Eye pieces to use with powermate 4x

[jamie56]

Hi guys,

Looking for some info regarding powermate 4x, any ideas best ep's ie size etc to use in the powermate 4x . Bought  mainly for imaging but would like to try some viewing also, had a look at moon etc with various sizes and was impressed but Jupiter was to be honest naff, viewing better using 24mm hyperion on its own, cheers for feedback.

[Floater]

Hi, Jamie. Need to know scope specifics, please, focal length in particular.

The Powermate 4x could result in some serious magnification, i.e. over the top magnification.

I know nothing about imaging and differing requirements there, perhaps, but the answers will be forthcoming. But first we need more detail.

Damn! Just looked at your sig. sorry. Put it this way: magnification is scope focal length divided by eyepiece focal length. The Powermate 4x will quadruple the scope's effective focal length. So if your scope has a focal length of 1000, a 10mm EP will give a mag of 100. With the PM4x it will give a mag of 400! Not usable!

Edited May 5, 2017 by Floater

[kerrylewis]

Hello Jamie

I have a 4x Powermate that I bought from the classifieds not long ago. I have successfully used it with my longer focal length ES eyepieces. The 40mm for example is equivalent to 10mm and gives good results in my fracs. The 30mm eyepiece becomes the equivalent of 7.5mm which is useful for the planets. The lowest usable one is probably my 20mm which gives 5mm with the Powermate  and is usable when conditions allow. I find that the results are comparable with single eyepieces of the same equivalent focal length but I am still experimenting. I would also like to try a 2x Powermate some day which would be more suitable for my shorter focal length eyepieces. 

[Uplooker]

Personally I can only see the x4 or x5 Poweemates only being usable for planetary imaging, unless you only have long focal length EPs.

As others have said it gives just too much magnification.

For visual purposes I would reckon that the x2.5 PM would be more useful, it only takes 1.25 inch EPs

[jamie56]

11 minutes ago, Uplooker said:

Personally I can only see the x4 or x5 Poweemates only being usable for planetary imaging, unless you only have long focal length EPs.

As others have said it gives just too much magnification.

For visual purposes I would reckon that the x2.5 PM would be more useful, it only takes 1.25 inch EPs

Hi Ian how's it going m8, cheers for that, just got this so messing about with it, mainly for imaging, dropped my 32mm and cracked it so will go for larger en and do wee bit viewing at star camps.

[Stu]

1 hour ago, jamie56 said:

Hi guys,

Looking for some info regarding powermate 4x, any ideas best ep's ie size etc to use in the powermate 4x . Bought  mainly for imaging but would like to try some viewing also, had a look at moon etc with various sizes and was impressed but Jupiter was to be honest naff, viewing better using 24mm hyperion on its own, cheers for feedback.

As said, it would help to know which scope you intend to use it in?

Jupiter often looks best at around x180, so work out which eyepiece focal length gives you this magnification, then multiply it by 4.

Ian is right in that it is more use for imaging, so it may still make more sense to just buy the native higher power in the first place, although you would end up with a low power too.

[jamie56]

Hi Stu,

Scope is the skywatcher evostar f/1200, 

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, jamie56 said:

Hi Stu,

Scope is the skywatcher evostar f/1200, 

Hi Jamie,

I'm assuming you mean the 150mm f8/1200mm?

So, 1200/180 gives us a 6.7mm eyepiece, multiplied by 4 gives us 27mm. You are most likely into 2" territory with anything widefield here, so my suggestion would be either a 24mm 68 degree such as the Explore Scientific, or alternatively a decent 32mm Plossl. These would give you x200 or x150 respectively with the Barlow or x50 and x37.5 without.

[jamie56]

Hi all based on stu's reply, on my f/1200 frac max eyepiece usable with the scope and powermate for viewing would be a 24mm one??

[jamie56]

Hi Stu,

Ye I kind of calculated about that also, will try a 32 possible,  cheers m8. Really bought the powermate for imaging with my ccd kit, but was wondering about viewing quality as well.