Ags

7 hours ago, Fozzie said:

You could get the 15mm and 12mm SLV

I definitely need the full football team!

I might just get a BST 8 mm to fill the gap. They seem to be likable and competent eyepieces. Maybe that will tide me over until Vixen release an SLV 8 mm!

I'm definitely not going down the binoviewer route as I am completely unsuccessful in looking simultaneously down both sides of a binocular. I always have double vision however hard I try, and I always end up closing or ignoring one eye. In fact I've been looking for a good monocular for a while. It is possible that binoviewing might work better than binoculars because of the more stable and comfortable viewing position, but I think I will wait and try it before spending any money!

I think opinions, personal preferences and standards will always differ, but what I have taken away from this thread is that the SLVs hit the target focal length for me and seem to have sufficient optical fidelity. I can't find a bad word about them optically. Eye relief and comfort are good, and that is important as I often share the view with casual observers. And the field of view is Plossl-like, so not too narrow. OK, build quality may not be quite at Televue standards, but the same goes for my other eyepieces too! It is just a shame there is no SLV 7 or 8 mm... why the crazy gap between 6 and 9 mm? 

Other eyepieces may be better, and in all likelihood I will never know one way or the other, but I'm pretty confident that the 12 mm SLV would be good enough for me, especially if I can pick one up second hand. If I like it, I might get the 10 and 6 too! But what to do about that gap at 8??? ?

Lots of interesting thoughts on this thread. I had not been aware of the Vixen SLVs and they sound ideal, although it's a shame they do not have an 8mm.

Pentax XFs come in 12 and 8.5mm focal length, which suits my master plan, but I have read mixed reviews of them.

Televue plossls come in 11 and 8mm which is also good, but they are overpriced given their historical pricing. Eye relief is also not great.

Ortho's have the same comfort issue and I think they won't be popular with my family and friends.

So it comes down to SLV vs XF... Or maybe SLV 12mm and XF 8.5mm?

Ok, just read John's review..... Forget ortho's. SLV! SLV! SLV!

In the longer term, and with a heavy-duty mount under it, that would be a very yummy scope. 

I have tried Jupiter at 111x in my Newt and found that to be quite detailed despite the low magnification. It was hard to judge as the mount wasn't up to the task! Subjectively the image "felt" as big as the 150x equivalent in a 102mm mak, probably because of the better resolution and brightness.

I think I am just about sold on the ortho plan, but what about the Televue plossl option at 8mm and 11mm? Some claim they can complete with orthoscopics... They fit in my stated budget, but I'm aware that TV used to sell these for a lot less, so that annoys me a bit.

Then I would have (with ? marking the oculars I actually currently own):

• ES 24/68 ?
• Nirvana 16/82
• Ortho/Plossl 11-12.5
• Speer WALER 9.4/82 ?
• Ortho/Plossl 8
• ES 6.7/82 ?

And this would be for a Skymax 127 and an ST80 (which might eventually get replaced with a 70mm-ish apo).

The Speer WALER is currently my go-to eyepiece for planets, but it's not ideal as it suffers a bit from scatter and reflections. I used to have a Hyperion 17mm which operated at 9mm with fine tuning rings and that performed far better on planets.

That was my thinking (and was the reason I got the newt), but mounting the 150PDS was a problem. Besides, I didn't like the hairy stars Newts show. So I have gone back to smaller scopes. Guess I just like maks. But I do think of a C6 as the biggest exit pupil option for me...

Yes, I have my eye on the Kokusai ortho line. Gotta squeeze every drop of performance out of my little maks!

It's the binopaying I object to! I know 120x is not a lot, but I already have a 9.4mm eyepiece. If I could find an 8mm ortho for the top end, my life would be complete!

I do find Jupiter at opposition is quite observable at 120x, and the brighter image helps to show the colors of the planet even if the image is on the small side. However for me the problem at smaller exit pupils  is I only get a few seconds before floaters settle on my lens and completely block the view, so although the scope might be able to deliver more than 120x, my eyes can't!

I think eye relief for a 12.5mm ortho would be around 9mm? Which would be OK I think. The use would be on a 102mm/127mm mak on a mount with tracking (AZ GTi). The idea is to have a 1mm exit pupil to minimise floaters. I'd prefer a bigger exit pupil but that would need a larger telescope!

I am looking for the best planetary eyepiece with a focal length of 12mm and a price of around EUR 100 new or used. 11-12.5mm are possible too.

I have thought of BST Starguiders at the cheaper end or these:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8858_Kokusai-Kohki-Fujiyama-HD-OR-12-5mm---a-classical-Abbe-ortho.html

Or maybe this is all I need?

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p148_TS-Optics-Super-Ploessl-Eyepiece-12-mm-1-25-.html

Or maybe one of these will come up second hand?

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1615_Pentax-XF-12mm---high-quality-allround-eyepiece-with-60--FoV---suitable-for-bino-v.html

Came home from an all-day inburgeringsexamen (Dutch immigration exam) to find a delivery waiting for me.

My ST80 is too good for a SkyWatcher extension tube, so today I got a 20cm Berlebach UNI extension tube.

Actually, the only reason I didn't get the slightly cheaper SkyWatcher one is that its thread is slightly recessed and the Berlebach Report bolt will not fully engaged - @Helen had a narrow escape with her solar scope.

Anyway the Berlebach UNI one looks much nicer! And now the tripod has a much better eyepiece height and more doorway-friendly leg spread.

I can't tell you anything about the exam in connection with the geheimhoudingsplicht!

2 hours ago, RiponJas said:

Does satisfy the ocd tendencies doesn't it?? ? 

I can't help feeling I "need" all the ES 82° 1.25" eyepieces. Even though I clearly don't...

I do like a row of matching eyepieces!

Netflix. Has. Every. Star. Trek. Episode. Ever.

I have the Pocket Sky Atlas, very good indeed!

Robtics in Holland included a free keyring red torch in my most recent order ?

Giant Moon Map. Gonna larn them craters.

I used to be a Musk fan, not anymore. I'm surprised a billionaire can't afford to be polite and respectful.

... But I'm still a SpaceX fan.

Re: hiring Americans. Only hiring Americans is usual in the US space sector, national security and all that.

I applaud your energy!

It must feel good to get some vertical parts done!

Look! Cloud granules!

I need a bumper sticker for my ST80: "My other scope is a Tak!"

Mak on GoTo makes a lot of sense. They have such narrow FOV it is hard to find faint stuff manually, so GoTo helps. Maks aren't bad on DSOs, my 102 mm Mak is about as bright as my 80mm frac for star clusters and nebulae, and shows very pure star colors too.