Best widefield for a skyliner 200p dob.....

[Solar_observer]

My budget is £250 (not telling my gf)

I want to see if any particularly ep,keeps coming up from your suggestions. I don't wear glasses and I'm 44 years old. It's going to be the most expensive ep I will own and I want it to be right or as near too it. My light pollution isn't too bad,can normally see down too around 4.3.

I love scanning the skies and want the best possible view for my budget. Oh I own a 24mm maxvision 68° ,that's the widest I own and I love it. If any particular ep can give me a considerable better views than my maxvision for my budget then I will be VERY interested. Thanks for any help.

Clear skies to you all :-)

[rory]

24mm 68*at 1.25" is the maximum you'll get , so your into 2" eyepiece territory now.

There's a lot of good quality glass about to tempt you. From cheaper panaviews up to the Green stuff and much in between.

I enjoyed using the skywatcher aero ( 30mm) and also the 31mm aspheric . Both very nice eyepieces, the baader just gets the nod for me , very solid and comfortable to use.

The aspheric is 72*. ( I think) and aero is 68* .

There's a fair few. 82* eyepieces about these days too and even wider, but I recall someone to me once ( wide field - sharp for the whole fov- cheap ) you can only pick two of those three . Or something along those lines.

Basically if you went tack sharp over a very wide fov , it's gonna cost ya I think is the gist .

Good luck with your decision .

[Lee M]

I've just gone from Maxvision 24mm 68 degree to ES 31mm 82 degree in my albeit larger scope now (MV in 200P previously).

Very little opportunity to use it so far but first impressions are WHOAAA   - in a good way

So much so I've sold the MVs to fund another mid range 82 deg

[John]

£250 would get you a used 28mm Nirvana / UWAN (easily actually) which are great ultra wide field eyepieces. An alternative would be a used Explore Scientific 20mm / 100 degree eyepiece which produces stunning views - you can get those for around £210 used. 

The Nirvana / UWAN shows you about 1.9 degrees of true sky whereas the ES 20 / 100 shows 1.65 degrees but with a darker backdrop because of the higher magnification.

Both may well need counterweighting at the back end of your scope though as they weigh around 2 lbs. Really great eyepieces for the money though 

I'm recommending used because thats how all my eyepieces have been bought an your £ goes a lot further.

[Solar_observer]

Thanks guys and especially John's,I found a report of yours where you compared 3 wide eyepieces (very interesting). Just for interest I've used a 32mm sw panaview in this same size scope a year or so back,would the nirvana blow the views away? I just want to be sure I'm getting a wow factor considering what I will be paying for this one eyepiece. Thanks

Clear skies to you all :-)

[John]

Thanks guys and especially John's,I found a report of yours where you compared 3 wide eyepieces (very interesting). Just for interest I've used a 32mm sw panaview in this same size scope a year or so back,would the nirvana blow the views away? I just want to be sure I'm getting a wow factor considering what I will be paying for this one eyepiece. Thanks

Clear skies to you all :-)

I'd never use the term "blow away" because it's just not accurate in my opinion. The Nirvana 28mm would show a bit more sky than the Panaview 32 does and at a slightly higher magnification so the background sky would be a little darker. The stars would appear as sharp points more or less all the way across the field of view of the Nirvana whereas the Panaview 32 will be showing some distortion to stars in the outer 10-15% of the field of view. The view in the central part of the field would not be that different to be honest with you although the Nirvana may have slightly better light transmission than the Panaview so that combined with the slightly higher magnification could show a bit more contrast in deep sky objects.

So, yes there are some improvements with the more expensive eyepieces but they are not going to revolutionise your viewing experience. The Panaview's are already pretty decent eyepieces you see so further improvements are in smaller steps.

[AlexB67]

The wow factor is very hard to comment on and in many ways in the eye of the beholder. I own a Maxvision 28mm that works well in a f4.7 Dob, is it perfect in terms of off axis aberrations? no, do I find it very good yes, especially considering it is < 100 pounds.  

