cajen2

Quite a lot of cloud here so I contented myself with practising with the new scope and mount and giving first light to my two new EPs: the Baader Hyperion Mk IV zoom and the Morpheus 17.5mm. The zoom is superb: very smooth action and sharp, clear views - better than a lot of fixed EPs I've tried! The only downside was the small FOV at 24mm, but the Baader isn't alone in that. It was great to be able to zoom in and out on areas of the Moon and the Beehive Cluster, where I often wish a fixed EP was a slightly smaller or larger image. The new Morpheus is just brilliant. Baader really outdid itself with this one. Once I have enough clear sky, I'm going to do a comparison between it at 1.25" and my Long Perng (StellaLyra) 2" 80° 20mm. Should be interesting.

Of course I do, but the Starfield is so good that there are compensations.

Then when you've done your back in shifting an enormous dob, you decide to downsize and get a nice little frac......(this is what I've done). You appreciate that sharp frac view, tell yourself you did the right thing, then slowly but inexorably miss the big aperture and f/l.....and so it goes, round and round, till bankruptcy looms.😉

Ah, but the Celestron is a lot prettier! 😉😆

If you mean the UFF, I have no idea. The Celestron in question is the Ultima Edge and it's 70° FOV.

All true.....but I'm not quite so sure about 'non-competitive' 😛 There are those for whom competition in gear is the air they breathe....

And the SL UFF (and all its clones) is 550g, compared with 1410g for the ES - almost three times heavier. I have the Celestron version and it's one of my favourite EPs.

If you're trying to upgrade the view it gives, a 30mil UFF (APM, Celestron Ultima Edge, StellaLyra et al) is a great EP - sharp image and like it says on the tin, flat FOV. Not much improvement in FOV width though (70°).

No, most of us have "not enough telescopes"! 😉

What sort of load do you think you'll be using? Mine seems quite happy with my Starfield 102 (5.2kg fully loaded).

The 150p Heritage is certainly small and light enough to fit in a carry-on bag, plus a small mount / tripod (don't forget it comes with a dovetail). I'd have thought your AZ5 would be fine.

A couple of Baaders: A 17.5mm Morpheus. I've always wanted one of these - supposed to be the best in a great EP range. It'll join my 6.5, 9 and 12.5mm. Plus a Mark IV Hyperion Zoom from @Pixies thanks Neil.

Thank you both for your insights. I'll try the telecentric with both the Morpheus 9 and 6.5 mm and see how it goes first.

That's what I thought but I supposed I'd better check....

In my case, I need the max eye relief so the eyecup on my XW 5mm stays down.

But neither affects exit pupil?

Yes, as I said in my OP, I will need to wear glasses. Taking into account eye relief, FOV and cost, the XW does seem the best compromise. Or I could Barlow my Morpheus 6.5 mil. I'm a bit hazy on the difference in effect of a Barlow v. a focal extender. I already have a 2x ES Focal Extender. Would that be better or worse for exit pupil than a standard Barlow?

I'm after a decent short f/l EP for my new-to-me Starfield 102 ED. Currently, my shortest f/l is my Pentax XW 5mm, giving me 143x and I'm sure the Starfield will handle more. It must have good eye relief and a medium to wide FOV so I can wear glasses with it and not be silly money! I've considered an XW 3.5, which coincidentally would give me exactly 204x (twice the aperture) but has anyone got any other recommendations?

Nice report, SUM. Your description of the 5mil XW chimes with mine: eye position can be tricky - good EP otherwise. I find my Morpheus 6.5mm much easier to use. Maybe we'd both be happier with a Morph 4.5mm (159x in my Starfield).

I decided to go home in a brief break in the rain to pack the kit away. Sorry I couldn't say goodbye to everyone but the talk was on. Had a great time and the few hours of observing between clouds under such a dark sky made it all worth it - plus of course meeting so many nice people! ✨

I know....and so I've always cast covetous eyes on it. I already had a perfectly good 18mm 68° SL but the temptation was just too much for me. 😉

It depends.....the problem is there's no standardisation of spelling 😛 If you're British, the 's' is usual. Heathen Americans, though, use the 'z'.....😛😆

I have three already, I've just ordered the 4th (the 17.5) but my existing EPs cover other f/ls so that might be it.

Oww....I'd gone to bed and so missed it! 😡

Well, it's my favourite EP range as I don't want to spend silly money. In fact, I intend to get the 17.5 Morph and replace my 68° 18mil SL.