My eyepiece plan

[Dom1961]

Whilst I'm waiting for the buyer of my eBay item to pay, I was wondering if you had any opinions about my plan for eyepieces.

I currently have 8 + 15 mm bsts, 30mm vixen npl

I am thinking of purchasing a 28mm maxvision and an eyepiece case to start, how are max visions in 200p dobs ? (for those who have read my previous threads, I feel that I'll use eps more than an OIII filter for now)

Then for my birthday in August get a 82° 6.7mm explore scientific as a (very) high power. Would this be use able in my scope?

That is my current plan, however I might modify depending on your thoughts.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I currently have 8 + 15 mm bsts, 30mm vixen npl

I think you have all you need.

[SpaceWalker]

I agree with Paul that generally you have a minimalistic sufficient set. If you want upgrade, a  lineup like the 28mm ES68 - 11mm ES82 - 6.7mm ES82 would be perfect for your scope. Than a 2x Barlow will convert the 11mm ES82 into a nice 5.5mm planetary eyepiece when the atmosphere supports 218x (rare). If you get 1.5x/2x Barlow you may not need the 6.7mm ES82 if you want to save funds. Although, I believe the 6.7mm ES82 is a very good eyepiece and it would be nice to have it.

[-Aldebaran-]

The Es 82° 6.7mm works really well in my 200p dob. I wouldn't consider a barlow on it though except for exceptionally good seing conditions, on its own, the views of globular clusters are really good and would deliver well on planetary views but have yet to test it to the latter.

[alan potts]

The 28mm Maxvision is the Meade 28mm SWA series 5000 eyepiece wearing a different skirt. This was a cancelled order I believe when Meade had problems and the maker JOC changed the band around the EP from green to silver. We all assume the quality is the standard that Meade asked for.

I had this eyepieces some time back and it was a very good performer, I paid about 210 pounds for it so you can see what value they are now, it should be better than the BST range especailly in faster scopes and has a wider FOV than BST, but lets face it for the original cost it should be good.

It is a fairly heavy eyepiece and you will notice the difference, for me it was the best one out of the ranger of 6 which stretched from 16mm to 40mm, the latter BTW was almost as heavy as a small scope at over 1kg.

Very good eyepiece and one I wish I had held on to.

I cannot comment on your other points without scope information.

Alan.

[Charic]

You mention 6.7mm as very high power. I chose a 6mm William Optic, only because there is no 6mm Starguider available (yet) ?

Using the scope numbers, 1200-200-f/6 any 6mm will match the technical aspect of this telescope, giving 200x power, which the telescope is easily capable of. I even go as far as 375x on the Moon, but useless on Jupiter at this power. Theory suggests twice the aperture is my maximum, therefore a 3mm EP 400x. The 3.2mm I have gets used on the Moon to impress folk, if they can keep up with the tracking? But its use is limited, but is part of what is now, my EP kit.

A 12mm BST Starguider would be a good option. The 12mm hits the so called sweet-spot on this scope, and if Barlowed, gives you 6mm/200x.

My choice for my wider EP stemmed from the fact that the stock 25mm works ok, but is pants from my observatory, especially looking at M31. But from a darker site, its a good EP, although my BST gives me a slightly wider fov at 60° , but the Panaview at 70° now satisfies my needs.

EP selection is very subjective. Only you will know whats right after using them. Whats good for some folk, wont work for others.

I'm very happy with my present setup, but we all know, there is better out there?

I would love to see through the 10" 12" or maybe a 16" scope, aside my 8" under the same sky. I know on paper, technically, there will be some improvement, but under the same identical conditions, if the result is not alarmingly different, I think this 8" will last me a lot longer. If/when I upgrade, i know that my EP kit will possibly change to accept the faster focal ratio, but whoever is fortunate enough to buy my system will be getting a very good system from the start.

[Dom1961]

How much of a noticeable difference would there be in the magnifications of my 8mm and the mag of the 6.7mm?

[SpaceWalker]

How much of a noticeable difference would there be in the magnifications of my 8mm and the mag of the 6.7mm?

