Stock eyepiece vs BST

[Olli]

Hi all,

as ive said in previous posts regarding eyepieces I’ve decided to go with the bst ones and I would like to know how much of a difference they make over the stock ones that are supplied with 130p. I’m going to probably get a 8mm,15mm and maybe an 18 as well. Would these three sizes be a good fit  for observing DSO’s ( I’ll be using the 8 for planets and lunar)? And also I’d like to know if possible how much they weigh as I don’t want any heavy eyepieces.

many Thanks 

[wookie1965]

No comparison the BST`s will blow you out the water for the money they really pack a punch. 

[Olli]

24 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

No comparison the BST`s will blow you out the water for the money they really pack a punch. 

i See you’ve got the collection  in your signature. Are the ones I mentioned a good starting point and should I replace the stock 25 mm as well?

[Ruud]

The BSTs have a great many happy users!

8-15-18 is a bit odd though. 8-12-18 would be my choice. The steps would be "times 1.5"

---

Also consider the very inexpensive Svbony range (aka Vite aspherics). They have plastic lenses so cleaning them will be tricky, but they are good performers.

The vite aspheric 23mm caused quite a stir over at the Cloudy Nights forum. See this 22 page long thread:  https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/503147-vite-23m-aspheric/ 

I've seen them offered for less than $10, but prices around $12 are quoted more often.

Our member Mak the Night replaced some more expensive Willian Optics SWAN eyepieces with Svbony equivalents because the bonies are better. 

[Ricochet]

The 25mm Starguider is the weak link in the range so I would replace the supplied 25mm with a 24mm Explore Scientific 68°. I know it is a lot more expensive but it is going to be worth it at f5. If you keep an eye on the second hand market you might be able to save yourself some money. 

With regards to the Starguiders I agree with @Ruud about avoiding the 15 as it is too close to the 12 and 18mm eyepieces. However, I would chose the 5mm instead of the 8mm for your planetary eyepiece. I would start with the 5 and 12mm Starguiders and the supplied 25mm. You can then see how you go and decide if you need anything between those focal lengths and  come back for the 8 and/or 18mm Starguiders if needed.

[Red Dwarfer]

1 hour ago, Ricochet said:

I would start with the 5 and 12mm Starguiders

Good choice - my 5mm BST is especially good on the Moon .

[Red Dwarfer]

3 hours ago, Dinoco said:

Hi all,

as ive said in previous posts regarding eyepieces I’ve decided to go with the bst ones and I would like to know how much of a difference they make over the stock ones that are supplied with 130p. I’m going to probably get a 8mm,15mm and maybe an 18 as well. Would these three sizes be a good fit  for observing DSO’s ( I’ll be using the 8 for planets and lunar)? And also I’d like to know if possible how much they weigh as I don’t want any heavy eyepieces.

many Thanks 

Evening Olli , 

It would be easier to take some pics and upload them to this thread for comparison against the stock Skywatcher lenses .

The BST are heavier and have a quality feel to them . They also perform very favorably against more expensive lenses like Baader and Explore Scientific 14/62 .

The last pic is beside two ES 2 inch lenses to show how tiny the kit lenses are .

PS In my experience , the 25mm kit lens is a good performer and the 10mm less so .

 

 

[Mak the Night]

The Sky-Watcher MA eyepieces are basically inexpensive reversed Kellners with plastic housings. The Barsta (BST) eyepieces are a totally different kettle of fish. I only have the 3.2mm & 25mm but they are very sharp, bright and contrasted on f/5 refractors and an f/6 Newtonian. The 25mm Barsta and 3.2mm has five lenses in three groups including ED glass. I have a feeling the configuration is similar to many TMB types.

These EP's are marketed under a variety of names. Maybe it's the ED glass (Extra Low Dispersion) or the design, but these eyepieces hold their own against much more expensive ones IMO.

[wookie1965]

11 hours ago, Dinoco said:

Hi all,

as ive said in previous posts regarding eyepieces I’ve decided to go with the bst ones and I would like to know how much of a difference they make over the stock ones that are supplied with 130p. I’m going to probably get a 8mm,15mm and maybe an 18 as well. Would these three sizes be a good fit  for observing DSO’s ( I’ll be using the 8 for planets and lunar)? And also I’d like to know if possible how much they weigh as I don’t want any heavy eyepieces.

many Thanks 

The stock 25 mm is not to bad but given the choice I would get 8 mm 15 mm which according to sky at night magazine is best in the bunch when compared with similar EP`s. Now it is a toss up I use the 25 mm for scouting around finding objects and if you Barlowed the three you would have a 12.5 mm, 7.5 mm and a 4 mm a decent set of ep`s. to be getting on with.

