Eyepiece advice

[PrairieStarGazer]

I'm looking into getting a new eyepiece or two, unfortunately on a tight budget. My main scope is a 6" Dobsonian and I have a collection of Plossl eyepieces but I'm looking for something that'll give me somewhat higher magnification and larger FoV. I find that I rarely use my 6mm Plossl just because of the quality so my next one is a 9mm.

I've looked at the Luminos series from Celestron, notably the 7mm for higher magnification (107x) on globulars and doubles and the 15mm (50x) or 19mm (39x). I have a 15mm Plossl which gives me good views so I'm between picking a different magnification or getting the 15mm for the larger FoV.

Does anyone have experience with these particular eyepieces on similar scopes? One thing i read is that the Luminos are quite heavy but I doubt that would be a problem for a 6"?

Thanks for any feedback!

[Louis D]

The Luminos are not well known for outer field sharpness.  They are also known for edge of field brightening (EOFB) where the outer field looks slightly brighter than the axial part.

I would recommend the BST Starguider (Paradigm, etc) 5mm for a starter.  At 60 degrees AFOV and 12mm of usable eye relief, it will feel like a massive improvement over the 6mm Plossl for not a lot more money.  It's also only 6.8 ounces, so pretty light and compact.  I also find it to be quite sharp across the field with no blackout issues.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Louis D

[PrairieStarGazer]

Thanks, I hadn't heard of the BST/Paradigm before. I'll definitely give them a look!