Thinking of having a "big spend", its all M.H.F.Wilkinsons fault

[bomberbaz]

Ok I am really not decided if I should or not. A certain Mr Wilkinson's thread (I have to blame someone in case the mrs finds out, hehe) about buying additional EP's and some of the respondents replies have got me seriously thinking about doing similar but on a slightly larger scale. Can't remember who said it but it was a case of life's to short and if you can afford it and it makes you happy, do it....

I know Its a lot more than I should spend and tbh I can just about afford it but after my last spend I just thought about going the whole hog and finishing my collection off.

Ditching my cheaper although decent mid range ep's in favour of the following.

Nagler 31mm T5

Panoptic 24mm or Maxivision 24mm

Vixen LVW 17mm

Vixen LVW 13mm

Delos 10mm

Existing kit will make about a quarter to one third of the cost depending on which 24mm, still a very big spend but it really would finish off this buying spree and give me a top of the range collection of EP's

So should I

[jetstream]

Like the saying goes "YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE" and this is something you enjoy,the eyepieces will meet your needs and exceed your expectations.The money hit won't be too bad when you sell the other ones,I personally would go for it.Be excited and have fun!!

[alan potts]

Why bother with the Vixens when the Delos are at 15% discount, go for the 17.3mm and the 14mm, the latter is absolutely excellent, I have one. At 24mm I would go for the 24mm Max 82 degree, I have this too but the Meade version. I could also say that the 68 degree Meade/ Max is also very good but I don't feel it is as good as the Panoptic 24mm, though some will disagree with me.

The other possible it drop the 31mm Nagler ( poor word choice) and the Panoptic and go for the 26mm Nagler instead.

Alan

[bomberbaz]

Why bother with the Vixens when the Delos are at 15% discount, go for the 17.3mm and the 14mm, the latter is absolutely excellent, I have one. At 24mm I would go for the 24mm Max 82 degree, I have this too but the Meade version. I could also say that the 68 degree Meade/ Max is also very good but I don't feel it is as good as the Panoptic 24mm, though some will disagree with me.

The other possible it drop the 31mm Nagler ( poor word choice) and the Panoptic and go for the 26mm Nagler instead.

Alan

i decided on the vixens after a lot of research as they fit right in the bolt hole for the range i am trying to build, 14 leaves a gap.

Also consideed the 26mm like you suggested but then i know i will end up feeling there is a gap at the bottom end. Well maybe, now thinking it over again. Dam this is hard work figuring it all out.

[foundaplanet]

I think you do what you feel you need to do for yourself and if your not going to be content observing until you have a whole collection then that is what you need to do.

That 31mm will take one big chunk though. If I was in that position I'd go for the 68' Maxivisions at 28 24 and 20 then get the rest of the Delos to complete the set... I would be extremely content with that lot..

[bomberbaz]

Actually Alan you raise a very good point. The difference between the 31 and 26 is not as huge when i figure it out on paper (48x vs 58x and tfov just 0.17). Additionally the 31mm Nagler puts the exit pupil right on my limits for my age where as the 26mm will sit very comfortably and the eye relief will be ok (just) at 16mm. Then like you say park the vixen 17mm and get a 17.3mm delos instead.

then its:

10mm Delos

13mm Vixen

17.3mm Delos

26mm Nagler

Pity they don't do the Delos at 13mm otherwise I would have it. 12 or 14mm leaves too large a gap.

10mm x150

12mm x125

13mm x115

14mm x107

17.3mm x87

You can see the 13 sits better between the 10 & 17.3 than the either the 12 or 14 does. However I guess then there is always the option of getting 12 &14 delos but that really does seem like over the top when a 13 would sit perfectly well inbetween. Even I have a common sense limit .

Hmm decisions decisions

[Ben Ritchie]

I could also say that the 68 degree Meade/ Max is also very good but I don't feel it is as good as the Panoptic 24mm, though some will disagree with me.

