100 Degree Eyepieces - How many do you need?

[Littleguy80]

I’ve recently moved into the world of 100 degree eyepieces with a Lunt HDC 20mm and 9mm. These give me 60x and 133x respectively in my dob. There’s also a 13mm and a 5mm in that range. I was expecting that I would quickly find myself wanting the 13mm to fill the gap. So far, the 20mm and 9mm and a collection of orthos ranging from 7mm to 4mm seem to be covering my needs quite nicely. 

I’m not sure if this is reflective of the targets I’ve been going for or simply having all the eyepieces I need for this scope. What are others experiences with 100 degree eyepieces? Is this normal? 

[iPeace]

This was my eyepiece case a while ago.

I still have the Zooms.

The 100 / 110 deg. Ethos were the Dog's Globulars, but big and heavy. I've been using much smaller and lighter ones since, with AFOV between 40 and 82 deg. and I honestly don't miss the extra bit; currently my longest scope is 1200mm.

My own current preference is based on size and weight - you may have other considerations. If your current set is getting it done, and your OCD level is lower than mine, well...maybe you're where you need to be?

[Timebandit]

 

What's normal in this hobby ?

I am similar up to a point. But don't have any 100d eyepieces.

I use mainly the 20mm nagler , then straight into 10mm XW?

Not quite sure why I do  this, but  I don't seem to use the 13mm LVW that much at all for DSO. 

I suppose if you get a nicely framed target in your eyepiece and you like it then stick to the magnification that works for your preference on your own eyes

 

 

 

[Littleguy80]

5 minutes ago, iPeace said:

This was my eyepiece case a while ago.

I still have the Zooms.

The 100 / 110 deg. Ethos were the Dog's Globulars, but big and heavy. I've been using much smaller and lighter ones since, with AFOV between 40 and 82 deg. and I honestly don't miss the extra bit; currently my longest scope is 1200mm.

My own current preference is based on size and weight - you may have other considerations. If your current set is getting it done, and your OCD level is lower than mine, well...maybe you're where you need to be?

That’s quite a collection! Definitely more than two! I don’t think I can afford OCD likes yours  

[Mark at Beaufort]

Neil as you may have read before that I owned a 21mm, 13mm and 8mm Ethos which I used on my 10" Skywatcher Dob. Looking back I can't understand why I sold the range to replace them with ES82 EPs. I now have a 12" Dob and started by purchasing a 20mm and 9mm Myraid which are excellent EPs. However, I missed the EP at the 13mm/14mm area so bought a S/H 13mm Ethos. I often thought about the 5mm EP but have decided that the 6.7mm and 4.7mm ES82 cover my requirements in this area.

So Neil from my experience a 13mm 100 degree EP ticks all the boxes and in fact is my main EP for DSOs.

[iPeace]

5 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

That’s quite a collection! Definitely more than two! I don’t think I can afford OCD likes yours  

Well, as I tried to imply, they've all since gone except the Zooms... and this did help finance other gear to a considerable extent.

So my personal answer to the question is: zero. But they are very, very nice.

[Littleguy80]

4 minutes ago, Timebandit said:

 

What's normal in this hobby ?

I am similar up to a point. But don't have any 100d eyepieces.

I use mainly the 20mm nagler , then straight into 10mm XW?

Not quite sure why I do  this, but  I don't seem to use the 13mm LVW that much at all for DSO. 

I suppose if you get a nicely framed target in your eyepiece and you like it then stick to the magnification that works for your preference on your own eyes

 

 

 

I think it’s the framing that go me thinking. With the bigger field of view, there’s not much I can’t frame nicely with those two eyepieces. Maybe when it comes to filtering DSOs I’ll start to want the 13mm for high mag than the 20mm but a bigger exit pupil than the 9mm

[Littleguy80]

4 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Neil as you may have read before that I owned a 21mm, 13mm and 8mm Ethos which I used on my 10" Skywatcher Dob. Looking back I can't understand why I sold the range to replace them with ES82 EPs. I now have a 12" Dob and started by purchasing a 20mm and 9mm Myraid which are excellent EPs. However, I missed the EP at the 13mm/14mm area so bought a S/H 13mm Ethos. I often thought about the 5mm EP but have decided that the 6.7mm and 4.7mm ES82 cover my requirements in this area.

So Neil from my experience a 13mm 100 degree EP ticks all the boxes and in fact is my main EP for DSOs.

