Best first step up from standard EPs...

[moogoomonkey]

Hey guys!

I'm thinking of complimenting my standard EP collection SW 10mm and 25mm. I want to get a 2" low power one as I definitely love long eye relief and wide FOV! I was thinking the revelation 30mm for this requirement. Any good, it's only £39...

For a the medium/high EPs I honestly do not know where to go. BST are fairly cheap and seem to have a large fanbase on here, Celestron X Cel LX, for long eye relief or the Baader Hyperions? Is the steo up in price worth it? Bear in mind I only earn £70 a week and am taking some time off (blumming exams!)...

Thanks

[alan potts]

The best first step up is as far as many members on the site are concerned is to go for the BST range of eyepieces. These offer 60 degree FOV and as far as I acn tell are excellent for the cost. I must stress I have never used these myself and I am only repeating what I have seen written on the site many times. I am sure a site member will be on a tell you where these can be purchased. There is a fair range of these and they won't break the bank.

In my veiw if you were going a bit more up market the ExSc ranges also sound good. My choice though would be to look in the second hand markets there are some really nice eyepieces to be had for in some cases silly money. Meade seem to go cheapish for the quality, many think they were overpriced to start with, the S/H market is a good leveler.

As you were asking for a two inch eyepiece I would go for something around the 28-32mm range. The 32mm Meade Super Plossl is a good EP for the Money, Telescope house may still have one at a knock down price as they are not made any longer. They are a first rate outfit and will give you very good advice or see what First light optics have to offer. I have not had dealings with them as they will not mail to me in Bulgaria, but everyone speaks highly of them. It is there site as well so that tells you something about them.

Alan.

[Eastridge]

I went for the hyperion at higher power due to the long eye relief and the ability to add Fine Tuning Rings to give me multiple lengths from one EP.

But they have since gone up in price quite a bit and I'm not sure I'd do the same if I was buying now I'd probably go the BST route althogth the eye relief may be a bit tight for my glasses. If you LIKE longer relief but it's not a must due to glasses I'd be tempted to try a BST as they have better ER than possls. Alan at sky's the limit is siad to give great customer service so a call to him to ask if you could return if ER wasn't sufficient may be helpful.

Or the advantage of the Celestron Xcel LX is you could buy them from FLO who will give you 30 days to try and return for full refund if they don't suit.

[Lorne]

Try and find a local astro group close to you..... get out to a meeting with your scope if you can, and see and try for yourself what other EP's are out there suitable for you and your scope. This may save you a few quid in unsuitable/ unnecessary uprades you dont need

[hunterknox]

I like both the Xcel LXs and Revelation plossls, but if money's tight, like roof-over-your-head tight, then stock eyepieces will do just fine. Whenever I get aperture fever I always remind myself that I've not even exhausted the possibilities of my binoculars, let alone a telescope!

[Stevp]

I'd go with x-cel lx, i haven't used many different type eyepieces, but I have two of these and they are a massive improvement over the stock pieces.

[moogoomonkey]

Thanks you guys I'm not that tight for money Just a 17 year old doesn't earn THAT much money. I have quite a lot stashed away and would like to treat my scope to something nice. Well when the skies get better anyway!

[moogoomonkey]

I do like the look of the XCels. They seem to be of very high standard (build and optical quality). I'm thinking that the Hyperions might give me a bit more value for money as I will be able to buy the fine tuning rings, although I don't have a barlow yet so that will be on the list to! So many things to buy!

[russ.will]

I'd keep a eye on the classifieds and likewise, ukastrobuysell.com to maximise your cash. The standard 25mm EP isn't that bad, so I'd have a look at something in the 12-15mm range to augment your collection. I can't comment on the XCels, but the BSTs in these focal lengths are excellent little EPs and will work very well in your F6 Dob. Their 13-15mm of ER, nice big occular lense and twist up eyecup makes them all relaxing to use for prolonged periods.

As for a widefield, well I had a 2" Revelation 26mm Superview and sold it almost as quickly as I bought it. I don't wear glasses and the eyecup is very short, so I found they suffered from blackouts and kidney beaning due to the excessive eye relief and hideous star shapes in the last 20% of the FOV. This is odd because, if I recall correctly, they're an Erfle design as was the 32mm SW Panaview which I got on very well with in my F5 Explorer 200p. That maybe because the ample solid twist up eyecup of the Panaview makes consistent eye position easier, but equally star shapes were better controlled until about the last 10%. In your F6 scope, the edge of FOV will be less of an issue.

No matter, the 32mm Panaview is good value and can be had for £50 second hand. Until BC gets back on our telly in January that is, at which point the second hand ones will be more expensive than the new ones, which won't be in stock anywhere until about June - Google 'Brian Cox effect.

Russell

[rwilkey]

The Baader Hyperions can be a bit mushy at f/5 so beware of this, the Celestron X-Cel LX's are highly recommended on this forum though I have not tried them. But I can recommend the BST EXplorers/StarGuiders, they work well with all scopes including fast ones.

