have them on and as the others have said there are periodic occasions where you need to be able to see when you are not looking through the EP and I def. can't manage without them in those situations. It is almost as I though I don't think I can see through the EP when I am not wearing them and this is sufficient of a distraction that I tend to use them for viewing.

Ah, well you see I am in that camp - I ditched a 8mm TV plossl because I couldn't see through it - no matter how good the quality is if I can't see through it I can't appreciate the quality.

Through luck (if you call it luck - the bank balance might disagree) I am acquiring some useful EP's. I have some thoughts on some of these and wondering if I still need some of them - thoughts would be useful - listed in order of magnification. EP's 1.25" 10mm & 26mm Boxed Plossls; (AFOV unknown, eye relief unknown - need to keep these to sell if the telescope is ever sold in the future) Celestron Omni Plossl 1.25" 32mm; 50 degree AFOV, 22mm eye relief (this provides a useful low magnification view) Meade 4000 Super Plossl 15mm; 52 degree AFOV, 9mm eye relief (with its low eye relief this shouldn't be easy to look through, but it is - I like the eye piece and it works splendidly in my Barlow - this is a keeper) 14mm Baader Morpheus 76"; 76 degree AFOV, approx. 20mm eye relief (My first 'fancy EP' - it's like walking across the surface of the moon - too physically heavy to be usefully Barlowed, but this is a keeper) 12mm Meade 5000; 60 degree AFOV, 19.6mm eye relief (Just got this, haven't had a chance to try it, but think I will be impressed - I hope it should be as easy to look through as the Morpheus and am expecting this to be a keeper) TV 11mm Plossl; 50 degree AFOV, 8mm eye relief (this is the one I'm thinking of losing - but it is my only bit of green and black - am I right in thinking that the 12mm Meade 5000 should provide a superior experience? I do have EP's that are easier to look through with my glasses on and if I sold this it would go towards the cost of the recently purchased Meade 5000 and BST ) 8mm BST Star Guider; 60 degree AFOV, 16mm eye relief (Just got this, haven't had a chance to try it, but think I will be impressed - should be nearly as easy to look through as the Morpheus and am expecting this to be a keeper) I do also have a Barlow on hand What do you think, given the fist full above, would the TV Plossl be a great loss? Do you think I will still get use from it given the other EP's available?

How about Gemini?

OK, I've just been outside to look and its about as cloudy and murky and dull and non-starry as its possible to get.

I use a dual mount with a RDF and a RACI - I have the RACI spot on and use this for fine tuning after I find something with the RDF. With this combo I find anything I can physically see in the sky (RDF's are not normally magnified) in about 30 seconds flat. If I had to pick a single finder I'd go the red dot one and I'm just using the el cheapo SW one - just a dot - no actual circles like the telrads have

That is exactly what I have. I got mine 2nd hand on the auction site. If you go for I find that it works fine. At higher heights the seat becomes angled downwards, but I don't find this problematical. I have a bright coloured plastic shower cap that I put over the seat to make it wipeable if its a bit dewy when you set it up - the size is about right. What you need to know is that to change the seat height you have to physically unscrew a bolt (it is hand driven) remove said bolt and re-introduce the system at the new height. I find this takes a certain amount of time and in the dark is slightly more of a challenge - its not a difficult process by any stretch of the imagination, but is a sufficient bind that I don't adjust it very often. The bolt could possibly be changed for a straight bar with a hole and R clip in one end I suppose which may make things a little easier. What I tend to do is to leave the ironing chair set on fairly high. I also got two plastic bar stools from the same auction site similar to these ones http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-Breakfast-Bar-Stool-Swivel-Kitchen-Massage-Stools-4-Types-Gas-Lift-Chairs-P-/192286024332?var=&epid=2194249900&hash=item2cc523e28c:g:9GAAAOSw7z1Z6E9L Mine aren't quite the same, but they have shiney solid white plastic tops with just a curved seat. I only paid a tenner each for the, I keep one set low and one set high. They are fairly portable and have a gas stutt in them - I keep them under my car port. With all three outside I can perch at most heights that are useful.

The trick I find with red dot finders is to sort of keep both eyes open, you have to sort of get your eye aligned with the screen the red dot is on, but you can also see the star behind the screen since the background is clear and not magnified. The idea is that you align the finder (by means of manual screw adjustment of its position) with an object central in the eye piece view (this is easier to learn in the daytime) then, by aligning your eye so you can superimpose the red projection on the screen and line it up with the object behind it, you are effectively lining up the telescope with this view. Mine doesn't have all those circles (which are apparently useful for star-hopping (they represent a given distance between stars that some books and charts refer to), I just have a single red dot and I think it's easier to see the object behind with this, but each person gets on with their version I think. I actually have two finders on a dual bracket - one is my red dot which puts me more or less onto an object, and then I have a magnified Right angle correct image optical finder that is the one that is spot on with my eyepiece. I know that if I can see something in the red dot finder view that it will be in the optical finder and if I then adjust the view so the object is spot in the centre of the optical finder that it will be spot on in the eye piece. With this system I can find any object I can see with the naked eye in about 30 seconds.

I named my black, long haired, GSD 'Bramble' - I haven't had the chance to name many of my dogs as the rescue ones often come with their own names, but I bought Bramble as a puppy, my bro bought his litter brother and somewhat conventionally called him Sam. We currently have two rescued GSD's called Storm and Ruby and are quite convinced that they are mother and daughter.