Celestron 32mm Plossl - too much eye relief for me ...

[martin_veasey]

I'm using (and am broadly happy with) the eyepieces in the Celestron 94303 Accessory Kit.

I've got a Skywatcher Explorer 200P reflector (200m, f5, 1000m focal length).

All is fine but I'm a bit frustrated with the 32mm Plossl which seems to have a bit too much eye relief for me - I can't quite observe with my eye in the cup and the cup can't be adjusted outwards.

Any suggestions for a reasonable step up in eyepiece with a bit less ER that I could move up to ?

Cheers

Martin

[John]

A 24mm wide angle such as the Explore Scientific 68 degree 24mm or the Tele Vue Panoptic 24mm will show you the same mount of sky as a 32mm plossl but both have less eye relief. The Maxvision 24mm SWA is similar I think but less expensive.

On an even less expensive note, the Vixen 30mm NPL plossl shows very nearly the same true field as a 32mm plossl but has an adjustable eye cup that, in it's upper position, puts your eye just at the right spot. 

[martin_veasey]

A 24mm wide angle such as the Explore Scientific 68 degree 24mm or the Tele Vue Panoptic 24mm will show you the same mount of sky as a 32mm plossl but both have less eye relief. The Maxvision 24mm SWA is similar I think but less expensive.

On an even less expensive note, the Vixen 30mm NPL plossl shows very nearly the same true field as a 32mm plossl but has an adjustable eye cup that, in it's upper position, puts your eye just at the right spot. 

Many thanks John - I'll check them out

Cheers

[Don Pensack]

I'm using (and am broadly happy with) the eyepieces in the Celestron 94303 Accessory Kit.

I've got a Skywatcher Explorer 200P reflector (200m, f5, 1000m focal length).

All is fine but I'm a bit frustrated with the 32mm Plossl which seems to have a bit too much eye relief for me - I can't quite observe with my eye in the cup and the cup can't be adjusted outwards.

Any suggestions for a reasonable step up in eyepiece with a bit less ER that I could move up to ?

Cheers

Martin

Don't dispose of the eyepiece.  Many long eye relief eyepieces are not designed so you can bury your eye in the eyecup.

But, if that's what you want, here's what to do.  It's cheap, too.

Go to a bicycle store and buy an inner tube whose diameter (not across the circle, the width of the rubber) is equal to the outside diameter of your eyepiece or a little smaller.

Cut a 3" section out of the tube and clean it thoroughly.

Stretch it over the eyepiece (remove the original rubber eyecup) and pull it down until you have about 1/2" on the barrel of the eyepiece.

Then, fold it over from the top, pulling the outer part over the inner part.

Voila, you have a soft rubber eyecup (of any height you desire) with a soft rubber lip at the top.

This technique will work with any eyepiece (though the diameter of the tube may change), and you can get tons of eyecups out of one inner tube.

[ronin]

Either of the Celestron X-Cel or the BST Starguider at 25mm wil deliver a similar field of view of the 32mm plossl but with a bit less eye relief. Think the X-Cel is 17mm the BST is 15mm.

The other aspect is that the BST's or X-Cels are also parfocal so less focus adjustment when swapping - assumes you have a number of either.

As you are finding plossl's have varying eye relief and are also not parfocal.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I had the same 32mm EP and i broke it. I replaced it with a 30mm Vixen NPL. Great range of EP's.

[martin_veasey]

Don't dispose of the eyepiece. Many long eye relief eyepieces are not designed so you can bury your eye in the eyecup.

But, if that's what you want, here's what to do. It's cheap, too.

Go to a bicycle store and buy an inner tube whose diameter (not across the circle, the width of the rubber) is equal to the outside diameter of your eyepiece or a little smaller.

Cut a 3" section out of the tube and clean it thoroughly.

Stretch it over the eyepiece (remove the original rubber eyecup) and pull it down until you have about 1/2" on the barrel of the eyepiece.

Then, fold it over from the top, pulling the outer part over the inner part.

Voila, you have a soft rubber eyecup (of any height you desire) with a soft rubber lip at the top.

This technique will work with any eyepiece (though the diameter of the tube may change), and you can get tons of eyecups out of one inner tube.

Don't think I ever thanked you for this really practical tip. Works well for me, apart from the rubbery smell !!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mark62]

I have the very same 32mm lens. I use it with my 200pds and love it wish all the other lenses in the box were as good

Mark