25mm or balow for 8SE?

[jonathan]

I have been using the supplied Celestron 25mm eyepiece and it remains my most used in every scope I own, including the Lunt LS60, so I'm wondering if there is a 25mm eyepiece that will perform better in the 8SE (surely there must be, but would I notice the difference?)

Also, would the 8SE benefit from a barlow, and which one would be a good compromise on price / performance for this scope? I had wondered about getting the Baader Hyperion Zoom barlow to match the Hyperion zoom eyepiece I bought for the Lunt, would this barlow work well with other eyepieces?

[Hugechris]

The Baader 2.25 will work fine with other 1.25 eyepieces that have the standard filter thread. Compared to the standard Barlow the Baader 2.25 Barlow has much better transmission properties - though it is a bit pricey.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Many EPs perform well in the Celestron C8/8SE/CPC800. The 26mm that was supplied with my scope years back was fine (a colleague still enjoys it). However. The Nager 22T4 blows it out of the water. You do have to get a 2" visual back (cheap) and 2" diagonal (not so cheap), but it has been well worth it. The view is so immersive, and certainly sharper. A Panoptic 24mm should be good if you do not want to get the 2" visual back. I prefer not to use barlows when I can help it, but they are a cost effective way of getting more magnification. I have the 2x and 3x TeleXtenders from Meade (now sold under the Bresser brand). These are great. I use them mainly for planetary photography, but they are great visually too. TV PowerMates are also highly recommended.

[jonathan]

I have a 2" diagonal already, though the Nagler has a reputation of being very expensive. Would any 2" 25mm be good in the 8SE, or are there turkeys or ones to avoid for this scope? I do not want to spend hundreds on a 25mm, but might go up to 100 for a decent one that will be a significant improvement on what I already have.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Have a look at the Explore Scientific 24. Very good EP, but still beyond your budget, perhaps, so maybe a 30mm 68 deg FOV might be a better option (the TS Paragon 30mm is a clone of the TMB Paragon, and should be good, even an Erfle design might work well in the SCT, but I do not know). What with the SCT being quite tolerant at F/10, there are quite a few EPs which should work well.

[alan potts]

If you don't want to spend a fortune why not go for the Series 5000 26mm super Plossl from Meade. It is highly regarded and will give you a larger FOV but will not match Michael line up.

Alan.