Got my Vixen NPLs today...

[dark_marc]

...and need to say that I am truely stunned by this new stargazing experience.

Got the 6mm, 15mm and 20mm to cover almost all my needs.

Anyway, in direct comparison the Skywatcher EPs that came with my dob or refractor do not even come close to the optical and build-quality of the NPLs.

I have actually never seen any of Saturn's moons other than Titan and only with the 10mm Skywatcher kit lens + 2x barlow. Mounting my 20mm NPL I can already spot Titan, swapping for 15mm NPL and I can see three moons, the image is crisp and has contrast.

Love the 20mm just for browsing the sky, however do consider buying a 30mm or even 40mm to widen my choice of EPs. Ah, and need a better barlow too.

Also tried the new EPs on M57 and M31 (yes, did find them again...whoohoo) but LP is to strong to get a better view.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The Vixen NPL's are great EPs. You do have just about all you may need with what you have. I would say go for the 30mm instead of the 40mm.

I have an 8,15,30mm NPL and a 25mm NLV.

Very sharp and contrasty views.

[Helite]

The NPL's were my first upgrade for the 200p and I think they are great for the price. Don't quote me on this but i'm sure I read somewhere that the difference between the 30mm and 40mm wasnt much and your just as well with the 30mm, but my brain is fried right now and I cant remember where I got that info!! I have the 30 and its nice, FLO did a promo of them on here and I managed to bag one a few months back.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The 40mm NPL only has a FOV of 40 degrees. The 30mm has a FOV 50 degrees. The 30nm is the one to go for. Same price but bigger FOV,

[ianfiat]

I have the 8mm, 15mm and 30mm too, great aren't they.

[cs1cjc]

I think they are very good, but they are not as wide angle as claimed, typically about 46*. I would agree that the 30mm, rather than 40mm, will be more satisfactory with its 25.4mm field stop giving close to the maximum true field of view for a 1.25" eyepiece.

[John]

I've had the 30mm NPL on loan from First Light Optics for a while now. It's an excellent plossl

I've compared it's apparent field of view with Tele Vue plossls and the Baader Classic 32mm Plossl and it certainly seems to match the claimed 50 degrees to me which is the same as the Tele Vue's. The Baader is around 46 degrees.

They are a distinct step up from the eyepieces supplied with scopes

[completenovice]

I bought the 30mm NPL a few weeks back and they are head and shoulders above the supplied eyepieces.

As a newcomer to the hobby I was hesitant that I would notice any significant difference between the two but even to my untrained eyes the NPLs are brilliant. All I need is either a 15 or 20mm to complete the collection for now (already have a 8mm NPL)

I can only imagine what the really expensive EPs provide over stuff like the NPLs but that will have to wait for quite some time as I get my head around this astronomy lark!

[andrew63]

I bought the 30mm NPL a few weeks back and they are head and shoulders above the supplied eyepieces.

As a newcomer to the hobby I was hesitant that I would notice any significant difference between the two but even to my untrained eyes the NPLs are brilliant. All I need is either a 15 or 20mm to complete the collection for now (already have a 8mm NPL)

I can only imagine what the really expensive EPs provide over stuff like the NPLs but that will have to wait for quite some time as I get my head around this astronomy lark!

Not much to be honest ! They are as good as an eyepiece costing several hundred of pounds - the cost comes in providing that nice view you have over a wider field of view. Glad your enjoying them.

andrew

[AlexB67]

I like the sounds of that 30mm Vixen. I'll probably get that instead of 25mm BST to replace the stock 25mm, probably get the 30mm NPL instead of the 25mm. I hear so many good things about the vixen NPL range and some varied reviews on the 25 BST. In any case I'll get to try something different also

To confirm how relatively poor the 10mm stock eyepiece is, The 8mm BST is excellent compared to it, nearest I have I can compare it to. I got it yesterday and tried it out last night, it was a pretty good session too, with better skies compared to the last couple of nights

On the cost topic, you can spend a lot more money on these things if you want no doubt, but it is also said in quite a few articles by expert gazers ( I researched the hot topic of eyepieces quite a bit by now ) that you can get sort of around 80% there in terms of quality and performance, The extra money could be invested in more expensive 2 inch eyepieces , extra wide FOV costs a lot, getting a perfect view right across the last few % of the FOV, many things. If you were to plot a graph of performance/quality versus cost, once you get to the real top of the cream, it just grows exponentially.

I am happy so far with what a medium budget brings. spending around £ 40 - 50 a shot you can get decent results if you chose wisely and research it a bit I feel.

[dark_marc]

All I need is either a 15 or 20mm to complete the collection for now (already have a 8mm NPL)

I really do like my 15mm as mentioned early, makes such a difference on Saturn's, stripes and moons or even Albireo, I do see some colours now.

The 20mm EP does have the twist-up bit that is truly amazing helping with both eye reliefe but also covers the view from disturbing light from the sides.

[AlexB67]

I really do like my 15mm as mentioned early, makes such a difference on Saturn's, stripes and moons or even Albireo, I do see some colours now.

The 20mm EP does have the twist-up bit that is truly amazing helping with both eye reliefe but also covers the view from disturbing light from the sides.

I love that feature too, last night I was looking at a couple of open clusters, removed my glasses and adjusted the cup to be comfortable and a nice close fit, and just kept looking, within a few minutes more detail just started to pop out, the views just got better and better. It is really useful to have that feature instead of the foldout eyecup, when you are in an area with a street light nearby as is the case with my back garden. With the foldout eye cup my eye may be just above the eyepiece, and that extra little bit of light comes in from the sides.

Not sure I'd want to buy an eye piece that doesn't have that feature from here on out

[cs1cjc]

...the 30mm, ...., will be more satisfactory with its 25.4mm field stop...

A minor correction: I measure the field stop diameter of my 30mm NPL to be 24.3mm, about 10% less that the 27mm or so achieved some other 1.25" eyepieces.