8SE eyepieces and focal reducer for two types of viewing?

[Sobel]

I have had an 8SE for a while and currently have 2 EPs and a 2X Barlow.

1. Celestron X-Cel LX 18mm
2. Meade 4000 32mm Ploss

I do a bit of everything with the scope, planetary, lunar, DSO

But I feel my EP selection limits me at the moment. the 18mm EP gives me around 115X mag, but the 2X narrow takes that up to around 225X which I find is beyond what the viewing conditions at home allow. I am considering buying the WO 12.5mm SPL to give me around 160X which I feel would be better. Is there anything else worth considering at this price point?

Next I'd like to get wider FOV (I appreciate it's an F/10 SCT and it was originally bought for mainly planetary, but it's turned out to be a decent J.O.A.T). Therefore I am considering buying a f6.3 reducer. I would probably set it up with the 32mm Plossl and a UHC filter and dedicate an evening every now and again to viewing Nebulae etc. Being able to view more of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades would be the primary reason for buying the FR.

Would there be a an eyepiece I should look at to replace the Plossl if I did get a FR?

Just wanted to see if this sounds like an OK plan? I don't think I'll be going down the 2" route soon, or ever but wanted to give myself a decent spread for a wide range of viewing.

Cheers, and apologise if these basic questions should have gone in the beginner section

[ronin]

Why not the 12mm X-Cel, then the 2 will be reasonably parfocal and so less adjustment of focus.

Not sure how good the plossl is but eyepieces with a wider FoV also tend to be shorter focal length and so you get a narrow final FoV. Other then a better 32mm plossl  As a small point a 25mm X-Cel will deliver an almost match to the FoV with a 32mm plossl. If you work the numbers through they are so close you will not tell the difference.

[Pig]

I did not find the focal reducer to have any benefit whatsoever with my 9.25 SCT. In my experience If you want to fit complete clusters like the Pleiades in your FOV a refractor type scope is a better option and can be cheaper than buying lots of eyepieces or in some cases a single wide-field eyepiece   

[rowan46]

I use a reducer on my c5 and it helps a lot but I think the bigger the scope the less effect it has. i am not sure if i  am making sense or talking out of my behind here but it seems to me  tha reduced c8 still has a focal length of 1200mm which is still a pretty long focus scope hence still will give a pretty narrow view you will still need very wide eyepieces with very long focal lengths  to get a wide view out of such a long focus scope and almost certainly that means 2" format and expensive glass

[Don Pensack]

I have had an 8SE for a while and currently have 2 EPs and a 2X Barlow.

1. Celestron X-Cel LX 18mm
3. Meade 4000 32mm Ploss

I do a bit of everything with the scope, planetary, lunar, DSO

But I feel my EP selection limits me at the moment. the 18mm EP gives me around 115X mag, but the 2X narrow takes that up to around 225X which I find is beyond what the viewing conditions at home allow. I am considering buying the WO 12.5mm SPL to give me around 160X which I feel would be better. Is there anything else worth considering at this price point?

Next I'd like to get wider FOV (I appreciate it's an F/10 SCT and it was originally bought for mainly planetary, but it's turned out to be a decent J.O.A.T). Therefore I am considering buying a f6.3 reducer. I would probably set it up with the 32mm Plossl and a UHC filter and dedicate an evening every now and again to viewing Nebulae etc. Being able to view more of the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades would be the primary reason for buying the FR.

Would there be a an eyepiece I should look at to replace the Plossl if I did get a FR?

Just wanted to see if this sounds like an OK plan? I don't think I'll be going down the 2" route soon, or ever but wanted to give myself a decent spread for a wide range of viewing.

Cheers, and apologise if these basic questions should have gone in the beginner section

The 32 Plossl will work with the f/6.3 reducer and yield the largest possible true field.

For an eyepiece selection in the 8" SCT, I recommend eyepieces that yield 50x, 100x, 150x, and 200x

You can add a good barlow for the occasions you get seeing good enough to go higher.

That's 40mm, 20mm, 13-14mm, and 10mm.  The 40mm would have to be 2", so if you don't have 2" capability, stick with the 32mm Plossl, then 20-14-10mm.

That's plus or minus of course.  But when I owned an 8" SCT, that 20mm was my most-used workhorse eyepiece for most DSOs.  It was on small planetary nebulae and moon and planets and double stars that I used the 150X and 200X.