2" limbo - Where next?

[russ.will]

EPs as per my signature.

My 32mm Panaview is fantastically easy to use and provides nice, natural, wide field views. It doubles up as my finder in concert with the multi reticule RDF. I've had peeks through wider FOV eyepieces, but find them akin to sitting too close to a large plasma screen. Yes, sharp, yes big, but too wide field to be comfortable.

My 8mm TMB 'designed' EP is equally easy to use with the screw up eye cup set to the right eye relief. It's cheap, but I can't knock it.

The problem is the Revelation Astro 26mm 2". I had hoped that the Rev and the SW, barlowed, would give me 32, 26, 16 and 13mm. Thus, a 20mm EP would go some way to plugging the gaps. However, I don't get on with the Rev. It kidney beans or blacks out like a mad thing. I get things centered using the 32mm Panaview, try the Rev for a tighter view and end up just reverting to the Panaview. The Rev has to go.

So, the 32mm 2" Panaview is a keeper, as is the TMB 8mm. I have a 2" ED 2x barlow that I also like. Unscrew the nosepiece and attach to a 2" EP and it gives 1.6x and acts as a mild field flattener, so I like that too.

My question is that, given £200 to spend, what would you suggest, in an f5 scope, to plug the gap between 32 and 8mm?

I've seen a couple of TV 20mm Plossls crop up lately, that at £40, would leave a lot of room for buying other EPs. Decision paralysis prevented me from doing so, inspite of the limited financial risk a second hand TV presents.

Your thoughts please.

Russell

[DOBBY]

have you looked at the celestron X-Cel LX range ?

1.25 inch fitting...but great views even in a F4.5 dob

meade QX4000 26mm (2inch fitting) are a step up from the rev, but, not quite a panaview...crop up 2nd hand

or theres always the hyperions

[ajg]

Explore Scientific?

[spaceboy]

EPs as per my signature.

The problem is the Revelation Astro 26mm 2". I had hoped that the Rev and the SW, barlowed, would give me 32, 26, 16 and 13mm. Thus, a 20mm EP would go some way to plugging the gaps. However, I don't get on with the Rev. It kidney beans or blacks out like a mad thing. I get things centered using the 32mm Panaview, try the Rev for a tighter view and end up just reverting to the Panaview. The Rev has to go.

Barlowing long focal length EP's often pushes the exit pupil out to an unusable distance far exceeding that of what was intended for the EP. How is the REV with out the barlow ??

[russ.will]

That is without the Barlow!

Russell

[rwilkey]

Hi Russ, I went for something in the 13mm range, the Vixen LVW which I got for £99 new on special offer, the Baader Hyperion would also be good in this focal range.

[russ.will]

Scratch that.

Russell

[ajg]

Again, it's the old mega wide field thing. 70deg seems comfortable to me and you seem to pay through the nose for more.

Russell

I was looking at the 70s ...

Telescope House Explore Scientific Eyepieces

... a little Google-fu indicates that these may be related to the Meade QXes which ain't all that great.

There's always the bST Explorers which IMO are a hair away from the Hyperions but about half the price. I like them a lot.

[John]

Explore Scientific do 70 degree field of view eyepieces as well as the wider ones.

The Celestron C-Cell LX's seem to be getting very good feedback for their £70 cost.

[Pug]

I'm looking at the Baader Hyperions over the Celestron c-cell lx. An extra £20 but an extra 8 degrees! Will be an xmas present to myself so if you can wait I'll give you a report in January!

[russ.will]

Hi Russ, I went for something in the 13mm range, the Vixen LVW which I got for £99 new on special offer, the Baader Hyperion would also be good in this focal range.

Mmm. The Baaders have crossed my radar before. I like the idea of the flexibility they offer with the fine tuning rings, or removal of the front elements.

I must say, further thinking and a play around earlier tonight has confirmed a further thought I had. The 26mm, regardless of it's (or the combination of it, me and the scope) shortcomings, just isn't sufficiently different in view to the 32mm anyway.

A 17mm Hyperion offers, 22mm without the front group and 13mm with the 14mm tuning ring, which would seem to be a nice spread for £100. The dual 1.25 & 2" fitting seems handy too as it will minimize messing with adaptors depending on what I'm looking at that night.

I think I've found my Xmas pressie.

Russell

[russ.will]

Explore Scientific do 70 degree field of view eyepieces as well as the wider ones.

The Celestron C-Cell LX's seem to be getting very good feedback for their £70 cost.

Indeed, I had a quick iPhone Google and only found the 82 & 100deg jobs. Having posted, I found the 70deg ones. Doh!

As you can see above, the Hyperion has tickled my fancy and reading up on it, shows it seems to work well in a fast scope. Unless I'm missing a real trick with the Celestron and ES EPs, that is...

Russell

[russ.will]

Oh! And thank for the input chaps. In valuable as ever.

Russell

[John]

... it seems to work well in a fast scope.....

The Hyperions are nice eyepieces but the stars in the outer parts of the FoV do show distortion due to astigmatism. You start notice this at around F/7 and it's quite pronounced (to me) at F/5 It bothers some folks more than others though.

[ajg]

removal of the front elements.