Thanks Mark. I have been thinking back on other threads where the 13mm is popular. Very interesting to hear that the 13mm is your favourite for DSOs. I’m probably making a mistake by trying to judge the need without trying it! 

[Ruud]

I need none, but if you want to give me some I'll gratefully accept them.

[25585]

None. No 100 degree eps have sufficient eye relief for me as a spectacle wearer. 

70 degrees is more the norm. 

[Charic]

I once felt the need for something wider, but in the end settled for my 60° Starguiders. Their just so comfortable for my needs.
Unless you try eyepieces yourself, you'll never know, and despite the good folk here saying this one betters that one, their just opinions.

The eyepieces I have sold (signature) all came highly rated. Their good, but any better.......no!......not for my needs.
I regularly read that any eyepiece that gives you a sharp image and frames the subject correctly is the best one for that moment in time.
Sharp image is obvious, but how much framing do you require, 60° 72° or 100° plus!

You mention your happy with your present lineup, but you'll never know otherwise?
Maybe go fill those gaps, and sell them if you feel the need was not really essential.

 

[25585]

Sharp from edge to edge is good. No point in an over-large FOV if image deteriorates off-axis. 

Mainly using single eye viewing through spectacles lenses, it's fine to not have too much area to scan. In my experience bigger TFOV & lower magnification is easier & less eye strain. 

[Timebandit]

 

 

The focal length/ratio of the individuals scope obvious effects what magnification is produced. And so what mm eyepiece one individual finds satisfactory in one scope may produce a completely different magnification in someone else's scope. Therefore this needs to be taken into consideration when considering your eyepiece focal length line up. As the framing of an target can be different with the same mm eyepiece, but used in different focal length scopes.

 

 

 

[Ben the Ignorant]

I use the 3.5mm, 5mm and 9mm Myriads, the former two being 110°. I would also use the 20mm and 15mm (I think APM issued a 13mm) if they costed less than 200€, my personal limit for an eyepiece.

Except their weight there is no issue whatsoever with them; get them if you can afford them. I don't wear glasses so I can't comment on eye relief in that case.

[scarp15]

It can become tempting to continue with a line of available eyepieces for retaining consistency. My own 100 degree AFOV e.p's, consist of 21mm, 13mm, 8mm and 6mm. They all get used not always necessarily on the same occasion and the 13mm does receive a good deal of scope time. 

[John]

When I moved from Naglers to Ethos eyepieces I found that I was getting along fine with a few less eyepieces. My Nagler set was 31mm, 20mm, 16mm, 13mm, 9mm, 7mm, 5mm and 3.5mm. With my 12" dob much of the time I find the 21, 13, 8 and 6mm Ethos quite enough of a range, so similar to Iain. I did have the Ethos SX 4.7 and 3.7 but eventually decided that the Pentax XW 5mm and 3.5mm did the very high power (in the dob) thing just a touch better so I sold the very short FL Ethos SX's.

I do have a 68/70-something degree 1.25" set of Panoptic / Delos / Pentax XW's as well mostly for use in the refractors but thats the "occularholic" in me rather than any "need" of course

I've owned and used other brands 100 degree eyepieces as well as Tele Vue's Ethos line and, IMHO, the manufacturers put everything they have got into these flagship ranges so they are universally very good indeed in terms of optical as well as build quality. The eye relief will usually not suit the glasses wearer though as has been mentioned. 

100 degree eyepieces do seem to stir up mixed emotions on forums though

Personally I've been a big fan of the "picture window" that Ultra Wides and now Hyper Wides deliver for years. I might grow up one day, perhaps, but whats the hurry ?  

 

[Peter Drew]

The maximum number you need is just 3.6, then you can see all round completely.   

[triton1]

I would of thought it would be dob users that tend to use the 100* eps therefore less nudging (I hate nudging)I use 70* myself which to me seem ample,however some numty did let me look through a 21 ethos and grrrr#&@mmm!.

[Geoff Barnes]

This topic really strikes a chord with me, as I'm about to purchase a 12 inch Dob and need to decide on my eyepiece collection to go with it, unfortunately on a very restricted budget. Lack of finances was why I was/am contemplating a zoom eyepiece to start with to cover a few bases and a couple of wide viewers to finish with.

I have been looking at the 100 degree models, especially the ES versions which seem reasonably affordable, as do the Myriads, and like John I do like the big picture affect they give. Decisions, decisions......

