GSO eyepeices and filter thread

[happy-kat]

Hi

I am looking to get our first proper eyepeice and have decided it will be around a 30mm one. Budget is around £35 - £50.

Top of my list is the GSO 32mm one, I like that it has a rubber folding eye cup area.

Second on my list is the Vixen NPL 30mm, but I do not like that it does not have a rubber eye cup area.

But what I am unclear on is does the GSO have a filter thread please?

Perhaps a member has one and can confirm.

I know the Vixen does but I am unsure that I would like it not having a rubber eye cup area plus it is slightly narrower on field of view.

Next will be to choose a 2x barlow.

Thanks for helping

This will be for a Heritage 130p

[rowan46]

Yes it does have a filter thread

[John]

Virtually all eyepieces are threaded for filters these days, either 1.25" or 2" ones depending on the eyepiece size.. I assume that we are talking about the GSO 32mm plossl here ?. Thats a nice eyepiece as is the Vixen NPL 30mm which I've had on loan for testing for a while now. The Vixen does have a rubber eyecup which is an integral part of the upper part of the body of the eyepiece that can be used in raised or lowered position, depending on preference. I don't think there would be much to choose between them in term of performance so it's a case of which one you like ergonomically as they are rather different in physical shape.

[happy-kat]

Thank you for your replies

I

[LukeSkywatcher]

Top of my list is the GSO 32mm one, I like that it has a rubber folding eye cup area.

Second on my list is the Vixen NPL 30mm, but I do not like that it does not have a rubber eye cup area.

I have both and without a shadow of doubt, the GSO 32mm is by far my most favourite EP to use. A lot of people agree. The 32mm really is the workhorse of any EP collection.

They can both be filtered. They both have the same 50 degree FOV, but the 32mm GSO really feels like the FOV is wider.

I have used the 32mm GSO in my Heritage and it works great.

[great_bear]

Personally I don't recommend a 32mm eyepiece for the 130p

I own a 130p (SupaTrak version). Both our scopes have a good mirror for the price, but being an F5 mirror, 32mm eyepieces give a washed-out appearance unless you have particularly dark skies. 25mm is a much better option in my view. I never use the 32mm GSO eyepiece I have with my 130p telescope. I'm guessing Paul has much better skies than me

[great_bear]

Next will be to choose a 2x barlow.

Be aware that generally speaking, most 1.25" 32mm eyepieces do not work properly with a barlow.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Personally I don't recommend a 32mm eyepiece for the 130p

I own a 130p (SupaTrak version). Both our scopes have a good mirror for the price, but being an F5 mirror, 32mm eyepieces give a washed-out appearance unless you have particularly dark skies. 25mm is a much better option in my view. I never use the 32mm GSO eyepiece I have with my 130p telescope. I'm guessing Paul has much better skies than me

I find the Vixen NPL range dont suffer from the same "wash-out". They are a lot more contrasty..............dark is dark and light is light.

Thats what i DO love about the NPL, even in the Heritage.

Given the choice between a 32mm GSO and a 30mm NPL, they both have merit and for me its too close to call REALLY. I dropped my 32mm GSO and broke it and i replaced it with a 30mm NPL.

I cant say fairer then that really.

Either or.........................i just loved my 32mm GSO.

[happy-kat]

Thanks

I will deffo get one of the two, but I am also looking at getting the Maxivision 16mm as it is a good price deal and I would like to try this size in my scope.

Is there any reason why this should not perform well in my heritage 130p f5 does anyone think please?

[happy-kat]

Ok I took the plunge as this is birthday present I got the maxvision and will ear mark the GSO as it has the wider field view just a smidge past the max the telescope can do, whereas the Vixen is under the max. But until it is bought the decision might flip flop

[Bart]

If its like the Meade 5000 which is like the ES then its good, as I had the ES 16mm 68* and it was grand in an F5

Barry

[happy-kat]

Hopefully it will be a super leap up from the stock eyepeices. No idea if it really does have 6 elements and I am not about to take my screw driver to it,if it gives nice visuals then it does not matter.

[happy-kat]

Decisions, I am now in that post purchase dilema of should I have got the 24mm one instead.

