What i have bought today...

[TheWelshMagician]

So this is what I've bought today...

Skywatcher PanaView 2" eyepiece 32mm

1.25" 15mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded "Starguider"

1.25'' 18mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded ''Starguider''  

BST 1.25'' Variable Polarising/Polarizing Moon Filter

1.25" 8mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded "Starguider"

1.25'' 25mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded ''Starguider''

2" 2x Meade Series 5000 TeleXtender - Ultra Wide - Boxed

1.25'' 5mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded ''Starguider''

1.25'' 12mm BST Explorer Dual ED eyepiece Branded ''Starguider''

and

Starguider Eyepiece Carry Bag / Eyepiece Carry Case

cost me a good amount of money but have been told by many people that these are very good, Do you agree?

[Guest]

We'll it depends on what you are going to do,with them!!

You didn't really Need the 12 , 15 and 18 mm BST, the 15 would have been enough

But that's my opinion

Olly

[Tiny Small]

We'll it depends on what you are going to do,with them!!

You didn't really Need the 12 , 15 and 18 mm BST, the 15 would have been enough

But that's my opinion

Olly

I agree. My EP's for my dob are a 2" 32mm, 22mm, a 1.25" 6mm (all UWA) and a 2x barlow. This gives me a 32, 22, 16, 11, 6 and 3mm EP collection. More than enough. Likewise, for my grab and go I have 25 and 7.5 plossls and a barlow. You don't need loads if used sensibly. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to have more, but then you have to carry them and most won't get used when you figure out what you like.

[Qualia]

The BSTs are highly recommended eyepieces, and by all accounts should perform very well in the f/5. For budget eyepieces for under €55, it seems you cannot go wrong with them . I imagine you're going to use the TeleX for the 32mm, and if that is so, the power range of your EP collection breaks down to something like this: 31x, 40x, 55x, (62x) 66x, 83x, 100x, 125x, 200x. I'm no expert, but I personally feel you've given a little too much persuasion to the lower end, and solely in terms of power, I'm not sure if you'll note a great difference moving from 31x to 40x, or again from 55x to 66x etc.

You'll probably find that in the 8", your EP around the 11mm to 13mm range and the one around 24mm will end up being the most used for the majority of DSOs. The 32mm will be a lovely low power, wide fielder for those big DSOs and the 8mm will also get a decent look in.

I wouldn't advise you to buy anything more for a while and instead get to appreciate what you do have. Evaluate your set up and see if there is room for improvement. You might find the jump from 125x to 200x just a little too much, espeically when it comes to planet and lunar work; you might find you don't need so many eyepieces at the lower end, but only you can decide.

Congratulations on your buy and I hope you get some clear skies to put them all to use.

[faulksy]

good choice with the meade telextender

[Naemeth]

The BSTs are highly recommended eyepieces, and by all accounts should perform very well in the f/5. For budget eyepieces for under €55, it seems you cannot go wrong with them . I imagine you're going to use the TeleX for the 32mm, and if that is so, the power range of your EP collection breaks down to something like this: 31x, 40x, 55x, (62x) 66x, 83x, 100x, 125x, 200x. I'm no expert, but I personally feel you've given a little too much persuasion to the lower end, and solely in terms of power, I'm not sure if you'll note a great difference moving from 31x to 40x, or again from 55x to 66x etc.

You'll probably find that in the 8", your EP around the 11mm to 13mm range and the one around 24mm will end up being the most used for the majority of DSOs. The 32mm will be a lovely low power, wide fielder for those big DSOs and the 8mm will also get a decent look in.

I wouldn't advise you to buy anything more for a while and instead get to appreciate what you do have. Evaluate your set up and see if there is room for improvement. You might find the jump from 125x to 200x just a little too much, espeically when it comes to planet and lunar work; you might find you don't need so many eyepieces at the lower end, but only you can decide.

Congratulations on your buy and I hope you get some clear skies to put them all to use.

+1

Should you find that the magnification of the 12mm, 15mm and 18mm BSTs are too close together, I'm sure Alan would be happy to accept returns .

Congrats on the purchases though

HTH.

[ronin]

I would have no problems with the full set of BST's.

You will want to 5mm for the most magnification, and when conditions prevent that then the 8mm should work.