It's usually accepted that the jump should be at least 1.4 or slightly more. In your case 8/6.7=1.2 which is insignificant, 150x vs 179x. For comparison, 11/6.7=1.6 would be much better, 109x vs 179x. Considering wider AFOV the jump can be more. For example, the prerfect lineup for your Skyliner  would be like the  21mm TV Ethos - 13mm TV Ethos - 8mm TV Ethos - 6mm TV Ethos.  A good budget lineup   the 30mm ES82 - 24mm ES82 - 11mm ES82 - 6.7mm ES82. Even cheaper, the 38mm Panaview (optional) - 28mm Maxivision/ES68 - 11mm ES82 - 6.7mm ES82. And plus 2x ES Focal Extender for planetary.

[Charic]

I'm now more interested in how an eyepiece just frames the subject, on axis, rather than just use a specific magnification. I just select the one that gives me the best image/detail on the night, my main reason for owning several EPs. A zoom would be easier, but as a long time photographer, I prefer dedicated primary lenses, but do have zoom lenses in my Nikon cases?

[Dom1961]

So I'm getting the Maxvision anyway, do you think I should leave the 6.7mm as it's close to the 8mm, do you recommend any other eyepieces at roughly the same price as the 82° 6.7mm

[DRT]

Dom,

Have you tried using this tool to work out the effect of different eyepieces on what you can see through a particular scope? http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fovcalc.php

I find it very useful in terms of determining the field of view v magnification you will get for a particular combination, particularly if you use a very familiar object such as the Moon, Jupiter or the Orion Nebula as the selected object.

Your Skyliner 200P is a great scope and at f5.9 is at the slow end of what would be considered a "fast scope". This means that you don't have to break the bank on eyepieces to get great views through it. When I had my 200P I used a set of Celestron X-Cell LXs that were fantastic with it and available 2nd hand for £40-£50 each. From what I have read on SGL your BSTs are at least as good as the X-Cells.

As Alan mentioned above the Maxvisions are very good but they are also very heavy. You are also introducing the complication of having a mixture of 1.25" and 2" eyepieces, which some people find annoying during an observing session as you have to switch a reducer in and out when swapping from low to high power. It's something you get used to, but I remember not liking it when I first ventured into 2" EPs.

If you want to slowly build yourself a set of very high quality EPs for your current scope and that would be future proof for stepping up to something more demanding I would recommend the Explore Scientific 82° range. If you are getting the 6.7mm (which is fantastic!) for your birthday you could drop some hints about an 11mm for Christmas

As for filling other gaps I would recommend sticking to lower cost, good quality eyepieces as a temporary measure. I found the 32mm Celestron Omni Plossl to be an excellent low power EP in the 200P and you can usually pick those up on Ebay second hand. In all honesty, you will mostly use EPs of this sort of focal length as finders so spending tons of money doesn't make sense until you start to step up into more demanding scopes that will allow you to see more. Given your age that is for another time, but you can have some fantastic fun with the kit you have and start to build a great collection of EPs slowly over the next couple of years and you will be ready to rock

One final piece of advice - buy second hand if you can (Ebay or, preferably ABS) - Astronomers treat their eyepieces more carefully than babies so you can normally be assured that they are in good condition. Always ask for photographs and never buy anything that has a "stock" photograph from the manufacturers website. Be wary of using the Wanted option as it sometimes attracts scammers. If in doubt contact someone here to ask for advice.

Good luck!

Derek

[Wabbit]

That tool you mentioned looks extremely useful.

[DRT]

So I'm getting the Maxvision anyway, do you think I should leave the 6.7mm as it's close to the 8mm, do you recommend any other eyepieces at roughly the same price as the 82° 6.7mm

Dom,

I have just noticed this question. I think you should perhaps go for the 4.7mm rather than the 6.7mm to give you more power. Eventually you should have both but 6.7mm and 8.8mm are very close if you have a limited number of EPs. 4.7mm to go with your 8.8mm and then an 11mm at Christmas gives you a great range of mid to high power with your scope.

I have just noticed this: http://www.explorescientific.co.uk/en/Eyepieces/Explore-Scientific-68-Ar-Eyepiece-24mm-1-25.html

That is a fantastic deal and I would suggest is better value than the Maxvision. I have had that eyepiece and it is superb.

