Best high power eyepiece for a Tal

[wookie1965]

As I use my Tal 100rs for doubles and trebles quite a bit. I find to split some I need higher power,  I have a BST star guider 5 mm but just cannot get on with it. I tried a barlow with my 12mm and 8mm but cannot get focus not enough inward travel.  So I am looking for around a 5mm to split some stars. I know this is x200 and probably only use it a handful of times but be nice have it. 

[Littleguy80]

I use a 5mm Baader Genuine Ortho for high power. The eye relief is pretty tight and it's 40 degree FOV but very sharp. I have it it in 6mm too and it comfortably outperforms the 12mm BST barlowed. They don't make the 5mm BGO anymore but they do come up for sale secondhand. I'm pretty sure I saw a 5mm on eBay in the last week

[MarsG76]

I'm very happy with my Celestron X-Cel 5mm EP and LV 7mm EP for high power observing... With my experience with them I definitely recommend them. Televue also make some great EPs, the views through a 11mm TV and a 2X Barlow are crisp, I know you can't focus with a Barlow, but consider a 5 or 6mm TV Nagler type 6... High power and a view field of view, 82deg.

[John]

For splitting double stars you might find that you can use 200x quite a bit. The TAL 100's have decent objective lenses in them.

If you can deal with the tight eye relief a good 5mm ortho is a good eyepiece for tight doubles. My personal favourite 5mm is currently the Pentax XW but that's an expensive option compared with an ortho.

I use my Nagler 2-4mm zoom for high power double star observing with my refractors. It's really good for this and the variable power is so handy for finding what is needed to crack a tight double and what the seeing will stand. If you can find one of the 3-6mm nagler zooms at a reasonable price I'd highly recommend one of those.

[wookie1965]

36 minutes ago, John said:

For splitting double stars you might find that you can use 200x quite a bit. The TAL 100's have decent objective lenses in them.

If you can deal with the tight eye relief a good 5mm ortho is a good eyepiece for tight doubles. My personal favourite 5mm is currently the Pentax XW but that's an expensive option compared with an ortho.

I use my Nagler 2-4mm zoom for high power double star observing with my refractors. It's really good for this and the variable power is so handy for finding what is needed to crack a tight double and what the seeing will stand. If you can find one of the 3-6mm nagler zooms at a reasonable price I'd highly recommend one of those.

I have been waiting for you to post if I have a tight budget would a BST TMB 58 degree be any use like this one.

http://agenaastro.com/bst-1-25-uwa-planetary-eyepiece-5mm.html

[John]

They might be good but their spec is quite similar to the BST Starguider, which you don't get on with ?

Skywatcher have a similar product:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-eyepieces/skywatcher-uwa-planetary-eyepieces.html

 

[wookie1965]

I thought that John Do you think the Skywatcher would be better then I can save up for a 3-6mm Nagler.

[Ricochet]

Why don't you get on with the 5mm BST? Do you have the same issues with it in your f5 200p? 

[John]

1 minute ago, Ricochet said:

Why don't you get on with the 5mm BST? Do you have the same issues with it in your f5 200p? 

Thats the question thats on my mind too ?

[Red Dwarfer]

1 hour ago, John said:

For splitting double stars you might find that you can use 200x quite a bit.

I split Epsilon Lyrae last night for the first time at 300X 

[wookie1965]

I dont know what it is it is not so apparent in the 8" but in the Tal cannot seem to get my eye in the right place to see the split even in the 8" it is tricky. I have read a few people dont get on with it I know Nick (cotterless45) sold his.

[Red Dwarfer]

I compared my BST 5mm against the ES 8.8mm barlowed on M57 and M13 and they were pretty much the same 

[Stu]

25 minutes ago, Red Dwarfer said:

I split Epsilon Lyrae last night for the first time at 300X 

What scope was that with? It's interesting because it should be possible at much lower power even in relatively small scopes. Still, great that you did it!  

[wookie1965]

21 minutes ago, Red Dwarfer said:

I compared my BST 5mm against the ES 8.8mm barlowed on M57 and M13 and they were pretty much the same 

As I said I have tried a Barlow and could not get focus not enough inward travel.

[Red Dwarfer]

28 minutes ago, Stu said:

What scope was that with? It's interesting because it should be possible at much lower power even in relatively small scopes. Still, great that you did it!  

It was with the 200P last night , then again at around 85 X and I struggled to split the second pair ... had a kind of peanut look to it ... 

[John]

Any nearer deciding wookie1965 ?

 

[Ricochet]

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

I dont know what it is it is not so apparent in the 8" but in the Tal cannot seem to get my eye in the right place to see the split even in the 8" it is tricky. I have read a few people dont get on with it I know Nick (cotterless45) sold his.

I suspect the difference between the two scopes could be down to the difference in exit pupil size. I don't know if any other 5mm will be much easier to position yourself over. 

[wookie1965]

13 minutes ago, John said:

Any nearer deciding wookie1965 ?

 

Still umming and arring I cannot afford the nagler without saving up, I am reviewing the TMB and the skywatcher which as it happens gets good reviews thought about vixen. I dont want to spend money and get the same result.

