Orion kit

[entropia]

I am still looking at eyepieces and I found this one. It is more than I want to spend but if they are good maybe I can still use them when I upgrade to a better telescope (someday). My telescope is a Celestron 127EQ. What do you think of these eyepieces?

Orion 08890 1.25-Inch Premium Telescope Accessory Kit (silver)

• Thorough assortment of choice 1.25 inch astronomy accessories let you get the most out of any telescope - and save compared to buying items separately!
• Includes 12 premium accessories for any telescope - 5 telescope eyepieces, 6 eyepiece filters, and a versatile Barlow lens
• Includes 5 Sirius Plossl telescope eyepieces - 40mm, 17mm, 10mm, 7.5mm, and 6.3mm focal lengths for viewing at five different magnifications
• Also includes 6 eyepiece filters - 5 color planetary filters and a 13 percent transmission neutral-density Moon filter enhance views of our nearest celestial neighbors when they are attached to any 1.25 inch eyepiece
• A powerful Shorty 2x Barlow lens doubles the magnification of any inserted 1.25 inch eyepiece, providing a wide variety of magnification options with the included eyepieces, as well as any other 1.25 inch eyepiece you already own

[Schorhr]

Those kits are usualy to be avoided, the Same money will buy you less but more useful accessories.

40mm 1.25" plössl will show about the same real field as a 32mm plössl, just with less apparent field of view then a 32mm plössl as the tube diameter is the limiting factor.

6mm plössl's eye relief is already uncomfortable.

You don't need all those color filters, not even necessarily a nd filter for the moon at 5" but can be helpful.

each part of the kit can be bought for 10-15£.

Barlows in that price segment are not useless but not good either.

Get a few (2-3) bst or hr planetary eyepieces or even the 66deg 27£ work well with your scope's aperture ratio and have a nice wide angle aparent field of view.

Then a 30-32mm plössl or if available for your telescope a t2-2" adapter and a wide angle 38mm erfle for example.

[Schorhr]

Sorry I thought the 127 powerseeker was a Mak, so forget the part about the t2 - 2" adapter

[entropia]

Thanks Schorhr. Actually that was my idea, to buy a good ep 30-40mm, a good barlow and maybe a moon filter. Then I saw the kits that are about the same price as if one were to buy the ep, barlow and filter separately. The other thing I liked was the case, so I could transport them safely. What Barlow do you suggest?

By the way, your signature is great. I went out last night with what I thought was a useless pair of binoculars and despite that I was able to look at many stars ( where I live the light pollution is high). 

[cantab]

When evaluating kits, I'd say ignore the filters, they're really just extras thrown in to make the kit look more impressive. Just consider the eyepieces. I reckon they can still be good value, but only if the range of eyepieces suits your scope. IMHO Celestron's similar kit has a better selection of focal lengths (32, 17, 10, 8, 6), though I can't say how the actual EPs compare.

[entropia]

When evaluating kits, I'd say ignore the filters, they're really just extras thrown in to make the kit look more impressive. Just consider the eyepieces. I reckon they can still be good value, but only if the range of eyepieces suits your scope. IMHO Celestron's similar kit has a better selection of focal lengths (32, 17, 10, 8, 6), though I can't say how the actual EPs compare.

I saw this kit from Celestron but then when I read the reviews for both I had the impression that  Orion made better quality eyepieces (maybe I am wrong).

The Celestron Accessory Kit contains:

 

• Five superior-grade 1.25-inch Plössl eyepieces: Four-element design with a 52-degree AFOV, superb color, resolution, edge sharpness, and clarity. All eyepieces are fully multicoated for maximum contrast and resolution. Supplied eyepiece sizes: 6mm, 8mm, 13mm, 17mm, and 32mm.
• Barlow 2X lens: Complements the Plössl eyepieces and gives you a total of 10 power combinations. The highest-grade glass optics with fully multicoated lenses are used, so there is no degradation of image.
• Six colored eyepiece (planetary) filters: Included are Kodak Wratten Nos. 12, 21, 25, 56, 58A, and 80A. Since all the eyepieces necessary to study the planets and moon in detail are provided, these filters will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the solar system.
• Moon filter: A neutral-density filter that allows you maximum enjoyment of the moon, especially during the brighter phases.
• Aluminum carrying case: This sturdy and well-built case fits all of the above items in its die-cut foam interior with room for additional accessories.

