Looking for a good 3mm

[Stargazer_00]

There is a 3-6 TV zoom on ABS at the moment for £230 by the way. If i wasn't saving for a scope I'd probably snap that up

[rowan46]

There is a 3-6 TV zoom on ABS at the moment for £230 by the way. If i wasn't saving for a scope I'd probably snap that up

Thankyou I looked earlier, but as I have an undriven scope I like a wider fov seems like a good buy though

[Moonshane]

what about a 1.6x Antares 2" barlow. it's a really excellent barlow for the money and with a 4.8ES would give you 3mm.

[alan potts]

Rowan,

Maybe it would have been more accurate to say "as daft as Alan Potts" I am sure I could be just as happy with half the eyepieces I have. I just can't resist a bargain, I am sure there is an illness named after this. To be honest with you I bought most of them with money left to me by my late Brother and I would really rather not have them at all.

Couldn't agree more about the star-party, they are dangerous places to be, it is just as well I have never been to one.

Alan.

[rowan46]

Rowan,

Maybe it would have been more accurate to say "as daft as Alan Potts" I am sure I could be just as happy with half the eyepieces I have. I just can't resist a bargain, I am sure there is an illness named after this. To be honest with you I bought most of them with money left to me by my late Brother and I would really rather not have them at all.

Couldn't agree more about the star-party, they are dangerous places to be, it is just as well I have never been to one.

Alan.

No offence meant . I am glad there are people like you how. else would us mere mortals get our reviews. sorry to hear about your brother but it raises an interesting ethical dilemma a premium eyepiece or a loved relative hmm wonder how much my sister is worth? seriously though I love your posts and you are one of my go to guys if I need info (you are filed under premium eyepieces)

[RikM]

it raises an interesting ethical dilemma a premium eyepiece or a loved relative hmm wonder how much my sister is worth?

Probably happens a lot more than you might think. My late Mother effectively 'bequeathed' my NEQ6 and autoguider. My eyepieces come from work bonuses. If I do well at work, I feel I've earned a treat

[rowan46]

what about a 1.6x Antares 2" barlow. it's a really excellent barlow for the money and with a 4.8ES would give you 3mm.

I had just decided on the 2.5x powermate and then you come along with an even more reasonable choice. damn these little pennies making me choose

[Stargazer_00]

depending on your beliefs you could argue buying a scope from inheritence is to help you try and look for them

bit deep. I've yet to face that dilemma and many a year passes before I do , I hope.

[alan potts]

Rowan,

No offence taken what so ever. I hope your Sister don't read the site. I have never had one but Damo and John speak highly of the Antares 1.6 Barlow with regard to the optical quality, if it only came in green and black. They are not made now and somewhat rare but they don't seem to have attracted the BGO mark-up frenzy.

Graham,

As it happens the way they try to help the children deal with death in Bulgaria is to tell them whoever has gone to be a star in the sky. I did the same with my then 5 year old Daniel. He came out one night shortly after and just said to me " have you seen your Brother tonight Dad"

Alan.

[Stargazer_00]

That's a nice way to remember your loved ones.

Dibs on VY Canis Majoris

[John]

As it happens the way they try to help the children deal with death in Bulgaria is to tell them whoever has gone to be a star in the sky. I did the same with my then 5 year old Daniel. He came out one night shortly after and just said to me " have you seen your Brother tonight Dad"

Alan.

Thats interesting Alan. When I was at the SGL star party a couple of years ago, an elderly couple with a young boy (around 5 or 6 years old I guess) came and asked me if I could show their grandson a star through a scope as his mother had recently passed away and they had told him that she was a star now. I managed to show the lad Vega I think and he said he saw it twinkle at him and went off quite happy. Left a lump in my throat that did I can tell you.

I'm glad I was able to to it though.

[RikM]

That is actually what we told our kids when they were younger.

[Deano1]

You really don't. I was like you, happy with what I had got then RickM showed me his delos and xw's at a star party leaving me with this unsatisfying itch that I had to scratch. Once you look through alpha glass you realise how second rate the rest truly is compared to it. I have 2 es 82 eyepieces which everybody tells me are excellent eyepieces but the delos and xw totally outclass them. That's the problem with star parties somebody has always got something better and you come away with this feeling of I want. God I wish I was as rich as Alan Potts

Note to self - avoid star parties and looking in expensive eyepieces.

It's guna happen one day though. I should probably learn to use the equipment I've got properly first though.

[chiltonstar]

Coming back to the topic, one EP worth considering if you come across it s/h is the 3.7mm ED2 Orion Epic. I use one with my Orion ED80 and it is superb. With reaasonable seeing, it will show Cassini all the way round, and it has given me some very good views of shadow and moon transits across Jupiter. The small size of the scope and its rapid cool-time means it can often perform to its maximum when larger scopes are struggling.

With my scope, it gives x150 and the impression is often that I could go a bit higher, although I haven't except with doubles.

Chris

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have used my 80mm F/6 triplet with the XW10 and 2.5x PowerMate, and the XW7 with 2x TeleXtender. Both work very well indeed, but I might try the XW7 2.5x PowerMate as well (2.8mm), just to see what happens. I myself do not find that most of the work is done in the top magnifications of short fracs, but I do like to match magnification to seeing.

[rowan46]

I have used my 80mm F/6 triplet with the XW10 and 2.5x PowerMate, and the XW7 with 2x TeleXtender. Both work very well indeed, but I might try the XW7 2.5x PowerMate as well (2.8mm), just to see what happens. I myself do not find that most of the work is done in the top magnifications of short fracs, but I do like to match magnification to seeing.

You are quite right I misspoke myself I do most of my viewing with the 12 and the 7mm I meant to say that most of the planetary work is done at the limits of its magnification.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

You are quite right I misspoke myself I do most of my viewing with the 12 and the 7mm I meant to say that most of the planetary work is done at the limits of its magnification.

That is true. I generally plug in the 10mm + 2.5x PowerMate in for planets and the moon.

[Mark in Macc]

Ace Cameras have a 3 mm Radian as a clearance item at the moment, with a missing rubber eye cup. £90