ES 68* 24mm or X-CEL LX 25 mm

[Scott Brown]

As some of you know I am trying to collect a nice group of eyepieces as my job situation will change soon and I will not have much spare cash to spend in the future.

I am looking to change my stock 25mm EP and was looking at 2 options.... Explorer Scientific 68 degree 24mm and the X-CEL LX 25mm. What do you guys think as my budget lies in-between these 2, will the quality difference between them justify the price difference? Any more suggestions within this price range. Also I am looking to buy a 6 mm to give me x200 mag as I've read on here that my 5mm at x240 will only be useful on certain nights but I'm finding it difficult to find any reviews on any 6mm, I would be looking to buy second hand at somewhere around the price stated for the 24/25mm above..... Thanks again.... Scott 

[John]

I've owned both and have no hesitation in saying that the ES 24mm 68 is the better eyepiece both in performance, ergonomics and build quality. I recently moved from the ES 24 / 48 to a 24mm Tele Vue Panoptic and I can't really tell the difference between the two in all honesty. The ES 24 / 68 maxes out the true field in the 1.25" size as well, which the X-Cell LX does not quite match.

I can't advise on whether the difference in performance is worth the extra price. I would be to me but I'm not you

 

 

Edited March 11, 2017 by John

[davyludo]

Hi Scott, 

I've not used any of the ES eyepieces, so can't really comment on them...although I now want to try one after reading John's comment!

I do have the X-cel LX 25mm though, and I really like it. Feels nice an robust in the hand, no complaints about the views with it. 

Although, being fairly new to astronomy and having only tried the cheap eyepieces that come with a new scope or the X-cel LX range...I don't know how much my opinion is worth.

[laudropb]

Hi Scott. I would pay the extra for the ES 24. I find at this fl the extra FOV is a great bonus and the ES is of better build quality. I like the X-cels at shorter FLs but in this case I prefer my Maxvision 24 which is very similar to the ES 24..

[Scott Brown]

39 minutes ago, John said:

I've owned both and have no hesitation in saying that the ES 24mm 68 is the better eyepiece both in performance, ergonomics and build quality. I recently moved from the ES 24 / 48 to a 24mm Tele Vue Panoptic and I can't really tell the difference between the two in all honesty. The ES 24 / 68 maxes out the true field in the 1.25" size as well, which the X-Cell LX does not quite match.

I can't advise on whether the difference in performance is worth the extra price. I would be to me but I'm not you

 

 

Thanks John, great to hear an opinion from someone who owns both. The maxing out of the FV is interesting as well Thanks

[Scott Brown]

31 minutes ago, davyludo said:

Hi Scott, 

I've not used any of the ES eyepieces, so can't really comment on them...although I now want to try one after reading John's comment!

I do have the X-cel LX 25mm though, and I really like it. Feels nice an robust in the hand, no complaints about the views with it. 

Although, being fairly new to astronomy and having only tried the cheap eyepieces that come with a new scope or the X-cel LX range...I don't know how much my opinion is worth.

Cheers Davy..... I have the 7mm X-cel LX and like it that's why I was considering the 25mm. The ES does sound lovely though

[Scott Brown]

17 minutes ago, laudropb said:

Hi Scott. I would pay the extra for the ES 24. I find at this fl the extra FOV is a great bonus and the ES is of better build quality. I like the X-cels at shorter FLs but in this case I prefer my Maxvision 24 which is very similar to the ES 24..

Thanks for the Advice laudropb I think I will pay the extra although I would be looking for a used one first..... Scott

[Starlord19]

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/282698-es-68degree-or-meade-hd60-or-celestron-x-cel/?do=findComment&comment=3093826

I recently asked the same question and got some good advice on the thread that I've linked to above. I went for the ES 24mm in the end and was lucky enough to find one just before the prices went up. Unfortunately the weather has been awful ever since I got it (as is standard I believe) so I haven't been able to use it and therefore cannot comment on its performance. However I can tell you that it's a nice looking thing which seems very  chunky and well made and I'm pretty sure I won't regret buying it. 

Edited March 11, 2017 by Starlord19

[Chris]

I've also owned both plus the very similar ES Maxvision 24mm which works as well as the ES68 as far as I can tell apart from not looking quite as flash on the outside.

My verdict would be to go for either the ES68 24mm or the ES Maxvision 24mm. The X-Cels lx's are very good, but don't have the build, optical quality, and the more immersive 68 degrees of the other options.

ES eyepieces come very close to Televue levels of performance from both my experience and many others.    