[Olli]

7 hours ago, Red Dwarfer said:

Evening Olli , 

It would be easier to take some pics and upload them to this thread for comparison against the stock Skywatcher lenses .

The BST are heavier and have a quality feel to them . They also perform very favorably against more expensive lenses like Baader and Explore Scientific 14/62 .

The last pic is beside two ES 2 inch lenses to show how tiny the kit lenses are .

PS In my experience , the 25mm kit lens is a good performer and the 10mm less so .

 

 

Many thanks for the pictures it’s quite amazing how small they are. I never realised how big they could get.

[Olli]

15 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

The stock 25 mm is not to bad but given the choice I would get 8 mm 15 mm which according to sky at night magazine is best in the bunch when compared with similar EP`s. Now it is a toss up I use the 25 mm for scouting around finding objects and if you Barlowed the three you would have a 12.5 mm, 7.5 mm and a 4 mm a decent set of ep`s. to be getting on with.

That’s what I currently use the stock 25mm for is finding objects maybe I can hold on for it a little longer but I do want to get a decent eyepiece for lunar and a few in between. I haven’t got a Barlow so I might pick one up.

[Olli]

9 hours ago, Ricochet said:

The 25mm Starguider is the weak link in the range so I would replace the supplied 25mm with a 24mm Explore Scientific 68°. I know it is a lot more expensive but it is going to be worth it at f5. If you keep an eye on the second hand market you might be able to save yourself some money. 

With regards to the Starguiders I agree with @Ruud about avoiding the 15 as it is too close to the 12 and 18mm eyepieces. However, I would chose the 5mm instead of the 8mm for your planetary eyepiece. I would start with the 5 and 12mm Starguiders and the supplied 25mm. You can then see how you go and decide if you need anything between those focal lengths and  come back for the 8 and/or 18mm Starguiders if needed.

Thanks ricochet, I might keep the 25mm for a bit. 

 

9 hours ago, Ruud said:

The BSTs have a great many happy users!

8-15-18 is a bit odd though. 8-12-18 would be my choice. The steps would be "times 1.5"

---

Also consider the very inexpensive Svbony range (aka Vite aspherics). They have plastic lenses so cleaning them will be tricky, but they are good performers.

The vite aspheric 23mm caused quite a stir over at the Cloudy Nights forum. See this 22 page long thread:  https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/503147-vite-23m-aspheric/ 

I've seen them offered for less than $10, but prices around $12 are quoted more often.

Our member Mak the Night replaced some more expensive Willian Optics SWAN eyepieces with Svbony equivalents because the bonies are better. 

Thanks ruud for the help, I’ll swap the 12mm for the 15mm then. I’ll have a look at the link when I have time  

[Mak the Night]

13 hours ago, Ruud said:

The BSTs have a great many happy users!

8-15-18 is a bit odd though. 8-12-18 would be my choice. The steps would be "times 1.5"

---

Also consider the very inexpensive Svbony range (aka Vite aspherics). They have plastic lenses so cleaning them will be tricky, but they are good performers.

The vite aspheric 23mm caused quite a stir over at the Cloudy Nights forum. See this 22 page long thread:  https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/503147-vite-23m-aspheric/ 

I've seen them offered for less than $10, but prices around $12 are quoted more often.

Our member Mak the Night replaced some more expensive Willian Optics SWAN eyepieces with Svbony equivalents because the bonies are better. 

Anything was better than the dead ducks that were the SWAN's lol.

[Olli]

Many thanks for all the help, I’ve decided to go with the 5mm,12mm and a 18mm ( bst) I should be getting them in the next month or so when funds allow me to. I’m also thinking about getting the bst 2x Barlow as FLO are doing a discount with all of the bst eyepeices and Barlow Lens and seems like a good idea. However I’ve been reading some posts on here and people seem to like the idea of having a 32mm eyepice would this be good? I was thinking of using this for DSOs like open clusters and galaxies if they have a good field of view. Is there a  32mm you would recommend? 

Thanks again

[happy-kat]

If you get the barlow you will not need the 5mm. A 30 or 32mm eyepeice is useful I think, I use my 32mm (I now have a nice 30mm to use instead) in mine to help get the target in the fov.  There could be some focuser adjustment then to your next bst as they wont be parfocal.

[Olli]

4 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

If you get the barlow you will not need the 5mm. A 30 or 32mm eyepeice is useful I think, I use my 32mm (I now have a nice 30mm to use instead) in mine to help get the target in the fov.  There could be some focuser adjustment then to your next bst as they wont be parfocal.

I guess that makes sense and would save me money as well. What make Is your 30mm?

[happy-kat]

It is a Vixen NPL but hasn't been used yet but expect it to be as good as my Revelation GSO 32mm. But are they better than the supplied 25mm, not a lot in it.