Don't get too hopefull with that - they go comarrific when the smythe lens is removed - I tried it and it was horrible.

[Pug]

Ajg, how do you get on with the baader zoom?

Edit; sorry, just noticed the separate thread regarding the zoom.

[ajg]

Ajg, how do you get on with the baader zoom?

Edit; sorry, just noticed the separate thread regarding the zoom.

Aye, best asking in the thread - I believe FLO have some stock now.

Quick summary of the hyperion zoom - it's good - very versatile, and the click-stops are useful in the dark. Way better than the usual zooms you see which all seem to be clones of each other, although I haven't stacked it up against some of the other premium zoom EPs ...

[russ.will]

Don't get too hopefull with that - they go comarrific when the smythe lens is removed - I tried it and it was horrible.

Okay; that dovetails in with something that I was told by someone at Scope and Skies - That a barlow (or at least the elements of, when screwed directly into the EP) flattens the field somewhat and so I guess the smythe does similar. Maybe I'll consider the 21mm instead, with the 14 & 28mm rings, rather than relying on losing the front group to gain in the other direction.

Russell

[russ.will]

The Hyperions are nice eyepieces but the stars in the outer parts of the FoV do show distortion due to astigmatism. You start notice this at around F/7 and it's quite pronounced (to me) at F/5 It bothers some folks more than others though.

Indeed, I'm probably one of those in the 'not so much' camp.

Out of interest and given that I'm also not one of those worried about mega FOV, I mooted Televue Plossls earlier in the thread. Are Plossls so deeply unfashionable that even a smattering of green renders them beyond consideration? I had read several sources that said the TV Plossls worked well in fast reflectors, or do I have that wrong?

Russell

[russ.will]

PS. Could a Mod PLEASE correct my thread title to read Where next?

I'm dying of embarrassment...

Russell

[John]

PS. Could a Mod PLEASE correct my thread title to read Where next?

I'm dying of embarrassment...

Russell

No problem Russell - title altered

For what it's worth, I think the Tele Vue Plossls are fine eyepieces. I've owned a couple of sets in the past, the older "smooth sides" and the newer design and got some great view with both sets.

I believe, like other Tele Vue eyepieces, they are designed and tested to work well in fast scopes.

If I decide to move away from wide field eyepieces, Tele Vue plossls would be very high up my list of alternatives.

[russ.will]

Well, as I'd stand to loose nothing if I pick up one second hand, I may grab one. I saw a couple on UKABS, but dithered.

Russell

[russ.will]

And just when I think I'm getting somewhere, I see this thread.

I've also seen a a few 'reviews' on other forums and blogs that seem to offer up similar opinions, not to mention that John said exactly that above. I also had a root around on the ES 70deg EPs, and they seem little more than OEM Super Plossls that don't cut it in F5 scopes either.

The paralysis continues. Or maybe not.

I keep seeing good stuff about the BST Explorers in fast scopes (ajg pointed this out above too) and at £41, it's not much of a risk. So I pushed the button on one. The 18mm to be precise. How it compares to the 26mm Revelation and relates to the 32mm Panaview, will decide what I do next.

If the jump from 32mm to 18mm proves to be painless (ie, I don't feel it to be too wide a gap) then I'll have a look at 12mm BST because they're so cheap. If it feels like a huge jump, then I'll buy a 26mm Panaview and barlow it for a med/high EP. The 32mm Panaview barlows surprisingly well (not that I tend to bother), so I don't see why the 26mm won't.

That will do for this side of Xmas I feel. That and the fact my subwoofer amplifier just blew up (Thou shalt not 'see' how loud the 'skadoosh' in Kung Fu Panda can be done*. Repeatedly!) and has thus chored £150 of my floating budget for a second hand replacement.

I'm still keeping an eye out for S/H TV Plossls though....

Russell

*For the record 112dB(SPL) peak and it's not a small room.

[ajg]

That's the thing with fast scopes - they don't suffer lower quality eyepieces, although I think that Hyperion may have been a lemon - the one I had was fine although I did have some focus travel problems in the 16" Lightbridge (not enough outward focus travel) - was still miles better than the Meade QX that shipped with it.

The ES70s will be variants on the Erfle - 5 element design is a dead giveaway. I'm very happy with the 100s and 82, a hair away from the TVs for quite a bit less money, but I've never seen the 70s ...

I have the full set of BST Explorers (OK, one of them is an AstroTech Paradigm, but they're the same thing). Really happy with them for the money. There's a bit of coma towards the edge, but you'll still get that with real top-end eyepieces on fast scopes - the only way out of that is to add a coma corrector into the optical train.

[russ.will]

Thanks for that. I hope it/they are a happy combination with my eye and scope - It's apparent to me that a good portion of what makes an EP good or, or not, is subjective. Technically, the Rev isn't bad, but I just don't gel with it, so that's that.

I'm also mindful that one extravagant hobby is enough. This is supposed to be the one without the four figure price tags, but I know what I'm like - £70? That's near enough a hundred. If I'm going to spend a hundred, then the extra twenty isn't going to matter, etc, etc.

For once, the head has ruled the heart and if I don't like it, well I've lost what? A tenner?

Russell