25mm 1.25" Eyepiece upgrade

[carlc]

Jules-

Out of interest - why so many 25mm? Acquisitiveness, curiosity or are they all good for different jobs?

Actually I know why you have the Tal (you and Caldwell14 are the reason I have a Tal) so why the BST and the Kellner (and why add an ortho)?

[alan potts]

What about the Meade series 5000 26mm Plossl, nice eyepiece 60 degree FOV and around 70 pounds, I have one and I used it last night for the first time. I think Telscope House still have these in stock, they may even do a discount as it is now discontinued.

Alan.

[nightfisher]

Jules-

Out of interest - why so many 25mm? Acquisitiveness, curiosity or are they all good for different jobs?

Actually I know why you have the Tal (you and Caldwell14 are the reason I have a Tal) so why the BST and the Kellner (and why add an ortho)?

Just seem to have acquired them, i dont use the tal so often, the kk 25mm seemed a good buy (it was) and when i completed my bst set i was not going to get the 25mm but alan loaned me one as i plan to review the whole set, but i ended up buying it as it seems pretty good, im still thinking od selling the kk 25 and getting the ortho though

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I used to have a Circle-T Ortho 25mm, and it was very good indeed. Sold it with the 6" scope as it was a 0.965" fitting, rather than a 1.25, and I got a 26mm Plossl (Vixen -built) with my C8, and it performed as well as the Ortho on the F/10 SCT.

[fredster]

I'll add another vote for the 25mm TV Plossl. Very nice indeed. But a friend visited the US and i couldn't say no to the ES deal for their 82 series eyepieces. But the 25mm TV Plossl was a real stunning eyepiece, as is the 20mm version.

[carlc]

What about the Meade series 5000 26mm Plossl, nice eyepiece 60 degree FOV and around 70 pounds, I have one and I used it last night for the first time. I think Telscope House still have these in stock, they may even do a discount as it is now discontinued.

Alan.

That was knocked off my list by a CN discussion saying they weren't that good at the edges and as I do manual visual observing (no guiding except me) I though sharp to the edge would be a benefit.

However as E621Keith pointed out a lot of reviews/discussions are about fast scopes (as was the CN discussion) and so the 5000 may be better in a slower scope like mine.

[russ.will]

However as E621Keith pointed out a lot of reviews/discussions are about fast scopes (as was the CN discussion) and so the 5000 may be better in a slower scope like mine.

It's ssems to my eyes that often as not, the sub £100 EPs that offer a greater FOV than a decent plossl, don't necessarily offer a sharper view within that additional area. I found a Skywatcher 20mm SP Plossl in a box that came with my second hand FlexTube - I hadn't even bothered looking in it, assuming it to be one of the Skywatcher Modifed Achromats.

Dropping it into my ST80 for a quick peek was a bit of a revalation. It was really crisp to the edge and had better contrast than either my BST 25 or 18mm EPs. The FOV wasn't so far off that of 18mm BST and almost all of what little extra the BST offered, was fuzzier. To be fair, the BSTs are better built and the twist up eyecup arrangement is really nice, but it did make me realise how much you can pay, for not a lot extra in raw performance terms, over the humble Plossl - The SWs are only £20 a pop! On that basis, I'd argue the better built Meade 5000 Plossls are worth a good look, but it's extremely hard to argue against a second hand TV Plossl in performance, or value terms.

Russell

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A decent Plossl is a good EP. I got a cheap-as-chips 20mm for the kids' Dob (fast scope) and it is very, very decent (still prefer the Nagler 22T4 )

[Naemeth]

In addition, having Plossls in a wide range of magnifications will give you more viewing than one eyepiece. Of course, clarity and sharpness wont be top notch, but then that's the quality you build up to.

[crazyjedi]

I've not heard bad reviews of the Meade 5000 before. I have one in a shorter focal length and it's a great EP.

Importing the explore scientific will cost more than 100 quid. I know cuz I have just done it. All told it came to around 130 notes. Still cheaper than buying it from a UK retailer. Meade do have their new range out too which are supposed to be better than their previous offerings.

A word of warning about buying TV EPs. They're addictive! Once you have one you yearn for more. Until you end up living alone with your scope in a tree having sold your home, wife and kids to satisfy your cravings for the black and green. :-)

[crazyjedi]

X-cel LX are suppose to perform better than Hyperion on fast dobs, so I won't cross the Hyperion off you list yet. I have a 24mm Hyperion and it works great on my f10 SCT and not too bad on my f6 apo. Your TAL100RS is a f10 system and your 6" dob is f8 (if it is a SW 150p dob). Neither of them are fast, and a Hyperion will works great on them.

If your scope is this slow I'd be amazed if you could tell the diiference between the high end EP's. Slower scopes are usually kinder to your EP's.

[prairie_stars]

I've got the X-Cel LX 25mm. It's a fantastic eyepiece for the money. The sharpest, best contrast eyepiece I've ever looked through.

[nightfisher]

Has a decision been made on the 25mm ep?

[carlc]

Has a decision been made on the 25mm ep?

You talkin' to me?

I went for the Sterling plossl (in the sorting office waiting for collection) and a Castell UHC filter (not arrived yet).

I'll post my impressions when I get chance to try them out....

If I ever get rich then I want a 24mm panoptic.