Powermate vs Celestron X-Cel LX barlows

[adarshajoisa]

I currently own a Celestron X-Cel LX barlow (3x), and it provides very good quality on my Hyperion 8-24 Mark 3 zoom. These days I've started to find that 3x is a little too much. I want the 68 degree FOV I get at 8mm on the Hyperion, but with the barlow, it provides a little too much magnification, and the exit pupil is so low  that floaters are a major problem. I'm now considering buying a 2x barlow to preserve the 68 degree FOV at 8mm on the Hyperion, but with a lower magnification and a more manageable exit pupil. The barlows I'm considering are the Celestron X-Cel LX 2x barlow and the powermate 2x. How much of a difference will a Powermate make over the Celestron? I'm mainly interested in planetarly observing, but I'll also be doing some hunting of planetary nebula and the likes. Does the difference in quality justify the difference in price? I'm on a very tight budget, and if the quality is not drastically different, I'd prefer the cheaper alternative at the cost of a slight reduction in quality. Any thoughts?

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The powermate is a tele-centric lens, which does provide better views in wide-angle EPs as a rule. Tele-centrics are also slightly better for imaging planets, should you want to go that way, in particular because the magnification factor is largely independent of the distance between lens and image plane. This means adding filter wheels does not change the image scale (much)

[estwing]

powermate wins hands down...

[swamp thing]

My thoughts are; You should only need to buy a Barlow once in your observing life. Get the very best you can afford. 

[adarshajoisa]

The powermate is a tele-centric lens, which does provide better views in wide-angle EPs as a rule. Tele-centrics are also slightly better for imaging planets, should you want to go that way, in particular because the magnification factor is largely independent of the distance between lens and image plane. This means adding filter wheels does not change the image scale (much)

From what I understand of telecentric lenses, the light coming out of the lens is parallel, unlike barlows. If this is the case, is it possible to attach a T-ring directly to the powermate for photography? I've read that it's possible to attach a T-adapter and a T-ring to a barlow lens to photograph directly. With a powermate, I'm guessing I'll have to do EP projection for photography. Am I right?

[adarshajoisa]

Thanks for all the inputs. I think I'll just wait for a while more and save up for a powermate.