Celestron X-Cel LX EPs

[employee2-4601]

Bought myself a pair of these and finally managed to get some use out of them. I have a 25mm (the largest they do) and a 12mm. These are six element eyepieces with a 60 degree field of view and a 1.25" barrel.

They come in sturdy plastic cases that twist to lock, though these can be a bit fiddly when swapping EPs 'out in the field', as it were (I intend to by a case to store them in and negate this problem).

I've used them to view the Pleiades (25mm), M31 (25mm), the Orion Nebula (25mm and 12mm), Betelgeuse (25mm and 12mm), Capella (25mm and 12mm), the Triangulum Galaxy (25mm) and M110 (25mm) so far.

The results have been superb - I use a Celestron Astromaster 130EQ scope (650mm focal length, 130mm aperture, F5 focal ratio) - with stars looking pin sharp. It was actually quite easy to see the double binary system that makes up Capella with the 12mm EP. The Orion and Dumbbell nebulae were, again, very easy to see - the contrast between the clouds and the surrounding sky was very distinct compared to the standard EPs that shipped with the scope. Galaxies are also very clear and M31's core was very bright. Colours seemed much sharper through these EPs as well. Using the standard set that came with the scope (and a set of Celestron Plossls borrowed from my dad), the colours of different stars were quite dull and not always easy to make out. I find that with these EPs, it's very easy to see the colour of a star (Betelgeuse was particularly vibrant) and I look forward to using them for planetary observation. The 60 degree FOV is fantastic. I looked at the Pleiades through a 32mm Celestron Plossl and with the 25mm X-Cel, I could easily see the same amount of sky, though obviously with an increase in magnification.

Now on to the painful bit, the price. These EPs tend to sell for about £60 a piece. The higher end EPs by Televue and Baader usually sell for £180+ each and, if I ever get the chance to compare, it will be interesting to see how they measure up. For the price, these are great bits of kit. I read somewhere that they were in fact designed for the medium to fast scopes like my Astromaster - I have nothing to compare them with, so I can't comment on how they'd work with a slower scope (say F8 and up).

The only negative marks I'd give are for the plastic pots they come with. Yes, they're durable and along with the plastic end caps will ensure your EPs are well-protected, but I find them very fiddly when swapping EPs, especially when I'm trying to do so before my target moves out of my FOV. I've noticed that Baader have started producing a line of EPs (the name of which escapes me at the moment) that come in little pouches you can thread onto your belt - what a brilliant idea!

Anyway, as previously stated for the money these EPs punch above their weight and seem to be the perfect fit for a small, medium to fast scope. I'll post an update once I've had a chance to check out a planet or two with them and can present a more complete review.

[Dave In Vermont]

I only have the first Celestron X-Cel in it's 5mm incarnation. No XL on the end - just X-Cel. It's nothing to cheer about, but it works. CloudyNights review dubbed it the absolute worst eyepiece ever made! But I found it to be okay. But apparently Celestron did a major redesign and came out with the X-Cel LX - series shortly thereafter. Most reviews say they're anywhere from quite good to excellent. I'll add your 'superb' to the pile. Thank you!

And yes to the plastic "Bolt-Case" they come with being a pain. The one I have does, too. I use the case for my Vixen 8 - 24mm Zoom EP instead. This zoom gets carted about town in a pocket quite often for outreach-work, and being the only EP I take with me, it's only annoying once. I'm sure you can get a good case with foam to handle your X-Cel LX's. Those cases can be quite pricey though, so don't look to places that sell them for astro-gear. Look for them for simpler applications - like flight-cases - and watch the cost drop like a rock. As soon as you say "astro" - you can hear a cash-register say "KA-CHING!!" in the background!

As for TeleVue EP's - yes they are certainly spectacular. But not all of us can afford them, so I avoid endorsements. They get enough of those as stands. And I strenuously try to avoid sounding elitist. But Vixen EP's are not priced through-the-rafters for the most part. New & used. And I'm seeing that they go through popularity in waves over the years. But they really are very nice! The lanthanum-glass they use truly does make a notable difference. So you may like giving one of those critters a go. A used one can always be re-sold for about the same as it cost - which is a great way to try a wide variety of glass.

