Which Wide EP for Cristmas?

[CraigT82]

Hi All,

My lovely wife has offered to buy me a new EP for christmas... budget "somewhere between £100-200".

I'm after a 7mm wide angle jobbie, for high mag scrutiny of the moon (plus jupiter, saturn, mars et al...).

Main factor to consider is that my skies are almost always poor in London, with plenty of LP.  7mm gives me x171 which is about the highest I can go with my 200p F6 (EQ mounted) under my skies.

I wouldn't mind a 7mm ortho but I just don't think I could sit there for an hour peering into one waiting for clear the momemts, so I'll sacrifice some sharpness for viewing comfort.

My current collection is BST 5,8,12 and 25mm

Any suggestions greatfully recieved!

[John]

Quite a lot of choice in that price range. If you want an 82 degree field of view:

- William Optics UWAN / Skywatcher Nirvana 7mm

- Explore Scientific 6.7mm 82 degree

- Pre-owned Nagler Type 6 7mm

Slight less FoV but still pretty wide:

- Baader Morpheus 6.5mm

Plenty of others that I can't remember right now too !

The above all have a very good reputation

[CraigT82]

Thanks John, I think I will go for an 82 degree fov. Do you have any personal experience with those EPs you mention?

There's a nagler on abs right now....... Would you go for a used 7mm T6 nagler at £180 or a new 7mm nirvana at £129?!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[John]

There is really not much difference in peformance between a Nagler T6 and a Nirvana. I just wish there had been a wider range of Nirvana's / UWAN's available.

I've always been a great admirer of Tele Vue's products and have owned all the T6 Naglers in the past. I feel that Naglers are still the best 82 degree eyepieces available, even though the competition are hot on their heels these days.

See what other opinions come in though because I've not tried any of the ES 82 degree eyepieces or a Baader Morpheus.

[Owmuchonomy]

I can vouch for the magnificence of the ES 82' EPs although at longer focal lengths (e.g., 24mm).  I was playing in a shop yesterday with a Delos.  Seemed like a good compromise for my f5 Dob although it is 'only' 70' FOV I think.

[Paul73]

There is a 6.7mm on ABS now for £75.

Sounds like a bargain.

Paul

[Mak the Night]

Although I would have automatically said go for a Nagler, as I think they are superb, you could get an 82° Celestron Luminos for under a 100 quid. I think they suit slower scopes best though. I use a 10mm Luminos sometimes with a Barlow element threaded into it to transform it to a 6.25mm f/l. That is when I can tear myself away from my Nagler lol!

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/celestron-eyepieces/celestron-luminos-eyepieces.html

[estwing]

I agree John those WO uwans had great reviews yet the range was very limited

[faulksy]

as said the nirvana or williams are close to naglers. but if you want a ortho for planets with good eyerelief and wfov theres only one ep, and thats the pentax xw you will pick one up secondhand for your budget or a few quid more and buy new. good luck

[jetstream]

Buy once, cry once- Pentax XW.

[faulksy]

Well said gerry :-)

[Paul73]

I've got to have a look through one of these XW's. Better than Delos??

Probably down to personal preference once you get down to it.

But, do you really need £250 eyepieces in an f6 scope?? Surely two Celestrons or ES 82° would be a better use of funds?

Paul

[John]

But, do you really need £250 eyepieces in an f6 scope?? Surely two Celestrons or ES 82° would be a better use of funds?

Paul

You don't need them of course. But they are darned nice to have

And who knows what scope might be coming along in the future ?

The XW's and Delos are pretty much on a par BTW. The only issue with having a mixed set of them is that their focal points vary quite a bit, which can be a pain.

I got my XW's within the OP's budget, on the used market, so he might get lucky.

[garryblueboy]

I Also have the 7 mm Celestron luminos and it is a great performer for the price and the build quality is superb and 82 ' Afov also good eye relief as I have to wear Specs .

[Charic]

You say have the 5 & 8mm BST, do you find the 5mm does not work well enough?

