Zoom eyepieces

[blueranger]

Hi all,

When I bought my scope I mentioned maybe getting a zoom eyepiece but the salesman had a look of :shock: .

Since then I have seen articles where someone had used zoom eyepieces on the moon.

Is this OK and could they be used on maybe planets for convenience?

If so maybe you could recommend one within reasonable price as I have spent quite a lot already on my kit!!

Thanks in advance.

[scotastro]

A zoom EP sounds great in theory but unless you pay a lot for one you lose more than you gain. The problems are poor eye relief at higher magnification - a problem if you wear glasses and lots of edge distortion.

These EPs tend to work best in long focal length scopes - if you have an f6 or faster scope it is probably not worth bothering.

Scotastro

[Darren B]

I have the William Optics Zoom II, It's almost as sharp as the Baader Hyperions fixed length eyepieces. I would recomend this eyepiece.

[rikyuu]

I thought it sounded a very good idea too, so I bought a cheapish 7-21mm one for £45 and was very disappointed, impossible to focus at high mag and very uncomfortable to look into. I sent it back. I think you have to pay a lot to get something decent.

[Andrew*]

If this if for the 127 mak, I would recommend the Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom. It will give a planet-friendly 186x at 8mm, and the rest of it goes to good use for other targets. Coupled with a 24mm Hyperion for the widest FOV possible in the 1.25" barrel, and perhaps a 6mm orthoscopic for high-power, high-clarity planetary viewing, you will have every eyepiece you could need for that scope.

The William Optics zoom has also had some excellent press, and it's cheaper than the Baader too!

Andrew

[blueranger]

Thanks guys, Great responses.

It seems like most things you get what you pay for, but at least if I spend a bit more it could be worthwhile.

[AndrewP]

I used to own a Tele Vue 3-6 Zoom and it was pretty good. Eye relief was fine for me and the views were very nice and sharp. It cost quite a bit but cheaper than 4 Radians! You definitely do get what you pay for in this respect.

[Brinders]

I have the Seben 8-24mm eyeoice that I use with both my TAL 150P Newt and my Celestron C9.25. See my response to Cosmic_girls query in Equipment Discussion on the same topic:-

http://stargazerslounge.com/index.php/topic,27220.0.html