Beginner must have eyepieces

[AustenPhil 19]

Hi all, have just taken the plunge and ordered my first telescope after years of viewing through bins!  Have gone for the Skywatcher Heritage 150p dob it comes with a basic 10mm and 25mm eyepiece was wondering if anyone has any must have suggestions to get me started not looking to break the bank but some good all rounders first purchase will probably be a Barlow lens any suggestions appreciated! 

[Zermelo 261]

These two barlows have been recommended previously:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/barlow-eyepieces/baader-classic-q-225x-barlow.html

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/revelation-astro-25x-barlow-lens-125.html

and for decent eyepieces that don't break the bank, these are recommended more often than any other in these pages:

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html

Note that (as with a lot of kit at the moment) stocks may be hard to find in some cases.

You may find that your 25mm stock EP is OKish for now, but the 10mm will perform rather less well.

[AustenPhil 19]

Thanks for the advice I have to admit I know the basics behind eyepieces but not too much else I assumed the stock 10mm would be lacking a bit and have also been recommended the baader by someone else already. Yes understandably I’ll have to check the stock issues, luckily FLO should have my 150p out to me in a couple of weeks so not having to wait that long they have been good at letting me know lead times and stock levels so I’ll reach out to them. Thanks 

[rwilkey 1,319]

Hi there, you might find it better to try out the stock eyepieces first and then you may be able to see where there are any shortcomings or desirable focal lengths, a Barlow is a good start.  The BST StarGuiders recommended above are well worth a look at - stunning eyepieces.  Good luck & clear skies!

[Skywatcher130 85]

Yes, highly recommended. I have upgraded to a full set over the last year, including the 25mm which, if I'm honest, doesn't make too much of a difference to the original SkyWatcher. The 15mm is my favourite.

I've kept hold of the stock eyepieces though so if I ever upgrade my scope they can go with it.

 

 

[AustenPhil 19]

Thanks for the advice, I am planning to give the stock EP’s a go first I’m assuming there just the budget skywatcher ones you see on ELO so think the plan will be to start off with a 2x or 2.5x Barlow  then go for a 15mm EP then upgrade the stock ones over time and then have a play around with filters. 

[Guest]

I also went for the full BST StarGuider range.

[AustenPhil 19]

There’s a theme...... 

[Skywatcher130 85]

That is a full set, Merlin100 . Right, off to write my Christmas list...

[Barry-W-Fenner 1,188]

The 8mm & 15mm BST eye pieces were my favorites and were my goto lenses. They offered very good powers in my 200p and performed very well.

You cant go wrong with the BST range.

Baz

Edited December 31, 2020 by Barry-W-Fenner

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

The 8mm & 15mm BST eye pieces were my favorites and were my goto lenses. They offered very good powers in my 200p and performed very well.

You can go wrong with the BST range.

Baz

I know you parted with some, Barry, when you upgraded to a 300p. However, I'll be keeping mine.

[Barry-W-Fenner 1,188]

40 minutes ago, merlin100 said:

I know you parted with some, Barry, when you upgraded to a 300p. However, I'll be keeping mine.

They are great eye pieces, I still have 2 or 3 of them in my collection, They compliment the Morpheus well. The combination I now have work very well with both my 200 & 300p

[Louis D 3,594]

I specifically went off and bought used sets of both the Meade HD-60s and AstroTech Paradigms (Starguiders) just to see how good or bad they are and compared them in this thread:

If you're used to paying $300 to $500 for a single eyepiece, it's pretty neat to get two whole sets for under $600.

I compared them again to other eyepieces in my collection in this thread:

If you need to wear eyeglasses due to astigmatism, the HD-60s are the clear winners.  If you're price sensitive, the Paradigms (Starguiders) are the clear winners.