Eyepiece upgrade

[jabberwocky]

im currently using a WO zoom in my 8" dob but feel the need to upgrade, but to what?

if money was no object then id look at a set of naglers but cost is always a consideration, im not ruling them out but it woulkd take longer to completely replace the zoom.

at the other end of the scale is the celestron x cel lx, how much of an improvement over the WO zoom are they?

Hyperions?

explore scientific 82 degree?

meade uwa?

im going round and round in circles, help!

[Saleratus]

I would also explore the Delos if I were you. I think that using them is a more satisfying experience than using Naglers, despite the more restricted field of view. Just a thought.....

[Bart]

Explore Scientific, but I would say that (view sig). I cant afford TVs at present and from what I have made out, the ESs are a good second best. I dived in! (dove?)

Anyway, I think they're very good, especially good value inported from US more then one at a time. I should say though, I haven't been caught for VAT etc , so it was a no brainer for me!

Bart

[John]

Are you looking for wide field (65-72 degrees), or ultra-wide field (80-100 degrees) eyepieces, or maybe just better quality "standard" field (40-60 degree) ones ?.

There are good options in all these niches (some mentioned above) but, with an F/6 scope, you will tend to need to pay more, sometimes much more, for excellent performance and very wide fields of view.

[alan potts]

If you are going to spend some serious money on eyepiecs I would start with my favourite, Nagler 20mm it is one of the best eyepieces ever made. I would also take notice of other people that have been on the site for a long time especially, John, he is very constructive . At the moment in my sort of Poll, the 13mm Ethos seems to be out in front, if you want one its time to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Alan

[fredster]

Guessing you have £100-130 to spend per eyepiece looking at the 3 examples you have given. Like Bart i have made the most of the very good prices offered by ES and have a range of ES 82 series eyepieces. I love them. 90-95% of a Nagler for 50% of the money or even cheaper if you know someone stateside.

Worth noting that the Meade 5000 UWA is currently knocked down to a very reasonable price at Telescope House. They represent excellent value. Perform identically to the ES 82 and a notch above the Hyperion.

[Mike73]

I had a f/6 200P then upgraded to my current f/5 300mm.

I used BST's and Xcel LX's in my 200P and was really happy with them but as soon as I changed to a faster scope the edge softness became really apparent which is why I upgraded to TeleVue EP's which are amazing and live up to there reputation but for me at least I never would of even contemplated them for my f/6, I just don't think there would be enough difference between them and my Xcel's in a f/6 to warrant all the money spent.

I think a lot depends on how much FoV you'd like so if you are happy with 60' then go for Xcel LX's if you want to go wider still then the Explore Scientific have a very good reputation.

[andrew63]

It is very EASY to spend a small fortune on eyepiece and still not be satisfied - i'm amazed of how often many of these high end lens appear second hand often only used a couple of times... So many things to consider, especially when parting with a lot of money, not just quality of optics but how comfortable in use they are - eye relief etc. You could consider getting a used lens - any from the list you have a try it, if your not happy sell it on. Or buy a couple of celestron x -cel lx and not spend a lot of funds. I would think that any would be a good improvement over the zoom. Good luck!

andrew

[jabberwocky]

Thanks for the comments guys, I'm still unsure, obviously naglers would be an investment that will last me years and years and will be ideal for any faster scope I get in the future( i do have plans for a very large fast dob in a couple of years time) but By what's been said the xcels will be an improvement over the zoom and will be good in my 200p

Maybe I should buy a nagler to see what the fuss is all about?

Or am I being unnecessarily seduced by wide AFOV?

What is a good range of eyepieces? If I could get by with only 4 eyepieces covering say 5mm to 25mm then the naglers cost is slightly mitigated but if I need 6 or 7 then I'd have to think about a cheaper alternative.

Round and round in circles I go

[John]

A wide or very wide field of view is useful in a manually powered scope like a dobsonian as objects stay in the field of view for longer, so you don't need to nudge as much.

The ES 82 degree eyepieces deliver much of the performance of a Nagler as do the William Optics UWAN's / Skywatcher Nirvana's (same eyepiece). So either of those would give you a Nagler-like experience for around 50%-60% of the outlay.

