Vixen NPL eyepiece kit with case and possibly iffy barlow ?

[Nick-In-Ireland]

I was looking at this Vixen NPL eyepiece kit:-

http://astronomia.co.uk/index.php/eyepieces/vixen/npl-series/vixen-npl-eyepiece-kit-1-25-in.html

Nice and handy because it is the eyepieces i want with the case included, saves me hunting for a case and messing about customizing it.

I am put off though because the barlow looks a bit poor and all it says in the write up is that its a 2x barlow, , it may possibly be this 1 for $45 :-

http://astronomia.co.uk/index.php/vixen-barlow-lens-2x-with-t2-thread-1-25-31-7mm.html

If it is, then i might as well get this 1 from Antares which is a 3 element and fully multi coated barlow for £39.99

Does anybody have this Vixen NPL eyepiece kit and know if the barlow that comes with it is good quality ?

If it is rubbish then i will just go with my original plan and get a case of ebay and get the eyepieces separately.

Thanks for any advice.

Nick.

[Naemeth]

That price is way too high. If it were me, I'd get a flight case from Maplin (~£25) and the rest of those eyepieces from FLO, saving yourself about £40-£50.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

I was looking at these eyepieces from flo originally :-

40mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 30 £40

x2 60

25mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 48 £35

x2 96

15mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 80 £30

x2 160

10mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 120 £30

x2 240

8mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 150 £30

x2 300

6mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 200 £30

x2 400

And this barlow from Rother valley :- Antares 1.25 inch 2X, 3 Element Barlow £39.99

http://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/antares-1-25-inch-2x-3-element-barlow_d5545.html

All comes to £235, so for me the case and eyepieces would have been a good option if the barlow was good, also, is it overkill to have that many eyepieces because i notice that i have some magnification near overlaps with a 2x barlow.

Thanks.

Nick.

[Naemeth]

You may find that the barlowed 15mm is too close to the 6mm and 8mm, and that the eye relief of the shorter plössls isn't as comfortable. Don't just take my word for it though .

[Eigen]

I was looking at these eyepieces from flo originally :-

40mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 30 £40

x2 60

25mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 48 £35

x2 96

15mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 80 £30

x2 160

10mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 120 £30

x2 240

8mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 150 £30

x2 300

6mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 200 £30

x2 400

And this barlow from Rother valley :- Antares 1.25 inch 2X, 3 Element Barlow £39.99

http://www.rotherval...rlow_d5545.html

All comes to £235, so for me the case and eyepieces would have been a good option if the barlow was good, also, is it overkill to have that many eyepieces because i notice that i have some magnification near overlaps with a 2x barlow.

Thanks.

Nick.

The kit only comes with 4 eyepieces and a barlow, so I would still recommend buying separate units. They are great eyepieces though. A 25 pair is almost permanently installed in my bino.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Ill probably go with the Separates from flo and a case from eBay, there's no maplins here in Ireland, there are good reviews about your TAL barlow as well, i would get that barlow but it does not look like flo stock them any more or are out of stock, how much is that barlow if you dont mind me asking.

[Naemeth]

Ill probably go with the Separates from flo and a case from eBay, there's no maplins here in Ireland, there are good reviews about your TAL barlow as well, i would get that barlow but it does not look like flo stock them any more or are out of stock, how much is that barlow if you dont mind me asking.

I got my TAL x2 Barlow second hand for £25 ish, can't remember exactly. Fortunately, I bought them before the shortage, they are still, I believe, supplied with TAL telescopes.

This barlow would be good:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/revelation-astro/revelation-astro-25x-barlow.html

[Nick-In-Ireland]

I looked at that barlow but i really need a 2x, i am in the process of adjusting the eyepieces that i am considering, i am thinking of dropping the 40mm Vixen NPL eyepiece and going for the 30mm because although the 30mm is more magnification it shows about the same field of view as the 40mm as the 40mm has only a 40 degree field of view.

Most people ask how high they can go with magnification but i need to know how low do i need to go in magnification, could i get away with the 30mm ?

Whats the lowest mag you use ?

[Damo636]

There's a Maplin store in the Boucher Centre in Belfast Nick...

http://www.maplin.co.uk/store-locator/belfast-boucher-centre

Not sure if they deliver to the republic but might be worth a phonecall.

[Naemeth]

What scope do you have? A 30mm is preferable over a 40mm because of a darker background, and they are pretty much the same TFOV.

The lowest I use is 25x (26mm eyepiece).

[Astro_Baby]

40mm is going to be too much for the average refelector....what scope do you have. A 40mm would work with a Mak or SCT well but it would depend on the scope. With a refelector yo may have exit pupil issues which would cause the centre of the field to dim down a bit.

