Upgraded my eyepieces at last.

[rikroe666]

I bought a couple of new scopes earlier this year (130p-ds and 200p-ds) so thought it was time to finally buy some new eyepieces.

I had the Revelation photo-visual eyepiece kit which i have been quite happy with for about a year and a half but i have read loads of good things about the BST's and celestron X-Cel LX's, so i sold some of the Revelations.

First i bought a X-Cel 2x barlow and a 5mm BST off astro buy and sell, then a set of 5 X-Cel LX eyepieces came up on E-bay a few days ago which i also bought.

First thing i noticed was the size of them all, they are massive!!   and much heavier than what i was used to, i now have to push the revelation case closed, a bit like my girlfriends suitcase when we go on holiday

Anyway here is a picture to compare sizes to a stock 10mm and a 6mm vixen mpl

Cant wait to actually use them so i compare to my old ones   

[Daniel-K]

very nice set of EP's just dont look through one of these or you will end up selling them to get just a few of these

[bingevader]

Congratulations!

I have the 7mm and 5mm X-Cel LXs and find them very good in my 8" 'scope. I've particularly enjoyed sticking my 2x barlow on the 7mm to view the moon!

Have fun!

[iam4208]

Eyepieces are a popular upgrade. I'm still trying to decide what to get having just bought an 8" Dobsonian. No hurry, as the season is very nearly at an end here in Scotland. Once the clocks change, observing sessions will be restricted to the weekends through April and some of May. I can take my time and hopefully get a few second hand at value for money prices.

[rikroe666]

Ha i hope i never get to look through one of these, i would have to sell everything to get a couple of them

[rory]

You'll love those x-cel lx and starguiders , they are comfortable to use with decent eye relief.

Can't go wrong for the price ( especially the price you got them for ) brilliant.

[rikroe666]

Eyepieces are a popular upgrade. I'm still trying to decide what to get having just bought an 8" Dobsonian. No hurry, as the season is very nearly at an end here in Scotland. Once the clocks change, observing sessions will be restricted to the weekends through April and some of May. I can take my time and hopefully get a few second hand at value for money prices.

Theres a lot of 8" dob owners on here so i'm sure they can recommend some for your scope, then like you say take your time and wait for some to come up on the second hand market.

[rikroe666]

You'll love those x-cel lx and starguiders , they are comfortable to use with decent eye relief.

Can't go wrong for the price ( especially the price you got them for ) brilliant.

Thanks, yes i got very lucky   

[Charic]

Eyepieces are a popular upgrade. I'm still trying to decide what to get having just bought an 8" Dobsonian. No hurry, as the season is very nearly at an end here in Scotland. Once the clocks change, observing sessions will be restricted to the weekends through April and some of May. I can take my time and hopefully get a few second hand at value for money prices.

iam4208.............Try the BST's. You can purchase 2 or 3 together and trial them. free p&p? The ones you don't like, you can send back for a refund. You will pay return p&p?! Just speak with Alan at Skys the Limit on ebay.

Problem is, you may not send them back, they are good on the 8" f/6.

I would suggest starting with an 8mm or  possibly  the  12mm Starguider.

[John]

Thats a nice set of eyepieces rikroe666 

That investment to move away from the stock eyepieces will reap you the largest performance gains of any eyepiece investment in terms of £'s spent. Beyond there, even with Tele Vues and Pentax's, the improvements are somewhat smaller.

Thats not to say that you won't ever feel the urge to invest further in eyepieces but it's important to know that 2x or 3x the price won't deliver proportionately improved performance and you won't actually see anything that your current ones won't show you if used with care and skill.

[rikroe666]

Thats a nice set of eyepieces rikroe666 

That investment to move away from the stock eyepieces will reap you the largest performance gains of any eyepiece investment in terms of £'s spent. Beyond there, even with Tele Vues and Pentax's, the improvements are somewhat smaller.

Thats not to say that you won't ever feel the urge to invest further in eyepieces but it's important to know that 2x or 3x the price won't deliver proportionately improved performance and you won't actually see anything that your current ones won't show you if used with care and skill.

Thanks that's good to know, hopefully these will last me a good few years now. 

[spaceboy]

Congrats on the new EP's rikroe666.

[Reeny]

The Revelations are good - much better than other makes of stock eyepieces.

I found them sharp and error free - but needed to upgrade for a wider, more comfortable view.

You will enjoy using your 60^o BST and Xcel's.

The main improvement will be better light transmission - the stars will sparkle, and dim objects will be a little bit brighter due to the light capture.

I still use the 9mm Revelation plossl with this lot on the 200P dob (for observing the moon craters).

Barlowed it gives 290x magnificiation on the very rare occasions when the seeing conditions are good to excellent.

The 6mm Delos has replaced the excellent 12mm Revelation Plossl which was superb on Jupiter in the Barlow - but too narrow for everything else.

Roll out the clear skies. 

[rikroe666]

Nice set you have there Reeny

I agree the Revelations are great, especially for the price and perfect for someone just starting out and want better than stock.

What is that your super view is sat in, coma corrector?

[Christhorpe]

I have also just upgraded to the celestron xcels from the revelation set. This work great in both my celestron c8n and the megrez 90. Also chuck in a wo 4mm and a televue 32mm plossl for good measure. However, with the exception of the televue , all of the eps have been picked up secondhand for 50-65% of the price (just in case the war cabinet is reading this feed )

[Reeny]

.................What is that your super view is sat in, coma corrector?

I only have one 2-inch eyepiece, the 42mm Revelation,

So it stays bolted into the 2" adaptor which came with the scope.

I thought the 42mm was a big-un until the Delos arrived this week.

Still waiting for clear skies without a haze - but first impressions are that the TeleVue is a little bit better than the ES on Jupiter, with the 16mm MaxVision beating them both by cutting cleanly through the mist with a more suitable magnification of 165x in the Barlow, less glare, and better contrast on the dark bands / red spot.

Sometimes it takes a while to get used to a new eyepiece.

The 6mm Delos fills a critical gap at 200x magnification.

I am looking forward to seeing what it can deliver with good seeing conditions, and a more suitable target.

Maybe next week.

[rikroe666]

Good to hear you are happy with them Christhorpe, i never tell my gf what i spend on then, i just say i got them cheap

I was watching a 8mm televue plossl on ebay but didn't go for it as i had just bought the x-cel's, what is it like?

Reeny that Revelation is a beast, i bet the delos weighs a lot more though and i know what you mean about the haze, every clear night i have had lately has been hazy, its a right pain   

[Reeny]

Lately, I have been lucky to get past 100x magnification.

When the cars parked in the street have a layer of dew on them, you know it isn't going to be a good night.

Normally I can be greedy and use all of the EP's up to 240x

I saw some very nice planetary detail on Mars a few weeks ago.

Hopefully the skies will dry up and your new Xcel's will deliver.

The 25mm will find those faint galaxies and nebula much much easier than the Revelation Plossls.

The wider glassware on my 24mm MaxVision is amazing - it lets in so much more light.

[Christhorpe]

I bought the televue 32mm plossl as a 'finder' in my scopes. Treated myself to this new....and then found out this morning that I needed 4 tyres for the car. Doh ! Not much chance of buying these secondhand I am loving the extended views from the xcels. If you keep looking you can find these for £35 - £40 each, the new type that is. IMHO that is a bargain. Hears to some more clear skies.