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Zoom eyepieces


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9 minutes ago, Joe beaumont said:

Hi all sorry my scope is a celestron nexstar 4se but am looking to upgrade to maybe an 8se and mainly looking for planets or maybe galaxies and nebula if possible but mainly planets 

thank you 

I have only ever used the Baader Planetarium Hyperion 8-24 Zoom (in terms of zoom eyepieces), my experience of it with the 8SE has been superb, a very good match it would seem, even at the 8mm end (I often can't get any useful views from regular eyepieces less than 14mm with my 8SE).  It would probably work well in the 4SE too however I've never tried that (as I don't have a 4SE).  This eyepiece also works very well in my Lunt LS60 solar scope.  Baader make very good products on the whole, can't think that I've ever heard of a bad product with their name on it.

If using the 4SE/8SE on the original Celestron mount then you may need to rebalance for the extra weight as the zoom eyepiece is quite substantial.  I use my 8SE on an NEQ6 mount so have no problems with weight distribution or hitting the mount.

Edited by jonathan
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I have two zoom e/p's.

One is an Astroboot bargain... 7-21mm... does ok and if I travel light and/or 'grab & go'... nothing special!

PIC040.JPG.c540c892498ad1b5e850bed6a457d246.JPG

 

...or there is my TeleVue 3-6mm Nagler zoom... 

1796048829_Nagler3-6ZOOM_2.jpg.772d8701180b66081cb9bb5835768fa5.jpg984830843_Nagler3-6ZOOM_1.jpg.ce7c1d3dcad2a2bbe19117c21851c528.jpg

...at 6mm (left) and at 3mm (right).

.

Edited by Philip R
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6 minutes ago, Joe beaumont said:

What are the seben zooms like? 

I read somewhere that some of these zooms are not that bad, but I wouldn't recommend them.

9 minutes ago, jonathan said:

I'd be very surprised if they were usable in an 8SE.

Good point, I didn't consider the focal length.

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13 minutes ago, Joe beaumont said:

Hi there, why would this be? 
thank you 

Too much magnification. In the 4SE it gives x220-x440, unlikely to be used often in the UK. Even higher for the 8SE, so even less usable.

Edited by wulfrun
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On 29/12/2020 at 13:05, Joe beaumont said:

So what would be a good sized eyepiece for planetary viewing with an 4se/8se scope 

The max. I use in my C6/SCT is a 6mm TeleVue 'Radian', [now discontinued and superseded by the 'DeLite' series] and if conditions allow, my 3-6mm Nagler zoom.

If you are on a tight budget, then these may be just the thing... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html

Edited by Philip R
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21 minutes ago, Joe beaumont said:

So what would be a good sized eyepiece for planetary viewing with an 4se/8se scope 

Sticking to a zoom, educated guess based on magnification/exit pupil says somewhere around a 7-21mm. Barlow it for times when conditions are good/exceptional. You haven't said what your budget is but there's an SVbony 7-21mm for around £45 or the OVL Hyperflex 7.2-21.5mm around £70. Both are well thought of. I'm sure others can offer other choices and the Hyperion 8-24mm has already been mentioned.

Edited by wulfrun
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I decided to upgrade from the two starter eyepieces supplied with the Sky-Watcher Skyliner 200P. After reading lots of user comments and reviews here and on Cloudy Nights, I decided to get a  Baader Hyperion Universal Zoom Mark IV along with the Barlow that can be purchased as part of a deal.

Initially rather strange to consider that this EP will be almost the same price as my telescope but I realise that is the price I need to pay for good optics.

I also realise that the zoom is going to be a compromise over multiple EP's but given my starting point, I am happy to accept that and I am sure it will be a worthwhile investment. 

It is due to arrive tomorrow!

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Jumping on the back of this and hoping someone could look over my numbers as I'm also in the market for a zoom EP.

I'm fairly set on a OVL Hyperflex given the fairly good reviews and low price point, but weighing up the two different versions (7.2-21.5 vs 9-27).

I currently own a SW Skymax 127 MAK (1500mm FL/127mm AP). My limited knowledge and bad maths tells me that the 9/27 is the more practical EP for my application...

  • 7.2-21.5 = 208x-70x (Exit Pupil @208x = 0.61?)
  • 9-27 = 166x-55x (Exit Pupil @166 = 0.76?)

...and then there's adding my 2x Barlow...which I think is pretty pointless with the 7.2-21.5?

Any pointers and recommendation welcome... 

Thanks in advance.

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Another option is the Hyperflex 9-27mm.  I found at 27mm that this has as wide an actual field of view as my Baader at 24mm, the latter being wider than most if not all of the inexpensive zooms.  I didn't keep the Hyperflex as I couldn't see an easy way to fit a Dioptrx to correct my astigmatism.

It's worth checking the field of view of zooms as your scope has an especially high focal ratio.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hi, new to the forums and the hobby so wanted to come in on this as been through similar considerations. 
From all the research and views I’ve read the Baader 8-24 Mk IV seems to win out - but noticed significant stock shortages across all suppliers of this as perhaps expected. I’ve just ordered a “deluxe aspheric “ 8-24 model from 365 Astronomy  as an upgrade to my Synta 8-24. It feels like an experiment as haven’t seen many reviews on this but appears to feature useful AFOV (44-66 Deg) - not quite Baader level but intrigued to try. 
I’d be interested if anyone has any experience of this one in particular!

Thanks

AD

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