Derek

[Dom1961]

Hmm i would get the 4.7mm but I am looking for something that I can use often due to a limited budget Id rather not invest in something that will rarely be used. I was thinking of the 6.7 dues to the extra 22 degrees it has over the bsts. Will the extra degrees be noticeable and will it make much difference? Also Im torn between the 24 and 28 mm maxvisions now, opinions anyone? and justify why thanks!

[John]

The difference between 82 and 60 degrees is certainly noticeable. A 60 degree eyepiece seems like a narrow tube if you switch to it straight from an 82 degree. Likewise 100 degrees makes 82 degree feel a little claustrophobic as well.

That said, I've had excellent observing sessions where the maximum field of view is 40 - 50 degrees so ultra wide views are not critical to enjoyment or quality viewing.

The justification for these preferences is personal though - everyone has to make up his or her minds how they want to do things.

[Charic]

The Skyliner is better on axis, how wide do you need? Have you got Stellarium. Input your occulars and check the views? Astrobuy has a 12mm Starguider for £32 That would get some good use as explained above, and will fit nicely between your existing BST's

[Dom1961]

The difference between 82 and 60 degrees is certainly noticeable. A 60 degree eyepiece seems like a narrow tube if you switch to it straight from an 82 degree. Likewise 100 degrees makes 82 degree feel a little claustrophobic as well.

That said, I've had excellent observing sessions where the maximum field of view is 40 - 50 degrees so ultra wide views are not critical to enjoyment or quality viewing.

The justification for these preferences is personal though - everyone has to make up his or her minds how they want to do things.

So do you think it is worth upgrading to a 82 degree 6.7mn?

[DRT]

Hmm i would get the 4.7mm but I am looking for something that I can use often due to a limited budget Id rather not invest in something that will rarely be used. I was thinking of the 6.7 dues to the extra 22 degrees it has over the bsts. Will the extra degrees be noticeable and will it make much difference? Also Im torn between the 24 and 28 mm maxvisions now, opinions anyone? and justify why thanks!

Dom, here is something to consider. All of the eyepieces you have are perfectly useable with you scope. If I were you I would go for filling gaps rather than replacing what you have. For that reason I would suggest you don't buy a 24mm or 28mm Maxvision as they will give you only marginal benefits against your existing 25mm and 30mm. I can see why you want to concentrate on the higher power end, and you point about the 4.7mm is very sensible, and for those reasons (and assuming ES 82° EPs are what you want to build upon) I would suggest your priorities should be the 6.7mm and an 11mm. Both fill gaps and both would be long term prospects.

Wide field EPs certainly give a different experience. I find them particularly useful at high to medium power in scopes like yours as they reduce the amount of nudging you have to do to keep the target in the FOV.

[Dom1961]

hmmm, many people saying many different things. On some other threads people say get maxvision on here you say 82 degrees , hmmmmmm im stuck

[DRT]

hmmm, many people saying many different things. On some other threads people say get maxvision on here you say 82 degrees , hmmmmmm im stuck

That is not unusual on this forum as astronomy is a very personal and subjective subject.

It might help you to consider what has been said on each thread and then re-state your objectives here. I promise we will do our best to focus on what you want rather than what we think we would want if we were you

[John]

hmmm, many people saying many different things. On some other threads people say get maxvision on here you say 82 degrees , hmmmmmm im stuck

Nobody can make the decision for you and we all have different tastes and opinions on how we like our views presented.

None of these eyepieces are actually going to show you anything that your current ones can't. What they do is present the views is slightly different ways, mostly the issue is how wide a view would you like ?

The tool linked to above needs to be treated with some caution by the way because it does not present the differences between very wide angle eyepieces accurately, unfortunately.

[Dom1961]

I want something that I can use on a lot of objects, eek out the details on the things that I can see, something that will be use able on a lot of nights and something that will be overall useful to my ep collection

[Dom1961]

Yay, just sold it, now I've got £125, when I get my exam results I get £15 per A*, so at the moment I'm looking for ideas, I will do the actual purchasing when I have my total amount. So I have a lot of thinking time to question you folks on SGl

[John]

I want something that I can use on a lot of objects, eek out the details on the things that I can see, something that will be use able on a lot of nights and something that will be overall useful to my ep collection

Used with some care I reckon you already have eyepieces that will do that apart from perhaps the 25mm stock MA.

[Dom1961]

So you're saying something low power near 25mm?