I'd agree, the Meade 24mm SWA isn't as good as the 24mm Panoptic - it is much cheaper though and still a very good eyepiece

10mm Delos

13mm Vixen

17.3mm Delos

26mm Nagler

I think that it's maybe a mistake to focus on perfect spacing, as personally I don't think the Vixen lives up to the other eyepieces in your shortlist. I'd simply wait and find how much of a problem you find a hole between the 10mm and 17.3mm is - you may find the difference between 87x and 150x isn't something you need to fill.

[estwing]

With the ep's on the list..that 26mm in a powemate would solve that 13mm hunt and the praise the 26 nagler gets I bet the view's superb....

[bomberbaz]

With the ep's on the list..that 26mm in a powemate would solve that 13mm hunt and the praise the 26 nagler gets I bet the view's superb....

Dam good point mate, never even considered this as an option. Although I think a revelation or altair barlow would be almost as good at a much lower cost..

Even more to think about, heheh

[stevepeverall]

I think that it's maybe a mistake to focus on perfect spacing, as personally I don't think the Vixen lives up to the other eyepieces in your shortlist.

I totally agree. I've compared a mates 8 and 13mm Vixens to the 8 and 14mm Delos and the samller AFOV of the Vixens is noticeable. The stars are also not pin sharp to the edges with the Vixens which may leave you itching to upgrade at a later date.

However, my mate paid £120 for both the Vixens a few months back on AB&S which left him with a very big smile on his face!!!

[swamp thing]

On the 31mm or 26mm debate, there is little difference in price either

For me it's not about exit pupil it's about field. I don't use my 31mm to get the best exit pupil I use it so the big objects have the best chance of actually fitting in the FOV. For exit pupil I reach straight away for my 20mm T5.

TBH both 31mm & 26mm are incredible wide fields, so you can't really go wrong. If I'd opted for the 26mm though I would always be wondering "would it have fitted in the 31mm?" When you have the 31mm you know

[Ben Ritchie]

On the 31mm or 26mm debate, there is little difference in price either

There's a fair difference in size and weight though; the 26mm is a big, heavy eyepiece, but the holy hand-grenade is considerably bigger and heavier. So, depending on your setup, practicality may be a good argument for the 26mm. I agree though that the views through the 31mm are rather special

[E621Keith]

Why bother with the Vixens when the Delos are at 15% discount, go for the 17.3mm and the 14mm, the latter is absolutely excellent, I have one. At 24mm I would go for the 24mm Max 82 degree, I have this too but the Meade version. I could also say that the 68 degree Meade/ Max is also very good but I don't feel it is as good as the Panoptic 24mm, though some will disagree with me.

The other possible it drop the 31mm Nagler ( poor word choice) and the Panoptic and go for the 26mm Nagler instead.

I maybe off loading a few eyepieces that may interest you in a few weeks, PM me if you are interested.

Alan

Actually Alan you raise a very good point. The difference between the 31 and 26 is not as huge when i figure it out on paper (48x vs 58x and tfov just 0.17). Additionally the 31mm Nagler puts the exit pupil right on my limits for my age where as the 26mm will sit very comfortably and the eye relief will be ok (just) at 16mm. Then like you say park the vixen 17mm and get a 17.3mm delos instead.

then its:

10mm Delos

13mm Vixen

17.3mm Delos

26mm Nagler

Pity they don't do the Delos at 13mm otherwise I would have it. 12 or 14mm leaves too large a gap.

10mm x150

12mm x125

13mm x115

14mm x107

17.3mm x87

You can see the 13 sits better between the 10 & 17.3 than the either the 12 or 14 does. However I guess then there is always the option of getting 12 &14 delos but that really does seem like over the top when a 13 would sit perfectly well inbetween. Even I have a common sense limit .

Hmm decisions decisions

I used to be quite happy with LVWs until I got some Nikon. After that I suddenly started seeing lateral colours in the LVW in my fast scopes. I suspect the 10 Delos will do the same for the 13 LVW.

If you have a scope that is F6 or faster and wanted a 13mm eyepiece, get a 13 Ethos.

[bomberbaz]

I totally agree. I've compared a mates 8 and 13mm Vixens to the 8 and 14mm Delos and the samller AFOV of the Vixens is noticeable. The stars are also not pin sharp to the edges with the Vixens which may leave you itching to upgrade at a later date.

