Eyepiece for skywatcher 250px

[Raymo]

Folks

Ive got the standard 25mm and 10mm possl lenses which came with the Skywatcher 250px.

But I really want a higher magnification for planets.

Can you folks with experience of this scope advise me which size I should be going for ?

is 5mm ok or can I go lower (conditions permitting) ?

 

cheers

 

[John]

Hi and welcome !

For Jupiter I reckon 150x - 200x gives the best and most contrasty image so thats eyepieces in the 8mm - 6mm range. The 250x that a 5mm gives would be good for the Moon. Much above that and I don't think you would get much use from the eyepiece.

What sort of budget do you have in mind ? (there is so much choice, the budget helps narrow options down !)

 

[John]

I also ought to ask if you wear glasses when observing because that could influence the options that would be worth considering.

[johninderby]

Yes budget info needed before any meaningfull recommendations can be made.

Have used a Televue 3-6 zoom with a 250px and it was great on the moon but a bit too much for Jupiter really and probably way over your budget anyway.

               John

[Raymo]

Thanks guys ,

well I picked up the scope for £200, and I probably would never have purchased it new.

so that may give you some idea on my budget for this new hobby.

i don't want to go mad on it just yet,... like I did on photography!!! lol I've got a 5dmk3  and  bunch of primes which don't get much use.

i was told the skywatcher UWA 58 degrees was good, so a 6mm can be got for ~£35.

Any other contenders in this price bracket ?

thanks

Raymo

 

[johninderby]

The Celestron X-Cel LX 7mm can be found second hand for £40.00 to £50.00. Check Astrobuysell uk. Not to be confused with the old X-Cel eyepiece which is nowhere near as good. 

          John

[ronin]

At f/4.7 you are getting into the area where you need good eyepiece to get the best out of the scope.

The sort of boundry seems to be at f/5 for a scope, faster then this then eyepiece that are recognised as good are the order of the day.

I would say the almost standard BST Starguiders at 8mm and 12mm are a good option, have heard they are reasonable to f/4.5 but people using them at that speed seem a bit rare. Also the comparison may have been against the standard supplied items.

If I recall the 250Px tends to still get supplied with plossl's, they maintained those on the bigger scopes. A standard plossl will start to be beyond it's comfort zone at faster then f/5, the only that are usually OK ar the TV plossl range.

Not sure of the UWA's, they are available in other brands, think thayt are a BST items also - go check Sky's the Limit for them. Always was amusing that UWA are narrower then the Starguiders. Ever had the idea they decided to call the UWA then real wide ones started to appear.

Still think the BST Starguider at 8mm and 12mm will be about as good as they get. (no real idea on the X-Cel LX's as they seem to have little said - either good or bad), until you start looking at (maybe) ES 68's, ES 82's. TV Delites and above. Meade 5000's seem good but again over the budget.

Maybe look at the Vixen NL plossl's, if the short eye relief at the lower focal lengths is not a problem.

[Raymo]

Thanks guys,

 I'm going to check these recommendations out. It's a steep learning curve for me.

i don't use glasses for viewing so that opens the opinions a bit.

ive ordered a cheap T-adapter and extension tube so I can give my Canon a go. It's a manual Dob so not expecting much, just the planets and moon.

cheers

Raymo