Jump to content

Narrowband

EP for skyliner 250px?


Recommended Posts

Hello people, will be purchasing a Skyliner 250px relatively soon, and was curious, what EP should i get as a first separate buy? I want to focus more on DSO rather than planetary. Budget in mind is around 50-70 GBP if there are any decent ones within that price range? Thanks. (I have been out of the astronomy "game" ever since I left England, and I am now visiting the hobby once again.)

Edited by Brunty12345
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best budget buy would be the 16mm Nirvana. FLO has it: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/ovl-nirvana-es-uwa-82-ultrawide-eyepieces.html

But why not save a bit longer and get a 17.5mm Morpheus? That's a top tier eyepiece

Your telescope has coma which you may notice in ultra wide eyepieces, which both the Nirvana and Morpheus are. In the long run you'll probably want to get a coma corrector. Meanwhile it's only a bit of coma and will show up just at the edge of the field. Chances are it won't hurt your observation of most DSOs at all.

Edited by Ruud
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Ruud said:

Best budget buy would be the 16mm Nirvana. FLO has it: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/ovl-nirvana-es-uwa-82-ultrawide-eyepieces.html

But why not save a bit longer and get a 17.5mm Morpheus? That's a top tier eyepiece

Your telescope has coma which you may notice in ultra wide eyepieces, which both the Nirvana and Morpheus are. In the long run you'll probably want to get a coma corrector. Meanwhile it's only a bit of coma and will show up just at the edge of the field. Chances are it won't hurt your observation of most DSOs at all.

Hello Ruud, thank you for your suggestion. In regards to the EP price, I do not want to splash out too much on an expensive eyepiece as I need to "find my feet" again with telescopes. I want to see which aspect of stargazing I prefer most again after the long time of not doing it. Though, the 17.5mm Morpheus I may purchase at a later date once I am comfortable with stargazing again :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get excellent eyepieces in your price range if you are happy to have a standard 50 degree field of view. The Baader Classic orthoscopic 10mm and 18mm eyepieces, for example, are £49.00 each but rival some of the best deep sky eyepieces available at any price. They just don't have a wide or ultra wide field of view:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-classic-ortho-bco-eyepiece.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have recently bought and then subsequently returned  a Nirvana 16mm EP.  I found that the starguider 15mm, which it was supposed to replace gave a brighter view and was easier to get a comfortable eye position with. And when the Nirvana was barlowed, it was awful with bad kidney beaning. 

A starguider EP does give a pretty good view for a very modest outlay. Drawback is fov is only 60 degrees and at faster speed ota's is likely to suffer towards the outer edges but that's the same for any eyepiece really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have used the 16mm Nirvana in a 250px and found it noticeablely brighter and a bit more contrast than either a WO SPL or X-Cel LX. Eye postion was really comfortable and barlowed well although I don’t often use a barlow. Great eyepiece for the money. 👍🏻

Peoples eyesight does differ so not all eyepieces perform the same for everyone. 

Edited by johninderby
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

.....Peoples eyesight does differ so not all eyepieces perform the same for everyone. 

So if your eyes are like John's buy a Nirvana but if they are like Baz's (Steves) you may prefer the BST :smiley:

 

 

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why don't you start out with the two eyepieces that come with the telescope? They may not be the highest quality but they're good enough to rediscover your stargazing hobby. In the meantime you can save up for a nice, higher quality eyepiece that fits your observing interest.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You used to be able to try eyepieces at a star party or astronomy club but it’ll be a while before you can think about that again.

Good idea to buy just one of a line of eyepieces and see how you get on with it before buying more. 

Edited by johninderby
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to thank everyone for their responses. I will take all your comments into consideration with choosing which one to buy. I can see there is quite the split decision in here, so I will do more research before I bite the bullet :) thanks again people!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, John said:

You can get excellent eyepieces in your price range if you are happy to have a standard 50 degree field of view. The Baader Classic orthoscopic 10mm and 18mm eyepieces, for example, are £49.00 each but rival some of the best deep sky eyepieces available at any price. They just don't have a wide or ultra wide field of view:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-planetarium/baader-classic-ortho-bco-eyepiece.html

Which do you think I would have a better time with DSO? the 10mm or the 18mm version of this EP? Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My experience has been that the 250PX is quite unkind to many of the lower-priced eyepieces.  Some of mine behaved horribly at f/4.7.  I've never tried the Baader Classic orthos, but my Baader Geniune orthos are fine and the 18mm BGO is one I'm always happy to use.  I don't know how similar it is to the BCO, but John may be able to offer enlightenment there.  I've not tried the BSTs or Nirvanas.  I'm hoping I can play with the BSTs my brother has just bought at some point.

It's always worth looking out for more expensive eyepieces on the used market, too.  I think most of those I now prefer to use were bought second-hand.

James

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like 2nd hand too and their beauty is that if looked after you can usually resell with very little if any loss.  You can get some excellent EP's second hand - I haven't paid full price for any of mine.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Brunty12345 said:

Which do you think I would have a better time with DSO? the 10mm or the 18mm version of this EP? Thanks.

In terms of capability they are both about the same.

In answer to James's question in comparison to the Baader Genuine Orthos (which have been out of production for sometime) the Baader Classic Orthos are as good if not a touch better for deep sky objects but the Genuine Orthos have the edge for planetary and lunar observing, in my opinion.

Do bear in mind that these designs are orthos though so have relatively narrow fields of view and eye relief that declines as the focal length gets shorter. If you are after wide vistas and / or wear glasses when observing, other eyepieces will be a better choice.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, JOC said:

I like 2nd hand too and their beauty is that if looked after you can usually resell with very little if any loss.  You can get some excellent EP's second hand - I haven't paid full price for any of mine.

Yep - that is a very good point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.