However, my mate paid £120 for both the Vixens a few months back on AB&S which left him with a very big smile on his face!!!

I already have Vixens (5,7) and Delos (6,8) and to my eye and in comparison i noticed no difference in views. That appears to be the opinion of many on here but I realise we all see things differently.

In picking anything I do tend to adopt a more scientific approach and this usually works for me. For the EP's above I have been checking out all options above with EP calculators and getting a feel of the AFOV. I know these aren't always spot on but with better quality ep's you expect the quoted FOV to be correct or near as.

So for the three mid range ep's it comes out as so:

10mm Delos 0.48

13mm Vixen 0.56

17.3mm Delos 0.82

So you can see why I am considering a Vixen as a real option. i should point out my existing EP at 13mm is a Hyperion so I would see a marked improvement. That said, I also have to consider if I go from say a 17.3mm Delos to the vixen on the same DSO and then start comparing each to each other, dilemma I know.

ps your mates two Vixens at 120 quid was a real steal.

I used to be quite happy with LVWs until I got some Nikon. After that I suddenly started seeing lateral colours in the LVW in my fast scopes. I suspect the 10 Delos will do the same for the 13 LVW.

If you have a scope that is F6 or faster and wanted a 13mm eyepiece, get a 13 Ethos.

I did look Keith but ER is to small (and its very pricey), I can only afford one in that price bracket, but nice thought

Need to get the idea of just getting Delos 10,12,14 & 17.3 out of my head but can't, dam you who ever mentioned it !! (foundaplanet)

[E621Keith]

Can you remind me what scope you have again?

What about 8,12,17.3 delos? This will give you a good spread of magnification (188x, 125x, 87x) in 1.5x increment

[swamp thing]

Can you remind me what scope you have again?

That would be a big help. It's tough enough selecting eyepieces when you know the scope, without it

[rowan46]

Steve I am confused I was sure the pics you posted were pentax 5 and 7mm and certainly most of us have been comparing pentax and delos

[bomberbaz]

Steve I am confused I was sure the pics you posted were pentax 5 and 7mm and certainly most of us have been comparing pentax and delos

Indeed you are right rowan, my apologies, the 5 and 7 are indeed pentax. So ignore my previous comparison as we weren't comparing the same thing stevepeveral. I thought you meant Pentax when indeed you didn't

Hey i turned 50 two days ago i have the excuse now

Sorry also the scope is 12" F5.

[Naemeth]

That would be a big help. It's tough enough selecting eyepieces when you know the scope, without it

Steve, how about a 9mm too? To me, you need a lot of different eyepieces to get the best of the seeing .

[swamp thing]

1371297781[/url'>' post='1963946']

Steve, how about a 9mm too? To me, you need a lot of different eyepieces to get the best of the seeing .

I'm sorted, but thanks anyway

reckon you quoted the wrong post Jonathan

[Naemeth]

I'm sorted, but thanks anyway

Other Steve, Steve .

EDIT: I realise what I did. I quoted your post as I was writing something in response, but from another reply it was no longer needed so I removed what I wrote, just not the quote

[swamp thing]

[bomberbaz]

Other Steve, Steve .

EDIT: I realise what I did. I quoted your post as I was writing something in response, but from another reply it was no longer needed so I removed what I wrote, just not the quote

clear as mud, just like my choice of EP's

[scarp15]

The 20mm T5 nagler is worth considering as a very effective medium / low power ep x75. As mentioned, you get great contrast with a panoramic view, pin sharp star field across and good eye relief. Not to heavy either. With my 12" flextube I tend to jump straight from a 35mm Panoptic x43, which gives a very good wide field, encapsulating larger objects, to the 20mm.

At high power, you could also consider 7mm x214 or 9mm x167. Depends on how you feel about the eye relief on the T6 naglers, but you get a terrific 82 degree field on globulars and open clusters.

[swamp thing]

Aah! I see you've added your scope to your sig now Steve. Always a good idea when asking eyepiece questions

For some stupid reason I thought you had a 16" Dob.

I would second the 20mm T5 suggestion. It works very well at these apertures.