[Charic]

entropia............Hi, Please remember, this is only my opinion. I have the Celestron 127EQ and after about 10 Days I had purchased the Skyliner 200P. There is no comparison between the two. I also tried a BST on the Celestron. Although the image was brighter and wider compared to Celestron lenses, the telescope is just not capable in my opinion. Buying a new set of lenses will only make you more eager to upgrade the telescope now, or even lose interest in what you already have, I'm glad I didn't buy a lens kit for my Celestron, as we all look down that route. You don't mention photography. If your interest is only for visual observations, I would recommend a Newtonian telescope on a Dobsonian mount. The 8" is where its at, The 6" although capable, offers less than the 8" then gets better as you go higher, but as you increase further, so does the size, weight and expense. You don't want too big or heavy or you'll never venture out with it. Sometimes you need to get to a really dark site to observe. I did and got another Wow! You know how to set up and align the 127EQ and then fiddle all night with adjusters and locks. You will be amazed by the difference of the Dobsonian. so simple and so easy, and only one lock? See if you can try one, friends or a club.I would hold off looking for a lens kit, explore the possibilities of a telescope upgrade sooner than later, you wont regret it.

[ronin]

The problem with a kit of eyepieces is that they tend to try and fulfill all scopes, the long focal length maks and the short focal length refractors and reflectors. In most Maks there is little use for the 6mm and similar for the 8mm. In a short refractor  something like a 25mm or 32mm is not really greatly used as they do the same job.

The next catch is that the eyepieces are now mass purchased and where some years ago a branded item was generally fairly good those days seem to have gone. The supplied Celestron eyepieces now are just to enable you to see something, 10-15 years back they were good and many people still have them. I have all the supplied Meade and Celestron plossls that came with scopes.

Not sure where Orion stand in eyepiece quality in the US, however I think on their scopes they might supply one decent quality eyepiece rather then 2 poor ones as here. So maybe they take a different approach.

At one time one of the manufacturers made 2 eyepiece kits, one had longer focal lengths and the other had shorter, you got the kit most appropriate to your kit. That was useful.

I do not after 12-15 years own a coloured filter, so to my experience I see little point in them, a moon filter is occasionally useful, however I don't have one of them either. I am also a person that prefers single eyepieces to using a barlow.

A lot of advice here is towards the BST eyepieces, equally they work very well. In the US the same eyepieces are the Astro-Tech Paradigms @$60 from Astronomics, I also saw that Agena Astro Products have the same at $59. The Agena ones are branded under their own name but are the same eyepiece. They all come from Barsta.

One aspect of the Paradigms is that if you get any then you need not really upgrade in the future, they will deliver almost everything you need.

[Schorhr]

Please forget the sets! :-)

Waste of money!

Get eyepieces that are ideal for your telescope and will be usefull with future scopes.

I recon the telescope is a celestron powerseeker 127eq?

127/1000?

I see two problems:

-The telescope is a catadiopter, with a lens in it's path to produce a short telescope and to TRY to compensate for the problems with the short focal length mirror (spherical aberration, coma, introducing chromatic aberration, collimation is harder). If it is still new, I usually reccomend returning it. Not to be mean, but because it will solve many issues.

-Even the tube is so short, the EQ mount is not really sturdy compared to a larger eq mount or a dobsonian mount.

200x is probably both the upper limit regarding mirror quality and more isn't possible due to seeing conditions (air turbulances) and regarding how high the object is above the horizon.

If it's the scope I am thinking, it comes with

20mm eyepiece (mediocre)

4mm eyepiece (close to unusable)

3x Barlow (chromatic aberration / color fringe)

...does not make much sense IMHO. A 10/9mm EP and a better 2x Barlow would.

But best is to NOT use any barlow and get some good eyepieces first!

The finder (5x24) is also not ideal, a red dot finder would be easier to use in many scenarios.

