Eyepieces - which do i replace first ?

[Smeghead]

i have a grand total of 4 eyepieces !

3 of which are dubious quality (came with the 'scope) and the 4th is a 25mm super plossl.

(photo attached of the dodgy ones!)

my question is, which do i replace first, and with what ?

ill be replacing them all eventually, but can't afford to do so at the moment.

[Catweazel]

Hi, I guess that the answer to the question would be to think about what you do most frequently with the scope. If you look at nebulas, cluster DSO's you are covered by the 25mm that you bought, so I doubt you need to replace the 20mm. If you do a lot of close up planetary viewing, replace the 9mm.

Your scope is a 76mm reflector (f9.2), and I cant tell from the picture what make/type your current eyepieces are? A 9mm Plossl, however, should give sharper views and better contrast than a more basic type of lens, especially on a faster scope. I wouldn't spend more than around £35 on one though.

[182570]

I would suggest getting a good quality 2x barlow this will give you an immediate replacement for your 12.5 mm when used with the 25mm,then replace the others with just one decent one (15 or 18mm)when you can,covering all your current ones with just one purchase

[Parus major]

I wouldn't replace them directly, more think about what you'd prefer in an eyepiece. It could be that you find the 9mm and the12.5mm too close together so you may want a 15mm and something like a 8mm. I'm not saying those are what you should look at but it's a school of thought.

[Smeghead]

thanks for the replies.

i have a skywatcher 2x barlow already.

as for what i usually look at ...... everything !

open to any suggestions regarding replacing eyepieces sizes with any others

[Ian123]

Hi Smeghead,

I recently took delivery of my new scope and already i'm itching for new EP's.

For me, i'm looking at the SW Panawiew 38mm EP for firstly starhopping to locate the object's im looking for,

this EP should give me x31.5 and a FOV approx 2.2 degrees (if i got it right) which would be ideal for a newb like me.

I would be then looking at a either a decent 10mm EP + a barlow or a decent 5mm EP, not sure yet.

[John]

I have a couple of those eyepieces that came with a scope I had a couple of years ago. They are completely out performed even by a low cost plossl like the Skywatcher ones at £20 each from First Light Optics.

If you need to prioritise then replace the 9mm and 12.5mm first. I would not try and barlow these to be honest.

[Capricorn]

As it is normally the shorter focal lengths that perform the worst I would start with the 9mm.

Change it for something like the 8mm BST. That should give an improvement in view a little more magnification and most important a clearer image.

Either that or which perform the worst and lose that one first for something.

Using the BST's as a set to select from I would suggest something like the 8mm, 12mm, 15mm and 25mm. I find that something like 2 at the lower end, a medium and a long eyepiece is about right for me.

[Smeghead]

thanks

right, where did i put my credit card ?

[Smeghead]

please forgive my noob ignorance, but what is a bst eyepiece and how does it differ from a plossl ? (if there is any difference!)