So 5mm and 8mm covered.

The 25mm for wide, and a 15mm for medium.

Thats 4 out of 6 covered and useful.

Problem is objects up there do not come in a fixed set of sizes and you will have situations where an object is a bit small in say 25mm and a bit too big for 15mm, so the 18mm covers, same at the other side.

Buying 3 or 4 is probably the minimum, but it shouldn't also be looked on as the maximum also. I think that 4 is really a sensible minimum and all you have is 2 additional, and you will find good use for both them as well.

Even if down to personel preference you could just prefer the 12mm to general viewing rather then the 15mm, or the other way the 18mm rather then the 15mm. There is no rule.

The set of BST's is a good selection and should cover everything - within reason - and will be usable on any other scope as well.

Will say I have one and a half sets of BST's. One is the main set and the other half set is for a small grab and go scope. I find it easier to consider them totally seperate and not intermix. The half set is in a small single trolly bag for all the G&G items, so no hunting round.

My wish would be for BST's in 4mm and 6mm in addition, and I would happily get them as well as the rest I have.

[Pig]

Congratulations on your purchases   

Having a good range of power will cater for most seeing conditions thus equipping you to take full advantage of chances we actually get to use our scopes.

You may also purchase another scope in the future and you will not have to concern yourself with buying further eyepieces

[rory]

Nice set of bst 's . I used the 18 and 12 a lot with my old 8" set up.

If you find later down the line there's a focal length your not really using , you can sell it on and they sell quickly as well as holding a good % of their value.

[hippie]

Nothing wrong with BST  lenses I use 25mm 18mm 12mm There great lenses for £49 squids .

[TheWelshMagician]

Thank you everyone, all your comments are noted and appreciated, and as a few of you have said I may not use some but it's good to have them. Rory had a good comment saying if I don't use some of them I can always sell them. Once again thank you for all your comments :-)

[ronl]

I have the full set of StarGuiders and use them all, and the Panaview 32mm,

you won't be sending any back, nice list of goodies you have.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have a closely-spaced set of EPs (and actually sometimes miss the 14mm to fill the "gap" between the 17T4 and the 12T4), and like it a lot. Received wisdom is that you need a lot of fine tuning at the short end, to adapt magnification to seeing conditions for planetary, but that at the lower end you can get away with wider spacings between magnifications. I tend to disagree. Just a few EPs is certainly sufficient, but having finer spacings has helped me tune the exit pupil to the surface brightness of objects (and to the sky conditions as well) for an optimal look. For some objects, I like the 4.2mm my Vixen LV gives (I want to try that on the Horse-Head Nebula), many others are great in the 31T5 at 3.1mm exit pupil (diffuse nebulae). My main galaxy hunters are the 22T4 and 17T4, with the occasional use of the 12T4 (which is better for planetary nebulae, along with the XW10, from time to time).  Some galaxies do fare better in the 31T5 or LVW42 (M101 and M33 spring to mind). Furthermore, different EPs play different roles in different scopes. The MaxVisions are mainly used in the LS35 solar scope, as is the XF8.5, because the 2" EPs do not fit.

Especially if your scope tracks (as the 200P on EQ5 does), you have ample time to switch EPs around to find the one that gives the best view. In Dobs, the situation may be a bit different.

Bottom line: the full set of BSTs might not strictly be necessary, but it is going to be fun to have!

[Joves]

Totally agree, Michael. One can never have too many eyepieces unless, of course, they have two of the same and no Binoviewer

In all seriousness though, you'd be amazed at the difference in view between two similar FL EP's on different objects. Now, I'm not about to say that I don't admit that I have perhaps gone a little too far with eyepieces of late, but I actually quite enjoy switching from one to the next and comparing the views. With so many different variables affecting the view, before one even gets down to the equipment being used, it's amazing how different things can look between one eyepiece and another from one night to the next.

It's not an essential luxury to have, by any means, but a wide variety of EP's covering different (even if sometimes close) focal lengths is far from a waste of time or money, in my opinion.

[Reeny]

The extras might come in useful from time to time.

Sometimes I keep one eyepiece loaded up with a filter.

Normally it's the 16mm with the OIII filter to use on nebula (75x magnification, and 160ish in the barlow)

It means less fiddling about to compare similar views.