As for eyepieces:

27gbp 6mm 66degree eyepiece ~166x (...OR 5mm HR Planetary or BST explorer, from 40gbp)

20-30gbp 32mm Plössl ~31x (Will show the largest field on 1.25" focusers)

And one or two inbetween.

With the wide angle eyepieces you can get away with a bit of a gap inbetween (I observed a long time with a gapS inbetween 32x <-> 80x <-> 200x and had stunning views anyway.)

"Gap fillers" could be the 66deg eyepieces @ 9mm(111x) and 15mm (66x).

That's REALLY enough to observe 99% of all objects. You don't need 5 or 8 eyepieces and a cheap barlow.

Of course a barlow for 15-20gbp could fill gaps, and you can get away with the 32mm and 9mm eyepiece - - - But the barlow will lower the contrast. Also as your catadioptre telescope already uses a lens in it's path to increase the focal length, I don't know how well that'll work. The catadioptre kit I have here to build with my students still is (nearly untouched.

Still this ends up at around 80-120gbp. Lots of money to upgrade a catadioptre telescope...

If you look at telescopes such as the Heritage 130p that comes with two at least usable eyepieces and a red dot finder already. . . But the Heritage would only be an upgrade if you can still return your current scope, as future upgrade it won't show that much more. The next step up is a 8" dobsonian IMHO.

For now you can observe with what you have, sadly most telescopes come with maps to really find things. Books or online maps help a lot.

Then you could get your eyepieces while keeping in mind that they should be suited for a future telescope perhaps--- and aperture feever is going to kick in sooner or later ;-)

Good luck! I hope I did not sound to critical, but with those kind of telescopes it all gets a bit difficult. They don't say THAT in the product description ;-)

[entropia]

entropia............Hi, Please remember, this is only my opinion. I have the Celestron 127EQ and after about 10 Days I had purchased the Skyliner 200P. There is no comparison between the two. I also tried a BST on the Celestron. Although the image was brighter and wider compared to Celestron lenses, the telescope is just not capable in my opinion. Buying a new set of lenses will only make you more eager to upgrade the telescope now, or even lose interest in what you already have, I'm glad I didn't buy a lens kit for my Celestron, as we all look down that route. You don't mention photography. If your interest is only for visual observations, I would recommend a Newtonian telescope on a Dobsonian mount. The 8" is where its at, The 6" although capable, offers less than the 8" then gets better as you go higher, but as you increase further, so does the size, weight and expense. You don't want too big or heavy or you'll never venture out with it. Sometimes you need to get to a really dark site to observe. I did and got another Wow! You know how to set up and align the 127EQ and then fiddle all night with adjusters and locks. You will be amazed by the difference of the Dobsonian. so simple and so easy, and only one lock? See if you can try one, friends or a club.I would hold off looking for a lens kit, explore the possibilities of a telescope upgrade sooner than later, you wont regret it.

I am new to astronomy so I don't even dare about astrophotography... yet. When I bought the 127EQ I was thinking that I would learn with this telescope first and eventually buy a better when I have more knowledge.  Thanks for the recomendations, portability is really important for a telescope. I live on a second floor and every time I take it out I exercise a little bit . I am afraid to dismount it and take it in the car but eventually I will have to do it since there is a lot of light pollution where I live. 

[entropia]

The problem with a kit of eyepieces is that they tend to try and fulfill all scopes, the long focal length maks and the short focal length refractors and reflectors. In most Maks there is little use for the 6mm and similar for the 8mm. In a short refractor  something like a 25mm or 32mm is not really greatly used as they do the same job.

The next catch is that the eyepieces are now mass purchased and where some years ago a branded item was generally fairly good those days seem to have gone. The supplied Celestron eyepieces now are just to enable you to see something, 10-15 years back they were good and many people still have them. I have all the supplied Meade and Celestron plossls that came with scopes.

Not sure where Orion stand in eyepiece quality in the US, however I think on their scopes they might supply one decent quality eyepiece rather then 2 poor ones as here. So maybe they take a different approach.

Nowadays everything is disposable and made in China. Maybe the manufacturer wants us to buy new eyepieces and that is why they send a mediocre ep with the telescope .

