Eye piece suggestions please.

[sirmetin]

Ok I have decided I am getting a CPC925 as a first scope for my wife and me. There are several places that bundle plossl eye pieces with them and I will get the standard 40mm eyepiece. I am thinking that I will buy 2 or 3 with the scope at no more than £50 - £100 each. Both myself and my wife wear glasses. The choice here is if anything more daunting than the choice of scopes.

The first question is should I change the star diagonal for a di electric and if so should it be 2" or 1.25 I was looking at the WO ones.

The second question is what would be the best two/three starter sizes I should go for in addition to the 40mm

The third question is at this price range there seems to be a choice between slightly better optics or a wider field of view which should I go for to explore the skies in the easiest way.

The forth question is are there any makes I should prefer/avoid?

One other point I would like to thank all the people that have answered my other questions so far, there is no way I could have come to the decision I have and been so comfortable with it without that help. I even have my planned upgrade path for imaging laid out!

[sirmetin]

I have noted there are a couple of celestrons on offer at FLO at the moment an 8 and a 5 X cel ED would these be a good choice or am I better getting all from one range ? There is also a 7mm Axiom LX if I should invest in better quality at high mags?

[Austin]

Ive just purchased a couple of skywatcher ultra wide angle eyepieces and am extremely happy with them. They retail at about 30 quid each, but don't let the price fool you! they give outstanding views of most deep sky objects. I think the range includes 20, 15, 9 and 6mm eyepieces.

clear and dark

[brantuk]

Just a suggestion - why not get two ep's to go with the supplied one, and get a decent 2x barlow like the Celestron "Ultima" or Orion "Shorty Plus". Three ep's and the barlow will effectively give you 6 eyepieces total. The supplied ep with the 925 is a very acceptable quality. You'll need to work out the range of magnifications in your scope first though to get a good range with/without the barlow.

There's no immediate need to update the diagonal till you're a bit more comfortable with the scope and know what you want. Unless you've done some specific research and have a particular objective in mind that is. I have the WO dielectric diagonal - it's very good value for money and a good performer - the Celestron 2" diag is better but very expensive (imho).

"slightly better optics or a wider field of view?"

Allways go for best quality within budget - pick wider or narrower fov's depending on what object your looking at or imaging, and what you're trying to do with it.

For example - viewing large galaxies like M31 a low power high quality wide field is preferable - for planets/moon you may want something higher power, higher quality, but narrower to see specific details.

"are there any makes I should prefer/avoid?"

Prefer Televue, avoid Seben lol - it's a personal thing - try before you buy wherever possible. Hope that helps

[great_bear]

I have noted there are a couple of celestrons on offer at FLO at the moment an 8 and a 5 X cel ED would these be a good choice or am I better getting all from one range ? There is also a 7mm Axiom LX if I should invest in better quality at high mags?

The X-Cel EDs (and similar ones from other brands) have not been especially popular. However, the new X-Cel LX seem to be causing a lot of interest at the moment, and are in your price range:

First Light Optics - Celestron X-Cel LX eyepiece

There's a review here:

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/152365-new-celestron-x-cel-lx-18mm-eyepiece-review.html

It's probably worth avoiding the Axioms - they were a bit overpriced and have been relaunched as "Luminos" at a cheaper price, see here:

http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-discussion/151032-axiom-lx-meade-5000-swa-reborn.html?highlight=luminos

[umadog]

I don't have and SCT so hesitate to make a recommendation. However, one timeless tactic is to buy used and re-sell if you don't like. You'll loose little or no money in the process. You'll get better glass for your cash this way. You could even buy new and send back the EP if you don't like it. I did that once.

[Gradie]

You could even buy new and send back the EP if you don't like it. I did that once.

Whilst this applies to all internet retailers, some actually encourage it!

First Light Optics offer a no quibble return within 30 days for eyepieces and my experiences with them so far have been excellent.

With regards the 1.25" vs 2" diagonal, I believe on a 1.25" you wont get any extra field of view from a 40mm vs a 32mm (that's assuming you can even get 40mm in 1.25", I'm too much of a newbie to know!)

[John]

...With regards the 1.25" vs 2" diagonal, I believe on a 1.25" you wont get any extra field of view from a 40mm vs a 32mm (that's assuming you can even get 40mm in 1.25", I'm too much of a newbie to know!)

You can get 40mm eyepieces in the 1.25" fitting but you are quite right - they won't show you any more sky than a 32mm 1.25" does. It's the barrel size that ultimately limits the field width. This is where eyepieces in the 2" format come into their own of course

[Mr Spock]

Having a C9.25 myself, the lower cost option eyepiece I would recommend is the TMB planetary. 60° and very sharp - the one I have wasn't all that happy at f4.8 in a Newt, but is excellent in the C9.25's f10.

[sirmetin]

Are the wider field of view EPs principally of more use at the lower mag end ? Should I consider the F6.3 aperture reducer for viewing as well as imaging?

[JimStan]

The F:6.3 aperture reducer is an excellent tool for viewing as well as imaging ! Think of it as getting two accessories for the price of one. Of course, the price has doubled here in the States since I bought one for my C8 many years ago. But I keep it on the scope almost exclusively, since I am very interested in seeing DSO in the context of the star fields that surround them. The Orion Nebula, or M 31 are so much more attractive, if you can see some space surrounding the selected targets !

Just my personal opinion, but I don't think you could hardly go wrong by purchasing one!

Jim S

[rwilkey]

I have gone down the wide field , good eye-relief route and for me the Axioms are top quality, though I have never bought at the new price as out of my range, I got the 10mm second hand off ebay and the 23mm reduced at an astronomy fair, but I can recommend these, esp. if cheaper when in their reincarnation as 'Luminos', I have not tried the 7mm, but can say the 10mm is spectacular. The twist up eyecups are also very well engineered and very clever.