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Celestron Eyepiece Set: Does anyone have it? Is it any good?


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I was wondering if anybody has the eyepiece set from Celestron that comes packaged with filters and a number of EP's? It comes in a metal carry case. It's currently on sale at Amazon for £152.95p.

There's so much to read and learn about eyepieces (the guides and info on here are great) and I understand that you get what you pay for. This set seems to offer an "all in one" purchase suitable for a beginner and I was wondering what people think of the product (especially anybody who might own them).

The scope they'd be used in is a Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dob.

Thanks.

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Hi there, I can't comment on the Celestron set, but I bought the Revelation set with my scope, and as a getting started set it seems fine. The eyepieces are better than the supplied ep's that come with the scope.

Further down the line I will start to replace the ep's with better ones, but so far I have no complaints. The Revelation set is cheaper than the Celestron I believe, so maybe this is worth consideration if you are after a set.

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I wouldn't bother with those kind of sets to be honest. Sure, you'll get a good assortment of quality oculars (however, I don't think they're really Plossls) but the filters will probably be rarely used, the 4mm will be useless on most observing days, the barlow has been quoted as giving false colour and for my viewing tastes there's too be a jump between the supplied 17mm and then onto the 32mm. It would be better to swop that 4mm for a 25mm, but then that's not set up.

I'd personally take it step by step. See what you like looking at, see what size EP is going to be most useful in a given situation, and so on. The BST range are highly recommended by many folk here, they look like they offer good eye relief and a nice field of view (very similar then to the more expensive LX and Hyperion series) and at just under 50 quid an eyepiece, you should be able to get yourself a decent set up in a relatively short time.

You might also find this link very useful, written by a regular here at SGL: http://www.swindonstargazers.com/beginners/eyepieces.htm

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Two years ago the Celestron 1.25" Eyepiece and Filter Kit was my first eyepiece purchase. A suitable accessory for an Astromaster 130EQ. It wasn't long though till my primary scope was an 8" newt. I remember one night working up to 500X while observing the Moon. Soft as to be expected but otherwise good. But now that I had a scope with a 2" focuser I started thinking about 2" eyepieces and a general upgrade to my eyepieces. Within a few months I began the transition to Hyperion eyepieces. After that the kit went unused for a long time. But, one night I decided to do a head to head comparison of the views of the kit eyepieces with those of the Hyperions. In no case did I observe a difference in the image quality. So from the standpoint of quality one can conclude that the kit is a very cost effective purchase. The main issue is whether or not one or more of the eyepieces will prove to be little use in your scope. I can't make any useful comment about the filters other than if one considers the eyepieces as worth the money then consider the filters a bonus. I've tried them all at one time or the other on the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars (during the recent opposition) but have yet to be able to see anything with a filter that I didn't see without.

My understanding of what to consider when selecting an eyepiece has evolved considerably in two years. If it were me I would want an eyepiece of low power that produced an exit pupil slightly smaller than my eye pupil, another that gave the maximum magnification that produced an image I found pleasing in whatever average seeing is for my location, and a third that pushed the magnification (exit pupil 0.7 to 0.6 mm, perhaps smaller) for those rare nights of exceptional seeing. A kit might meet that criteria and then it might not. One more thing to consider is how you feel about eye relief. The kit eyepieces each have eye relief roughly equal to that eyepiece's focal length. For me, considering I tend to view a given object for relatively long periods of time, longer and consequently more comfortable eye relief is almost mandatory.

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Hello Momentous,

I use a plossl set similar to (if not identical to) the celestron set. They are indeed plossls, 4-element, relatively good eye relief (not spectacular - but much better than Kellner's or Ortho's), The kit with the case and filters are a reasonably good deal. Realize that the venerable Plossl is mass-produced in asia and marketed under a variety of names. I know here in the USA, companies like Orion, Celestron, and Meade all offer virtually identical products under different names - go for the best deal.

Don't be afraid of Plossl EP's. They were a huge revolution in EP quality 20 years ago that brought wider viewing angles and better eye relief to us all. Are they up there with the Hyperions, Televiews, etc - absolutely not - but they are very affordable and will give very pleasing views with most beginner scopes.

Will you want to upgrade? Probably. But it may take you awhile to figure out what you like best about observing, and then you can spend your cash on expensive kit you know you will use. Consider that Celestron's entire kit costs about half of a single teleview EP and the bargain starts to come into focus. I would also respectfully disagree with those who don't like filters. They are wonderful for planetary observations - but you have to know what you are looking for (and at) for them to do their best job. I have found that lighter yellow and pale blue (#81!) are great for Jupiter and Saturn - they make the low contrast features on the surface pop out for me. I also often like a green filter on the Moon to cut glare and bring out details when the Moon is closer to full and shadow detail is reduced.

That said - everyone is right about the 4mm EP - those things aren't good for much most nights around my house, too much air turbulence most nights to allow me to use one. I did have ideal conditions the other night, though. Cool cloudy day cleared off by evening, seeing was perfect and Saturn with a 5mm on my 133mm f/12 refractor showed the ringed giant at 320x in absolutely glorious detail. For those few wonderful nights, I'll keep my 5mm around!

Dan

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Hate to sound boring but I have the Celestron set and don't rate it - just about everyone knows cos I've said it so many times lol. The best thing about it is the case which will carry a dslr vey comfortably.

For the £140 'ish that it costs I consider it poor value for money. Better to save another £50 or so and get a decent zoom. The one I went for was the Baader Mk2 (Mk3 is the latest model). It's much more flexible and it's many steps up in quality from the basic ep sets.