 

[John]

The challenge is that, optically, the BST Starguiders are pretty good. I've compared the 8mm with my 8mm Ethos and there was not much difference apart from the very large field of view in the Ethos. I compared the 5mm BST with my 5mm Pentax XW with a similar result.

So I suspect that you are looking for something that will work ergonomically better for you rather than to expect a marked optical gain.

[cotterless45]

There are usually plenty of ortho eps on eBay. Trouble is with the very limited eye relief. Have you tried unscrewing the bottom of a x2 Barlow (SW) and screwing this onto the bottom of your ep ? This will give you x 1.6 Barlow.

Nice ep is Vixen NPL 6mm. X200 is a tough one with any seeing disruption.I replaced the 5mm BST , which I found to be mushy with a 5mm Radian. This scattered a bit of light from bright binary stars. Sitting in my ep case was a 5.5mm Meade UWA. This gives stunningly sharp views at x216 in 1200mm tubes. They come up rarely , but like the older 8.8mm , grab it !

Newts will do Uber splits , but with a straight or curved vane.

Think before you splash out , try and sample some eps . The TAL will be most forgiving , more than your eyesight will !

Nick.

[N3ptune]

I would take an orthoscopic instead of TMB and Skywatcher for doubles, like these from Japan bellow. I have the 7mm and with it's narrow FOV, everything has more sharpness, the stars are finer then with my other eyepieces.

http://agenaastro.com/kokusai-kohki-fujiyama-hd-orthoscopic-eyepiece-4mm.html

or

http://www.kkohki.com/English/kkohkiparts.html

They are very affordable too for the quality.

[Charic]

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

I dont want to spend money and get the same result.

I compared  the Tele Vue Delos with my BST Starguider, both in 8mm.

The visual detail appeared the same in both eyepieces, although in the Delos the image looked marginally smaller, though more likely an illusion, due to the extra field of view the 72°  offers  over the 60° afov. I'm more at ease though with 60° EPs.

Their both 8mm, should I  have expected more/better from the dearer Tele Vue?...... Well actually, Yes I Did....... however, although there's more field of view and more eye relief,  both EPs provided me with the same image, so I actually did spend more to get the same result, but no matter, I'm a little wiser, and no worse off, because the Delos sold to another user, and Im happy with what remains.

You mention the 5mm BST that fails to impress, and that you still need a 5mm for the task!

Unless your eyes are super critical, under perfect observation and seeing conditions,  just about any 5mm should provide the same level  of image detail, its how comfortable you feel using the eyepiece, and to what level of expense your willing to pay for that level of sharpness towards the field edge that folk desire (except me, or its just not really noticeable on my scope) and how the EP fits to your eye.

@John mentions....."I suspect that you are looking for something that will work ergonomically better for you rather than to expect a marked optical gain"

That' what happened with me and my Delos! Were all going to be a trifle different when it comes to using and loving our eyepieces, everyone of is different. 

 

 

[wookie1965]

I know the BST is a good eyepiece and I dont need anything that is any better optically I just need something I can get my eye central. I have Meade 4000 (Japan) eyepieces which are great but it only goes to a 6.4mm otherwise I would get a 5mm one as eye position is easy on these.

[Charic]

I sold my 4000's in favour of the Revelations, they go down to 4mm but unfortunately no 5mm in the range, also the reason I didn't bother with Tele Vue's  Plossl as they stop short at 8mm.

My shortest (to suit) EP is based on the focal ratio, therefore I need a 6mm for this scope. Having said that, is a 5mm just a little too much for an f/10 scope with  0.05mm exit pupil, perhaps that is an issue with your eye alignment? ......[I just need something I can get my eye central].....

I've never tried one, although the TAL100RS was my first choice of scope, but settled on the 200P Skyliner. Would be nice to try the TAL100RS one day!

 

[F15Rules]

7 hours ago, Littleguy80 said:

I use a 5mm Baader Genuine Ortho for high power. The eye relief is pretty tight and it's 40 degree FOV but very sharp. I have it it in 6mm too and it comfortably outperforms the 12mm BST barlowed. They don't make the 5mm BGO anymore but they do come up for sale secondhand. I'm pretty sure I saw a 5mm on eBay in the last week

+1 for the 5mm BGO, superb ortho. Also Fujiyama, Astro Hi-tech and Antares Elite variants.

Also worthy of consideration are:

Baader Classic ortho 6mm very sharp and cheap as chips for the performance it delivers.

Circle T Volcano top orthos in 4mm, 6mm. Comfortable to use and quite close to BGO performance . Note: the compromise with all orthos is short eye relief and limited fov. Some wider fov choices with better eye relief (but more expensive than the BSTs and orthos) are:

Pentax XW 5mm - superb, hard to fault, bombproof..- I love mine.

Takahashi HI-LE 3.6mm - excellent, decent eye relief but maybe a bit high power for what you want. I love mine.

Pentax XF 12mm with x2.25 Baader Q Barlow (a great Barlow for the money and will get you to c5mm with the XF, also a very nice 60 Deg fov EP with great eye relief).

Hope that helps??.

Dave