40mm (ish) EP help please

[Mr Noble]

Hi,

I did just have a good search for info but didn't find anything specific.

I'm after a wider view for general viewing and locating and just wonder if I could be recommended a good 40mm EP.

I have a CPC800 8" F10 Celestron scope with a 9x50 finder (although I usually get away just with my laser pointer)

Then I have just a pair of EP's which pretty much do all I want.

Skywatcher Hyperflex 7.5 - 22mm zoom (skopes and skies told me this was made by skywatcher, but there is no brand name on it at all - is that odd/wrong?)

Unbranded 32mm plossl.

I feel sometimes looking at globs/ DSO's and general hunting about, that the 32 is not quite wide enough.

Would a 40mm be the best way to go? If so, which one is best please.

I also think I need a moon filter as I almost burnt my retina out last week when I went from DSO viewing to the moon - ouch!!!

Oh, and I also got a WO Dielectric 90 degree diagonal which has very funky carbon sides! I didn't buy it just for that reason though

Many thanks.

I'll also appreciate any other advice on lenses.

[Demonperformer]

You will probably find that any 40mm e/p will have no greater fov than a 32mm e/p. This is due to the limitations in construction giving the 40mm e/p an intrinsically smaller fov. IMO you will be better off with a good 32mm e/p.

[brantuk]

I use a William Optics 40mm Swan - it's a very nice and affordable eyepiece but it's a huge grenade shaped thing - and weighty. Trouble is the fov in Sct's tend to be narrow so you'd need to work out the numbers to check you aren't wasting the view with 40mm. I use mine mostly in the dob I have to admit.

[GazOC]

You will probably find that any 40mm e/p will have no greater fov than a 32mm e/p. This is due to the limitations in construction giving the 40mm e/p an intrinsically smaller fov. IMO you will be better off with a good 32mm e/p.

Thats only true of 1.25" Plossl type eyepieces. A 2", 40mm eyepiece will give a wider FOV than a 2" 32mm eyepiece and a 1.25 40mm ortho will better a 1.25" 32mm ortho

[Demonperformer]

Gaz

Thanks for the correction of my (based on limited experience) comments. Not my intention to mislead OP.

[Capricorn]

DP is right that a 1.25" 40mm will not supply any greater view then a 1.25" 32mm.

A 2" eyepiece may well do so but I believe that the CPC's are all 1.25 eyepiece units and to replace with a 2" diagonal unit will cost lots more then an eyepiece. So in effect the use of 2" eyepieces is irrelevant to the scope.

Will add that 2" eyepieces are scary. They are big, very big.

I cannot recall having seen a WA 30mm eyepiece advertised, although an hour spent with a search engine may turn one up.

If you want something out of th ordinary in the plossl line look up: Russell Optics & Machine Think they make a 53 or 56 mm plossl.

Don't ask what they are like I have no idea.

Follow DP's suggestion and get a good 32mm

As to the zoom you have, every chance that it is the same as a Skywatcher, you will find that one design appears in more then one form/brand.

The question has to be the QA on them. I wonder if, like electronics, an automated test is performed and they are graded accordingly. Top grade being one brand, and so on down the line. Easy enough to put them on a test bed, laser through the base and a ccd camera and software identifying the grade. All done in say 2 seconds or less.

[GazOC]

Theres no "may well do" about it....

[Mr Noble]

Thanks for the usual top tips and help guys - a great forum you all have here!

So it seems that I may as well just stick with the two EP's that I have now.

They seem to give great results so I have no reason to upgrade them really.

Thanks again.

GN

[Gina]

Agreed. Don't upgrade until you find you are really dissatisfied and have found the particular aspect you're dissatisfied with. Best to be sure before splashing out. You might find you want something a bit better than you thought and the extra saving time will give you more resources.