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Christmas Budget - EP upgrade or new toys?

rolpol

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rolpol

rolpol

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I have been given a budget of £200 for Xmas, and AM stuck between upgrading the EPs that came with my Heritage 114 Virtuoso, or with getting new toys!

The EPs to replace are the unbranded Skywatcher Super 10 and Super 25; (I also have a Skywatcher UWA Planetary 4mm for my lunar obsession), but I keep looking at Baader Hyperions. I just worry they'll be wasted on my current scope.

I don't wear glasses and, although I do intend to get a larger aperture scope in 2-3 years when the kids are a bit bigger, I will be sticking with the f4 500mm fl for the time being.

However I have also been toying with the idea of webcam imaging, or (less enticing) saving for a Synscan AZ Go-To handset and cable.

Any advice would be welcome...

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John

John

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Hyperions don't work well with a fast scope like yours despite their near £100 price. In an F/10 scope they are very good however.

A popular upgrade from the stock eyepieces is the BST Explorer / Starguider range which retail for around £50 each. Their field of view is a bit wider than the standard plossls too. They are reported to work quite well in fast scopes despite their relatively low price tag

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Daniel-K

Daniel-K

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This is part of the master plan, but Mrs rolpol regards the current tube as being "enormous" and will not entertain any suggestion of anything larger at the moment...

just get it while she's not in. that's all I do :D she cant do anything after its arrived lol :D if that's the case get the 130p mini dob

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Qualia

Qualia

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I have been given a budget of £200 for Xmas, and I'm stuck between upgrading the EPs that came with my Heritage 114 Virtuoso, or with getting new toys!

I....might like something a bit wider...

the one thing I'm not changing is the telescope.

Hiya Rolpol,

Many astronomers - myself included - follow quite a predictable path when it comes to buying EPs. For whatever the reason, many of us start out buying new and cheapish stuff but soon arrives a day when we want to upgrade but now we find ourselves in a situation where we have one quality EP and a case full of relatively cheap and shoddy EPs that on the secondhand market don't really fetch a good price.

So I'd say premium eyepieces are never a waste of money, especially if you buy them used. These EPs might become 'lifers', so you never have to upgrade on them or you could always re-sell them without losing much - if any - money, especially if you have already bought them secondhand. Premium eyepieces, then, hold their quality and value more than cheaper ones.

From my perspective, I'd advise everyone starting out in visual astronomy to buy secondhand Televue Plossls (TVP) which offer sharp, flat fields and excellent edge performance. They are superbly executed eyepieces and the only reason they are generally not considered quite 'premium-premium' eyepieces is because they lack the important and expensive features of premium EPs, viz, wide fields and better eye-relief.

You can pick up a TVP between £45 and £60 secondhand and if you ever decide to sell them on, as long as you treat them well, you'll receive about the same money back. As a general rule of thumb, buy the best optics you can afford - even if you have to save a little longer - and they will stay with you for a long time.

I hope this helps a little :icon_salut:

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swamp thing

swamp thing

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in fact upgrade to the 6" dob and sell the 114 and use that money to buy some BST'....your welcome :cool:

^^^ This :evil6:

I know you don't wish to change the scope but this is the best option IMO. Upgrading eyepieces is fine and I agree having a good set is always worthwhile, but no eyepiece will make as much difference as upping aperture and at the end of the day a 6" dob is hardly big is it. its only an inch and a half bigger than what you already have, and it will make such a big difference to your observing enjoyment.

Just my 2p's worth

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rolpol

rolpol

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Hiya Rolpol,

Many astronomers - myself included - follow quite a predictable path when it comes to buying EPs. For whatever the reason, many of us start out buying new and cheapish stuff but soon arrives a day when we want to upgrade but now we find ourselves in a situation where we have one quality EP and a case full of relatively cheap and shoddy EPs that on the secondhand market don't really fetch a good price.

So I'd say premium eyepieces are never a waste of money, especially if you buy them used. These EPs might become 'lifers', so you never have to upgrade on them or you could always re-sell them without losing much - if any - money, especially if you have already bought them secondhand. Premium eyepieces, then, hold their quality and value more than cheaper ones.

From my perspective, I'd advise everyone starting out in visual astronomy to buy secondhand Televue Plossls (TVP) which offer sharp, flat fields and excellent edge performance. They are superbly executed eyepieces and the only reason they are generally not considered quite 'premium-premium' eyepieces is because they lack the important and expensive features of premium EPs, viz, wide fields and better eye-relief.

You can pick up a TVP between £45 and £60 secondhand and if you ever decide to sell them on, as long as you treat them well, you'll receive about the same money back. As a general rule of thumb, buy the best optics you can afford - even if you have to save a little longer - and they will stay with you for a long time.

I hope this helps a little :icon_salut:

 

Many thanks for this, much food for thought...

^^^ This :evil6:

I know you don't wish to change the scope but this is the best option IMO. Upgrading eyepieces is fine and I agree having a good set is always worthwhile, but no eyepiece will make as much difference as upping aperture and at the end of the day a 6" dob is hardly big is it. its only an inch and a half bigger than what you already have, and it will make such a big difference to your observing enjoyment.

Just my 2p's worth

It's just not possible at the moment, I bargained my way up from a 76 to a 114 and can go no further at present.

However, if I am good then the next step, a year or two down the line, is not to a measly 150 mm. Try doubling it...

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