Stardaze

My most used is definitely the 13mm too, but I always found the jump to 8mm quite a lot. Tricky to know without trying I guess.

I think a lot depends on the 10mm or 13mm decision. If I go with the 1.41 calculation then, 20-14-10-7 are the steps. Will 20 to 10 be too much of a jump, is the question (64x to 127x so a doubling) ? 10mm provides the 2mm exit pupil. I will definitely add a 30 later on. I like the 100 degree view of my 13 and so of 10mm were to be the most used medium mag EP, I'd be better off cashing in the 13 and going Ethos on the 10mm.... I'll sleep on that some more...

Thanks Don. I am wondering whether 20/10/7 might be the natural selection. It’s the 10mm that I haven’t used yet. Maybe the 10mm needs to be 100 deg on that basis?

Ive just set up a couple of new eye pieces in readiness for delivery and was just looking at the fov indicators on a popular double star and noticed it doesn’t represent the typical mag that would split this double? Wondering whether it’s me (likely) or a quirk in the software. At medium power in my 10” dob I know that I can split Algeiba, yet the rings below represent 10mm and 13mm on the outer? Even at 254x it doesn’t represent the split?

A PM could reduce mine by a couple if I were to replace the 5mm with one. A 10 and 7 would mate well for those planetary high mags. I’m not too bothered about a 3.5mm so I’ll stick to the plan. If I can find a good secondhand E13 later in the year I’ll be futureproofed, which is part of the plan.

And did you end up buying the intermediate FL’s in the end, too? So 8mm/13mm. I guess the 13mm is my base too which gives 197x.

I keep contemplating a camera bag. I’m about to outgrow my small case so have to buy something soon, which one is that, looks very well padded?

I didn't think so, but thought you guys knew something I didn't for a moment there 😀

Well, I'm pretty committed now as the 8mm and 6.7mm have sold.. So my idea of a lineup would be: 30 41x. 6mm ep 20 64x. 4mm 13 98x. 2.6mm 10 127x. 2mm 7 181x. 1.4mm 5. 254x. 1mm 3.5. 363x. 0.7mm Looks great from an exit pupil perspective but there are some large jumps from 7mm down. I agree that a 3.5 wouldn't be used much and so bottom of the shopping list for sure. It's a massive jump as Don highlights from the 5mm but it does provide a 32x magnification? Even 5mm to 7mm is a large jump. @Louis DI've never thought of a 40mm as being of use really as it gives an 8mm exit pupil but magnification of 32x? Obviously some of that light will be wasted but is the FOV with a filter possibly still worth it?

Thanks Jerry, I'm going to do exactly this. Just taken some pics of the EP's that will need new homes to fund this direction, thanks for your input, appreciated. Eventually I can see me swapping the APM 13 for an Ethos for those big views, that will future-proof me for sure.

I think I recall you buying it now you mention for travelling. I'm not in any rush just yet, I think anything else will compromise my views a little anyway, but would sure be great for those quick, last minute sessions. Be handy for lunar and planets in the main too.

Once I have my EP case where I want it to be (couple of filters to add too mind) I would like a frat to complement the dob. I love the idea of being able to get the whole of the Veil into view.

The FOV is slightly more but the exit pupil difference was more the idea given filter use. It should provide a welcome boost of brightness with the 0III. I didn't realise you had one.

Yes I realise that shorter than 5mm would be for very infrequent use so wasn't on the priority list just now. The HR does get excellent reviews and is a little more specialist I've noted, have they been discontinued now though? I want to get the 5mm-13mm options plugged for now. A long way off but I'd also like to dabble with a APM 30 too. Trying to get it right and buy once. 🙂

Looking at the 1mm drop does now highlight a gap here. I'll maybe put my funds here instead. That said, the impending few months might be better invested into the shorter end to enjoy some lunar and planets. Maybe the XW 3.5/5/7 combo with a 10mm Delos works better too.

