Eyepieces to buy with 200p Dob?

[Philk_80]

Hi

Hopefully buying a Skywatcher 200p Dob in a few weeks when I have fully decided! From your guys experience if I had to buy only a couple of first eye pieces which would you recommend?

I intend to use the scope for planets and DSO in the first instance with no interest in astrophotography (as yet!)

Thanks

[DeepThought]

I'd wait until it arrives and you've used it a good few times before you add eyepieces, then you can decide what you enjoy viewing the most and base your decision upon that.

When I first started out I was certain that i'd only be interested in planetary viewing, but after a few nights out with a scope I soon realised that I get more enjoyment from the DSOs. If i'd bought one before the scope arrived I'd probably have a 6mm planetary eyepiece that I rarely use.

You could of course get a 2x barlow and effectively double your collection though.

[Moonshane]

hi Phil

firstly welcome to SGL from a fellow north westerner! dobs are not normally good for imaging but that's something you'll know soon enough and I'd recommend you leave imaging for now anyway - it's not cheap and takes a lot of skill and time.

re eyepieces, I'd actually not rush into things and see how you go with the initial eyepieces that come with the scope. in terms of accessories, my top five recommendations would be as follows:

1) red dot finder - I use Telrads

2) right angle correct image finder - 6x30 or 9x50

3) good star map, I use the Sky and telescope pocket atlas and the Cambridge Double star atlas

4) red torch - make your own

5) dew shield - make your own.

you can probably use any sort of garden chair for your scope - makes a big difference. when ready for eyepieces, we use a 15mm plossl and a 2x barlow at school with the same scope and it provides great detail on Jupiter including the red spot, moon transit shadows etc.

if you buy used you'll save a lot of money and I bought a used Meade Plossl and a 2x barlow for £30 total. well worth it.

[Moonshane]

ps you have made a great choice with the 8" dob.

[Philk_80]

Thanks for the advice.

Can I just ask how to make a dew shield?

Sorry if a basic question!

[Dude_with_the_tube]

i would completely agree with Shane`s statement.get the scope first and get the feel of it.Forget about the photo side for atliest a year +,get used to visual part of things,dont know how experienced you are in astro,but if you are not(like me) then trust me there are tons of things to learn before you even can think of taking on a photo side of this hobby.Also the photo side is very very costly if you are planning to take on it seriously.I definitively will pass on the serious side just of financial grounds and will concentrate on visual only with occasional web cam picturing.For the first time being you can use the Ep`s provided in the set,and after deciding that you do like the hobby,you can then take the plunge of upgrades.Everyone will give you they own opinions on what Ep to buy,but you will be the one taking the hit

some like plosls,some like wide and ultra wide views and all goes down to one point:how much you are happy to spend.for example i decided that i do really like the view of 82 degree EP and as such i am slowly upgrading my collection of Ep to them.Subject to finances i buy 1-2 ep a month.others are fans of televue and they build they EP collection based on that.once again it is down to each individual what they want and how they want.It is a slippery route and ones you are on it,it is difficult to get out of it

good luck with your choice of route and clear skies!

[Moonshane]

you can buy dew shield but some people use camping mat with some velcro on. secure it with a bungee rope / elastic. it helps with anti-dewing and also reducing glare from neighbours' bedroom windows - a perennial problem

[stevetynant]

Just a thought - but starting from scratch my first inclination was to look for high magnification E/ps but as I've spent more time in this hobby -more and more I find myself using low powered E/ps - the field of view is so much larger and allows so much more of your target in view- obviously planets you may want to get the magnification up but on the whole I would look for a decent 2 Inch perhaps 32mm lens as my first "spend" on eye pieces

Having said that the guys above are quite correct - you don't have to spend anything to get going until you have a little more experience and eye pieces would probably not be top of the list to start with anyway. If you can get out with a local group that might be even better so you could just have a look at what others are doing and get a feel for what you may want in the future- but theres no rush and good luck with your choice- speaking from experience you'll have a great time with your new scope- enjoy.

[xyz]

With my 200 Dob. my favorite eyepieces are a 32 mm, the 32 with a 2x Barlow giving a 16mm and a 5mm for real close-ups - the seeing has to be reasonable good though.

The 32 mm is very, very useful and I am thinking about a Baader 17 mm.

[Lee M]

+1 for the Telrad. Thoroughly recommend it.

I've stuck with the supplied 9 x 50 so far but I will probably replace with the 90 degree for comfort sooner rather than later.

Turn Left at Orion - what to look for, when, where & realistic diagrams of what you'll see.

I found the first thing that needed a dewshield was the Telrad. Then I'll move onto the finderscope. I've not got as far as getting the scope to dew up yet. You can find Telrad dewshield pics and diagrams with a quick search.

There's plenty of threads in the eyepiece section for the 200p although I would echo the comments around now spending more time looking through a low power EP.

Hope you get some clear skies soon to try it out.

Lee

[RMcCallum]

I recommend BST Explorers/Starguiders. Absolutely fantastic EPs at an uninflated price. I have the 5, 18 and 25mm atm, and will probably end up getting the 8, 12 and 15 as well

[yesteryeargames]

Celestron x cel Lx 7mm works very well with my skyliner 200p, on good nights I get great detail on planets , and the stars looks crisp and bright

[rwilkey]

With my 200 Dob. my favorite eyepieces are a 32 mm, the 32 with a 2x Barlow giving a 16mm and a 5mm for real close-ups - the seeing has to be reasonable good though.

The 32 mm is very, very useful and I am thinking about a Baader 17 mm.

Baader's are a bit soft on scopes f/5 or faster, so be careful, if you have f/6 version then you should be OK.

[Philk_80]

Thanks for all the great advice guys. Much appreciated.

Phil