Lens Quality Question

[Geoffw]

Hi All

 

My first post, being new to practical astronomy and having just become the proud owner of a Celestron Nexstar 9.25" GPS.. It has a set of Celestron eyepieces with it. I would add my eyesight is not particularly good so I'm thinking of investing in a binoviewer thinking that "two eyes" will be better than one when it come to observing the moon and planets

I will need to get a few  duplicate second eyepieces - do they HAVE to be identical to my current Celestrons or could I use, say a Skywatch lens instead or maybe the current Celestron Omni Plossls.  For example I have a 32mm Celestron Plossl, could it be mated with a 32mm Skywatch Plossl in a binoviewer?

[knobby]

Is be surprised if they would be exactly the same so they might work but would possibly give you a headache.

Welcome to the forum 

[Waldemar]

Agree with knobby... your brain will not be able to cope with different eyepieces. You should ask for paired eyepieces, to be sure they are the same.

[Geoffw]

I found a Celestron 32mm on Ebay this afternoon that looked identical to my current lens.  Closer inspection showed to to be wrongly described - it is a Skywatcher.  Hence my question!

Looks like I'll have to keep looking.

[bryand]

If you go for the William Optics binoviewer, it is available with a pair of WO 20 mm eyepieces which are really good.  I would give up on trying to match existing OEM eyepieces.

[Geoffw]

Thanks for the advice.  the WO binoviewer with a a pair of WO 20mm eyepieces seems to fit the bill!

 

[RichM63]

Hi, I have a 'duff' left eye, it captures light and enables a muzzy form.

My right eye is somewhat OK with spec's.

I would not "invest" in a bino setup without have my opthalmologist specify exactly the parameters of both eyes.

ie for me, telescope, right eye, as left eye would be useless, or even a hindrance when used together.

They say that they can 'correct' my left eye, but at my age my brain won't accept it.. Go figure...

Welcome, Rich

[Charic]

On 06/10/2018 at 17:53, Geoffw said:

I'm thinking of investing in a binoviewer thinking that "two eyes" will be better than one when it come to observing the moon and planets

Hi Geoffw, welcome to the Stargazers  lounge.
If you select browse at the top of the screen, then forums, pop Binoviewing into the search bar, and there's pages and pages on the subject, so there's plenty to read, some of it might be helpful.

Much of what I've read (normal with most astronomy kit ) is that you will only know if something is good/bad/indifferent by trying the item for yourself, and if its no good, you'll move it on, be that binoculars, eyepieces, whatever. What's right for me and 10 others might be useless for the next 10 folk for various reasons, be that down to the type of scope  they use to ones ability to see properly in the first place.
I nearly pushed the button on a binoviewer but held back, as  I'm still undecided.

I like your thinking "two eyes are better than one",  but some folk just don't get on with them due to their fit?  Choosing a suitable pair of eyepieces that you can comfortably get your nose between has been an issue for some folk ( not suggesting you've got a fat nose ) but its something to consider.  There's another piece of equipment that many folk rave about, the Telrad finder, but it seems like I'm the only one who can't use it with prescription glasses, something I only discovered after my first purchase.

You won't do wrong buying a Binoviewer, you just wont know how good/bad until you try.  I would also personally choose eyepieces of the same specification including brand type.
There is a website called Astroboot (based outside uk now) but they did some seriously cheap eyepieces under the [GSO] Revelation Astro brand. These eyepieces are 52° afov Plössl's, and should fit the binoviewer with space to spare, and give good results. If then later on you feel the need spend more money, say a Tele Vue then the choice is yours. 
I've tried the TeleVue Plössl's myself, but still favour the Revelations for my needs.

I've also noted your location under your avatar,  Pembroke always looks impressive on TV, and its somewhere I need to visit one day to see what the place is like now? It must have changed somewhat over the last ten-plus decades since I arrived?

[Geoffw]

On 07/10/2018 at 21:00, Charic said:

Hi Geoffw, welcome to the Stargazers  lounge.
If you select browse at the top of the screen, then forums, pop Binoviewing into the search bar, and there's pages and pages on the subject, so there's plenty to read, some of it might be helpful..................................

Thanks Charic and others for your advice and comment.  I have found someone relatively locally who has recently purchased a binoviewer.  I'm hoping that once it is set up I might get a chance to test out the experience.