Televue 55mm Plossl 2"

[mert]

I have just been offered a Televue 55mm Plossl 2" at a reasonable price, I was wondering if this would make a good addition to the eyepieces I have already in my collection?

My scope is a 12" Meade LX90 f/10.

The eyepieces I have already are:

E: Televue 8mm Plossl, 12mm Nagler T4

E: 30mm 2" AFOV:80 degree ultra wide angle

E: Skywatcher 38mm

Thanks

[John]

The TV 55mm plossl shows just a very little more sky in your scope than your the 38mm Panaview does, .90 degree V's .87 degree. Whether that's worth the investment is up to you I guess. Doesn't seem a lot to me.

[newman]

Yep, always consider the amount of sky you see. Even though it gives higher mag, my 17mm Ethos shows way more sky than a 25mm Super MA that came with the scope..

Also, the exit pupil would be a bit on the large side, at about 5.5mm. Not useless, mind you, but for deep sky I'd wager you'll find the Panaview much more comfortable.

[Merlin66]

I have a 40mm TV and a 12"Lx......never seemed to use it!

The 32mm was definately the firm favourite....

[mert]

Hi guys, thanks for the help, I'll stick with the Panaview, I'd be better off buying something inbetween the 12mm T4 and 30mm 2" perhaps? or Pehaps a better quality eyepiece the the 8mm TV for planets.

[Mr Spock]

A 22mm T4 Nagler would make a nice addition

[mert]

Yes it would any TV eyepiece would be a welcome addition.

[ID1 john Ei3]

I have just been offered a Televue 55mm Plossl 2" at a reasonable price, I was wondering if this would make a good addition to the eyepieces I have already in my collection?

My scope is a 12" Meade LX90 f/10.

The eyepieces I have already are:

E: Televue 8mm Plossl, 12mm Nagler T4

E: 30mm 2" AFOV:80 degree ultra wide angle

E: Skywatcher 38mm

Thanks

Hi I know it is a while since this topic was created but due to my coming across it whilst I was looking into the merits of owning this EP I thought it might help others who may follow if I share what I have found so here goes with links below

https://www.astronomics.com/televue-55mm-polssl-eyepiece_p3307.aspx

Where it has the following information

If you have a 2” focuser on your f/8 and longer focal ratio telescope, here’s a 2” eyepiece that will give you the widest possible field of view – even wider than a 31mm Nagler, but at less than 40% the cost. (The 31mm Nagler is designed to give maximum brightness and field of view on a fast focal ratio Dobsonian, not a long focal ratio refractor, Schmidt-Cassegrain, or Maksutov-Cassegrain, as is the 55mm Plössl.)

This is a good low power/wide field eyepiece that provides the widest field and largest exit pupil possible with an f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain for true rich field observing. It’s ideal for capturing many of the more compact open clusters such as the Pleiades, viewing emission and reflection nebulas in their entirety, scanning large and faint nebula remnants such as the Veil, etc. You can use the calculator below to see how wide a field it will give you with your particular focal length scope.

It has a rubber grip ring for comfortable use in cold weather. It provides an immense and wasteful 12.2mm exit pupil with an f/4.5 Dobsonian reflector. As the only observers whose eyes can dilate to this size are probably owls, this eyepiece would not be a sensible choice for fast focal ratio reflectors. It is better suited to the longer focal ratios of refractors, Schmidt-Cassegrains, and Maksutov-Cassegrains than it is to reflectors with focal ratios shorter than f/8. If you have a long focal ratio 2” focuser scope, however, this is a terrific way to get the most out of it.

The eye relief is long enough to allow eyeglass wearers to see all of the field with their glasses on, yet it’s not so long that those who don’t wear glasses will find observing uncomfortable. The eyepiece is provided with a unique adjustable height eyeguard adapter that aids in properly positioning your eye in the exit pupil. This minimizes “pupil shadowing” and reduces stray light to maximize contrast. The soft rubber eyecup can be used fully extended or rolled back, whichever is more comfortable. You can also selectively extend one side of the eyecup to shield your eye from external light (such as a neighbor’s porch light)

****************************************************************************************************************************************8************************************************************************************************************.

This got me interested.

[ID1 john Ei3]

I have a 40mm TV and a 12"Lx......never seemed to use it!

The 32mm was definately the firm favourite....

Hi I read somewhere (luckily this time before parting with the cash!:-) that the 40mm TV plossl gives the same performance as the 32mm TV plossl due to the restrictive size of the 1.25" barrel & this was given as the reason for the 55mm TV plossl being made in the 2" barrel size. If I come across the review I will try to remember to paste up a link;-) here is another bit of info on the 55mm http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=2271

[Stargazer_00]

A 5.5mm exit pupil is about perfect for the Horsehead nebula (with 5mm being that object's sweetspot). Just food for thought if you ahve cash to burn. I'd personally think in terms of general purpose the 38mm SW you have would be fine and show darker backgrounds.

[alan potts]

I bought this eyepiece about 5 years ago as I was obsessed with seeing as much as possible. However even though it was as sharp as the witt from Oscar Wilde I found once I had the 41mm Panoptic I rarely used it. I have since sold the 55mm. Nice eyepiece though and it of course gives you about X61 with our massive focal lengths. If the price is right buy it I think you will like it.

Alan

[ID1 john Ei3]

I often use this EP or CAMERA FOV CALCULATOR WHEN I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW EP sorry forgot the finger as you do;-)

http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/field-view-calculator

I hope people find it useful

[Bluetac]

I often use this EP or CAMERA FOV CALCULATOR WHEN I AM CONSIDERING BUYING A NEW EP sorry forgot the finger as you do;-)

http://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/field-view-calculator

I hope people find it useful

that is an awesome link thank you