Help with choosing the correct eyepiece

[michaelg]

Hi all well i purchased a 250px goto scope back in April and due to work and the terrible conditions over the past few months I have not got to use it much

However I am committed to making more time to use my scope and would like some help in choosing a decent eyepiece

I was using my scope last night and viewing Jupiter and its moons and my view was ok but the bands of Jupiter were very very faint

I was using the standard 25 and 10mm eyepiece's that came with the scope as I am new to this hobby I will be concentrating on planetary viewing for the time being

and would like to know what eyepiece upgrade I could purchase to get more out of my scope.

I do understand that the visuals I will be getting will be nothing like the pictures you see in magazines however I would like to improve the eyepiece

for a crisper image to enable me to maximize my scope.

the two eyepiece's i have are the 25mm & 10mm super plossl multi-coated 52

Any help will be much appreciated.

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Michael. The standard 25mm EP is generally thought of as OK. The 10mm not so.

Eyepieces are very much a personal choice.

If you can get hold of someone elses for a night, you can try before you buy.

If you buy used, you tend to lose little on resale.

Some retailers will take back if you don't like the view, but check first.

My own 'first choice' is a Baader Hyperion. I like the wide fov and long eye relief.

Wide fov is though less important for planetary.

Long eye relief is essential if you use specs for observing, and maybe you just like not having to be too close to the glass.

We all have differing opinions on eyepiece choice, see what everyone says....

[JonnyP]

I've got the 200mm SW dob and found that the supplied EPs were absolutely fine for bright objects. I managed to spot all of the main features on Jupiter (bands, barges, GRS, moons, etc) and things like the Cassini division in Saturn's rings, but this was very dependent on atmospheric conditions, NOT the quality of the EP. In the last few months I've bought a 13mm Baader Hyperion and a 30mm Vixen NPL but haven't had a chance to use them on the planets, so can't comment on the difference.

Unless you are desperate to spend money, I'd suggest using the standard EPs because the limiting factor at the moment isn't the EP quality, it's the weather and atmosphere.

[paul schofield]

I have quite a varied collection of eyepieces as you can see from my signature and all have certain benefits depending on what they are used for. My main planetary eyepiece is my 8mm BST it gives very respectable planetary views and for the price £47, I think these are hard to beat and can be used happily with a decent barlow lens too for greater magnification. They have good eye relief too and a 60 degree field of view makes them very comfortable to use. Vixen NPL Plossl's get great reviews too as I am sure most plossl eyepieces will for planetary views. As others say, don't be in a hurry to spend lots of money, do some research on here, (eyepiece discussions) is a good source. I agree with David above, eyepieces are a very personal choice.

[michaelg]

Thanks to everyone for your help

I have read the replies and also looked online and have gone for a 13mm Badeer Hyperions with two sets of tuning rings

Thanks everyone for your help

[rwilkey]

Michaelg, good and sensible choice, covering a few focal lengths to boot, let us know how you get on.