Advice on eyepieces for XT8

[Bentatt]

Hello

I have recently bought an Orion XT8 dobsonian (f/5.9, focal length 1200mm) which comes with a 25mm Orion Sirius Plossl (AFOV 52°). At the moment, this is my only eyepiece.

I need advice on which eyepiece(s) to buy for both planetary and deep sky observing. Because my budget is only about £150 (~200$) and I would like to buy a high quality eyepiece which I can continue using as I get more experience and better equipment, I thought it would make sense if I only bought one eyepiece, preferably with a low enough focal length for some planetary observing but a high enough one for smaller deep sky objects.

I know this is slightly unrealistic but for the time being I don't mind being able to see very little detail on Jupiter/Saturn and Mars as a very small red dot. I was considering buying a Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom, but the low field of view at 24mm (50°) put me off slightly as it renders the eyepiece useless for me at that focal length (as I already have the 25mm plossl).

The ES82 series seems like a good option and I was considering getting the 8.8mm or the 6.7mm. 

Thank you,

Ben

[rwilkey]

Hi Ben, your thinking on the ES 8.8 and 6.7mm is good, exactly the ones I chose, however, if you wear glasses the eye-relief is a bit tight and you will not see the whole view - just thought I would mention this little detail.  I am not keen on zooms myself, I prefer fixed focal lengths.