[Scott Brown]

1 hour ago, Starlord19 said:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/282698-es-68degree-or-meade-hd60-or-celestron-x-cel/?do=findComment&comment=3093826

I recently asked the same question and got some good advice on the thread that I've linked to above. I went for the ES 24mm in the end and was lucky enough to find one just before the prices went up. Unfortunately the weather has been awful ever since I got it (as is standard I believe) so I haven't been able to use it and therefore cannot comment on its performance. However I can tell you that it's a nice looking thing which seems very  chunky and well made and I'm pretty sure I won't regret buying it. 

Thanks for that..... Yeh everything is pointing towards the ES 24mm, so many good things said about it.... Cheers

[Scott Brown]

31 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

I've also owned both plus the very similar ES Maxvision 24mm which works as well as the ES68 as far as I can tell apart from not looking quite as flash on the outside.

My verdict would be to go for either the ES68 24mm or the ES Maxvision 24mm. The X-Cels lx's are very good, but don't have the build, optical quality, and the more immersive 68 degrees of the other options.

ES eyepieces come very close to Televue levels of performance from both my experience and many others.    

Thanks Chris, I think I have enough info now to decide what to get..... Thanks

[Alfian]

I have the 20mm Maxvision 68, really good useful EP, (and also the 2" 28mm Meade version). Assuming the 24 is of similar quality, its money well spent.

[John]

I've also had the Maxvision 24 / 68 and I think I'd prefer that over the X-Cel LX as well. I'm not saying that the X-Cel LX's are bad at all, they are pretty nice in fact but the ES 24 / 68 and the Maxvision 24 / 68 are just a bit better IMHO

There is a lot of competition in the ~25mm eyepiece niche.

Picking between the Maxvision 24 / 68 and the ES 24 / 68 is a matter of build quality and ergonomics I think, more than optical performance.

Edited March 11, 2017 by John

[Paul73]

I've owned the MaxVisions and the ES variants. 

If money is a concern, at F6, save the cash and buy the MaxVisions. They are very similar in performance to the ES 68°. In a faster scope or the 82° format, I'd head for the ES versions as the view gets a bit bendy in the longer MAxVisions.

Paul

[Scott Brown]

1 hour ago, John said:

I've also had the Maxvision 24 / 68 and I think I'd prefer that over the X-Cel LX as well. I'm not saying that the X-Cel LX's are bad at all, they are pretty nice in fact but the ES 24 / 68 and the Maxvision 24 / 68 are just a bit better IMHO

There is a lot of competition in the ~25mm eyepiece niche.

Picking between the Maxvision 24 / 68 and the ES 24 / 68 is a matter of build quality and ergonomics I think, more than optical performance.

Yeh John it will be between the Maxvision and the ES 24..... I'll try and get them 2nd hand so I'll see what one pops up first. Thanks

 

41 minutes ago, Paul73 said:

I've owned the MaxVisions and the ES variants. 

If money is a concern, at F6, save the cash and buy the MaxVisions. They are very similar in performance to the ES 68°. In a faster scope or the 82° format, I'd head for the ES versions as the view gets a bit bendy in the longer MAxVisions.

Paul

Thanks Paul. It helps a lot.... Scott

[BRUN]

ive got an ES68 24mm but as its been cloudy and raining for the past 2 months i cant tell you what its like lol

[Scott Brown]

54 minutes ago, BRUN said:

ive got an ES68 24mm but as its been cloudy and raining for the past 2 months i cant tell you what its like lol

What????? It can't see through thick cloud.... No good to me then lol.

[Scott Brown]

Got the chance of getting a Meade SWA 5000 28mm eyepiece at a decent price so having researched a bit on this site I opted to go for that. Looking at reviews elsewhere as well it seems to be much the same as the Maxvision and ES68 so I think I have picked a decent EP. The only concern that I had was that it would only work out at x43 Mag so I'm hoping this is good for DSOs.

opinions please...... Scott

[John]

Should be very good for DSO's I would think

I believe that the Maxvisions were originally destined to be Meade 5000's but Meade cancelled the order or something like that so they are sold under other branding. Not sure whether the ES 68's are the same or not

With your SW 200P dob the eyepiece will show you nearly 1.6 true degrees of sky which is a nice wide chunk.