Thanks for your review!

Dave

[DRT]

I had almost a full set of X-Cell LX's with my first couple of scopes and loved them. A very large step-up from the standard plossls and even at the new price I think they are worth the money compared with the stratospheric pricing of high-end EPs. My memory of them is that they had very comfortable eye positioning and a great ergonomic design.

[John]

I've only owned one X-Cel LX and that was the 25mm. It was a nice eyepiece but it has a large and heavily convex lens right on the focal plane of the eyepiece. Any dust on this and it really shows when viewing bright objects such as the moon. Mine had a touch of dust on it and there was no way that I could get that lens completely clean again 

Maybe the other focal lengths don't share this design ?

[Andyb90]

For the issue with the plastic pots I pop my 25mm Xcel into my jacket pocket, which has some padding.

Also helps to prevent the eyepiece dewing up. :-)

Andy.

[laudropb]

Nice review. I have the 9mm and find it very good for the money. Good ER but a little deterioration in image quality near the edge of the fov.

[Astro Imp]

Thanks for taking the trouble to give us your thoughts.

I have four of these EPs and like them a lot.

I find that without using my glasses and the eyepiece fully extended makes for very comfortable viewing.

One niggle I had with the first couple was the rubber eye cap was not very secure and tended to lift away when removing the end cap. Having posted on the forum I was advised to stretch the end cap between thumb and fingers which seems to have worked.

[employee2-4601]

Yes, I've noticed the eye cap can move when removing the end cap, though it's not been a problem so far. I'm planning on getting a couple more of these (18mm and 9mm). Interestingly, if you go on the FLO website (which is where I bought these from), they have a tool for testing these EPs with a specific telescope. I selected Astromaster 130EQ and then cycled through various Messier objects to get an idea what I would see with different size EPs. It's very useful as it also gives you the relative magnification that each EP would generate in combination with the selected equipment (you can also select different Barlows amongst other things). Knowing that the highest effective mag for my scope is approx. 130-150x, I know that the 7mm X-Cel is the smallest useful EP for my scope.

[bingevader]

I have the 7mm and the 5mm.

Both bought second hand and so extremely good value for the money,

One of the eye cups was loose and had previously been glued in place and so was re-glued.

I don't mind the bolt cases.

Good, crisp clear views in my 200p.

The 7mm is rather splendid with a 2x barlow on the moon.

[employee2-4601]

UPDATE: Just defrosted my fingers after an early morning session (05.00-06.45). Caught Venus, Mars and Jupiter in the 12mm. Venus was very clear and you could just make out the present phase. Mars is growing a lot fainter now, but the colour was still very sharp. Jupiter was a real feast for the eyes. I could see three of the Galilean moons and two of the atmospheric bands were very distinct. A final unexpected bonus was a very bright object moving at a fair old lick across the sky. Managed to align the scope and manually track it as it went sailing below the horizon - for any newbies out there (including myself) the ISS before dawn has a lovely orange-red tint to it, though because of its speed it can be very difficult to keep it in the FOV.

So, not only are these EPs great for stars and DSOs, but they are fantastic for planets and even the occasional space station.

Clear skies everybody! :-)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Well done keeping the ISS in the field of view (or even just managing to aim it at the ISS). I have managed in binoculars, but not in my scope

[employee2-4601]

I think it was more luck than anything else. Couldn't believe how bright it was.

[Dave In Vermont]

That happened to me once. I was looking at such and such through my 12" LX200, and the ISS went across the FOV. It looked like a freight-train going past! I nearly fell out of my boots!

That was a one-time 'WOW!' event. Though I've frequently had other satellites go blinking across my FOV through scopes. It's getting way too crowded up there, in my opinion.

Good catch,

Dave

[garryblueboy]

I had the 7mm and the 12 mm nice made Eyepices but wasn't overly pleased with the views thought them bit mushy

[Charic]

I should just buy an X-Cel to compare with a Starguider, as their both often regarded as good eyepieces for initial upgrades.

[Donkeiller]

Can fully recommended the XCel-LXs. I have a full set.