[Eigen]

It would also depend on your environment. The light pollution is so bad in my area that with a 8 inch sct and its 2032mm focal length even my trusty 32mm shows a significant loss of contrast, due to sky glow. . Of course this changes at dark sky sites, but it is something to consider.

A 40 is really a specialty ep, it provides the same area of view as the 32 mm but as you mentioned with the tight 40 degree fov. It is best used on small maks for exit pupil or in binoviewers when trying to cut down the magnification. Besides cases like this, I would always tend to recommend a 32 (or 30 in this case).

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Thanks for that Damo636, i also see that Maplins have a shop on ebay as well, don't know if they post here but there are other cases on ebay.

Naemeth Aatro_Baby & Eigen, I don't have a scope yet (i have a 76/350 baby newt toy but that don't count really) as i am putting together the following order and tweaking, i have been advised on here to get things bit by bit but i have €1000 yo yo's to spend on a Scope and watnots, that's about £800 in real money, so i need to get all the bits i can while i have the money, here is where i am at so far (see list), there's postage costs to factor into the total as well, any general advice and advice on adjusting the eyepiece spread appreciated, do i need all these eyepieces or will i not use some of them?

Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian £289

Antares 1.25 inch 2X, 3 Element Barlow *RVO* £39.99

Skywatcher Laser Collimator *RVO* £45.95

Rigel QuikFinder with AA batt-holder £42

Astrozap Flexible Dew Shield £31

Rigel Aline Collimation Cap £4.95

2inch -1.25inch Twist lock adaptor with T ring *RVO* £31.99

Skywatcher 9x50 Right-Angled, Erecting Finderscope £65

Eyepiece case/flight case £25

EyePieces:-

30mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 40 £40

x2 80

15mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 80 £30

x2 160

10mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 120 £30

x2 240

8mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 150 £30

x2 300

6mm Vixen NPL eyepiece MAG 200 £30

x2 400

Total: £734.92

I would prefer to get everything from the same place (FLO) to keep postage costs down but i cant find a decent 2x barlow, or collimater at flo to beat the 1's at RVO.

Cheers.

Nick.

[Naemeth]

Personally, I'd get a Cheshire Collimator (Cheaper), they can't go out of collimation themselves, and I've heard lasers can be sometimes off. This is only other people's experience though. Personally, if getting the Cheshire, you don't need the collimation cap, and I'd go for a Telrad myself rather than a Rigel. I'm pretty sure the 200P comes with a 2" to 1.25" adapter too.

[Eigen]

Personally I would consider replacing the lower focal length NPLs with a BST Explorer or a TMB clone.

It is not that the NPLs aren't great eyepieces, it is that eye relief can get very tight on short FL plossls, perhaps you can manage the 8mm but a 6mm plossl is a Chinese torture device in my opinion. The TMB or BST, feature a wider FOV but more importantly a longer eye relief. That is unless you would prefer to have a homogeneous set.

You could offset the slight price increase of the BST by getting a cheaper Cheshire. I would agree that laser colimators in general tend to be more trouble than they are worth. Another bonus is that you can buy both the cheaper Cheshire and BST/TMB and skysthelimit, they offer free shipping.

Finally I think you choice of an 8 inch dob is on the money, great performance and good price.

Regards,

Eigen

[Lenny147]

I have the 25mm NPL and it is one of my favourite EPs. Decided on a 10mm a while after and it was like looking through the eye of a needle. Be careful with higher power NPL EPs

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[andrew63]

You could usefully drop the 6mm and 8mm - the 10mm x2 gives you most of the magnification you will need x240 is max. for most nights in general. Thats another £60 that could be saved.

Hope you enjoy the new telescope.

andrew

[alan potts]

Firstly,

Welcome to SGL, it is a great site and I am sure you will enjoy it.

Myself I would never buy a kit. It may well cost you a little more but in the long run you will do better picking and choosing. Latest fashion is the BST eyepieces, many site members talk very highly of them, you even see them secondhand from time to time. The members that I have read recommending these know their onions, that where I would start.

Alan.

[Nick-In-Ireland]

Thanks guys, lots of useful info and things to consider there, i am unsure yet which collimation tools i will go for, i like the idea of the Cheshire but i also like the idea of being able to stay at the primary mirror while adjusting it like you can with a laser collimator, as long as the laser collimator is itself collimated all should be ok, i could just use a colimation cap or a fashioned 35mm film canister to do the initial secondary alignment 1st, or go posh and get a cheshire as well to do the secondary, i am unsure yet and still reading up onthe subject.

Nick.

[Lenny147]

I bought both to be in the safe side

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[Nick-In-Ireland]

Been reading up on collimation, the barlowed laser method gives you the ease of use that comes with using a laser with the accuracy of using a cheshire as in this vid here, nice!

