What is your favourite eyepiece & filter?

[Geoff Barnes]

I'll see how well my Japanese Celestron Ultima 2x Barlow works, and upgrade if necessary. I've just got the ES 4.7mm for short FL use, and will give much thought to a good longer EP.

[iPeace]

18 minutes ago, Geoff Barnes said:

I've just ordered the Baader 8-24mm zoom

I own two of them - they can't be all that bad... Even with arguably better fixed-length eyepieces lying around, I wouldn't be without at least one of these.

15 minutes ago, John said:

a 24mm 68 degree eyepiece for the wider views is still useful

Very much so; the Baader at the 24mm setting gives a rather narrow FOV, so, as many others have said and will say, you may end up using the Baader as an 8-20 zoom. Every now and then a used 24mm TeleVue Panoptic is available; very nice. The ES 24mm 68 degree model is also very good. I like the (discontinued) 22mm Vixen LVW as well...

19 minutes ago, John said:

plus either a shorter length eyepiece or a good quality barlow for higher powers

Zooms are great for double star hunting and splitting...on such nights, I go 'zoom only' and use the Baader with a TeleVue 3-6 zoom, or even a TeleVue 2-4 zoom (these are discontinued, now, though).

[Red Dwarfer]

1 hour ago, iPeace said:

Zooms are great for double star hunting and splitting...on such nights, I go 'zoom only' and use the Baader with a TeleVue 3-6 zoom, or even a TeleVue 2-4 zoom (these are discontinued, now, though).

 I got a Baader zoom a few weeks ago and it is perfect for the Summer doubles season ... Combined with a 4.8 Nagler for the tighter doubles .

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, Geoff Barnes said:

I'll see how well my Japanese Celestron Ultima 2x Barlow works, and upgrade if necessary. I've just got the ES 4.7mm for short FL use, and will give much thought to a good longer EP.

 

2 hours ago, Geoff Barnes said:

I'll see how well my Japanese Celestron Ultima 2x Barlow works, and upgrade if necessary. I've just got the ES 4.7mm for short FL use, and will give much thought to a good longer EP.

The Ultima zoom is excellent Geoff. If my memory serves me, you can unscrew the Barlow lens end from its barrel and screw it into the zoom to give you about 1.6x the usual Barlow magnification..so, in this case your Baader zoom would become a 5 - 15mm unit..

Let us know how you get on?..

Dave

[LukeSkywatcher]

My favorite EP is 32mm GSO because its immersive. My favourite filter is my Quark. Haven't used them together yet but I'm thinking they will be sweet. I loved my TAL 2x barlow but I sold it. Mistake, but it's better to have less glass in the optical train. 

[25585]

4 hours ago, John said:

Good purchase Geoff - they are nice, flexible tools

As Dave suggested, you might find that a 24mm 68 degree eyepiece for the wider views is still useful plus either a shorter length eyepiece or a good quality barlow for higher powers and that might do you for a long time !

 

30mm  or 35mm 70 deg like the ES might be better for finder in main OTA and views of M42, especially if you use an OIII filter later.

[emadmoussa]

My most used... Explore Scientific 100 Degree Argon Purged 14mm 2 Inch Eyepiece

[25585]

3 hours ago, F15Rules said:

 

The Ultima zoom is excellent Geoff. If my memory serves me, you can unscrew the Barlow lens end from its barrel and screw it into the zoom to give you about 1.6x the usual Barlow magnification..so, in this case your Baader zoom would become a 5 - 15mm unit..

Let us know how you get on?..

Dave

Wow, I did not know that. I have a couple of the Japanese Ultima Barlows, but not a Baader zoom, Vixen and Pentax instead.  

[rwilkey]

On 07/07/2018 at 20:17, kev100 said:

It's a close one, for me, between my 8.8, 82 degree Explore Scientific, and the 20mm Myriad. Very different beasts, but both can end up staying in the scope for whole evening sessions ...

Hi Kev, like you, I have often had the ES82 8.8mm in my scope for a whole evening too.

[Ags]

My Speer WALER 9.4/82 is my most used eyepiece for both planetary and DSOs. But I think my favorites would be eyepieces I have since sold (due to moving to faster scopes): the TS HR 9mm was superbly comfortable and gave great views. It was my first proper eyepiece and I really regret selling it. Another good one was the Hyperion 17mm, which was excellent at 13mm and 9mm with fine tuning rings. Sadly it did not perform well at F5. Then again I also like my ES 24/68 and 6.7/82 which feel so chunky and solid and give great views in every telescope...

What's my favorite eyepiece? All of them!

[Rob]

Really love my Meade 5000 UWA 14mm. Its the pick of my eyepiece selection. Super sharp!.. even when in the ED Barlows

Rob

[parallaxerr]

EP's tied between ES68° 16 & 24mm, but Astrnomik OIII wins favourite filter, hands down.

[estwing]

21 ethos...lumicon OIII

[Cjg]

9mm Nagler, will never forget the joy in finding M74 with that in my Tak at the start of a Messier Marathon, worth every penny.

Chris

[djpaul]

Another vote here for the 35mm panoptic. ?

[timwetherell]

On 08/07/2018 at 03:48, Geoff Barnes said:

I'd really love to contribute to this thread but alas the Melbourne mountain winter weather has really not been conducive to any sort of viewing. ?

 

When the clouds do part at least you Aussies have a decent view of them - all crawling along the horizon topside of the rock!

[timwetherell]

An exercise I did a while back during a rationalisation of my eyepiece collection. Looking back through my notebooks and counting how many sketches were done with each one. (This is all deep sky stuff, planets are another matter!) Guess the 31 nagler was a clear "favourite"

[Saganite]

24mm Panoptic...one for each eyeball ! 

[Geoff Barnes]

That's a clever way of doing it Tim, instantly gives you a clear idea of your favorite EP's.

As you can imagine, with a new 12 inch Dob and new ES 82 degree eyepiece (with a Baader zoom arriving any day) I am getting desperate to get some viewing done!

[Whistlin Bob]

Can I join the love in for the Baader zoom? I borrowed one to use in my 14 inch dob and found the flexibility and convenience just brilliant- well worth putting up with the FOV limitations. When the time came to return it I was straight onto FLO...

[niallk]

I do like my 17E + Astronomik O-III, and also use it with my 6E on small PNs.

 

[Stu]

This may well change as we get darker skies, but at the moment I would have to say it is my Neodymium filter and Zeiss ex microscope 'orthos' whilst viewing Jupiter which is mainly what I've been doing for the last month or so. In the twilight conditions I've found the filter very effective at improving contrast and bringing out the features.

Aside from that it would be the 24mm Panoptic and Lumicon OIII for those lovely nebulae. I really need to get myself a nice 2" eyepiece or two which might actually be possible at some point now the tide seems to have turned in my finances!!  I fancy a 30mm/82 and 20mm/100 ES most likely or possibly a Lunt.

[des anderson]

My favourite has to be my Baader 8-24mm zoom, just the job for nearly everything and my filter that I get the most use from is the Baader O111 visual filter 10nm the views of the veil nebula just stunning. Des