unsure of quality or suitability of eyepieces

[Seafury]

Hi chaps some comments,guidence and advice would be welcomed , I have, I think, a reasonable scope, a new Bresser 127L 1200mm f/l refractor and I have the following  eyepieces about which I know very little so some advice would be very helpful

Bresser 26mm super plossl   (came with scope)

Celestron X-Cel LX  7mm

KE 25mm Wide Angle fully coated

KE 10mm Wide Angle fully coated

Super Plossl 10mm multi coated 52 degree?

Celestron 25mm SMA Wide Angle Model 93007-A

I would like to get the best I can out from my scope so any alternatives to consider would be good to hearof

thanks in anticipation   Gordon

[Naemeth]

What sort of budget were you thinking per eyepiece?

The Celestron X-Cel LX have good reviews .

[wookie1965]

If the KE stands for Kellner stay well clear BST Starguiders have good reports on here i myself have four and they are brilliant the X-Cel`s are good as well.

[Seafury]

please tell me if any of them are real dogs and should be ditched

[ronl]

+ 1 for the BST Starguiders, Try this link it will help you understand

the different types of eyepieces, http://www.swindonstargazers.com/beginners/eyepieces.htm

[Naemeth]

please tell me if any of them are real dogs and should be ditched

I wouldn't ditch any of them until you've used them. If there are any you don't get on with you should sell them .

[ronin]

At what is close to F/10 you have a few options depending on the budget and your preference.

A good plossl would work well, but below 8mm to 10mm the eye relief is poor, also plossls tend not to be par-focal.

Good choices in plossl's are the TV plossls and the Vixen plossl's. You may not get smaller the 8mm however.

TV's are around £65-80, Vixens are £35.

BST Starguiders are good and there is 6 in the set: 5mm, 8mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 25mm. BST's are £47 each.

You could buy one or two at a time and collect the lot, which is what many end up doing.

To me the catch of the BST's is the jump of 5mm to 8mm then 12mm. Some prefer smaller increases at the low end.

The Celectron X-Cels come in 5mm, 7mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 25mm. X-Cels are £65 each.

At 1200 FL I would go for the BST's. They perform the same as the X-Cels and are a bit less cost.

[Seafury]

Hi it just says KE which I assume is Kellner, not much of a budget I'm afraid

cheers Gordon

[Seafury]

I have tried all the ones I have but with little experience it ia difficult to know what is good/ok/bad

[wookie1965]

KE will be Kellner they are the low end of eyepieces if you are n a low budget the i highly recommend the BST`s (Starguider`s)£49 each very well worth the money.

[baggywrinkle]

X-Cel's are good.

Try the KE10 against the Super plossle 10mm, both have the same focal length but may not have to same performance. Check yo see what the eye relief is.

Ditto the Celestron 25mm against the KE25.

[Adrian]

I agree with Naemeth - give them a go and see which you like.

My first scope had a 20mm Keller which gave nice bright views of Jupiter, sharp on axis and was comfortable to use. I sold it with the scope, but have just bought another as a different option (haven't got it yet). As they only have 3 elements they can give good light throughput.

I have paid £7 delivered, so they aren't really worth selling and could be good for some targets. Don't write them off too soon

Sent from my magic talk box

[Seafury]

Hi all thanks for all your replies and links all really helpful, it seems to sum up that I keep the X Cel LX 7mm and not bother with the rest but get a BST  15 or 18mm ?

[Seafury]

Hi quick update I have just bought the 15mm BST and 25mm BST anything else I should get before wife finds out and puts me on ebay lol

Gordon

[wookie1965]

If your going to look at Planets you will want the 8mm next.

[Pig]

Im sue you get a free eyepiece with flowers and chocolate at some good retailers    Does your wife not know this yet ?

+1 for the E-XCELS

[Seafury]

If your going to look at Planets you will want the 8mm next.

Hi I already have the 7mm X Cel will this be ok ?

cheers Gordon

[Seafury]

Im sue you get a free eyepiece with flowers and chocolate at some good retailers    Does your wife not know this yet ?

+1 for the E-XCELS

thanks for that do they do free observatories as well lol

[F15Rules]

Just as a matter of fact ...Kellners are NOT low end eyepieces. They are a simple, low cost design which were originally designed for use in the telescopes most common many many years ago, ie long focus refractors or reflectors.

There are good and bad ones, as with any product. The older ones from the 1980s come up very cheaply as Adrian mentioned and they can be very good indeed on a long focus refractor like yours. I've owned a Bresser 127 myself so I know they will work well with it. Look for the ones that are volcano top shaped..like this one.. 

I have 9mm, 12mm and 40mm versions and they are all excellent. 

One other real advantage of Kellners is that being only simple 3 element units, they have some of the highest light transmissions of any eyepiece design.. you will often be able to glimpse very faint objects with a Kellner, but not with other (sometimes modern and expensive) eyepieces.

Just my tuppence worth

Dave