[russ.will]

Thanks guys, lots of useful info and things to consider there, i am unsure yet which collimation tools i will go for, i like the idea of the Cheshire but i also like the idea of being able to stay at the primary mirror while adjusting it like you can with a laser collimator, as long as the laser collimator is itself collimated all should be ok, i could just use a colimation cap or a fashioned 35mm film canister to do the initial secondary alignment 1st, or go posh and get a cheshire as well to do the secondary, i am unsure yet and still reading up onthe subject.

Nick.

I tried lasers, but a decent one costs so much, I decided to stick with the Cheshire in the end. One of the good metal ones only costs £30 and it does everything a laser can. I can't reach the end of my 300p whilst looking through the EP, but once you realise that you only need to tweek two of the three primary knobs, it becomes second nature, taking no more than a minute at the beginning of a session, if it's needed at all.

Looking at you list above, I'd probably dump the Astrozap dew shield and make one from easyfoam and superglue for £5. It's a lot lighter than the Astrozap and a lot easier to balance, which is an issue with Dobs. I'd also hold off on the RA finder, until you know how you get on with the standard finder, plus the Rigel QF. I went thought a phase of wanting a RA finder, but found that once the Rigel arrived, the standard straight through proved adequate, as it only got occasional use to see if a fuzzy was in more or less the right place.

I'd seriously take a look at the BST/Starguider EPs people mention. For starters the 30mm NPL FOV is restricted by the 1.25" barrel size, so the true field of view is only the same as about a 25mm EP, except there's more of a 'looking down a toilet roll experience' due to the smaller AFOV - The image circle is tiny and it's very unsatisfactory. Next, the 6mm will probably get more use as a paper weight holding the page on a star chart open. The view is dull, almost always limited in terms of detail by the atmosphere and further more, being a plossl, it's only got 3mm of eye relief. With the raised rubber eyecup, you'll find yourself really jamming your eyeball in there, which isn't exactly condusive to relaxed long term viewing. With a 50deg FOV, you be nudging a lot too. I'm not ruling one out as a 'next on the list', but a better spread of better EPs across the range of more widely used, will serve you better from the start.

So, I'd go BST 25mm, 18mm, 12mm and 8mm. They have generous eye relief and a nice big occular lens which makes prolonged viewing very easy. The 60deg FOV is well corrected at the edges in a F6 scope and to be honest, it was pretty decent in my old F5 200p. The wider FOV allows a little more time between nudges and they're sharp, so the fact that the 8mm is a little lower in mag than the 6mm NPL, rewards you with a brighter, more stable view, with cripser detail. If I had to sell my current EPs due to fiscal challenges, I'd happily buy the BSTs all over again.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is - In terms of the package as a whole - Don't try and get it all at once, because at this point, you don't really know what you're going to like, or not, about the package. I personally found the faff of barlowing and un-barlowing meant it hardly ever got taken out of the case and I prefered to spend the money on an extra EP. I have got another one coming (an ES Tele-Extender, which is a bit different), but that's because it's cheaper than another ES82 for the occasional planetary use it would get. To be fair, the standard SW 2x barlow you'll get with the scope isn't all that bad, so wait and see how much it gets used first.

Finally, take some of the money saved and buy a Wixey and a printed setting circle for the Dob base. It makes finding stuff you can't see one heck of a lot easier.

Russell

[moogoomonkey]

You can get a laser collimator by Seben from Amazon for 23.99 (free P&P). I can't comment on it as I haven't bought it yet but it is the cheapest laser collimator I've seen. It'll definitely shave a few bob off your initial expenditure!

[russ.will]

Been reading up on collimation, the barlowed laser method gives you the ease of use that comes with using a laser with the accuracy of using a cheshire as in this vid here, nice!

I messed with this, but two things made me disguard it.

One, the actual difficult bit in all of this, is getting the secondary accurately squared under and aligned with the focuser. No laser is useful for this and once you've done it, it hardly ever needs touching unless you take the scope apart to flock it*, etc.

Two, I got different results with two different lasers in the same barlow (same lasers and barlow as the vid) and rotating the lasers in the barlow, or both in the focuser, caused the illuminated spot on the primary to move. Barlowed collimation is supposed to avoid that. If I was doing something wrong, I'd like to know, but Cheshire collimation works every time.

Personally, in a F6 Newt, I wouldn't get too hung upon it as close is good enough. If it were F5 or faster, then I'd get paranoid.

Russell

*This is something I've found to make a large difference, especially if there's any LP present. £7 to do the six inches of tube above the primary and 1/3rd of the tube opposite the focuser and you'll have a bit left over to do the bottom of your DIY dew shield.