[entropia]

Please forget the sets! :-)

I try to, but the case is really tempting (hehe just joking)

Waste of money!

Get eyepieces that are ideal for your telescope and will be usefull with future scopes.

Yes, I will. I have not won the lottery yet so I have a limited budget for this hobby . But better have a few good  than many useful eyepieces.

I recon the telescope is a celestron powerseeker 127eq?

127/1000?

I see two problems:

-The telescope is a catadiopter, with a lens in it's path to produce a short telescope and to TRY to compensate for the problems with the short focal length mirror (spherical aberration, coma, introducing chromatic aberration, collimation is harder). If it is still new, I usually reccomend returning it. Not to be mean, but because it will solve many issues.

-Even the tube is so short, the EQ mount is not really sturdy compared to a larger eq mount or a dobsonian mount.

I bought it two years ago so I am stuck with it.  I haven't collimated it yet but I hope a friend can do it when I need it. So far, its working fine (I think)

200x is probably both the upper limit regarding mirror quality and more isn't possible due to seeing conditions (air turbulances) and regarding how high the object is above the horizon.

If it's the scope I am thinking, it comes with

20mm eyepiece (mediocre)

I have no other eyepieces so I cannot compare but so far the 20mm is ok. 

4mm eyepiece (close to unusable)

It is really small and it is like looking for a needle in a haystack but I was able to take a look at Jupiter:)

3x Barlow (chromatic aberration / color fringe)

I don't even use it, except for the moon

...does not make much sense IMHO. A 10/9mm EP and a better 2x Barlow would.

But best is to NOT use any barlow and get some good eyepieces first!

The finder (5x24) is also not ideal, a red dot finder would be easier to use in many scenarios.

I know, but after a few times, I learned where the object would really be through the finder ( that's why I try not to even touch the finder

As for eyepieces:

27gbp 6mm 66degree eyepiece ~166x (...OR 5mm HR Planetary or BST explorer, from 40gbp)

20-30gbp 32mm Plössl ~31x (Will show the largest field on 1.25" focusers)

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I will get one of those.

And one or two inbetween.

With the wide angle eyepieces you can get away with a bit of a gap inbetween (I observed a long time with a gapS inbetween 32x <-> 80x <-> 200x and had stunning views anyway.)

"Gap fillers" could be the 66deg eyepieces @ 9mm(111x) and 15mm (66x).

That's REALLY enough to observe 99% of all objects. You don't need 5 or 8 eyepieces and a cheap barlow.

What characteristic do you look for in a good barlow?

Of course a barlow for 15-20gbp could fill gaps, and you can get away with the 32mm and 9mm eyepiece - - - But the barlow will lower the contrast. Also as your catadioptre telescope already uses a lens in it's path to increase the focal length, I don't know how well that'll work. The catadioptre kit I have here to build with my students still is (nearly untouched.

Still this ends up at around 80-120gbp. Lots of money to upgrade a catadioptre telescope...

If you look at telescopes such as the Heritage 130p that comes with two at least usable eyepieces and a red dot finder already. . . But the Heritage would only be an upgrade if you can still return your current scope, as future upgrade it won't show that much more. The next step up is a 8" dobsonian IMHO.

For now you can observe with what you have, sadly most telescopes come with maps to really find things. Books or online maps help a lot.

I use my phone application (Sky Guide). It really helped me a lot and made things much easier  

Then you could get your eyepieces while keeping in mind that they should be suited for a future telescope perhaps--- and aperture feever is going to kick in sooner or later ;-)

Good luck! I hope I did not sound to critical, but with those kind of telescopes it all gets a bit difficult. They don't say THAT in the product description ;-)

That is true, and I did not know about this forum back then

[entropia]

Thank you, everybody. I now have a better idea of the eyepieces I want. 

By the way, where do you keep all your eyepieces?

[Schorhr]

Hello,

the phone approach is great, I did so many times myself ;-) For deepsky observing it will ruin your eye's adaption to the darkness (even red- or night mode apps are not eliminating all the white light that LCD do emit).