The extra eyepieces will be useful if you get yourself a UHC or UHC-s filter for Nebulae

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The extras might come in useful from time to time.

Sometimes I keep one eyepiece loaded up with a filter.

Normally it's the 16mm with the OIII filter to use on nebula (75x magnification, and 160ish in the barlow)

It means less fiddling about to compare similar views.

The extra eyepieces will be useful if you get yourself a UHC or UHC-s filter for Nebulae

This fiddling with filters is why I got the filter-switch diagonal (you can also install a filter wheel, of course). I simply slide the required filter in place, and move it away when I am done. Ideal for picking out near-stellar planetary nebulae: they look like a star that brightens relative to the rest when you slide in the UHC or O-III filter.

[AlexB67]

A nice bag of goodies, enjoy and have fun

[AlexB67]

Totally agree, Michael. One can never have too many eyepieces unless, of course, they have two of the same and no Binoviewer

In all seriousness though, you'd be amazed at the difference in view between two similar FL EP's on different objects. Now, I'm not about to say that I don't admit that I have perhaps gone a little too far with eyepieces of late, but I actually quite enjoy switching from one to the next and comparing the views. With so many different variables affecting the view, before one even gets down to the equipment being used, it's amazing how different things can look between one eyepiece and another from one night to the next.

It's not an essential luxury to have, by any means, but a wide variety of EP's covering different (even if sometimes close) focal lengths is far from a waste of time or money, in my opinion.

With my limited selection there is one good example I can give I came across recently, the 28 mm Maxvision and the 25mm BST. One more obvious reason for me  is that I have a 1.25 inch filter, so I screw it on there if I need it, but also since two eyepieces have quite different characteristics. Without the filter, the planetary nebula in M46 pops out that little bit more in the 25mm BST, enough to make out that extra little bit of detail in the PN, the difference in exit pupil in this case is small, I think it is more to do with the different characteristics in the two eyepieces in this case.

So far I haven't noticed to many instances where I will want to swap them out, but at the same time, it is not the first time I have done that. Not a must have option,   Mix  'n' match is nice though. I like framing them just right as well, but perhaps that is one of my own obsessions  , like when I take a portrait photo, I want it to fill quite a bit of the frame, not a third or a half on these nice clusters 

[Charon]

You have been very busy, in time you will find out what eyepieces you use the most and will probably sell the others on, it is a learning curve that all of us have been (or are still on- like I am!!). I hope you enjoy using them, that is the main thing.

[alan potts]

Congratulations on buying up the Astro fair, that is some purchase, I bet they wish there had been another 30 of you there. I must try a BST sometime and put it against some of my stuff

Alan

[todd8137]

Nice collection but I fear that only a few,of them will get used and the for sale section ,will have there pleasure in a few months time But enjoy them and give them a good testing let us no how you get on with them

Pat

[AlexB67]

Congratulations on buying up the Astro fair, that is some purchase, I bet they wish there had been another 30 of you there. I must try a BST sometime and put it against some of my stuff

Alan

Alan, it would be very interesting to here your views on the BST range. Perhaps sometimes a review by some of the very experienced is missing, I don't think John has looked through a BSTs either.

In a slow instrument I think you may be suitably impressed with what BSTs offer in that price range, but for optical correction, a man of your lofty standards in a slower instrument around f/5 I imagine you will have some complaints with some of them.

[bingevader]

I'm in the "more is better" camp too! I have a similar range and use them all! I'm thinking of an 8mm and possibly a 7mm some time in the future, because at the shorter focal lengths, the difference in magnification can be significant and conditions vary! At the lower focal lengths, different objects just look better at different focal lengths IMHO.

Great set, hope you get the opportunity to use them all soon!

Cheers

[alan potts]

Alex,

We are drifting a little from the shopping spree that the OP went on. I think I will buy a BST when I come to England to compare with, I can get the same type of eyepiece here fro TS but it is much more expensive and as you probably know S/H is not an option here. I don't know how Alan can sell them at that it is a very good price for an eyepiece that can cost the same as a Hyperion when it has a different logo. I will give it some thought.

Alan.

[TheWelshMagician]

They all came today and they are better and a couple of them are bigger than I expected, I can't wait to use them