It may seem expensive but imho you'll be much more satisfied (and save money) in the long run. Alternatively - 3 or 4 decent eyepieces in the £50 range will be miles better (GSO's TMB's etc). You can make considerable savings buying second hand. HTH :)

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I was wondering if anybody has the eyepiece set from Celestron that comes packaged with filters and a number of EP's? It comes in a metal carry case. It's currently on sale at Amazon for £152.95p.

There's so much to read and learn about eyepieces (the guides and info on here are great) and I understand that you get what you pay for. This set seems to offer an "all in one" purchase suitable for a beginner and I was wondering what people think of the product (especially anybody who might own them).

The scope they'd be used in is a Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dob.

Thanks.

If you were planning on getting it, watch the prices. A few weeks ago, it was "on sale" for £130 ish ;).

It would be better to either get one second hand (saving a lot of money) or spending your money on individual eyepieces :).

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Hi

I have this EP set and have used it with several scopes including the 200P. They are good eyepieces for general use although I've never used the 4mm. The moon filter comes in handy as well. I'm only now supplementing this set with better quality EPs (see sig).

HTH!

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Hello,

I would recommend the eye-piece set, you can probably find my longer replies if you seach back in the archives. I got this set as a complete novice who had no real idea of what different EPs would be good for. So it was a really useful learning exercise, trying them all out on differnt targets and working out what worked and what didn't. Things are different now, and as others have said quite a few of the EPs are not really used. The 32mm is my most used and I could not do without it to overcome the limitations of the finder on my scope. The barlow is well used for my attemps at webcam photography. The 13mm is used. However the remainder have been superseeded by my X-Cels. But I would not have known to make the extra investment in these without trying the ones from the kit! The moon filter is useful to cut glare.

Now the coloured filters, for me, are very useful. I have small children who are really interested in the contents of my EP case. They don't care so much for the boring black things and head straight for the coloured things they can hold up to the lights, which works for me!

Hope this helps

dag123

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Hate to sound boring but I have the Celestron set and don't rate it - just about everyone knows cos I've said it so many times lol. The best thing about it is the case which will carry a dslr vey comfortably.

For the £140 'ish that it costs I consider it poor value for money. Better to save another £50 or so and get a decent zoom. The one I went for was the Baader Mk2 (Mk3 is the latest model). It's much more flexible and it's many steps up in quality from the basic ep sets.

It may seem expensive but imho you'll be much more satisfied (and save money) in the long run. Alternatively - 3 or 4 decent eyepieces in the £50 range will be miles better (GSO's TMB's etc). You can make considerable savings buying second hand. HTH :)

I agree with KIm, there has much been said on this in the past and although they are reasonable to a point, as time goes by and you gain experience, a lot of times the only thing left of these sets is the case :)

John

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Seems opinion is split down the middle lol :laugh:

Not too long agoI was considering the Revelation set. I then changed my mind and considered getting the Baader Mk.III Zoom.

After advice from other members on this site I finally settled on getting 3 BST's and a decent barlow. I completed the set later down the road as more funds became available

I have no complaints at all about the eyepieces and worth every penny I paid. I got mine from Skys the limit for £47 each and he is still selling the 25mm on ebay for £41.

You will end up paying a little bit more (not much though) but the jump in quality is quite substantial.

Go for the BST's, you will not be disappointed

Dave

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Thanks for all the replies. I eventually went for the Revelation set! The reviews were very good and it seemed a good compromise for a beginner. That being said, I haven't had a single good night to view since I bought them and my scope. Doh!

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EP kits really are not a bad idea for a beginner who may not know much about EP's in general. I bought the Celestron kit a couple of months after i bought my first scope. I loved the kit. Over time as i learned more about EP's and scopes etc, i started to replace the kit EP's with better ones.

Have fun with the kit.

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I like the Revelation set but found most of the EPs show a bit of 'kidney beaning' at anything but the centre 3/4 view on anything below an F6 scope. Not tried the Celestron set but for that price I would save a bit more for a Hyperion Zoom.

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I like the Revelation set but found most of the EPs show a bit of 'kidney beaning' at anything but the centre 3/4 view on anything below an F6 scope. Not tried the Celestron set but for that price I would save a bit more for a Hyperion Zoom.

I have the Hyperion zoom EP and given the choice between an EP kit and the zoom...............for little extra cost, i'd go for the zoom.

Maybe you can return the EP kit?

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Of all the elementary eyepiece sets the Revelation is generally recognised as the better - and it is photo friendly. So you've not made a bad choice - now you have to become a weather man and take advantage of those few opportunities we're currently getting lol. Enjoy your kit :)

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I'm still using the 25mm Plossl that was supplied with my Celestron 8SE, I have not felt the need to spend lots of cash on a replacement (a worth-while upgrade would cost a lot by the looks of things). I looked at the kits when I bought my first scope too, but was swayed by advice to go for a couple of good eyepieces at either side of the 25mm - with advice I purchased a Celestron X-Cel 10mm and later a Skywatcher PanaView 38mm, both have given me some great views through the 8SE. I have not regretted my decision, and no longer pine for an eyepiece kit, though did end up spending considerably more on the two eyepieces and a good moon filter (have since also purchased a 2" moon filter for the PanaView, well worth it).

Not quite sure where the moral is in this story.. probably to seek advice about which eyepieces will work best for your specific scope within your budget, don't be afraid to spend anything from £20 to £100+ on a single eyepiece, Plossls are good mmmkay?

Consider adding a bottle and cloth of the Baader Wonderfluid to your next order for keeping those eyepieces in tip-top condition.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/misc/baader-optical-wonder-fluid.html

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