Quick eyepiece question.

[Digitalfx3]

I have a Meade 102mm Refractor 800mm focal length,

I have a 26mm and a 9.7mm 4000 series Meade eyepiece.

I think my 9.7 needs replacing...super poor images and not much contrast.

I love the 26mm and I am wanting to pick up 2 more eyepieces and am wondering what is the shortest focal length eyepiece I can get away with with a 102mm.

I was thinking about getting a 12 and a 6mm to round out my collection.

just a lil info or a point in the right direction would be nice.

PS. should I stick with Meade or is there a better bang for the buck name out there?

[GazOC]

Hi Dustin,

You could "get away" with a 4mm or 3.5mm quite easily for lunar/ planetary high powered use, although cheap Plossls can be a bit hit and miss at these focal lengths. Two options might be a 4mm ortho or a 3.5mm Hyperion depending on what FOV and eyerelief you require. I wouldn't stick exclusively with Meade for eyepieces but thats not to say you should ignore them, just that your Meade scope will work perfectly well will non-Meade eyepeices so why limit your options?

Gaz

[Digitalfx3]

I should have been more clear as to sticking with Meade....I am open to other brands but I need to keep the cost close to what Meade 4000's sell for. I know that pretty much all 1.25" will work in my scope (within the max and min mag for my aperture)

[GazOC]

Orthos are pretty close to what the Meades sell for but have a narrower FOV and tighter eye relief. It might be worth you looking at an ortho in the 4mm-6mm range, they are better high powered eyepieces than the Meade 4000s (with the above caveats) IMHO.

[ringz]

Dustin,

I have a 9mm ortho and hate the very short eye relief. I preferred having a good shorty Barlow lens (in my case the Celestron Ultima) and a 10mm Plossl. It's much easier on the eyes though not so easy on the pocket. With an ortho it's like looking through a straw

--

Martyn

[rusirius]

If its the one on this Cloudynights review, then upgrading the eyepiece or using a higher powered one may not solve the problem. See:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=758

If you want to try a different eyepiece to see whether it improves things, then it might be worth seeing if you can borrow one to try first or purchase just one to start with. Orthoscopic eyepieces are excellent for planetary observation. Baader orthos have a good reputation. I have a set of University Optics HD orthos. However be aware that their short eye relief is problematic for spectacle wearers. For some, the relatively narrow FOV is a drawback. In that case, a Hyperion or TMB Planetary (if you can find one) might serve better.

[russ]

Orthos are an aquired taste, even for non-eyeglass wearers. I find 9mm to be the cut off point for both Plossls and Orthos. Beyond this and it's like looking into a pin hole.

One of my favourite combinations for high mag, before i discovered the TMB Planetary, was to barlow a Celestron 12mm Ortho with an Orion Shorty Plus 2x barlow. Eye relief remained acceptable and the view pin sharp.

I had the Meade 4000 6.4mm and could not recommend it.

Russ

[Ben Ritchie]

I had the Meade 4000 6.4mm and could not recommend it.

Same here, I found it barely usable. I've never liked orthoscopics either - a lot of people do but i'd seriously recommend trying to look through some before spending money on them.

I find 9mm to be the cut off point for both Plossls and Orthos. Beyond this and it's like looking into a pin hole.

Seconded. I remember the 8mm TeleVue Plossl being described as closer to a contact lens than an eyepiece...

[The Warthog]

Just as a rule of thumb, the shortest ep you can get away with is the one that is equal to half the f/number of the scope. F/8 scope, 4mm ep.

[Digitalfx3]

Thanks for the info,

I was thinking about getting a Barlow along with 2 eye pieces. I would love to borrow and test b4 I buy but the problem is I am the only person I know with a decent scope all others I know have no name scopes with super cheap eye pieces, I much prefer trying for myself over other ppls opinions (no offense implied I am sure most of you feel the same) I don't wear glasses so short eye relief isn't a problem but I still prefer the comfort of not having to jam my eyeball into the lends. Maybe the guy @ the shop will let me try out different ones on terrestrial objects so I can get a feel for them. as a rule of thumb I want my eye piece to cost less then my scope lol.