Suggestions for Celestron 127EQ Powerseeker

[Damien2904]

Hi everyone,

Up until now I've been using the 20mm & 4mm eyepieces that came with the telescope. The 20mm has been fairly good for Venus & the moon, however the 4mm has proved quite awkward & I rarely use it if I'm honest. I'd like to make the next step, but my research has now left me brain fried....🤯 I only plan to look at the planets / Moon for the time being.

I've been reading up on the Celestron X-Cel eyepieces, they don't seem to bad price wise and reviews I've read have been fairly good. Anyone agree? I'm getting the impression I should only invest in a couple lenses and in the 12-17mm range first followed by a 9mm for example. 

I'd like to take some shots with my Nikon D3200, but understanding whether it's a simple matter to connect the eyepieces, adaptor & camera via YouTube videos has been challenging. I have the T-Adaptor below....but I think it'll be to small as the Celestron X-Cel eyepieces for example look a little more chunky. 

Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 🙂

Damien 

[Louis D]

I would probably recommend the 5mm, 8mm, and 12mm BST Starguiders.  They're very good step-up eyepieces at reasonable prices.  If the Celestron X-Cel LXs are basically the same as the Meade HD-60s as many folks claim, they're also a good option.  Avoid the original Celestron X-Cel eyepieces on the used market.  They had terrible kidney beaning issues.

By the way, your scope is a Jones-Bird design.  It uses a fast spherical primary mirror and a corrector lens below the focuser.

[Damien2904]

Thanks Louis, I have worked out over the last few days that the Jones-Bird telescope design isn't the best....but I'm gonna try and roll with it, I'm just starting out so anything I see at the moment is quite thrilling. 

I have looked into the Starguiders range, I was surprised at the price...quite cheap 👍. I contacted FLO to ask about using a DSLR with this range, they have advised they're not compatible & as an alternative suggested the Baader Hyperion range as the DSLR can attach to them. Have you or anyone else had any experience with these?

Please do tell me if I'm missing the point on something, I'm also trying to get my head around the mirrors etc in the telescope itself...alot to take in but I'll get there. 

Damien

[Louis D]

1. Does your mount have a tracking motor?  If not, you'll have to master manual tracking for long exposures.

2. Do want to take short or long exposures?  Long exposures are very demanding technically.

3. A DSLR's weight would probably be too much for that mount and focuser.

4. I would start with grabbing snap-shots of solar system objects by holding your cell phone camera up to the eyepiece.