Using this great calculator http://scopecalc.grid-itc.com/ I see that the TFoV for the Maxvision 16mm drops down to 1.6 where as the 24mm shoots up to 2.5 which is on a par with the GSO 32mm I am toying with getting.

Is it really as simple as that comparing TFoV between eye peices.

The magnification is different 27 versus 20 but with near identical TFoV, so would they show the same sky?

But one would show more stars in that sky being higher magnified?

Though as a beginner seeing less in the same view might be easier to find and star navigate as only the brighter ones would show up..

My uninformed reasoning to get the 16mm as I thought it filled the gap between the supplied eyepeices with the scope and the inteded low powered 32mm one.

[happy-kat]

Hi, anyone shed any thoughts on my last comment please?

[Stargazer_00]

just to throw this out there, the 25mm BST has a 60 degree AFOV and shows more or less the same true field of view as a 32mm Plossl. I think there is 2-3% more in the 32mm which is undetectable.

I also found a 32mm plossls goes a bit off on the edge at F5 whereas a 25mm BST is well corrected at this speed. At £49 new and alot cheaper second hand this, for me, is a much better eyepiece than a 32mm Plossl.

[hunterknox]

True field of view = apparent field of view / magnification. My 25mm Xcel LX has pretty much the same TFOV as my old 32mm plossl, but the difference in magnification means that the background skyglow is spread over a wider area, which makes it easier to pick out fainter objects.

Stars tend to stay the same brightness regardless of magnification because they're point sources and therefore don't spread out when you magnify them.

[happy-kat]

What I am trying to work out is whether the actual patch of sky seen in the 32mm GSO is actually a bigger area then in the 24mm Maxvision because the magnification is less regardless of TFoV. My head can't decide.

[Naemeth]

The Maxvision 24mm is a 2" eyepiece, and the Heritage has a 1.25" only focuser. It wouldn't fit .

[happy-kat]

The website says it is a 1.25, the 28mm and up are 2 inch.

I think because the magnification is less the GSO would see more actual sky real estate then the Maxvision 24mm if my thinking is correct.

[John]

What I am trying to work out is whether the actual patch of sky seen in the 32mm GSO is actually a bigger area then in the 24mm Maxvision because the magnification is less regardless of TFoV. My head can't decide.

A 32mm eyepiece with a 52 degree apparent field of view (ie: the GSO 32mm plossl) will show fractionally (and it's a very small faction !) more sky than a 24mm 68 degree AFoV eyepiece will in the same scope. The difference is so small that it would not really be noticeable though.

[happy-kat]

Thank you.

Sounds like it is an absolute degree figure and not relative to any eye peice magnification.

I will wait for the 16mm to arrive and see if I like using it before deciding on whether to get the 24mm.

Barlow can wait as planets going from my garden.

[janesdsg]

just to throw this out there, the 25mm BST has a 60 degree AFOV and shows more or less the same true field of view as a 32mm Plossl. I think there is 2-3% more in the 32mm which is undetectable.

I also found a 32mm plossls goes a bit off on the edge at F5 whereas a 25mm BST is well corrected at this speed. At £49 new and alot cheaper second hand this, for me, is a much better eyepiece than a 32mm Plossl.

I've just been given £100 birthday money and hope to get a couple of eyepieces for my scope (C6-N, f5. 1.25"). At the moment I have the stock 20mm plossl, an unnamed 2x barlow and Kson 3x barlows (freebie from a colleague).

I'm finding it difficult to decide. Based on reading many of the threads in the "eyepiece" section, I'd sort of narrowed things down to:

32mm plossl (either Revelation or GSO)

18mm (BST)

8mm (BST of TS Planetary HR)

possibly a decent barlow

My budget will only stretch to a couple of the above, but I'm getting in a muddle about what will work well with my f5 scope. I'd like to get into imaging at a later date but as I'm so new to this I'm more interested in planetary, lunar and dso observation.

Anyone have any thoughts/suggestions, please?

[janesdsg]

Whoops, meant to say that Stargazer's post that I'd quoted made me wonder if I should take the 32mm plossl off my list and replace it with the 25mm BST.

(Haven't worked out how to edit posts.)