Its my impression that your using an f/6 Skyliner on an EQ mount? I would suggest a 6mm EP would be better suited to achieve the designated 200x power the scope is more than capable giving you a 1mm exit pupil, which would be fine for Planetary/Moon observations.

I have a giant goldfish bowl of a street lamp to contend with, with regards to pollution, yet I still have stunning closeup views of the Moon using any eyepiece between 3-12mm.

If we are talking about the same scope, and not the 200p explorer f/5, and you want a wider view, maybe consider the TeleVue Delos with its 72° afov, slightly more than the BST Starguider, heaps of eyerelief, and hard to find second hand? The 12mm would be a great option, and that alone could be Barlowed to 6mm, if/when the need arises.

[YKSE]

I've got to have a look through one of these XW's. Better than Delos??

The XW's and Delos are pretty much on a par BTW. The only issue with having a mixed set of them is that their focal points vary quite a bit, which can be a pain.

John's comment reflects the general opions about these two lines. The little advantage XWs have over Delos are that XWs are par-focal, even the 2" 30mm and 40mm are par-focal with the 1.25" ones , if the 2" to 1.25" reducer is flush. Also, Pentax XOs are par-focal with XWs.

[CraigT82]

What about a 14mm ES 82.... Could Barlow it to 7mm using my Tal x2. Two EPs for the price of one! Or not a good idea?!

5mm is just too much mag for my skies (Central London: looking out over a dock with blocks of flats at the other side!) I find myself using my 8mm most, which is lovely and sharp, and then my 12mm barlowed to 6mm which is right on the edge of usability in terms of sharpness. A 7mm will fill that gap nicely

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Highburymark]

You're almost in reach of a new Televue Delite 7mm.

[John]

What about a 14mm ES 82.... Could Barlow it to 7mm using my Tal x2. Two EPs for the price of one! Or not a good idea?!

5mm is just too much mag for my skies (Central London: looking out over a dock with blocks of flats at the other side!) I find myself using my 8mm most, which is lovely and sharp, and then my 12mm barlowed to 6mm which is right on the edge of usability in terms of sharpness. A 7mm will fill that gap nicely

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I reckon a 1.25" barlow will vignette the field of view of a 14mm 82 degree eyepiece.

[laudropb]

I have the ES 8.8 and have found to be an excellent ep. It gives very crisp views out to about 85% of the FOV and it is very comfortable to use.

[Paul73]

Delos 6mm on ABS for £170 this morning.....

Paul

[CraigT82]

Thanks for the input everyone, it's much appreciated!

I was almost set on buying the used 7mm Nagler on ABS but now I'm not too sure I should go with just the one, higher end EP, and now I think I may be better served by two mid-range units, one 7mm and one long length 2" unit for wide field viewing (which I currently lack, the widest EP i have so far is my 25mm BST)

My thinking is:

A)  That my scope is F6 after all and so shouldn't punish cheaper glass too much.

 Is my untrained eye really going to notice the difference?!  Especially in often very poor seeing?

So now I'm leaning towards asking for a 32mm  Panaview and 7mm Excel-LX.  That should plug two gaps in my EP range whilst leaving my wife with enough cash left over to get me a nice bottle of Islay single malt

Craig

[Charic]

The 32mm 70°Panaview is my preferred eyepiece for looking at M31 Andromeda, when at my darker sites, the view is judt stunning, with M31 being so large! and when looking at the Moon, it looks so small in a sea of space?

[CraigT82]

The 32mm 70°Panaview is my preferred eyepiece for looking at M31 Andromeda, when at my darker sites, the view is judt stunning, with M31 being so large! and when looking at the Moon, it looks so small in a sea of space?

Thanks for that.. I've heard goo things about that Panaview, and I believe the 7mm excel-LX EP will be on par or better with my BSTs, which I'm very happy with!

[jetstream]

Craig do you have an OIII? The 32mm should work nicely in your scopes with one.