With ~5" some deep sky objects come into range, even a tad of details in galaxies such as M51, though no comple spiral structures or anything.

A good barlow costs more then several decent eyepieces. It makes no sense using cheap-o eyepieces and a barlow. For starters the achromatic 2x barlows are OK, but before you spend 50 or 80gbp for a (apochromatic ED) barlow, get eyepieces :-)

Great barlows make sense if you have a very good eyepiece (200/300gbp range) or use it for photography.

Yes, the lower magnification / larger field with the finder helps :-) A rdf can sometimes be easier though, but both will work.

Good luck with your upgrades!

adapter4telescopes has them cheaply

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/wide-angle-eyepiece-1-25inches-66-degree-F-6mm-/140717462903?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item20c36a1577

They are not perfect. Under an aperture ratio of f/6 they won't show an outer field, IMHO still usable at f/5 for starters.

The 6mm has a bit of an uneasy view at times, some kidney beaning, but I did not find it as bad as reviewed at some places. Given the price it is a nice eyepiece, and it is a great improvement to all the 4-6mm cheap kit eyepieces out there. The only downside with those eyepieces: They are only available in 6, 9, 15 and 20mm.

At Aliexpress you can get them from around 18gbp including shipping, but check import duties...

Better are these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25-4-5mm-58-Degree-TMB-Planetary-II-eyepiece-/380460298876?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item589533727c

or

http://www.ebay.de/itm/1-25-5mm-BST-Explorer-Dual-ED-eyepiece-Branded-Starguider-/380679674710?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item58a246db56

I have the TMB/HR Planetary (clones) and they are superb for the price. After those, you will have to spend a whole lot more for eyepieces. The HR Planetary or BST Explorer also still work okey on f/5 (if you are ever going to upgrade to a 10" dobsonian f/5 for example).

I also have one of those;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbinar-Super-Weitwinkel-Okular-70-FMC-1-25-31-7mm-SWA-12mm-/200977699397?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Okulare&hash=item2ecb345245

These seem to be simple efle, the quality is OK. They will not perform well under f/6 and the shorter focal length 8mm has a short eye relief.

Seben/Orbinar also sells a 30mm Erfle but it lacks an eye cup; Witha bit of DIY they are still rather usable and a cheap alternative to the 32mm Plössl sold elsewhere.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbinar-Plossl-30mm-Teleskop-Okular-31-7mm-1-25-4-Linsen-/360459084615?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Okulare&hash=item53ed092347

You can also get a BST Explorer ~24mm ~70degree as this will show around the same field (just a little smaller exit pupil)

[Schorhr]

small case from the hardware store or smaller aluminum cosmetic case, cut foam or a cut camping mat.

(for example http://www.ebay.de/itm/Alu-Box-Koffer-fur-Kleinteile-Uhren-Foto-Schmuck-Wertsachen-etc-Geschenk-127-/251400144003?pt=Aktentasche_koffer&hash=item3a889dc483 )

[cantab]

Maplin stock foam-filled flight cases, and periodically have them reduced price. Pretty popular for accessories.

[timetraveler3]

Have you checked out Zhumell eyepieces? I plan to buy their 8 to 24 mm zoom soon. All the reviews have nothing but good things to say. The prices are great for what you get. Check out telescopes.com to read about them.  I also plan to buy a 10 inch Zhumell dob as soon as I gather the funds. 

Gar

[Schorhr]

That's probably identical to the Seben zoom, just labled differently.

Not bad for the price, but those zoom eyepieces are not great.

At one range they have a narrow apparent field of view and are not that useful.

You can usualy get away with two eyepieces instead of these zooms.

I rarely use mine these days.

[entropia]

Have you checked out Zhumell eyepieces? I plan to buy their 8 to 24 mm zoom soon. All the reviews have nothing but good things to say. The prices are great for what you get. Check out telescopes.com to read about them.  I also plan to buy a 10 inch Zhumell dob as soon as I gather the funds. 

There is a Zhumell kit I checked before but there were no reviews.