When you are buying maxvision you are already approaching what are arguably very good views. The other issue is coma, no matter what money you invest, no eyepiece will rectify this without a coma corrector, though I think you can push it to those 82 degree eyepieces without getting too annoyed in your scope anyway.  All I can say is that coma in a 68 degree eyepiece at 28mm I is clearly an overriding factor at f4.7 at the outer edges of the view without doubt.  My limit  based on calculation would be about of 100 degrees for an f/6 Dob, at f/5 probably okay to some degree but there will be compromises on the outer edges in some cases.   

Just my opinion of course and it will depend what you already own, but worth considering investing that cash on a premium eyepiece that gives an exit pupil in the 2 - 4mm range like a Delos or pentax or whatever, this will provide a very useful workhorse for a lot of targets, it is right on budget

[AlexB67]

 All I can say is that coma in a 68 degree eyepiece at 28mm I is clearly an overriding factor at f4.7 at the outer edges of the view without doubt. 

I should have added that this is an eyepiece where I am noticing  astigmatism is not a big factor, there is some of it in the 28mm MV but not dominant. Usually, The more you pay, the better the reduction in astigmatism will be in faster scopes. In terms of bang for buck and give your scope without braking the bank the MVs I'd have little hesitation to recommend on the little I know owning the 28mm    

[Solar_observer]

Hmmmm ok thanks for yet more input guys. So if maybe say the 28mm nirvana and the es 30mm 82° eyepieces? Can't go wrong with either?

Clear skies to you all :-)

[jetstream]

Hmmmm ok thanks for yet more input guys. So if maybe say the 28mm nirvana and the es 30mm 82° eyepieces? Can't go wrong with either?

Clear skies to you all :-)

Do you really want the exit pupil that the 28mm,30, give?This is personal preference I guess,some of my best views are at about 3.5mm,in the ball park with John's 20mm ES 100 recommendation(in your scope).To each his own but John's recommendation sounds excellent.

[Solar_observer]

Es 100° would be good if I could only get one for my budget.

Clear skies to you all :-)

[jetstream]

Es 100° would be good if I could only get one for my budget.

Clear skies to you all :-)

It might be fun hunting a used one!

[Solar_observer]

Already on the case :-)

Clear skies to you all :-)

[Solar_observer]

If not I will call in my birthday money and works bonus,all due in March? Maybe.....Just maybe (you only live once,or maybe not if the gf finds out about it)

Clear skies to you all :-)

[AlexB67]

welcome to what we call ocularitis

[Solar_observer]

Lol......If I do spend that amount of money on ONE ep,it will be my last :-)

Clear skies to you all :-)

[rory]

Lol......If I do spend that amount of money on ONE ep,it will be my last :-)

Clear skies to you all :-)

Of course it will , you keep telling yourself that !

:-)

[Solar_observer]

So with a 100° ep,how much can that fit in? It had better fit the whole sky in for that amount...Lol

Clear skies to you all :-)

[andrew63]

There is a Meade 30 mm 82 deg for sale in the classifieds - very similar to ES.  As to the jump in quality, at this level could be quite subtle ! Great for scanning the Milky Way though.

andrew

[Solar_observer]

Second hand eyepieces will have to wait till the end of March......payday

Clear skies to you all :-)

[John]

So with a 100° ep,how much can that fit in? It had better fit the whole sky in for that amount...Lol

Clear skies to you all :-)

The size of the true field of view depends on the focal length of the eyepiece. With the 20mm / 100 and your scope you can see a true field of 1.67 degrees or just over 3 moon diameters. The 32mm Panaview will actually show you a little more sky. The 100 degree apparent field will seem more expansive though and you may not actually be able to see the edges of the field of view without moving your eye around. Some folks (like me !) like this "pool of stars" effect and some are not so keen. 

[Damo636]

Might be worth an enquiry and well within budget.....

http://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=75874

[Solar_observer]

Thanks damo for the heads up. I've mailed him too see how the land lies, it's kinda weird that I'm looking for one and POW.....one suddenly pops up.

Clear skies to you all :-)

[Solar_observer]

Just been mailed by the seller,it's been sold. I've been doing more digging and I'm leaning towards a nirvana 28mm.

Clear skies to you all :-)

[Solar_observer]

That or the 30mm es 82°. Would I be correct in saying the exit pupil of these two will be 4.6mm and 5mm respectively?

Clear skies to you all :-)