Best eyepiece for veiwing the planets with mak127

[yelsac]

Hi

What would you guys recommend as a decent eyepiece for the viewing the planets with a SW Mak 127?

What I'm really trying to find out is what eyepieces will give much better viewing than the eyepieces that came with the scope without breaking the bank.

I have the 10 & 25mm that came with it & also some fairly cheap Plossis 4mm, 6mm that I bought for my 150p reflector so I'm just trying figure if its worth buying a better lense for seeing the planets through the Mak.

Yelsac

[JamesF]

John is presently awaiting clear skies so he can review the new Baader Classic Orthoscopic eyepieces. If he reckons they're anywhere near as good as the Baader Genuine Orthos then at the prices FLO have for them I reckon they could be well worth having.

James

[wookie1965]

A 8mm BST starguider from here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25-8mm-BST-Explorer-Dual-ED-eyepiece-Branded-Starguider-/160949760069?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item25795a7045 would be excellent in your scope.

[HD-AP]

Depends on what magnification your after

Orthoscopics /abbe type makes like circle t /kk japanese are good value second hand , bst explorers get praised often vixen npl plossl's are good value and a step up from the one's that came with the scope ,meade 4000 superplossls are also ok .

I would also get a good 2x barlow lens this will double the magnification range of any eyepieces you get .I'd also get focal lengths that give you a medium to high spread of magnification ,long focal length low power views are not really a maksutov's forte.

Hope some of this helps.

cheers

[Capricorn]

I would opt for a nice 12mm.

[wookie1965]

Is the mak the 5" f1500

[Ags]

I would opt for a nice 7 and 10mm pair, and I would probably add a 5mm too :-)

[Peter Drew]

A Seben 8mm-24mm zoom eyepiece works very well at F10 and over for less than £50.

[yelsac]

Is the mak the 5" f1500

Yes that’s the one, being a relative newbe to this, does it really make a significant difference using other eyepieces than ones supplied with the scope?

[yelsac]

A Seben 8mm-24mm zoom eyepiece works very well at F10 and over for less than £50.

Thanks for the reply, I was told to steer well clear of zoom eyepieces, are they a good piece of kit?

[wookie1965]

Well i would say get used to your scope first then decide what you would like to view then chose eyepieces that will do that. As your scope is a 5 inch they say maximum magnification is aperture x2 so for yours i think that works out at 250 so then the equation is focal length 1500 / eyepiece e.g 25 = 60, so an 8mm will give you 187.5x as you would never or vary rarely be able to use maximum magnification the 8 mm will probably be the highest mag for your scope, just to show you a 5 mm will be 300,

The 25 mm that comes with the scopes is not bad but the 10mm leaves alot to be desired.

[astrofox]

Ortho's especially the Baader BGO's.

[yelsac]

Ortho's especially the Baader BGO's.

Forgive me but whats a "BGO"

[John]

A Seben 8mm-24mm zoom eyepiece works very well at F10 and over for less than £50.

Those work quite nicely at F/7.5 too I've found, somewhat to my surprise I have to say

If you can handle the eye relief and the small field of view I reckon the Circle-T "volcano top" orthos are great buys on the used market - they can be picked up for £25 or less.

[John]

Forgive me but whats a "BGO"

Baader Genuine Orthoscopic. Just gone out of production unfortunately

Worth looking for used though.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I would also have a look at the Pentax XF 8.5mm. It beat my Radian 8mm, is very comfortable to look through (certainly compared to the orthos), has a 60deg FOV, and is cheaper than the TV Radian. I really love that little EP. It also holds up well against the bigger (and far more expensive) XW 7 and 10. A second-hand TV Radian is also well worth considering, should you find one.

[crazyjedi]

For the money I would have to add my voice to the BGO appreciation society, though you would have to find one second hand probably. It might pay you to wait until John has finished his review of the new BCOs to be honest as they are so well priced they could be bargains if the quality is there. All we need is some clear sky for John

[yelsac]

John is presently awaiting clear skies so he can review the new Baader Classic Orthoscopic eyepieces. If he reckons they're anywhere near as good as the Baader Genuine Orthos then at the prices FLO have for them I reckon they could be well worth having.

James

Thanks for that I'll look forward to his reviews

[yelsac]

For the money I would have to add my voice to the BGO appreciation society, though you would have to find one second hand probably. It might pay you to wait until John has finished his review of the new BCOs to be honest as they are so well priced they could be bargains if the quality is there. All we need is some clear sky for John

Thanks for the tips

[Moonshane]

I have a 6" f11 dob (focal length 1600mm) and it's therefore quite similar. my most used eyepieces are 32mm for solar/lunar full disc, 15mm plossl, 10mm Radian and 9mm BGO, sometimes 8mm Radian and 7mm BGO if the seeing allows. I also use a 6-3mm Nagler zoom (very expensive but superb) for double stars on most nights.

[RikM]

My most used eyepiece for planets when I had a 127Mak was an 8.8mm Meade 4000 UWA and on very good nights a 15mm Plossl with a 2x Barlow.

[yelsac]

My most used eyepiece for planets when I had a 127Mak was an 8.8mm Meade 4000 UWA and on very good nights a 15mm Plossl with a 2x Barlow.

Rik

Are those 8.8mm Meade 4000 UWA still available? if so any idea where to get them?

Thanks

[RikM]

Unfortunately not. It's a lovely eyepiece but the eyerelief is a little tight for me. This is the newer version but I don't know how they compare http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Meade_5000_Series_8.8mm_UWA_WP_Eyepiece.html

[yelsac]

Thanks anyway