• 4mm, 6mm, 12.5mm, and 32mm Plossl Eyepieces
• 2x Achromatic Barlow Lens
• Yellow, Orange, Light Red, Green, Light Blue Filters
• Also includes a polarizing filter and CrystalView Moon filter

It also comes in an aluminum case. It sells for $90. The Celestron kit for $125 and the Orion for $170. 

I read reviews from  some other Zhumell  eyepieces and apparently they seem good.

 

It 

[entropia]

adapter4telescopes has them cheaply

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/wide-angle-eyepiece-1-25inches-66-degree-F-6mm-/140717462903?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item20c36a1577

They are not perfect. Under an aperture ratio of f/6 they won't show an outer field, IMHO still usable at f/5 for starters.

The 6mm has a bit of an uneasy view at times, some kidney beaning, but I did not find it as bad as reviewed at some places. Given the price it is a nice eyepiece, and it is a great improvement to all the 4-6mm cheap kit eyepieces out there. The only downside with those eyepieces: They are only available in 6, 9, 15 and 20mm.

At Aliexpress you can get them from around 18gbp including shipping, but check import duties...

Better are these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-25-4-5mm-58-Degree-TMB-Planetary-II-eyepiece-/380460298876?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item589533727c

or

http://www.ebay.de/itm/1-25-5mm-BST-Explorer-Dual-ED-eyepiece-Branded-Starguider-/380679674710?pt=UK_Telescope_Eyepieces&hash=item58a246db56

I have the TMB/HR Planetary (clones) and they are superb for the price. After those, you will have to spend a whole lot more for eyepieces. The HR Planetary or BST Explorer also still work okey on f/5 (if you are ever going to upgrade to a 10" dobsonian f/5 for example).

I also have one of those;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbinar-Super-Weitwinkel-Okular-70-FMC-1-25-31-7mm-SWA-12mm-/200977699397?pt=DE_Foto_Camcorder_Okulare&hash=item2ecb345245

These seem to be simple efle, the quality is OK. They will not perform well under f/6 and the shorter focal length 8mm has a short eye relief.

Seben/Orbinar also sells a 30mm Erfle but it lacks an eye cup; Witha bit of DIY they are still rather usable and a cheap alternative to the 32mm Plössl sold elsewhere.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Orbinar-Plossl-30mm-Teleskop-Okular-31-7mm-1-25-4-Lie nsen-/360459084615?pt=DE_Foto_Camcoer_Okulare&hash=item53ed092347

You can also get a BST Explorer ~24mm ~70degree as this will show around the same field (just a little smaller exit pupil)

 I live in the US so I guess it would be more expensive to ship them that the cost of the ep .  The 6mm is really wide angle and the others have good eye relief.  I haven't seen those on Amazon. 

[entropia]

 

I was taking a look at these ep. 

• Celestron Omni Series 1-1/4 32MM Eyepiece
• Eye relief: 22 millimeters
• High-quality, 4-element premium symmetrical Plossl optical design
• lens edges minimize internal reflection and maximize contrast
• Threaded barrels accept 1.25 inch Celestron thread-in filters
• Focal length: 32 millimeters
• Angular Field of View (deg)  52 
• $38

 

 

 

Meade 07171-02 9.7mm Super Plossl Series 4000

Utilizing the very latest in optical glass types, the Series 4000 eyepieces represent an excellent general-purpose eyepiece. Engineered with a high quality 4-element design and offering a generous 52° apparent field of view, the eyepiece uses premium grade optical glass with multi-layer coatings and blackened lens edges for great image sharpness and contrast. Eye relief is 5mm.

$28

What do you think of a zoom? instead of the other two I could get one instead? or maybe this and the 32mm?