[marcus_z]

Check TeleVue's recommendation here: Eyepieces for 6" to 10" Dobsonians with 1,200mm Focal Lengths basically they recommend Ethos 21, 13, 8, and 6. I think that's a perfect set. If you use filters quite often, then you could replace the Ethos 21 with the Nagler 31. Temporarily I had the following set: Nagler 31, Ethos 13, 6, 3.7 that's also something to consider. So I would recommend to plan three to four 100° eyepieces.

[Littleguy80]

1 minute ago, Geoff Barnes said:

This topic really strikes a chord with me, as I'm about to purchase a 12 inch Dob and need to decide on my eyepiece collection to go with it, unfortunately on a very restricted budget. Lack of finances was why I was/am contemplating a zoom eyepiece to start with to cover a few bases and a couple of wide viewers to finish with.

I have been looking at the 100 degree models, especially the ES versions which seem reasonably affordable, as do the Myriads, and like John I do like the big picture affect they give. Decisions, decisions......

I believe the Myriads are the same optically as the Lunt/APM eyepieces I now use. At least one of the experienced observers on here rates the 20mm Lunt more highly than the 21mm Ethos which is high praise indeed. Good value when you consider the Lunt is less than half the piece of the Ethos!

[Littleguy80]

Prior to buying any new eyepieces for the dob I had a wish list of eyepieces. Remaining on the list now are the 13mm (100 Degree) and 5mm (110 Degree) Lunt/APC. I also had an ES82 30mm on there although I might even push the boat out with a Nagler 31mm. So that pretty much fits with the recommendations. I’m not in a rush to buy any of them but it’s been very interesting reading people’s thoughts and experiences on what is needed or used. 

[John]

4 minutes ago, Littleguy80 said:

I believe the Myriads are the same optically as the Lunt/APM eyepieces I now use. At least one of the experienced observers on here rates the 20mm Lunt more highly than the 21mm Ethos which is high praise indeed. Good value when you consider the Lunt is less than half the piece of the Ethos!

I'd certainly consider the Lunt 100's if I did not already own the Ethos eyepieces. I moved from an ES 20mm 100 to the 21mm Ethos and the differences were barely noticable in all honesty, at least in my F/5.3 12" dob. Maybe if the scope had been F/4.5 there would have been more difference in the outer reaches of the field of view

I tested the Myriad eyepieces a while back for the forum:

 

[Charic]

7 minutes ago, triton1 said:

I would of thought it would be dob users that tend to use the 100* eps therefore less nudging (I hate nudging)I use 70* myself which to me seem ample,however some numty did let me look through a 21 ethos and grrrr#&@mmm!.

Thats quite a jump from 70° to 100°, no wonder your stunned.
Given that the Ethos gave rise to the  72° Delos and the  62° DeLite followed suit , its obvious there's a clear difference in the field offered here between these eyepieces, but I wonder if there is any other marked visual difference between these eyepieces, with respect to the targets your looking at, as these eyepieces are,  very relative to each other, with the DeLite also so-named because their a delight to use............?
Having not long parted with three Delos EP's , on the basis that all I observed was the different field, compared to my Starguiders, I'd be interested in opinions.

Neil mentions normality? Not sure why, but If I buy an eyepiece and its ok, I'll attempt to buy the full set, why not? also the assumption that If/when I sell, someone may benefit from the outset, if their looking for my brand X.

For me buying a full set of Ethos 100° EP's, is just too expensive,  but hey! if they work?
I would really  like to trial a DeLite next! maybe end up selling the Starguiders (see note!)

It wasn't that long ago when buying the likes of Hi-Fi components, I/you would often buy individual units, buying the best you could afford, therefore providing the best/ultimate system for the task in hand. Maybe Littleguy80 will buy just whats needed, and no more. How many 100° EP's do you need? .............there's no right/wrong answer.

Note: Unlikely at this moment in time, they just work fine for my eyes on the f/6 Skyliner 

[Littleguy80]

9 minutes ago, John said:

I'd certainly consider the Lunt 100's if I did not already own the Ethos eyepieces. I moved from an ES 20mm 100 to the 21mm Ethos and the differences were barely noticable in all honesty, at least in my F/5.3 12" dob. Maybe if the scope had been F/4.5 there would have been more difference in the outer reaches of the field of view

I tested the Myriad eyepieces a while back for the forum:

 

Thanks John. I read your review more than once whilst weighing up my 100 degree options  If memory serves, you felt the small range of available focal lengths was a possible weakness with the Myriads? It was just 20, 9 and 5mm at that point I think. Do you think adding a 13mm, as has happened with the Lunt/APM range, gives a more complete set?