I would suggest you do some fov comparisons in Stellarium occular view to see if it is worth getting one.

[Red Dwarfer]

1 hour ago, Dinoco said:

Many thanks for all the help, I’ve decided to go with the 5mm,12mm and a 18mm ( bst) I should be getting them in the next month or so when funds allow me to. I’m also thinking about getting the bst 2x Barlow as FLO are doing a discount with all of the bst eyepeices and Barlow Lens and seems like a good idea. However I’ve been reading some posts on here and people seem to like the idea of having a 32mm eyepice would this be good? I was thinking of using this for DSOs like open clusters and galaxies if they have a good field of view. Is there a  32mm you would recommend? 

Thanks again

Good choice - the 5mm is great for lunar and planetary - the BST x2 Barlow is 3 element and better for colour correction ...

The SkyWatcher 32mm plossl is a good quality lens - but if you got a BST 25mm 60 degree instead of the 18mm , the 25mm would be roughly the same field of view as a 32mm plossl .

If you got 25 , 12 and 5 that would make a Barlow redundant though ?

[Olli]

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

It is a Vixen NPL but hasn't been used yet but expect it to be as good as my Revelation GSO 32mm. But are they better than the supplied 25mm, not a lot in it.

I would suggest you do some fov comparisons in Stellarium occular view to see if it is worth getting one.

Alright thanks for the advice will do that tomorrow when I have the chance

[Mak the Night]

2 hours ago, Dinoco said:

Many thanks for all the help, I’ve decided to go with the 5mm,12mm and a 18mm ( bst) I should be getting them in the next month or so when funds allow me to. I’m also thinking about getting the bst 2x Barlow as FLO are doing a discount with all of the bst eyepeices and Barlow Lens and seems like a good idea. However I’ve been reading some posts on here and people seem to like the idea of having a 32mm eyepice would this be good? I was thinking of using this for DSOs like open clusters and galaxies if they have a good field of view. Is there a  32mm you would recommend? 

Thanks again

The Sky-Watcher 32mm Plossl is pretty good, it's the same as the Celestron and Orion among others and actually manufactured by Barsta. I wouldn't recommend it for scopes faster than f/6 though as you may get astigmatism (flock of seagulls effect lol).

The GSO/Revelation performs better in faster scopes.

https://www.365astronomy.com/32mm-GSO-Plossl-Eyepiece.html

https://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/revelation-eyepieces/revelation-32-0mm-plossl-eyepiece-1-25.html

The 30mm Vixen NPL is superb as well and is one of my main low power EP's when using f/5 short tube refractors in 1.25" mode.

https://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-plossls/vixen-npl-30-0mm-4-element-plossl-eyepiece-1-25.html

FLO seem to be cheaper at the moment!

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

[Olli]

11 minutes ago, Mak the Night said:

The Sky-Watcher 32mm Plossl is pretty good, it's the same as the Celestron and Orion among others and actually manufactured by Barsta. I wouldn't recommend it for scopes faster than f/6 though as you may get astigmatism (flock of seagulls effect lol).

The GSO/Revelation performs better in faster scopes.

https://www.365astronomy.com/32mm-GSO-Plossl-Eyepiece.html

https://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/revelation-eyepieces/revelation-32-0mm-plossl-eyepiece-1-25.html

The 30mm Vixen NPL is superb as well and is one of my main low power EP's when using f/5 short tube refractors in 1.25" mode.

https://www.telescopehouse.com/eyepieces/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-plossls/vixen-npl-30-0mm-4-element-plossl-eyepiece-1-25.html

FLO seem to be cheaper at the moment!

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html

Many thanks for all the links I’m quite tempted to buy  the 30mm vixen and would complete my set as I’ll still use the 25mm stock. I think my 130p is f/5 ( correct me if I’m wrong ) thanks for the help. And yes FLO’s prices are rather good  

[happy-kat]

650/130=f5

A quick view 32mm then 30mm then 25mm assuming fov 52,50,50 degrees.

Skysafari 4 plus on android.

[Mak the Night]

18 minutes ago, Dinoco said:

Many thanks for all the links I’m quite tempted to buy  the 30mm vixen and would complete my set as I’ll still use the 25mm stock. I think my 130p is f/5 ( correct me if I’m wrong ) thanks for the help. And yes FLO’s prices are rather good  

You're welcome. If your scope has a 650mm focal length it will be f/5. The 30mm Vixen is a superb Plossl.

[Olli]

4 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

650/130=f5

A quick view 32mm then 30mm then 25mm assuming fov 52,50,50 degrees.

Skysafari 4 plus on android.

Thank you, that’s quite helpful.

[happy-kat]

There are assumptions, I don't know the fov of the 25mm