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Eyepiece query

Citizen

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Citizen

Citizen

Posted
Posted

Afternoon all,

I went to a little astronomy gathering the other night, and several of my fellow observers had the zoom eyepieces (Hyperion 8mm - 24mm).

I have the Celestron 6SE scope that came with a 25mm and also purchased an additional 9mm ep. Are these zooms eyepieces as good as having 6 or 7 individual pieces (apart from the ease of only having to carry one?). Are there any down sides? Are the two eps I already have sufficient for back garden observing. Obviously I'm as keen to make out as much detail on the planets and moon as possible.

Also with the 6" scope and an eyepiece ranging from 8mm to 24mm is there any need for a Barlow? A x2 Barlow on a 8mm ep would exceed the magnification of a 6" wouldn't it? Obviously this would be for planetary observation. Am I correct in thinking that is 25mm on its own is the best for DSOs?

Sorry for so many questions!

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

Posted
Posted

Hi, Citizen

I have never used a zoom eyepiece, but reports of the hyperion I have seen on SGL seem to be quite positive. It will certainly be cheaper to get the zoom than a series of fixed e/ps. I suspect you will find you will want to upgrade the e/ps provided with the SE (I have a 8SE) and I eventually settled on a set of Pentax e/ps, but at about £250 a go that is something you would need to think about very seriously! I would use what you have until you know what you want - if you get the chance to look through other e/ps on your scope that will definitely help (eg at star parties).

If you got the 8-24, I would think a barlow would be superfluous for the reason you stated. I have a 5mm e/p which is almost always over-powered on the SE for my conditions on South coast.

HTH

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hemihaggis

hemihaggis

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i have the hyp zoom and while it does have a narrower fov at 24mm it is parafocal through the range of maginification ,(you dont need to refocus)

the zoom is an awsome piece of kit and well worth the money .

twotter above says he prefers the individual hyperions ..im sure they are a tiny bit better than the zoom ..but at £80-100 each you would need to spend around £500 to get enough ep`s to match the zoom

i use my zoom in a f4 scmit/newt which is hard on ep`s and the hyp zoom has very little coma , i find it joy to use because you dont have to keep swapping ep`s or refocusing , ask brantuk its his most used ep :D

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twotter

twotter

Posted
Posted

The joys of buying 'preloved' eyepieces my dear hemihaggis, means my collection of Hyperions cost a lot less than you might think, and certainly less than your estimate of £500. Also don't forget that all bar the 24mm are modular eyepieces and offer multiple focal lengths with the use of the fine tuning rings.

So, all a smart buyer needs is a 21mm and 13mm, together with a 28mm and 14mm fine tuning ring. That gives the following focal lengths 21mm, 17.6mm, 15.5mm, 14mm, 13mm, 10.8mm, 9.2mm, 8.1mm. Pop a 32mm plossl in there and you've got the range covered. There's a 32mm plossl on AB&S for £15 and a 21mm Hyperion for £75 so taking that as an example that would mean £150 for the Hyperions, £15 for the FTRs from FLO and £15 for the plossl. Total cost of £180.

Easy :D

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John

John

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Posted
For my money I prefer seperate Hyperions.

I've compared the Hyperion fixed focal length eyepieces directly with the zoom and have to agree.

The Hyperion zoom is a very good zoom though, for a zoom :D

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Demonperformer

Demonperformer

Posted
Posted
so we all agree the zoom is the best lol !!! 95-99% as good as individual ep`s , much easier to use in the dark and the cold ,no fiddling with different ep`s and focus rings , and no need to refocus when using different magnification . :D

With summing up like that, you must be a lawyer :(

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