Show me your eyepiece/accessories case, please.

[DRT]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

For the most part.  I just drop the end caps into the slot where the eyepiece would normally be for safe keeping.  When I put the eyepiece back, it just lays on the caps until the end my observing session if I know I'm going to using it again.  For my upright-stored eyepiece cases, I'll sometimes pop the top cap back on but not bother with the bottom cap since it can be hard to fish out of the depths.

I keep my cases (yes, I usually have two cases open at once) at arm's reach from the telescope, so no need for pockets and such to store eyepieces temporarily.  At the end of the session, I methodically put everything back together and in the correct spots.  Tedious, but worth it.

+1

[Paul73]

The eyepieces always go back in the same places. So that I can find the right one by feel. The caps end up everywhere though! 

A selection of filters normally accumulate in the pockets.

Paul

[Alan White]

On 1/24/2017 at 23:04, JOC said:

So these cases full of eye-pieces.  Are you all disciplined when you use them on a dark night and methodically put one away properly when you swap it for a different one.  

Yes, I am a a little OCD with some things, my eyepieces is one of them, all very methodical and all very tidily kept.
One or two in my clean pockets while observing for warmed optics and less dew.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

Yes, I am a a little OCD with some things, my eyepieces is one of them, all very methodical and all very tidily kept.
One or two in my clean pockets while observing for warmed optics and less dew.

I think being OCD is not unreasonable when dealing with an eyepiece collection worth thousands of dollars for some observers.  I'm also OCD with my camera equipment for similar reasons.

[JOC]

Maybe I need to develop a little OCD!  I think a little of my problem is still learning to find my away around my box in the dark.  In time I will probably find that I can tell them all apart by touch, but at the moment I am quite often removing ends for ones I have wrongly picked up.  Then the ends disappear into the black hole where all the odd socks reside as I put them back into the case, and then I find I've muddled up the order of the lenses anyway and need to sort them out when I'm done.  However, even if they are out of order, at least they now have a soft spongy pocket to slide them into between uses.  This is a good thing I think.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

On 1/25/2017 at 01:33, iPeace said:

Yes.

Same here!

Anyway, putting a Nagler 31T5 "Panzerfaust" in your pocket isn't the most comfortable (or safe) thing to do,

[Davey-T]

Is that a 31T5 in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me 

Apologies Michael couldn't resist 

Dave

[DRT]

This...

Now looks like this...

[Mark at Beaufort]

I know how you feel Derek. I sold my 21mm, 13mm and 8mm Ethos EPs. Twelve months later I knew that I missed my 100 degree EPs so I bought the 20mm and 9mm Myraid. Felt I could not justify buying new TeleVue again . However, I really missed the 13mm Ethos even though I enjoyed my ES 82 series so I bought one.

[Stu]

Derek, I feel your pain, but that is a mere flesh wound compared with losing this lot. Gone.....all gone  

The only green and black I enjoy these days involves chocolate

Actually that's a lie, I have my 24mm Panoptic and the Nag zoom so it's not all bad  

[iPeace]

21 minutes ago, DRT said:

This...

Now looks like this...

So, do you feel inclined to share the reasoning?

[Moonshane]

See and you all survived  

I never worry about selling eyepieces. You can always buy again when funds allow or try something different. I do though try and keep what's in my long term plan (although this is subject to regular change - I'm arguing with myself again).

[DRT]

6 minutes ago, iPeace said:

So, do you feel inclined to share the reasoning?

An unexpected £4,500 tax bill

 

[iPeace]

1 minute ago, DRT said:

An unexpected £4,500 tax bill

 

Ah, quite. Hm. I understand. Didn't mean to bring that up.

I was actually interested in the selection criteria for the cull, for instance whether you found yourself observing at high power less often than was worth keeping the shorter Ethos eyepieces for, or something similar.

If there were no considerations meriting any such interest on my part, I apologize.