4 eyepieces would be enough to have a decent range of magnifications - 3 x 1.25" ones plus a 2" for low power / wide field views.

[faulksy]

going on reviews and comment on here i would opt for the sw nirvana or w optics both the same, apparently equal to the nagler

[umadog]

The ES 82 degree eyepieces are excellent. They're on sale in the US right now and you can get them shipped to the UK and still get a good deal even if you get stung by customs.

[alan potts]

It is very EASY to spend a small fortune on eyepiece and still not be satisfied - i'm amazed of how often many of these high end lens appear second hand often only used a couple of times... So many things to consider, especially when parting with a lot of money, not just quality of optics but how comfortable in use they are - eye relief etc. You could consider getting a used lens - any from the list you have a try it, if your not happy sell it on. Or buy a couple of celestron x -cel lx and not spend a lot of funds. I would think that any would be a good improvement over the zoom. Good luck!

andrew

True, I have about 5000 pounds worth of eyepieces and now I want the Ethos range.

Alan.

[John]

My policy from the outset has been to buy the very best quality eyepieces that I could afford as a good set will last years while scopes come and go. I've not regretted that decision

[swamp thing]

1341408600[/url'>' post='1565515']What is a good range of eyepieces? If I could get by with only 4 eyepieces covering say 5mm to 25mm then the naglers cost is slightly mitigated but if I need 6 or 7 then I'd have to think about a cheaper alternative.

Hi

A good range can be as many or few eyepieces as YOU wish. Some like a huge range, others like me find just a handful does them.

In my 10" Dob I use just two eyepieces. A 20mm T5 Nagler and a 12mm T4 Nagler, that's it. Very, very occasionally I use a 31mm too, but, that is only on a handfull of DSO,s.

I compliment the eyepieces with a 2" x2 Powermate. That's all I need (I'm not much of a planetary observer, for this a set of the higher mag BGO,s or the like would do)

when my large Dob is finished I will probably use an extra two eyepieces. The 31mm mentioned and another that I haven't decided on yet.

My point is with Naglers you don't need huge amounts of eyepieces. For example my 12mm nagler has the same mag as a 12mm plossl (obviously) but the same field as the 20mm plossl, so it replaces all those eyepieces in between. By offering the same field as the 20mm plossl at higher mag, with it comes the better associated contrast.

Ive often noticed after a night at the scope that in fact I have only used one eyepiece, the 20mm and the Powermate.

Im not saying you need to buy Naglers, but you get the idea of what these wide field eyepieces can do.

[Moonshane]

Some time ago I felt that I would make do with fewer eyepieces and had a 35mm Panoptic, 22mm Panoptic, 13mm Ethos, and an 8mm Radian. This was fine for a while but I found that I did not have enough power for the better nights and that the seeing varied so much that I felt more eyepieces at the shorter end would be beneficial.

I have had a couple of scope changes since then but decided to 'fill in' with some relatively cheaper eyepieces. I now effectively two sets of eyepieces, one for my big dob and one for my planetary dob:

Big dob - preference for fainter objects and lower power views of clusters etc.

26mm Nagler

13mm Ethos

10mm Radian

Planetary Dob - higher power driven equatorial platform

32mm TV Plossl (solar use mainly)*

15mm TV Plossl*

12.5mm Baader Genuine Ortho*

10mm Radian

9mm Baader Genuine Ortho*

8mm Radian

7mm Baader Genuine Ortho*

6-3mm Nagler zoom

I bought the ones marked with a star used and for about £50 each. They are superb performers and stand well alongside the higher value eyepieces other than in field of view. All but two of my eyepieces were used. I find this set works perfectly for all scopes I have although occasionally I hanker after a 25mm TV Plossl or even a 24mm Panoptic to give a little bit more power on the sun - I find the 15mm TVP a little much usually.

I think a zoom eyepiece is very useful and if you are generally happy with the one you have it will be good to retain it I think. my recommendation is to buy used and buy perhaps a cheap plossl to check if the magnification is right for you / your scope. that way you can sell it and then buy the 'dream' eyepiece (I also recommend used) in the knowledge it will be useful in your scope. You'll lose less money this way and if you ever have kids near your scope it will be handy to have cheaper plossls for use by them.