Edited March 15, 2017 by John

[Ricochet]

I had both the 24mm Meade SWA and ES68. As far as I could tell their lens structure and optical characteristics are identical and the only difference is the outer shell of the eyepiece. Even the focus point is identical and if the coatings have been changed I didn't notice any difference between the two. Any aberration I saw in one was also present in the other. I found the large eye cup on the Meade makes proper eye placement more difficult and the hole is a bit too small in my opinion. However, the fold up eye cup on the ES wasn't tall enough for me and required "hovering" over the eyepiece which was fine when observing astronomical targets from a seated position but unusable during the day with my spotting scope. As a result I kept the Meade but the waterproof and Argon purged nature of the ES68 make it the superior eyepiece for night time use where you don't need to keep physical contact with the eyepiece and are less likely to be affected by reflections on the eye lens. Also, the barrel on the ES68 is not responsible for holding the lenses in place and so you won't end up with a pile of lenses and spacers should it be unscrewed. 

[N3ptune]

I am trying to exhaust my 25mm Xcel LX but I don't feel the urge to replace it by something else superior yet after maybe 1.x years of use!I don't have the experience to compare it with a ES68 sure but for the quality/price they make me quite happy so far and they provide a beautiful view on many objects, for 125CAD taxe in per eyepiece. 

It's important to buy things according to my budget in priority, luxury comes second. But most people it's the other way around with the statement that we have only 1 life to live.

 

 

 

 

[Alfian]

20 hours ago, Scott Brown said:

The only concern that I had was that it would only work out at x43 Mag so I'm hoping this is good for DSOs.

Scott, do you have a wide field eyepiece, what some would call a finder eyepiece?  With the F6 1200 Dob you could go for a 30, 32 or even a little larger if your skies permit.  I find a wide  field eyepiece an absolute must. My 35mm gives me 25x and 2.6 degrees. However with regard to the Meade (5000) 28mm, its a good EP with an impressive build quality feel to it and  massively bigger than a 1.25"! I would doubt whether you would be disappointed with it. In terms of magnification a 25mm XCel X will give you 48x and I doubt you would notice the difference between that and 43x. Here's a pic of my 28mm next to my Rigel 35mm.

 

[Scott Brown]

23 hours ago, John said:

Should be very good for DSO's I would think

I believe that the Maxvisions were originally destined to be Meade 5000's but Meade cancelled the order or something like that so they are sold under other branding. Not sure whether the ES 68's are the same or not

With your SW 200P dob the eyepiece will show you nearly 1.6 true degrees of sky which is a nice wide chunk.

Easier to find stuff with this EP.... I'm more than happy with it, it does show up a big chunk of the sky which helps a beginner like me..... Thanks John.

[Scott Brown]

21 hours ago, Ricochet said:

I had both the 24mm Meade SWA and ES68. As far as I could tell their lens structure and optical characteristics are identical and the only difference is the outer shell of the eyepiece. Even the focus point is identical and if the coatings have been changed I didn't notice any difference between the two. Any aberration I saw in one was also present in the other. I found the large eye cup on the Meade makes proper eye placement more difficult and the hole is a bit too small in my opinion. However, the fold up eye cup on the ES wasn't tall enough for me and required "hovering" over the eyepiece which was fine when observing astronomical targets from a seated position but unusable during the day with my spotting scope. As a result I kept the Meade but the waterproof and Argon purged nature of the ES68 make it the superior eyepiece for night time use where you don't need to keep physical contact with the eyepiece and are less likely to be affected by reflections on the eye lens. Also, the barrel on the ES68 is not responsible for holding the lenses in place and so you won't end up with a pile of lenses and spacers should it be unscrewed. 

Thanks Ricochet..... I like the EP, great view through it and I also find the large eye cup to be ok.... Just different. Loving it so far.

[Scott Brown]

3 hours ago, Alfian said:

Scott, do you have a wide field eyepiece, what some would call a finder eyepiece?  With the F6 1200 Dob you could go for a 30, 32 or even a little larger if your skies permit.  I find a wide  field eyepiece an absolute must. My 35mm gives me 25x and 2.6 degrees. However with regard to the Meade (5000) 28mm, its a good EP with an impressive build quality feel to it and  massively bigger than a 1.25"! I would doubt whether you would be disappointed with it. In terms of magnification a 25mm XCel X will give you 48x and I doubt you would notice the difference between that and 43x. Here's a pic of my 28mm next to my Rigel 35mm.

 

Yeh it is massive....it's the largest mm one I own but must admit I do like it a lot as I can see loads of the sky and it's a lot easier to get about. I have never considered getting a "" Finder EP " until now. Now I'm wondering how to sneak another one in past the misses lol...... Thanks..... Scott

Edited March 16, 2017 by Scott Brown