• Super-premium 1.25-inch zoom eyepiece
• Focal length of 8 to 24 millimeters
• Allows for expanded magnification options
• 40 to 60 degree field of view, 15 to 18 millimeter eye relief
• Fully multicoated optic

$65

and I need a lunar filter:

Orion 05662 1.25-Inch 13 Percent Transmission Moon Filter 

• The Orion 1.25 inch 13 percent Transmission Moon Filter reduces glare so you can see more lunar detail and surface features with your telescope
• Metal filter cell threads directly into the 1.25 inch barrel of your telescope eyepiece
• Especially useful for large aperture telescopes through which the light of the Moon can be extremely overwhelming
• Telescope eyepiece filter transmits only 13 percent of the incoming light, boosting contrast and ability to discern detail on the Moon
• Perfectly neutral color will not alter the natural color of the Moon
• $20

[entropia]

sorry, this is the zoom:

Celestron 93230 8 to 24mm 1.25 Zoom Eyepiece

[Charic]

I am new to astronomy so I don't even dare about astrophotography... yet. When I bought the 127EQ I was thinking that I would learn with this telescope first and eventually buy a better when I have more knowledge.  Thanks for the recomendations, portability is really important for a telescope. I live on a second floor and every time I take it out I exercise a little bit . I am afraid to dismount it and take it in the car but eventually I will have to do it since there is a lot of light pollution where I live. 

Once that counter weight is removed, everything is just so light. Remove the end stop (don't lose it) then loosen the counterweight and slide it off. The telescope with legs folded could be place into a car, but I would take the tube off, after unlocking the two tube bands. As long as you support the scope in the car, it wont  be a problem when you come to re-assemble.  I wish you could try a Dob mount. 

[Schorhr]

The Zooms of this type are OK. But they are not good. Their low focal length (->highest magnification) is decent, but their lower magnification is narrow (40 degree apparent field of view) and searching objects with that is tedious.

The other eyepieces are just Plössl, nothing that will suck, but nothing that will make you happy for a longer time. If you want to start with those, go ahead, it's a decent type of eyepiece >=10mm.

The 66degree wide angle eyepieces are available under multiple names, I did not check where you are from first, sorry. Maybe someone from the US who's familiar with the brands & types can help :-)

The 9.7mm Plössl will be O.K., but already has a short eye relief. Down to ~6.5 it's a matter of tast I guess.

They will work but if you intend to use them for a while, why not get something decent right away?

Some UK shops ship the 66deg rather cheaply to the US (£4.50), but then it does not make much difference purchasing them for 20€->$27 at Aliexpress ;-)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Super-6mm-Ultra-Wide-Multi-Coated-Eyepiece-Lens-for-astronomical-telescope/1219476347.html

They perform similar to Plössl at <=f/6 but the wide angle view is nice. The 6mm is not perfect but better then a Plössl as the eye relief is still good. The resale value is good, too.

The wide angle views can knock you out of your socks.

I am not sure about import duties, tax - here the duty/tax free limit is €22, better check first :-)

I think the Orion epanse seem to be similar eyepieces. $68 is a bit steep for those though as for that price other eyepiece designs are available.

Amazon is not ideal for telescope accessory shopping, I see a lot of Plössl there for $18-38.

I see the 66deg there, http://www.amazon.com/Multi-Coated-Eyepiece-Telescope-astronomical-telescope/dp/B00FRY9K00/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_4_81?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1387099695&sr=1-81 - but seems like from a foreign seller.

I also spotted the simple erfle eyepieces there,

http://www.amazon.com/1-25-15mm-Super-Angle-Eyepiece/dp/B000EY1ALA/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_7_170?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1387100109&sr=1-170

http://www.amazon.com/Agena-1-25-Wide-Angle-Eyepiece/dp/B00G5TBMIE/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_7_171?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1387100109&sr=1-171 - though the shorter FL erfles without barlow element have a short eye relief too, that's why they are only available down to 8mm it seems

The X-Cel LX Series sell from $62 - looks similar to the TMB HR Planetary or BST explorers?

Astro-Tech Long Eye Relief 58 degree, Olivon High Definition 58 Degree seem similar.

It's amazing how many different eyepieces, brands and such there are while basically beeing all the same Plössl-Design :-) Sure, the $18 Plössl may have issues with coating or insufficient black part coating, but I doubt in those kits are any of the more expensive ones. And for a "deluxe" plössl you get the better eyepieces.

Good luck choosing some eyepieces that suit your needs! :-)

[entropia]

When I get my new telescope, I think I will go with one that has a 2" eyepiece insted of 1.25 . Can you adapt from 1.25 to 2?  I have seen that 2" ep are much more expensive but they are more comfortable for the eye, I guess.