Barlows - is it just me or are they tough to use?

[bish]

They can be tricky when using high magnifications, especially with an unguided scope if the target isn't dead centre of the fov. Easy enough to get the hang of when you use them regularly. I do use mine most nights.

[Qualia]

With all the replies, it appears that in summary I am simply too quick to dismiss an entire suite of optics

Matt, just wondering. Have you had any joy or is the Barlow still playing up?

[Pig]

I don't have any issues with my Barlow, it a 1.6 X so maybe that is why.

Like Stu I also only use the Barlow with my Zoom for increasing the power on the Moon and Planets

[Pete Presland]

i dont use them much visually, i prefer a shorter focal length eyepiece. but for planetary/solar imaging they are absolutely essential!

[Earl]

An electronic focuser with handset is a great boon at higher magnifications, not needing to touch the scope at all, makes focus far easier to achive and keeps your target as good as your tracking / alignment allows.

[Ruud]

On my f/5 telescope I should be able to use eyepieces down to 2.5mm focal length, to reach the absolute highest magnification that the scope can deliver. I would never consider buying a 2.5mm eyepiece though. Instead I got two good barlows with the telescope. One is 1.8x, the other 2.5x. They neatly expand my eyepieces' coverage into the lowest focal length range I can use (on rare occasions when the seeing is good enough).

I started off with just four good eyepieces. With the two barlows I used them at eleven different magnifications. The twelfth was too high. This was much cheaper than getting the same choice from eleven individual eyepieces.

There is no perceptible dimming caused by a barlow. Even an extreme case, a loss of 5% of the light, would be unnoticeable (0.056 magnitudes).

The light loss in a good barlow is usually as low as 2%. The dimming that people attribute to the barlow is really just dimming caused by the higher magnification. A non-barlowed eyepiece giving the same magnification would look just as dim.

If you want a barlow, get a good one. The best brand for barlows is TeleVue.

[MattJenko]

Weather hasn't been great but I have paired the Baader barlow with its zoom namesake since this feedback on this thread. This was used a bit more patiently and sensibly on both the ED80 and 250px as a test. I have to admit, it was a worthwhile exercise as it was a much better experience than before. It was better on the ED80, but I think the Baader zoom struggles a bit on the PX, or at least it doesn't seem as good in it than in the ED80 to me. The ED80 was better overall, as I think the magnification the barlow brings doesn't push the scope into mad zoom mode which is does on the dob. 6mm is x200 on that scope, so the zoom at 8mm + 2.25 barlow is probably the main reason I found life difficult with it, not realising I was hitting seeing issues not barlow issues. I still prefer using eyepieces only rather than the barlow, but it's spot in the eyepiece box is secure now.

[Dave In Vermont]

Not to sound like an advertisement - or a snob - but the TeleVue Barlows are a notch better than others. It is the only TeleVue item I do recommend without reservation, rather than suggesting other brands as well because, simply put, the TV's are very expensive and many can't afford them. But the TV Barlows aren't much more. I mean their Barlows - NOT the PowerMates which are truly a different animal altogether.

Clear & Dark Skies,

Dave

[bingevader]

I think, as you've said Matt, it's a bit of a time thing.

When I only had the etx90, it came with 2 EPs and a barlow.

I just got used to using them and so didn't find it a problem.

With the 8", I've tended to go for specific individual focal length EPs, so I don't use the barlow as much.

However, I still find it absolutely fab when I use it and especially useful when going on holiday because it reduces the number of EPs I need to take.