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planetary eyepiece dilemma.

johnnyp

By johnnyp
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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johnnyp

johnnyp

Posted
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Hi all. Going round in circles trying to decide on a suitable (budget) planetary eyepiece for high power viewing of planets and the moon . I have a few in mind and would appreciate some feedback.

BST starguider 8mm.

Tmb planetary 9mm.

Skywatcher ultra wide 9mm .

Andromeda extra flat 8mm

Magellan wide angle 8mm

I'm leaning towards either the BST or the tmb but would appreciate any thoughts on the others on the list .

Cheers

John

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alro

alro

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Im a BST Starguider fan, for me they work really well, i like the twist up eyecup and they are really comfortable. I have four of them and will get more.

im not certain what would be best size for your mak though.

if you do go this way contact alan at stl directly, he is open to negotiation!

al

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Roy Challen

Roy Challen

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I actually preferred the TMB to the BST but I seem to be the only one. Irrelevant now as I have Tele Vue plossls - they can be had for around £50-60 second hand so pretty good value. Eye relief could be an issue with the 8mm (I find it fine tbh) and the 11mm is the best eyepiece I have owned.

I just noticed that you already have a 5mm?

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russ.will

russ.will

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I simultaneously had an 9mm 'TMB Designed' Planetary and 8mm BST Explorer (now Starguider) back in the days of my SW 200p F5 Newt.

I seem to recall there was stuff all in it for on-axis sharpness, with the BST being ever so slightly worse off-axis. Both were satisfyingly neutral in terms of colour rendition, a fact that is conveniently poo-pooed by people with slightly colourful EPs (Radians, Naglers, ES82s, Meade UWA Series 5000) but I think is important for planetary viewing. The moon has a lot of very subtle colour graduations and any EP induced colour cast will suppress this.

I actually preferred the traditional eye-cup paired with twist-up of the 'TMBD' EP, over the straight BST hard twist-up for comfort, but that is splitting hairs - Both were good in comfort terms. I do seem to recall, that the 'TMBD' twist up, could end up with an exposed greasy barrel that was annoying if you forgot and grabbed it. A few twists followed by a wipe down with a cloth solved that though.

If you buy either, you will have scored a EP that is far better than it's humble price would suggest and better in sharpness terms than the other three in the list. Mind you, for circa £50 and at that sort of focal length, I'd also look hard at the Vixen NPLs and second hand TV Plossls. You are giving up 10deg AFOV, but that's a non-issue once you've got a planet in the field of view.

Russell

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YKSE

YKSE

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I actually preferred the TMB to the BST but I seem to be the only one.

roy, I don't think you are. When I compared my 9mm and 15mm TS HR (TMB clones as I understand it) with 8mm and 12mm BST, I placed TS HRs a hair higher than the BSTs, more natural color, less scatter on Jupiter, which in my view, is one of the more important character for planetary work.

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Qualia

Qualia

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I know they're not for everyone, the eye relief is tight and the FOV is much smaller than wide field EPs but for sharpness, contrast and price I think Orthos are excellent eyepieces for planetary, lunar and solar work. I also think a strong case can be made for saving just a little bit more money and looking at buying something like a Radian secondhand.

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chiltonstar

chiltonstar

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With a bigger Mak, I use BST 8mm and 12mm most for planetary viewing. Both are very sharp and easy to use because of the eye relief.

To be honest, with my scope which has a long focal length (1500mm) and is on a driven EQ mount, most planetary EPs seem to work well (I have a couple of orthos and plossls as well) and the only really bad EP i've come across was the original 10mm SW supplied with the scope.

Chris

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johnnyp

johnnyp

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Rowan. Yes its a driven mount. (Virtuoso)

Some great replies lads cheers. Seems like not a lot in it between the TMB and the BST.

Qualia. I'll have a look at some orthos. Cheers.

Any thoughts on the skywatcher ultrawides? Which I think are the same as the ts optics ultras. Seem decent for the money.

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alan potts

alan potts

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I actually preferred the TMB to the BST but I seem to be the only one. Irrelevant now as I have Tele Vue plossls - they can be had for around £50-60 second hand so pretty good value. Eye relief could be an issue with the 8mm (I find it fine tbh) and the 11mm is the best eyepiece I have owned.

I just noticed that you already have a 5mm?

You may be one of the few that have a genuine TMB eyepiece as design intended, there were a lot of very poor ones hit the market after the design was first launched, many QA prolems, some by all accounts are cheap clones marketed after the sad death of the designer T M Back.

Alan

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russ.will

russ.will

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Sharper, yes, but also with a narrower FOV and less eye relief, so 'better' is a relative and subjective judgement.

If the latter two bother you, then like most short Plossls, it's a eyelash tickling, squinting through a pin-hole experience and having TV written on the outside doesn't change that.

If they don't bother you, then it's probably one of the best EPs ever made and well worth a £50 punt.

Russell

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Roy Challen

Roy Challen

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Cheers Russ. You have sold me. I've made the enquiry. :)

You, Sir have taken the first step toward green and black addiction! Nice one! :grin:

Alan,

"You may be one of the few that have a genuine TMB eyepiece as design intended, there were a lot of very poor ones hit the market after the design was first launched, many QA prolems, some by all accounts are cheap clones marketed after the sad death of the designer T M Back."

Going by the pictures I have seen on this site and others, I'm sure it was one of the clones/copies/whatever which is what led me to selling it. It was/is a very good eyepiece but the furore over these items leaves a slightly awkward feeling in my mind even though it has no direct bearing on it's abilities in use. If I ever find a genuine one I would be tempted.

Roy

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ghostdance

ghostdance

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Cheers Russ. You have sold me. I've made the enquiry. :)

Good move. If it doesn't suit (eye relief will be the decider here methinks) you'll be able to move it on with little or no loss...but if ER is OK, Bob, as they say, becomes part of the family :)

I think my own 8mm TVP is a little cracker, sharp and precise, love it on planetary excursions...hope you love yours! And indeed, welcome to the slippery green & black slope...

ps I'd second orthoscopics too. My Circle T's are very as in very nice....and I just bought a BGO which I am expecting great things of...

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John

John

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I think the Tele Vue plossls are optically excellent eyepieces. Their ergonomics in the shorter focal lengths can take some getting used to though so bear that in mind when you first use it. The eyecup can get in the way of accessing the full field of view. Although it's stiffer than some, the eyecup can be folded down and that does help get the eye in the right position to see the full field.

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scarp15

scarp15

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Their is a 8mm televue plossl on astro buy sell. Would this be better than a BST or TMB ?

The 8mm Televue plossl is an excellent eyepiece, I used to use this and an 11mm,  the eye relief is fairly tight, but as John has said is optically excellent. If you can get these second hand then perhaps this is the way to build up a collection of premium at affordable cost.

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