Are you a swopper or a sticker ?

[Piero]

Sticker. I prefer to spend time observing with few eyepieces. Finding the right frame or magnification is not very important to me. I prefer to have a very sharp, neutral colour view with little light scatter and good eye relief. I appreciate wide field eyepieces as long as I know where the field stop is.

So.. the formula 'few but good' works well for me.

[Moonshane]

I think the need or desire to swap does increase with focal length as each change makes a much bigger difference with e.g. 1800mm focal length vs 480mm.

[Piero]

Not sure about this. In fact, a few owners with relatively big dobsons from 10" to 20" seem often to stick with 3 ethos: 21-13-8 or 17-10-6 most of the time. I guess they have enough to observe at each magnification that they don't need to swap much!  

[Moonshane]

I suppose we are all different 

[alan potts]

Used to be a swapperholic and always getting new stuff. However since I bought most of the Ethos range and off-loaded most of my Delos range after taking Dereks slim fast diet I have been a sticker now for about 18 months I guess.

Alan

[wookie1965]

I have had my BST'S for 2 years and wouldn't swap them great eyepieces unless I lived in a country were the skies are crystal clear then maybe buy some different ones. 

[Linda]

During a normal observing night, I am a swapper. In the first place because I quickly swap to other objects, because I like finding new objects. I usually try out a bigger magnification, but if I notice with the first object that the 15mm eyepiece is giving the best results, then I only use 24mm and 15mm. I do swap between these, because I need the 24mm for finding objects.

On the other hand, If I spend the evening looking at a moon transit in front of Jupiter, I put in the biggest useful magnification for that evening and stick to that.

[bomberbaz]

Think some of the posters on here are confusing the meaning of the thread. The OP is referring to swapping EP's during viewing to vary views rather than swapping/selling for new ones, upgrades etc

[Davesellars]

For really on-the-edge of visibility faint galaxies changing eyepieces is a given I find.  I normally find the location with either my 24mm ES68 or my 19mm TV Panoptic - if the object is sufficiently bright enough it will show up but many objects require further magnification to get to the optimal exit pupil & contrast required to pick it out from the background.  Although I'll spend a reasonable amount of time with each increment... normally down to an 11mm ES82 from the 19mm and then down to the 6.7mm ES82.  If an object is being particularly awkward I'll start using my TV 15mm Plossl, 10mm BCO and 6mm BCO.  Once I've got the object fixed in view then I'll observe it for a good while before swapping it out for more or less magnification.

Even the brighter objects demand more than one magnification to get the best out of the object imho.

[wookie1965]

Good thing the BST'S are par focal so even when I change not much difference in focusing. 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Much depends on the session, and the scope. On wide-field "drift-net" sessions, I just but the Nagler 31T4 in the 2" Amici prism in the 80mm F/6, and have a lovely stroll amongst the stars. On galaxy hunts, I start out with the 31T5 Nagler, but usually swap to the 22T4 quite quickly. I might try the 17T4 on certain galaxies, and sometimes even the 12T4 (I might try the Delos 14mm next time as well). For planetary nebulae, the range of useful EPs is even bigger, given the huge ranges of sizes. Swapping is a must in that case too. For planets and the moon I centre the object with the 31T5, often go to the Delos 14mm first, and then move up through the XW10, Delos 8mm, XW7, and occasionally XW5.

I suppose that makes me a swapper most of the time