BST Starguider (probably) Which 3 do I get?

[Mr niall]

Hello there

I've got enough money for 3 (more or less) BST starguider eyepieces to replace the stock affair I've been using. I've chosen these as they seem a reasonable mix of quality and value.

Although I can't decide which three to go for. Obviously relying on just three eyepieces means I will need to extract maximum benefit from each one, so the 25mm is in. But then I'm struggling to decide on the other two. I'm a typical observer, bit of DSO, Bit of planetary. Although LP around here kind of kills the DSO hunting, fine on globs and clusters generally but Galaxies are harder work eg M51 is a smudge, Leo triplet is "suspected" even in the big dob.

I was thinking either the 12 or the 15mm for one of them. The fov on the 15mm appeals more; but the exit pupil of the 12mm seems more suited for DSO hunting. However again - the 100x of the 15 seems like it may be a bit more forgiving for planetary work in poor conditions than the 125x of the 12.

And then this choice obviously has a concomitant impact on the "high power" choice... the 3mm is out as it seems a bit overkill. Which leaves the 5 and 8mm. The 5mm with a 1.0mm exit pupil and 300x seems like the ideal planetary beast. But I'm wondering... how often am I likely to really use 300x in UK skies? Especially with the positioning of the planets over the next few years. The 8mm 188x seems a better allrounder. But then I'm worried I'll have nowhere to go on those really good nights when the planets deserve more. Additionally getting the 8mm kind of makes getting the 12mm too a bit daft as they're so close together (not daft in general, daft because I'm only getting three eyepieces in total; hopefully you know what I mean!); and I really haven't decided whether that's the right one.

So I guess the choice is 25, 15, and 8mm or 25, 12 and 5mm.

I do own an ok-ish quality 3x barlow, but I don't really like using a barlow for some reason (not sure why, just never seem to enjoy the view as much)

Alternatively I have considered getting a Hyperion zoom but that would push the budget to the absolute max (and beyond really), and never having used one I am concerned about the perceptions surrounding performance around the 24mm end of the spectrum. Remember this will be my only eyepiece... although the fov issues are concerning I'm not sure how much of a concern they would be in reality, tempered by the fact that at 1500mm, despite the fact its F5 its still not a fast scope.

Similarly I'm intrigued by the hyperflex 9-27mm which is interesting at £108 but this seems like a bit of an unknown entity.

Also, I'm not tied to the BST's per se. Just want to make a sensible investment and don't want to get into a "mix and match" scenario.

As always, many thanks all. (m45 below, hopefully everyone knows the relative size of that one!)

Edited June 19, 2019 by Mr niall

[Trikeflyer]

There was 15mm for sale on here for £30 recently, not sure if it’s still available?

i have the 15mm and it’s pretty good for all round stuff. 

Steve 

[John]

I've used the BST's in my F/5.3 12 inch dob and they work pretty well. F/5 is actually quite fast but the BST's and the Baader zoom perform quite well even so.

I don't think 300x will get a lot of use (occasionally but not often) so if your budget is tight the 25mm, 12mm and 8mm (60x, 125x and 188x) would make a decent core set initially and a notable step up from the stock eyepieces. You can always consider adding a 6mm in due course (eg: the William Optics SPL 6mm) when cash is available.

The Baader zoom is a very good zoom but because of it's relatively narrow field of view at 24mm (48 degrees) personally I would want an additional low power eyepiece such as a Vixen 30mm NPL to get more sky in at low power as well as the zoom, which would blow your budget somewhat.

 

 

[wookie1965]

The 15mm is superb for low medium and high power I would go for the 25mm the 15mm and the 8mm I did and have never looked back.

[Ricochet]

5, 8 and 12mm BSTs. They are the best three Starguiders, the longer ones are not going to perform well in an f5 scope and you should look at the ES68 range instead. 

[Mr niall]

2 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

5, 8 and 12mm BSTs. They are the best three Starguiders, the longer ones are not going to perform well in an f5 scope and you should look at the ES68 range instead. 

Thanks, but I think spending more than my entire budget on a single eyepiece is perhaps not the way to go...

[Mr niall]

1 hour ago, John said:

I've used the BST's in my F/5.3 12 inch dob and they work pretty well. F/5 is actually quite fast 

sorry yes of course - I meant its not a widefield scope despite it being fast.

[Ricochet]

11 minutes ago, Mr niall said:

Thanks, but I think spending more than my entire budget on a single eyepiece is perhaps not the way to go...

Sorry, I keep forgetting the prices these days. A 23mm aspheric would be a much cheaper alternative. 

[happy-kat]

I would get a 30mm or 32mm just to maximise fov. Whilst I can be a bit OCD I have no problem with mix and match eyepieces and don't have a problem refocusing.

[david_taurus83]

These come up quite often second hand for around 30 quid each. I managed almost a full set, bar the 3.2mm, over the course of 3 or 4 weeks by keeping eyes on ABS and on here.

[wookie1965]

The 15mm was voted best of the bunch in S@N Magazine.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

The BSTs have received good reviews on various threads here, but with a common theme of avoiding the 18 and 25mm. Taking into consideration the advice, and also constrained by budget, I replaced my cheap plossl set with the 8 and 15mm BST. A used Celestron X-Cel filling the 25mm slot. The 8mm and x2 barlow combined with a 130/650 reflector provided me with nice Lunar, Jupiter and Saturn views considering the seeing conditions and scope focal length/ratio.

They're not too shabby in the Startravel 120 either. Very 'contrasty' and pin prick perfect, bright stars across most of the fov.

I'm looking forward to trying them out in the 8" Dob I hope to buy in the next 12 months.

 

 

Edited June 20, 2019 by ScouseSpaceCadet