So my 13mm provides 2.6mm so is in the ball-park, but there's quite a gap to the 8mm (1.6mm) on that basis. I think that from 10mm and below, I am happy to sacrifice FOV for a better presentation. I'm not totally convinced with the eye positioning of my XW but then it's been a while since I used it (mostly for Mars last year) and it could just be down to a difference to my other EP's, regular use will no doubt solve it. Thanks for your input. I'm glad you've responded Neil as your collection and reasoning behind what you use has struck a chord with me for a while, I think you may have also mentioned the 2mm when you bought your Delos. I do use the APM 13 and 20 the most for sure but there is a very noticeable drop in brightness from the 13 to 8, it can sometimes take me a while to acclimate to that. The Delos 10 has looked quite interesting to me too but following @Ricochet advice, I'd need a 6.5/7 to plug the gap to the XW5 (Delos offering 8mm/6mm of course). Thanks for the info, plenty to mull over and in the end, I guess there's no substitute for trying something. I'll look in to the Fuji Ortho's too.

I'm debating my next EP purchase and thought I'd glean some info surrounding the above. Currently I have: APM XWA 20 & 13, Ethos 8, ES 6.7 82, XW 5 all for a 10" f5 dob. I have been thinking of moving the ES 6.7 on and tidying the high power element up, maybe an E6 or Delos 6 and eventually a 3.5 too. The XW 5 is a big jump from the 8mm. The other point that I have been deliberating is the mention of a 2mm exit pupil as being perfection for DSO hunting, which I really enjoy. I have thought of adding a Baader Classic 10mm ortho, maybe the 6mm too if I like it, as a cost-effective intro for me here. So, how does a 10mm stack up amongst this lot in your opinion? 13mm - x98 10mm - x127 8mm - x159 6mm - x211 5mm - x254

Great report and love your shared excitement. I spent some time last year viewing the veil following my first night with it too. It's certainly one of my favourites and there's plenty to keep taking in - can't wait until August to see it properly again here.

Great work everyone. I was envious of the conditions as I had to retreat early last night given an early start today. Typically, it looks dire for the week ahead as the night is drawing in quickly.

The 22T4 Nagler is held in very high regard I understand John, yet noted that @Louis Dfound there to be some kidney beaning evident in that model too. Was it something you noticed yourself? Apologies to the OP for slightly veering away from the EP under debate, but it’s interesting that even some high-end EP’s seem prone to this too.

I actually didn’t like the solid cup of the BST and wonder whether there’s a correlation there for me with the XW, maybe I prefer a cup with a medium stiffness? I do find the ES cup too soft. It doesn’t bother me so much with the 6.7 as you tend to be very tight to the lens with longer focal lengths and don’t nestle into the eye socket. There’s definitely some preference for different folks.

Noted sir 😉

And do you think that there's something in the eye relief design, where preference is concerned? The likes of ES and TV are a softer cup; Pentax and BST are a very solid design with no flex; OVL/Morpheus/APM all have a similar 'middle of the road' in terms of stiffness than the other two? Length aside, I wonder whether it affects eye placement in general? All that said, acknowledging Louis’ post on kidney beaning, it looks like many models are affected to a degree regardless of brand/cost, some of those pictures posted looked very slight, which some people may detect more than others? I definitely had issues with blackouts the first couple of times using the XW 5, took a while to get used to that EP.

Interestingly I had an ES 24, and still do have an ES 6.7 82 deg but, the bit I'm not so keen on is the eye cup. For me, it's a bit too flimsy as I like to lean into them, it just folds up under a little pressure and isn't very long anyway. As far as eye placement is concerned, haven't personally noted anything detrimental. Maybe someone with more experience is better placed to comment.

Only just stumbled across this thread. Interesting link above but my own experiences of ultra wide follow similar. I have found some EP's take me a while to acclimatise to and funnily enough the least widest I own, XW 5, is the most difficult for eye placement where I do get black outs depending. The eye cup seems to affect where I want to be (noting that the Pentax eye relief is a much more solid type than all of my others) and I find myself hovering, or lightly resting, with that EP instead of nestling it into the socket as per my 100 degree EP's, even though the cup is as far raised as possible. I seem to have acclimatised best to my two APM 100 degree EP's but you do have to roll your head around to take them all in. I use the 13 and 20 for so much of my viewing that when I use something else, it can take a little time to readjust, but that's just my own time served that I think that's due to.