[DRT]

No worries. Lack of use and generally bad seeing conditions did play a part in selection but I started with the basic rule that Ethos EPs are normally in sets of 21, 13, 8 or 17, 10, 6. I then decided I couldn't part with the 17. The 3.7 and 4.7 were easy to decide as I simply haven't been able to use them. A Powermate will allow me to reach those powers on the rare occasion I can use it. The Panoptic decision was based on 27, 35 and 41 being too many low power EPs for my needs, particularly with the E21 in the case. I decided to keep the P35 because it performs best of those three in my Baader Wedge for white light solar. 

Now I need a 2" Powermate

Edited February 1, 2017 by DRT

[Paul73]

I look on my eyepiece cases as being a securish (from me) savings account. It takes a beating every once in a while, then slowly recovers..... Giving the proceeds to HMRC would really smart. ???

Bet that Derek's eyepiece case doesn't stay that streamlined for long!

Paul

[JOC]

I continue to considerably astonished at the cost of some of these eyepieces.  My folks would think I'd gone nuts if I had £4.5K of eyepieces just sitting in a box in fact I probably would have been talked out of buying them in the first place.  I'm still keeping quiet about the second-hand job I bought from the buy and sell section here yesterday.  It's amazing that such small chunks of glass cost that much.  Mind you how much does the quality of the eyepieces rely on the quality of telescope to begin with?  i.e. does the quality of the telescope have to be good enough to make the quality of these eyepieces worth having - sort of its no good having a TV deliver more pixels per square inch than you eye is capable of resolving?

[alanjgreen]

23 minutes ago, JOC said:

Mind you how much does the quality of the eyepieces rely on the quality of telescope to begin with?  i.e. does the quality of the telescope have to be good enough to make the quality of these eyepieces worth having - sort of its no good having a TV deliver more pixels per square inch than you eye is capable of resolving?

the old saying applies "you can put super wide wheels on a fiesta but it will only go slower!"

most of these eyepieces are heavy and a cheap scope would struggle to handle the weight being added at one end, leading to you spending extra to balance it all up again.

A scope with quality lenses or mirrors bringing more of the available light to your eye (losing less in the process of moving it) is the greater gain.

The eyepiece can only work with the light that you give it!

 

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by alanjgreen

[JOC]

alanjgreen that's sort of what I wondered, yes.  So beyond a certain degree unless you have a top notch telescope and absolutely zoned in collimation there may not be any point in owning a £350 eyepiece?  {Bank manager breathes huge sigh of relief at this end}

[alanjgreen]

there are some very good ones out there at half the price. If you can have a porsche, do you need a ferrari?

[JOC]

LOL - I don't want to derail this thread , so continuing over here:

 

 

[Floater]

2 hours ago, JOC said:

LOL - I don't want to derail this thread , so continuing over here:

 

 

Oh well. Not the first time I've been upstaged ...

But back on topic, and anent Derek's 'slimmer' case, we could remind ourselves that Mr Nagler (no less) suggests we should need no more than three or four eyepieces.

I know, I know ... Just saying. ??

Edited February 1, 2017 by Floater

[niallk]

3 hours ago, JOC said:

I don't want to derail this thread

To the OP: has your original question been adequately answered yet?

[DRT]

1 hour ago, Floater said:

But back on topic, and anent Derek's 'slimmer' case, we could remind ourselves that Mr Nagler (no less) suggests we should need no more than three or four eyepieces.

I know, I know ... Just saying. ??

Oi!

I'm currently getting some sympathy from Mrs T for having to sell the children - I don't need you lot persuading her that could sell some more!

[Timebandit]

5 minutes ago, DRT said:

Oi!

I'm currently getting some sympathy from Mrs T for having to sell the children - I don't need you lot persuading her that could sell some more!

 

 

Looks like you still have to many eyepieces in the case then Derek according to Mr Nagler 

Dibs on the 13 Ethos please?