Which eyepiece to go for ??

[legoalan]

I was wondering which eyepieces to go for as they all seem the same to be Plossl eyepieces but with a slight price difference.

First Light Optics - Vixen NPL eyepieces

First Light Optics - Skywatcher SP Plossl eyepieces

First Light Optics - Celestron Omni Plossl Eyepiece

Can anyone recommend me which type of eyepiece is the best price for performance and, if possible, explain why there is a price difference (unless it's just branding) Right now I have a 150mm aperture 1400mm focal length scope, but I am very likely going to upgrade to a SW 200p dob very soon.

Appreciate any advice

Alan

[NGC 1502]

Hi Alan. Generally you get what you pay for. As price rises you tend to get better

edge performance ( could be an issue if you do upgrade to a 200p ) with some you

get longer eye relief ( more important if you wear glasses to observe ) and often

a wider apparent field of view.

To get a wide fov, sharp to the edge in a fast scope, and long eye relief is when

the price is steep.

The links you supplied mentions these issues, so is an honest

advert, it's what you get from a good supplier like FLO.

There are few real bargains (second hand is one) but a lot depends on what scope

the EPs will be used with, the glasses issue, your budget, and user preference.

The online review forums are usually a good source of info, and if you read a lot of

them, a general consensus of opinion emerges.

HTH, Ed.

[david o]

Hi Alan,

For the ins 'n' outs of choosing EPs, you might find these posts : [thread=80772]"Eyepieces - the very least you need"[/thread] and [thread=63184]"Understanding and choosing eyepieces"[/thread] a help in guiding you through the basics.

I'd be tempted not to buy anything for now, especially as you may soon be upgrading your kit - just use what comes with the 'scopes. With eyepiece time under your belt you'll know what needs replacing, or if there's a gap that needs filling.

HTH

[Ad Astra]

A good plan might be to go out observing with the local club. Chances are you may see some of these very EP's there, and have a chance to have a go with someone else's kit before you buy.

Reviews are nice, but there is nothing like a test drive!

Dan

[GeorgeB]

I've got some of the Celestron Omni's and would advise that you avoid buying the 9mm and 6mm ones as they have very tight eye relief and are horrible to use for any length of time as they simulate tunnel vision perfectly. The 32mm Omni is pretty good and tends to be the one that I use most often for those wide-field vistas along with my 7mm Baader Genuine Ortho for close up planetary viewing.

[twotter]

I have a mix of GSO Revelation and Meade 4000 Series plossls, which I use with my 200P dob. Out of those two types I prefer the GSO Revelation - they give similar views to the Meades, but are cheaper (around £30-£35), and have the barrel retaining groove (which I like to use).

Out of the three you've listed I'd be tempted by the Vixens (they look cool & I've read posts by people who have them and they say good things), the Celestrons (again good reports on these - but there is a focal length gap between 15 & 32mm), then the Skywatchers (they don't look to be much of an upgrade over the standard supplied EPs).

[legoalan]

Thanks for all the advices, I guess I will have to read the eyepiece threads more carefully this time =P

So the skywatchers ones arent really much of an upgrade then? Fair enough, I guess I might try and check out the other two first then =D

[legoalan]

By the way, towtter, where did you get them GSO revelations just out of curiosity, and would you actually recommend them? Thanks =D