cajen2

All this debate is moot: Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams. There was only one of him, so a plural is a nonsense! 😄

Surely that should be Morpheuses? On the same principle as "buses"?

But perhaps @almclis right: there looks to be some truss tube projecting below the screw.

Note to anyone interested in a zoom: the Hyperion is good: nice sharp images and not much dimming effect. What it ISN'T is parfocal - a lot of focusing is needed when you change mag. It's great for finding something at low mag and then zooming in without needing to change EP. Edit: the parfocal comment is not true: see my later post.🤭

My OVL Hyperion zoom has arrived so I've been out playing with that. Talk about an ideal test: I had the moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus all in a line! I put the Svbony 6mm on and called my partner to take a look (she's taken zero interest in stargazing so far!). She was gobsmacked as to what we could see: "I can see the rings on Saturn!" "Oh my god, the moon looks so clear!" etc. I think she just expected some fuzzy points of light!

If it is the 130p flextube, I don't think you'll regret it (I have its bigger brother, the 150p). Have a look on here for cheap and easy ways to improve it (making a light shield, sorting out the focuser) and it makes an easy-to-store or carry, versatile scope.

Thanks for that, though I'm quite used to long eye relief with my Vixen NPL 30mm (nearly an inch).

I think the limiting factor, certainly with the dobs, is the poor quality eyepieces that they come with. The Skywatcher 100p or 130p dobs have good parabolic mirrors, which means they're easily upgraded later with better- quality eyepieces if your child shows an interest.

Hi. The scope that SSC suggested is on what's called a Dobsonian tabletop mount. You'd find it incredibly easy to transport and use: you just point it and go. I bought my daughter a similar one except it's the 100p version, which is slightly larger but will give better images. I myself have the 150p (about twice the size). Any one of these would make ideal starter scopes.

I wouldn't mind betting the Svbony and BST won't get used much once the Pentax, OVL and ES come....

Well, an update for anyone interested. I now have a right old mixture of EPs from different companies: 6mm Svbony - supposed to be wide-field 8mm BST Starguider 30mm Vixen NPL (all very good, especially the Vixen) and waiting for delivery: OVL Hyperion zoom (used) ES Focal extender' and madly, a Pentax XW 14mm....... couldn't resist the discount! I just had to have a quality medium-length EP. Hopefully, that'll be it for a while! 🤭

I resisted...... I resisted some more....... "No, no," I said, "you mustn't..." Then I ordered a Pentax while the discount was on... 😳 An eyepiece that costs nearly as much as the scope, even after the discount....stupid boy! I really wanted a quality mid-range f/l. I went for the 14mm.

Yes, I ordered 2mm, which turned out to be too thin. If I have to remake mine, I'll use 3mm.

A) I've never had a sub f/5 scope I've never used a TV Plossl So short answer, no idea!😧

The more I use my Vixen 30mm NPL, the more impressed I am with it. Clear, sharp image, no coma and a huge eye relief. I reckon it would Barlow very well. This isn't just a Plossl.... it's a Vixen Plossl!

I seem to have gone absolutely berserk .... I decided to upgrade my home-made eyepiece and accessories box and had a look on line. I found a Clas Ohlsen flight case with pick foam for £39: "That'll do," I thought. Talk about over engineering - it's huge, solid, waterproof and looks like it would survive a small nuclear explosion. It even has a pressure-equalising valve for flights! What great VFM - my small EP collection is lost in it!

This was 2mm closed cell: far too thin. I've knocked up another one from what I had left over, but I don't think it'll last long. I'll buy some 3 or 4mm next time.

I agree with @bosun21: if the size or portability of the SL or Bresser are not an issue, then go for one of those. I've recently bought the SW Heritage 150p and: pros: light and very easy to store or stow away. cons: you'll need some form of light shield if you suffer from street lighting, etc (most people make their own). The helical focuser and RDF aren't ideal. I'm happy with the SW as size and stowability is important to me, so I get the max aperture for the size.

Hi et bienvenue a SGL, Etienne! Well, if that's a beginner's first attempt at imaging, how good are your pix going to be after a bit more experience?!😄

Well, the super-deluxe (etc) light shield didn't last long - it tore tonight while I was setting up. Without it, seeing was problematic with a lot of reflections from street lights. One of the disadvantages of a skeletal dob, I suppose. Big shame as otherwise, seeing was good: even Sirius didn't look so much like a glitter ball! So, job for tomorrow: make another light shield. If that doesn't work, I'll have to order thicker foam.

Indeed. Trying to take an active part in the forum.

Thanks for that, but I can't access this yet 😥 Just a few more days....

Can't say I've had that problem, STA, at least not yet! Perhaps yours is particularly, er......floppy? 😧😄

Has anyone used one of these? I have a SW Heritage 150p Flextube dob and fancy a reasonable-quality zoom. I believe the OVL and Svbony are the same EP if you buy the 7.2- 21.6 version.

I received the 8mm one yesterday and, amazingly, had a clear spell to test it out last night!😧 Thought it was great VFM.