Growing BST StarGuider EP Collection...

[Barry-W-Fenner]

10 minutes ago, steve_bham said:

I’ve got the full set of BST eyepieces and love them!

I now have all but the 25mm,  great performing eye pieces and value for money.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Sky is looking promising aswell so hopefully you get to use it Merlin!

The 8,12 and for me 15mm are the sweet spot of the range and give some brilliant views 👍

Grey and overcast again! 🤬

[Guest]

I see that Auntie FLO has topped up her BST StarGuider eyepiece supplies again. 👍

[Barry-W-Fenner]

29 minutes ago, merlin100 said:

I see that Auntie FLO has topped up her BST StarGuider eyepiece supplies again. 👍

Best get that 5mm on order before it's to late 😂

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Best get that 5mm on order before it's to late 😂

It'll have to wait I'm afraid, skint again... 

[Barry-W-Fenner]

57 minutes ago, merlin100 said:

It'll have to wait I'm afraid, skint again... 

The cycle of life unfortunately 😂

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

The cycle of life unfortunately 😂

Ain't that the truth!🙄

[Guest]

On 18/07/2020 at 11:38, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Best get that 5mm on order before it's to late 😂

I may just have got the very last one that Auntie FLO had!  Just waiting for them to confirm it by email.  The purchase went through okay...

[wookie1965]

I have had them all I have the 25mm , 15mm and the 8mm now the 15mm is my goto eyepiece that gets used more than any other its a brilliant eyepiece.

It was voted best of the bunch in S@N magazine,

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

I have had them all I have the 25mm , 15mm and the 8mm now the 15mm is my goto eyepiece that gets used more than any other its a brilliant eyepiece.

It was voted best of the bunch in S@N magazine,

I've been reading reviews about them till I was blue-in-the-face, including that one.  Later in the week, I should have the 5mm to add to the existing 3.2mm, 8mm, 12mm, 15mm and 18mm range.

[Barry-W-Fenner]

22 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

I have had them all I have the 25mm , 15mm and the 8mm now the 15mm is my goto eyepiece that gets used more than any other its a brilliant eyepiece.

It was voted best of the bunch in S@N magazine,

I two am a big fan of the 15mm, the 12 & 18mm seem to get all the love but I find the 15mm gives a really nice power in the 200p and a great view.

I understand that a lot of people prefer the more natural jump in power from the 18mm to the 12mm, I feel that the 15mm gives a nice middle ground.

I only wish the BST range did something around 6 or 7mm  as the jump between 5 & 8 is to large, again in my humble opinion 😀

Baz

[Guest]

It's been confirmed as dispatched, just awaiting a knock at the door from the postie, later in the week... 

[John]

The first I head of these was a review of their american versions, the Astro Tech Paradigm's 11 years ago:

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/cn-reports/eyepiece-reports/first-look-astro-tech-paradigm-eyepieces-r1845

The manufacturer (Barsta) has added the 5mm and 3.2mm focal lengths since then.

The Sky's the Limit chap, Alan was the first to import them to the UK I think.

Having owned and used a few over the past few years they are not difficult to recommend as an upgrade to the stock eyepieces

At least, at <£50 a pop, collecting them is not as wallet draining as some ranges I can think of

[Guest]

My new BST StarGuider ED 5mm eyepiece turned up at lunchtime there. It's marked as Astro Essentials, but it's the same model from the same factory. 😉

[John]

I've seen these with about a dozen different brandings on them. Unless you are really OCD it makes no difference at all of course

 

[Guest]

Just now, John said:

I've seen these with about a dozen different brandings on them. Unless you are really OCD it makes no difference at all of course

 

I did have a passing thought on it, but at the end of the day (or night), it's what's inside and it's performance that really matters! 😉

[John]

If you order enough from Barsta you can have your name on them !

 

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, John said:

If you order enough from Barsta you can have your name on them !

 

Their website has been dead for a while. If I had ordered that many, we'd have permanent cloud over my town for a century! 😂

[Louis D]

I would imagine @Don Pensack could point you to the best current contact for ordering custom made BST Starguiders if you're serious. 😉

[Guest]

So here's my eyepiece inventory... 

BST StarGuider ED eyepieces 3.2mm, 5mm, 8mm, 12mm, 15mm and 18mm. I've also got a Sky-Watcher 28mm 2 inch LET eyepiece. 

I think this should cover most eventualities. Should I go for the 25mm BST StarGuider to complete the set? 

[John]

The 25mm BST Starguider almost shows as much sky as the 28mm 2 inch LET eyepiece. In a 1200mm focal length scope the 28mm LET shows a true field of 1.3 degrees whereas the BST Starguider 25mm shows 1.25 degrees.

I suppose the advantage of the BST is that you can get a 1.25" filter (say a UHC or an O-III) for the whole set whereas you will need a 2 inch filter for the 28mm LET. The Starguider 25, although not the best corrected in the series, might still be better corrected than the 28mm LET which I think is a 3 element type design ?

 

[Guest]

I've ordered the 25mm BST StarGuider from Auntie @FLOnow. So, that will complete the set... 

[Guest]

From Auntie @FLOthis morning. That completes my BST StarGuider ED eyepiece collection... 

[KeithP22]

On 21/07/2020 at 11:54, merlin100 said:

I've been reading reviews about them till I was blue-in-the-face, including that one.  Later in the week, I should have the 5mm to add to the existing 3.2mm, 8mm, 12mm, 15mm and 18mm range.

Would these eyepieces be ok to use with my 8 inch dobsonian as I need to upgrade the supplied eyepieces. Thanks in advance. 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, KeithP22 said:

Would these eyepieces be ok to use with my 8 inch dobsonian as I need to upgrade the supplied eyepieces. Thanks in advance. 

I use them with my Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P 8" Dobsonian.😉