[rory]

I do like the look of the XCels. They seem to be of very high standard (build and optical quality). I'm thinking that the Hyperions might give me a bit more value for money as I will be able to buy the fine tuning rings, although I don't have a barlow yet so that will be on the list to! So many things to buy!

i started with bst explorers and later moved on to x-cel lx e/p's. if im totally honest,good as they are (apart from tight caps that pull the bloomin cups off) id say the bst/starguiders are better value for money.

if money is tight, id go for simple good quality plossls (meade 4000, gso) at the low magnification end,and bst explorer/starguiders for higher mags ,as the eye relief would be better and larger f.o.v.

[moogoomonkey]

Thanks you guys, I bought a 2nd hand Meade 5000 32mm Plossl for £30 off the classifieds. I hope that'll keep me satisfied for a while!

[Astro_Baby]

Knowing what I know now I would look to have some orthos for high power viewing, dont go below 7mm unless you can cope with tight eye relief. Good orthos can be had cheap if you look for Circle T types. Maybe as cheap as £30 second hand.

For widefield quality go for some Explore Scientific 82' series. These will cost a bit more but will compare very favourably with the best put there.

As an interim what you just bagged will probably be fine.

I am loathe to advise people on EPs becaise one persons wunder glass is someones elses muddy glass. But I built up slowly to my current collection so I got to use a ramge of budget, mid prices and premium EPs. Thats how I got to know what I know now

On a budget orthos give good contrast and sharpness and the limitation of a narow field of view will soon be forgotten when you see the fantastic contrast even average orthos will show. My favourite budget widefields, and I use the term in its loosest sense, were the Vixen NPL Plossl in 32mm and the Skywatcher Panaviews in 26 and 38mm, yes they both have edge aberrations at F5 but by and large they gave good high contrast views and I liked them a lot.

[russ.will]

Mel,

I keep an eye on your website (your astronomical travails mirrored my own, albeit two years ealier) but out of interest, what EPs do you have in your collection these days?

Russell

[Astro_Baby]

Russ,

These days I have Circle T orthos in 9mm, 12.5mm,18mm and 25mm

Pentax XWs in 5 and 10mm.....i had to have something powerful and sharp and ai cant take the tight ER on an ortho under about 9mm.

Explre Scientific 30mm 82' and 14mm 100'

i also have a complete set of Baader GOs but almost never use them as ai dont find them as comfortable as the Circle Ts.

The only EP I would swap would be the 30mm ES IF a Pentax XW in 30mm ever came up cheap enough for me to justify it.

[Spec-Chum]

Russ,

These days I have Circle T orthos in 9mm, 12.5mm,18mm and 25mm

Pentax XWs in 5 and 10mm.....i had to have something powerful and sharp and ai cant take the tight ER on an ortho under about 9mm.

Explre Scientific 30mm 82' and 14mm 100'

i also have a complete set of Baader GOs but almost never use them as ai dont find them as comfortable as the Circle Ts.

The only EP I would swap would be the 30mm ES IF a Pentax XW in 30mm ever came up cheap enough for me to justify it.

Interesting that you prefer the Circle Ts over the BGOs due to the comfort. I've read reports suggesting the BGOs are a tad crisper; how do you find them on a like-for-like basis in terms of the views?

[Astro_Baby]

Well if I am blunt I would say I can see no difference between the two. The BGOs seem slighlty better made, perhaps, or perhaps they are just heavier. In terms of view I cant see any perceible difference between the two. Maybe under an immaculate sky with eyes younger than mine or in the hands of a more experienced observer The difference may be there. last winter I was uaing the Circle Ts on Orion in my 200 newt on a very crisp night and the views, quite honestly, were astounding. Even the occasional passer by who Stopped to take a look was being blown away. Its the contrast more than anything, the edges of the dust clouds were so sharp and well defined and mooching about around Orion over two nights is what converted me on the spot to buy, buy, buy orthos

Carol Lakomiak persuad me they would be good because thats what she uses for her sketches. i was always a bit down on orthos as years and years ago thats what my first scope had , along with some kelners and ramsdens of course and they were dreadful. The short eye relief kills the short focal ratios for me but at 7mm and above I dont have a problem. Oddly the 25mm has sch a long eye relief that the extra long ER needs a bit of getting used to. You have to keep your bonce still is the trick

I just find the VTs more comfy than the BGOs even at longish ER. That may be cos I have long eyelashes that have mascara on

I was hoping the BGOs would be even more so and would be even better but I cant see it and find them uncomfy to use. I wont sell them just in case we ever get a truly peerless night and there really is a difference that to date I havent seen.

[Capricorn]

Just get the BST's.

They perform well and are the right price, if you want more expensive then the Celestrons.

You can talk yourself round in circles but eventually but eventually you have to press the Buy button.

A-B, nice to have a picture of you again, it got lost for a while.