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27mm Panoptic or 26 mm Nagler


jabberwocky

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I've unexpectedly had a small windfall so I've decided to spend it on a high quality wide field eyepiece to replace the cheap and cheerful one I currently use.

I can cant decide between the panoptic and the nagler, ok the nagler will give a wider field which I guess is the point of a wide field eyepiece but the panoptic is considerably cheaper which would allow for the purchase of a planetary eyepiece as well.

Afov aside what benefits does the nagler have over the panoptic? Or does the extra money just buy the extra FoV?

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26mm Nagler, I'm picking one up Saturday if the weather lets me 14 inches of snow at the moment. If you get the 27mm Panoptic as good as I am sure it is you will always wonder what if. what if, what if. If you are anything like me you will then get the 26mm Nagler, so save time.

Alan. Televue adict, and it is untreatable. Merry Christmas to you Jabberwocky.

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21mm Ethos :grin::evil:

Better optically than Naglers + more efficient exit pupil + darker background sky.

How big was that windfall ?

Seriously though, I'd go for the 26mm Nagler although both eyepieces are excellent of course.

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I was lucky enough to buy a 26mm Nagler when the 20% discount was on. It's simply the best eyepiece I have ever looked through. everything is perfect for me. you can see the full field easily, you get lovely sharpness all the way and the eye position is just naturally found.

that said, you could say the same thing about the 27mm Panoptic. I have never tried the 27mm Pan but have had the 22mm, the 24mm and the 35mm and they are all wonderful eyepieces. I have a 13mm Ethos too and going from the 26mm to the 13mm seems a perfectly matched step. Given your other eyepieces, I fear the 27mm might be a disappointment in terms of field of view and on this basis if you can afford the 26mm Nagler, then I'd recommend this. They don't come up used very often for a good reason; it will be the last eyepiece I ever sell if I need to raise some funds.

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Looking at your other EP's I think I'd find it a bit strange going from a 100˚ Ethos to a 68˚ low power Panoptic. I like my lowest power EP to have the widest TFoV, for me it just adds a little extra when sweeping around an area. Its just felt odd when I had my 13mm Ethos and then going to my 26mm Nagler. :huh:

So my vote goes towards the 26mm Nagler. :)

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Looks like I made the right choice after all. It is going to have to wait a week the snow is too bad to attempt Sofia on Saturday. It has stopped snowing at 16 inches. The odd thing is we mostly just get on with it, I can remember half this amount stopping Heathrow only a couple of years back. I have been driving most the day with 5 inches of compressed snow under me, only time it's a problem is when you want to stop!

Some clear sky would be nice now, yes it's cold but after snow or rain the air just has something that you rarely see in England

Alan.

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I vote 26mm Nagler, or 31mm for that matter! The latter will give you a full 2* fov and a perfect 5mm exit pupil (in your f6 Dob), nice :smiley:

Edit: Another option would be the 30mm Explore Scientific 82* + a quality planetary ep. Food for thought!

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I should I suppose say why I prefer my 26mm to e.g. a 21mm Ethos. the main reason is that I like to easily see the field stop without much effort. with the 26mm Nagler it's natural and intuitive, with my 13mm Ethos it's bordering on impossible. OK the overall field is maybe not supposed to be seen but if you cannot see the field then it seems daft to pay for it and I'd feel slightly cheated in a daft way.

also, as we know eyepieces are not all about field. BUT I find the 26mm Nagler as sharp and full of contrast as anything I have ever used although obviously at lower powers this might not be as critical as at higher power planetary observing.

strangely, the view through a 26mm Nagler and a 31mm Nagler 'feels' different. I have not enough experience to quantify it but it's certainly not the same. in my light polluted garden I do most of my observing and therefore the 26mm Nagler is a perfect fit (for me and my scopes).

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My recommendation of the 21mm Ethos was partly tongue in cheek :smiley:

I have the 20mm and 31mm Type 5 Naglers and I'm very happy with them. The 20mm is the one that got the most use with my F/4.8 10" newtonian though as I have moderate light pollution to contend with here too.

I'm never bothered by not being able to see the edges of the FoV - for me immersiveness is about a "sea of stars" and NOT being aware of the field limits.

Very personal things though, eyepieces, as we say so often :smiley:

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Damo,

That's not a bad idea. Telescope house still have the 30mm UWA and the 24mm UWA which I am sure are the same things as the Ex Sc's, I have both and they are sitting with some very classy glass. I guess when I get the 26mm Nagler the 24mm UWA will have to find another home or go in my 70mm ED mounted on the LX 200.

Merry Christmas to you too

Alan.

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My current wide field eyepiece is a 38mm 70* panaview clone so would I be better getting the 31mm nagler rather than the 26mm? I was thinking the 26mm to allow for light pollution at my home where I do most of my observing, or would dropping from 38 to 31mm be enough of a drop to darken the background?

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I had a 40mm Paragon (similar FOV to your 38 Panaview), and later got a 31T5. Since then, I hardly used the 40mm. The difference in true FOV was very small, and the background was distinctly darker. The jump to my next focal length (22mm T4) is just fine. If you can afford it, sell the panaview and get a 30mm UWA, 31T5, or 28mm Nirvana (or WO UWAN 28).

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pps

one thing to consider is future proofing. I bought my 26mm (and sold my 35mm Pan) as I knew I was getting a faster scope. At f4 the exit pupil is less of an issue with the shorter focal length. plus (with newts anyway) the faster the scope the larger the exit pupil but the slower the scope, the more the balance issue! you cannot win. so if likely to buy e.g. a SCT in the future, the 31mm might be a good choice. if you might get a 12" f5 dob, then the 26mm would be better I feel.

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I swapped the 35 Pan for a 26 Nagler because in our big F4.1 Dob the exit pupil of the Pan was impossibly large.

I used to find the 31 Nagler a bit difficult with blackout zones but the 26 is a peach.

I think I'd go for the 26 Nagler or the 21 Ethos.

Olly

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