Celestron Eyepieces Set

[REBNATS]

Hi, I have just acquired Nexstar 5se with StarSense Auto Align + 25mm Plossl, 1.25 Star Diagonal. I am new to stargazing and advice needed for higher magnification eye pieces. Amazon offer Celestron kit 6mm Plossl, 15mm Keller, 2x Barlow with some filters.  I do not want to spend loads on accessories at the moment, so wanted your valuable advice to enhance my viewing.

Thanks.

[johninderby]

Hi and welcome to the forum. 

Don’t waste your money on one of these sets. Very poor value for money. Very cheap eyepices and barlow and filters you probavly won’t ever use.

Far better to buy a better quality eyepiece to start with. The Starguiders are great eyepieces for the money. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/search/for/starguider/

And msybe one of these for moon viewing.if you find the moon is too bright. Not all people find the moon too bright so only buy if you do find it too bright.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/astro-essentials-nd96-0-9-1-25-moon-filter.html

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/moon-neutral-density-filters/variable-polarising-moon-filter-archived.html

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by johninderby

[popeye85]

How much is too much?😁😁😁

The celestron x-cel are good and with a look. 

[Ruud]

Don't buy a kit - they are a waste of money.

A good budget range are the BST Starguiders. These are 60° eyepieces that cost under £50.

For an 82° view you should look at the Nirvanas. They are enormous value: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/ovl-eyepieces/ovl-nirvana-es-uwa-82-ultrawide-eyepieces.html .The 4mm Nirvana will magnify too much. The highest magnification the C5 can handle with any grace is from a 5mm eyepiece.

The C5 will show it's best views  when used with eyepieces in the 10mm .. 32mm range. Personally I'd get eyepieces from this range and use a 2x Barlow for if I want higher magnifications.

For the widest possible true field of view in the C5 you should consider a GSO 32mm Plössl (52°). An equally wide true field is obtained from a 24mm 68° eyepiece, but at a higher price.

[MrFreeze]

Definitely don't buy that kit - waste of money. If you're on a budget, a decent zoom lens might fight the bill. Either Celestron 8-24, or one of the Svbony zooms. If you can afford it, the Hyperflex zoom available from FLO is excellent quality, or the Baader one if you really want to get the best. I use the Hyperflex 7-21 in my Mak, and the Celestron 8-24 in the 150P , and rarely take them out of the scope to be honest.

David

[Starwatcher2001]

Also agree that buying separate eyepieces is a better strategy.  Think of it this way: with no moving parts and nothing to wear out, an eyepiece can last a lifetime of viewing so it's worth getting good ones if you can. You can buy them as you go along and find the need for a different size.  I've got both an X-Cel and a Nirvana ep in my collection and love them both, but for the extra few quid the Nirvana is my favourite with an 82 degree FOV. Much better than my "standard" Celestron eps I got with my scope.

[REBNATS]

Thanks Guys for all your input, much appreciated. Decisions, decisions there is much to take in for a novice like me, just need to delve a little deeper don’t want to make an expensive mistake.

Cheers.

[runway77]

I have a very good experience with the XCel LX eyepieces as well. I can recommend the 25mm and 18mm. I have 7mm Nirvana as well. It's a great planetary eyepiece with a nice wide field of view.

[DaveL59]

26 minutes ago, REBNATS said:

Thanks Guys for all your input, much appreciated. Decisions, decisions there is much to take in for a novice like me, just need to delve a little deeper don’t want to make an expensive mistake.

Cheers.

as Mr Freeze suggests, if budget is limited then a zoom may fit the bill for the moment and give a range of magnifications in a single eyepiece. You could then add single FL ones for wider views once you've determined which are best for your use from the zoom setting.

[Alan64]

6 hours ago, REBNATS said:

Thanks Guys for all your input, much appreciated. Decisions, decisions there is much to take in for a novice like me, just need to delve a little deeper don’t want to make an expensive mistake.

Cheers.

In that your C5 Schmidt is at f/10, you don't need corrective/expensive eyepieces for a good showing; instead eyepieces much, much less than £100 each.  But do avoid ready-made sets.

Plossls at 9mm and longer, up to 32mm, are a good choice.  Others prefer a wider view.  Those can be a bit more expensive, but for an f/10 telescope, not much more; and sometimes even less than an already-economical Plossl, if you know where to look.

The choosing of eyepieces approaches the importance of choosing a pair of prescription-eyeglasses, particularly if one has to wear glasses whilst observing.  

There are more eyepieces out there in the marketplace at which you might shake a stick.  I do know for the lowest power and widest view that a 32mm Plossl would be the ideal; a 24mm 68° ocular is a more expensive alternative to that.  The width of the view would be the same as the 32mm, but the background sky would be darker, blacker, more contrasty.  That's due to the somewhat higher power of the 24mm.  Always, as you go up in magnification, the sky grows darker.

Patience and research is key, and with no more than one eyepiece to consider at a time, ideally.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Alan64

[bomberbaz]

From someone who initially went through many eyepieces in the initial stages of this hobby I would, if I had my time again get a 21-7 zoom from hyperflex or other similar provider at the size and wait to see where the hobby takes you.

There are many different types and sizes of scopes, no eyepiece fits with everyone's needs exactly, but a zoom covers a heck of a lot.

[jonathan]

I've found my Celestron XCel-LX eyepieces a bit difficult to use with the 8SE, which is very picky about seeing conditions, they appear to work much better in my refractor and reflector telescopes.  One eyepiece that does work very well in my 8" SCT is the 8-24 zoom, it's the Baader Hyperion but I'd be willing to bet that the SCT will be just as happy with one of the cheaper zooms mentioned.  I originally bought the Baader zoom for use with my solar scope, and it does an excellent job there too.  The original Celestron 25mm plossl that came with my 8SE is still my first eyepiece for every session, performs brilliantly in all scopes, SCTs generally get on well with plossls regardless of size.

Be sure to treat your eyepieces well, get yourself some proper cleaning fluid and a cloth, I've been using the Baader Optical Wonder Fluid and cloth for years, keeps my eyepieces looking like new.  I only use it if they're getting a bit gunky on the top glass so it goes a very long way.

Edited October 23, 2020 by jonathan