first EP/filter set

[steelyglint]

im about to order an ep/filter set....im very aware of the celestron one for about 50 boys and will proberly get it but i was wondering if there were any others for about the same sorta dough...i cant go much higher in terms of budget or ill be divorced/shot or both...im favouring the celestron set cos of the barlow(dont have one) and a couple of differnt size lenses........any suggestions welcome but dont be too long i want it by the time the weather sorts it self out LOL..........SG..........

[steelyglint]

so 45 views and nobody has anything to say?!

[Merlin66]

I think the majority don't want to upset you...

Getting an eyepiece set c/w filters and steak knives is not a good idea.

May look nice sitting in the box, but unfortunately that's where they're likely to stay.

They may be (well...will be) low quality and you only really need three, maybe four eyepiece - ever!

A better idea IMHO, is to buy a low power eyepiece, x50, a couple around the x120 to x150 mark and a high power for the moon and planets say x200 or so. It will work out MUCH cheaper in the long run.

I'm still using eyepieces I bought over 25 year ago...they still work very well.

Just my 0.02euro

[AstroMum]

£50 is quite a tough budget, I don't think there's another set out there for that kind of money and the quality is likely to be questionable. I was looking at the Revelation set (which also includes a barlow) but it's more than double your budget at £125.

Have you considered buying a barlow and one EP for now? The Tal barlow gets good recommendations and is available for around £35-£40. You could then perhaps go for a BST Explorer, also around £35-£40. Still puts you a bit over budget, but then you'll get a couple of good quality accessories that should last you well. You can then buy more EPs over time as your budget allows.

I didn't end up buying the Revelation kit, I went with a few individual EPs and barlow. I picked some wide angle Revelation EPs which were just over £30 each and a matching barlow for £37. Haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but will happily let you know what I think of them when the clouds finally disappear.

[c3po]

just seen this thread, and i'm also surprised you haven't had many answers....it may have gotten a better response in the 'Equipment - Eyepieces' sub-forum, I'm no expert, and have only recently got my own filter & ep kit, but i'll try and swing you an answer anyhow...

Firstly, which Celestron filter/ep kit are you referencing? The only Celestron kit one i am aware of is a good £150 or so.... from FLO, here...

For around £100-£150 there are plenty of reasonably good quality EP & filter kits. Less than that, and the old adage "you get what you pay for" comes into play, and i'm sure many others on here will agree, with anything involving optics, quality comes at a price.

The kit I bought was the Revelation kit (here) from eBay at a very reasonable £90, around £30 quid cheaper than the £120 RRP. from what i gather, its a very highly regarded set made by GSO who make many of the well known branded EPs...

hope that helps some...

[cthorpey]

+ 1 for the Revelation kit, I have the same scope and they are very nice eyepieces.

[DOBBY]

I've seen them for £150... the box is probably of more use than the contents.

IF you feel you 'have to' / 'must' have a set...get the revelations

[LndnEgg]

Hey SG

Thought I'd jump in for a mo....Being a newbie, Im not sure my opinion holds much weight, if any but here goes. I was in exactly the same boat as you, gagging for add-ons but no budget to speak of, I spent a while umming n arrghing about kits or seperates etc. I've gotta say I shop with 'get what you pay for' in mind with most things. The Astromaster set however, seemed ideal for me as I had no spare cash and very limited kit at that point, I simply had to see more! lol. I only had 2 EP's that came with the scope - 25 & 10mm (not all that either) but when I got the set, I instantly had much more variety...Barlow, 25,15,10, & 6mm ep's now and a cpl of filters to play with. Although I am aware that the bits are not that great in terms of quality, I have to say that this is the best 50 sov's I've spent for a while, it has massively improved my viewing and I have since seen things that I simply couldn't before. You have had a go with my stuff mate so you know my thoughts and can form your own judgement on value for money. Obviously I dribble over the Televue's etc and am aware they will probably be with me forever once acquired too but this has been a pleasing result for me. Good EP advice though, thanks guys, just need to put in a few more hours and develop my patience

Cheers, Ed

[steelyglint]

50 qiud is a tight budget! i have 4 kids (im32btw), 2 are disabled as is my wife i am there carer, so life is hard and im skint, i barley scraped through on the scope as it is! anyhow, if i could buy a more expensive set i would. but i cant for now so this will do. the kit is a celestron astromaster accsessory kit, model 94307. it has, deep breath, 15mm kellner, 6mm plossl, 80 blue pf,25red pf,x2 barlow moon filter and case with foam. 45 quid on amazon....i have it on very good report from LndnEgg (me bro) and after playing with his kit thats its a good buy. iv never looked through million pound eyepieces so i have nothing to compare to....maybe not a bad thing.......sg........

[kniclander]

I would seriously think about buying one half decent e/p at a time - you can get pretty decent secondhand at the £20- £30 range. In reality I suspect most people only use 3 e/ps regularly (high, middle and low) and probably no filters at all. E/ps are pretty robust and buying second hand makes good sense.

[steelyglint]

thats fair comment kniclander...i have and probly will when i figure out what sorta thing i need.....need to get me a green filter now thats proberly prime candidate cos for what i want for now it would be relatvly cheap.....budget astronomy...a whole new science in itself i reakon

[Merlin66]

When I started out I had three kids and a mortage....for the first couple of years I got by on a 9mm Kellner and a 25mm Ramsden.. That was it...two eyepieces..

It does give you the opportunity of understanding what each eyepiece can and can't do..you learn a lot....

[steelyglint]

i gotta say my learning curve thus far is huge at the mo lol

[Merlin66]

Softy, softy....

Train your eye....understand what the scope can show you (and what it doesn't - and try to understand why)

Everything comes with practise....

[steelyglint]

Well the fifty quid set proved itself last nite....I saw saturn again yay. With the Barlow and a 10mm EP it was stunning......