Help me choose eyepieces for 120ed

[Realt]

Hi all,

First post but I have been lurking for a long while and would like to thank everybody for all the good info I have got on here.

I am getting a new Skywatcher 120d pro as a gift from my family- Pretty fancy for a first proper scope. Yay me!!!

I have been researching and shopping online for eyepieces and I have overloaded my brain and cannot make a decision.-

Budget is about £300.

Current main interest is Planetery/Lunar but would like to explore deep sky also.

Scope comes with a 28mm which probably isn't great quality and the eyepieces I have for my 4.5 inch reflector are rubbish.

I know there are no definative answers but any input would be appreciated.

[KaStern_Former_Member]

Hello Realt,

congratulations! You got a fine gift from your family!

Scope comes with a 28mm which probably isn't great quality and the eyepieces I have for my 4.5 inch reflector are rubbish.

I think you should provide some additional information.

Do you need to waer glasses?

What type and focal length are your current eyepieces?

Do you have a driven mount, or do you need to follow stars manually?

Where do you plan to observe? In a big town, a small village, in the field?

Cheers, Karsten

[alan potts]

Nice scope I know someone with one. Eyepieces , having spent that amount on a scope I would go for some decent eyepieces, it's a nice scope don't spoil it with cheap glass. I would go for some secondhand eyepieces if I were you.

I would go for a 30-35mm one around 20mm one around 14mm and then one around 8mm, which brands you go for will greatly change the total spend. I would try for at least one S/H radian at the short end for planets. The rest is well depends which way you want to go.

Alan.

[rwilkey]

Hi, that's a really nice scope you are getting there, whatever focal lengths you want, I suggest the BST Explorer/StarGuiders from 'Sky's the Limit' exceptional quality and good flat field especially at f/7.5, they work really well in my f/9 C100ED-R.

[Damo636]

I am getting a new Skywatcher 120d pro as a gift from my family- Pretty fancy for a first proper scope. Yay me!!!

Hi Realt & welcome to the forum.

By any chance could your family adopt me :-)

[John]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on the ED120.

I have a Skywatcher ED120 and it's a brilliant scope - my favourite of all the scopes I've owned over the years

My eyepieces range from 31mm and 20mm in the 2" fitting for wide angle low power views, through a "mid range" of 13mm and 8mm and on to the higher powers of 6mm, 5mm, 4mm and 3.5mm. Even though the last one gives 257x I use it quite often with the ED120 - under good viewing conditions this scope can handle high powers well.

There are simply loads of eyepiece types that will work well with the scope with something to suit all tastes and budgets. My eyepieces are Tele Vue and Pentax but other brands would work well too as the scope, with a focal ratio of F/7.5 is not too demanding.

Take your time and ask plenty of questions. Do consider used eyepieces as they offer great value for money and save you from taking the 40% or so depreciation ! A decent used eyepiece can usually be sold for more or less what it cost to buy so it can be a low risk way to see what suits you. All my eyepieces were bought used and most from the UK Astro Buy & Sell website:

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/

[Mr Moff]

What about a Hyperion zoom with a televue plossl 32mm? That should cover most things, plus the zoom will let you know what focal length eyepieces you might want in the future.

[Capricorn]

£300 means all 6 of the BST's.

Which on the 120ED would cover every instance I can think of, and just about every other scope you may get.

Have a read of:

[Realt]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I hadn't come across the BST range before-A set looks like a good starting place for now

.

I have been considering the Hyperion zoom option also-With the dedicated barlow and maybe a nice 2" long f/l later it would seem to cover all bases for now.Availability seems to be an issue though.

These two options are favourite atm but I am keeping an open mind.

Its hard work this spending money on yourself-I could get used to it with practice though I am sure.

[John]

Its hard work this spending money on yourself-I could get used to it with practice .....though I am sure.

You are not on your own - we can help you spend money

[Realt]

You are not on your own - we can help you spend money

Good to know I have support in my hour of need.

Ok then- lets pose a direct question.If it was a choice between Baader zoom plus dedicated barlow

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-hyperion-zoom-eyepiece.html

and a set of six BSTs

http://www.skysthelimit.org.uk/telescope%20eyepieces.html

Which should I get and why??

I know that with either choice I am still needing a decent long f/l or two also.

[faulksy]

i would consider the ts hr e.p.s. as well from astronomy now, in my opinion they are better than the b.s.t.s. and similar price. now you heads realy wrecked

[Damo636]

I haven't used either the Baader zoom or any of the BST range, but personally, if it came down to a choice between the two, I would go with the latter. Why? My thinking is this! As good as the zoom may well be, I wouldn't be happy with the way the afov decreases as the focal length increases. By the time you hit the 24mm setting, the afov is roughly that of a standard run of the mill plossl, or maybe slightly less. As for the BST's, I personally wouldn't bother with the 25mm though, instead I would go with a nice 2" widefield such as a 32mm Skywatcher Panaview or even better the 30mm Aero.

[rwilkey]

As an owner of a set of BST's, I would naturally recommend them outright. I have not tried the Baader Zoom, but what puts me off them after reading reviews on this forum is (a) the reduced FoV (the BST's have a constant 60 degrees) and there are reported issues with the zoom mechanism - freezing apparently, along with other issues and I know some have been returned to the retailer - that scares me. But the BST's have a big eye lens, and great flat FoV, and they ooze quality. I am sure you will not be disappointed. Please note that some are called BST Explorers and some are called StarGuiders, both the same product and originate with the same wholeseller (Barska), it all depends what Alan has in stock at the time (at Sky's the LImit)

[Woking]

The 120ED is superb on solar system objects so don't forget to consider a dedicated and decent high power EP.

I use the BH zoom, which covers the mid-range just fine for the majority of DSOs.

Something between 30mm to 40mm will do for the low end, but you might find this will be the least used EP so my advice would be to priortise your budget on high and midrange EPs.

[alan potts]

I would go for the BST set, fixed F/L will always out perform a zoom and as robin pointed out this zoom has not been without it's problems. You also get a wider field with the BST at the longer end of things and that is consistant thoughout the range.

Alan.

[hunterknox]

Somewhat against the flow but I've never felt the need for six eyepieces for one scope. Partly because I'm lazy and don't like changing eyepieces but mostly because I think you get more from observing with what you've got than from worrying about the perfect magnification. Something wide, something mid-power and something high-powered but useable, plus another, higher powered eyepiece for those perfect nights is all I've really used. Buy the best you can afford and if you perceive a gap in your collection then fill it. There's no real rush to get everything all at once.

Never tried the BSTs but a lot of folks rate them. I really like Celestron LXs in the value for money stakes. Tried the TMB planetarys, which are another popular choice, but found them a bit too soft. The Baader zoom is OK for what it is but I find the field of view to be too much of a compromise.

My perfect set for the 120ED (when I had one) was 40mm, 10mm, 5mm and 3.5mm, by the way.