Columbo Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hello all,This is my first post and I know that this has been asked a MILLION times before, but products keep changing etc. I would like to purchase a good 7mm EP for the SW Skyliner 200p dob, can anyone recommend one. I have done a lot of research but would like, if possible, to hear what 7mm EPs users use. The Celestron X-Cel LX 7mm looks good, but is there a good alternative? I have seen a few on, The Sky's the limit website, these are cheaper but is the quality much poorer?Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spec-Chum Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 An 8mm BST explorer from Sky's the Limit is fantastic value at £47 but obviously not 7mm. There's also the 7mm TMB clones on there which get decent reviews, not used one myself tho.If you're not too fussed about FOV then look out for a 2nd hand Baader Genuine Ortho or a Circle T 7mm Ortho. Probably the best bang for buck eyepieces out there in terms of sharpness and contrast. Sadly, both are now discontinued.If you're feeling flush, Explore Scientific do a 6.7mm 82 degree eyepiece which gets good press, but if you're feeling very flush a 7mm Nagler is available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneEyedSam Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Its a very personal choice, but I'd recommned keeping an eye out on astrobuysell.com/uk for second had eyepieces.The televue plossl's are around £50 second hand and are excellent, a mate of mine has the set. They dont offer the FOV of a nagler, but optically sharp and great colours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parus major Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I got a 7mm x-cel lx from this guy - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400396925326Postage was £15. Not a kick in the middles off the price of a knock off BST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendiddley Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 i use celestron xcel lx's which are excellent ep's and have a 7mm in the range. i have this ep and can recommend it. all of the lx's are sharp edge to edge and the view is very crisp. i tried the bst's but didn't get on with them, i had kidney beaning issues with them, but everyone is different. good luck with your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshane Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 assuming you only have the 25mm and 10mm that came with the scope, my recommendation would be a 15mm plossl plus a barlow. you can probably get the two used for about £30-40 total.we have a 200mm dob at my school's space blub and it really does provide an excellent image of Jupiter at 7.5mm (i.e. the 15mm barlowed). this gives 160x which is usable on most nights once the scope is cooled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshane Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 we have a generic brand barlow and a meade plossl. I got them for £15 each used. I'm not risking even my used TV plossls with the kids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny147 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I would try and get a look through a few different EPs at a local astro club before buying if possible. I can recommend the X-cel lx though and Vixen NPL do a good 25mm as a replacement on the stock 25mm. I changed the 25mm EP and it made a massive difference straight away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilkey Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 +1 for the 8mm BST Explorer/StarGuider, great ep at a great price, you only get kidney-beaning issues when you don't use the twist-up eyecups provided, which makes them very comfortable to use. You should always use the twist-up eyecups in my view. The Celestron X-Cel LX's also have twist-up eyecups and perform well in fast scopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwilkey Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 By the way Columbo, welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twotter Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I'd suggest looking for an eyepiece with a wider field of view so you can allow your target to drift across the view, rather than having to keep nudging to keep it in sight. I like the Baader Hyperion range of eyepieces in my 200P dob, but you've got plenty of options, depending on your budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damnut Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Another vote for the BST's. Great eps for the price, echo comments above and use the screw up eye cup.Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I'm rather taken with my tmb planetary ii eye pieces. A massive step up from the bundled EPs and very reasonable on my Yorkshire pocket. Very comfortable to use as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabberwocky Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Save up for a second hand nagler, you aren't going to get much better than that, mine was £170 off eBay. The wider field of view keeps planets in the ep for longer and the views are fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rory Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 on a budget id say as mentioned the 8mm bst , the 7mm x-cel lx and id also say the tmb II planetary e/ps are good value . i had the 6mm and it gave sharp images to my novice eye anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bingevader Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 And if we're talking 6mm EPs, the WO SPL 6mm is splendid!Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Columbo Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hello, thank you for all the advice, I think I'll opt for the 7mm TMB Planetary II eyepiece, it seems to get good reviews and quite a few people on here seem to rate it highly in terms of price to performance ratio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny147 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I have that EP and its a good en Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi Wan Ken00bi Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I've got a HR7 planetary, I think its a TMB rebrand. Got it from teleskop service, a very good eyepiece, although I've never tried REALLY good ones such as Televue and stuff...In hindsight, I should've ordered the 8mm from BST, purely for the colored rings on the outside (they make such a nice set when standing together, hehe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryeargames Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Have the skyliner 200p and the x cel lx 7m its excellent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeSkywatcher Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Personally i love the Vixen NPL range of EP's. They cost about £35 each. There is no 7mm, so an 8mm would be the closest thing. Having said that................the BST's are about the same price and according to many users, they offer better eye relief then the NPLs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargazer_00 Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Anyone see 8mm bst anywhere? Skys the limit dont seem to offer it anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obi Wan Ken00bi Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 Just email Alan from skysthelimit, sometimes they are out of stock. Then they dont put it on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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