Which BST Starguiders to get?

[dieg00]

4 hours ago, Zermelo said:

I have the Baader and it performs well for me (i.e. it's comparable with the quality of the scope and eyepieces that I use).  It's one of those that you can split to give two different magnifications (2.25 and 1.3) but note that you can only do that if the eyepiece you're using can accommodate it; some eyepieces, including some of the BSTs, don't have enough room at the end.

The Astro Essentials model is often recommended here as a decent first barlow.

I have no first hand experience of comparing either with the BST/ES versions, but I would be surprised if there was much difference.

The other thing to bear in mind with barlows is that you can certainly discuss their intrinsic quality, but it's also the case that specific eyepieces sometimes perform better or worse with specific barlows. Obviously there are thousands of possibles combinations, so it's hard to analyse in advance. Sometimes you'll see comments in this forum along the lines of "I find that X eyepiece barlows well with Y", but otherwise you'll just have to try and see. I don't think you can go seriously wrong.

 

 

Hmm I see. Is there any way (in the specifications or somewhere else) to check for Barlow compatibility?

[dieg00]

4 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

As I said, I have the skywatcher barlow , which looks identical to the FLO astro essentials one, a good feature of both is that if you have a DSLR and want to try taking photos through your 'scope, the barlow is threaded to take a t mount adaptor. I can't say you would love the barlow, because I don't but it is a cost effective way of extending your range of focal  lengths.

If you decide on a 2x barlow and 2 new EPs, try to have EPs which are not twice the focal length , eg your 25mm will become a 12.5mm with the barlow, so best not get a barlow + 12mm !

By the way, I believe FLO will remove the UK VAT  when you buy anything from the EU (so my S. Irish friends tell me 🙂 ) , and your local taxes ought to be paid as you import them ...

I didn't know you could attach a DSLR. Is the Barlow enough or is the t mount sold separately?

Right now I'm leaning towards an intro Barlow and the 5mm and 8mm BST. I know the 8/2=4mm is close to the 5mm though..

Thanks for the tip on UK VAT removal. Maybe that makes it worth it to buy on FLO instead of locally, although dealing with import tax here in Spain is kind of a hassle hahaha

[dieg00]

3 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

That's true : I dislike the barlow in my heritage dob, have never felt the need to even try it in my mak (which gives all the magnification my eye floaters allow with a 6mm ortho ) , but am quite happy to use the barlow in my little ST80 refractor , where it stays in a small case to make a lightweight grab & go kit, alongside a couple of plossls and the stock 25mm !

Why do you dislike the barlow in your heritage dob?

[Zermelo]

6 minutes ago, dieg00 said:

Hmm I see. Is there any way (in the specifications or somewhere else) to check for Barlow compatibility?

I'm not aware of anywhere that says.

To be clear, all the BSTs work fine with the Baader in its normal 2.25x mode, but to use it at 1.3x you need to unscrew the Baader into two parts and screw the lens part into the filter thread at the back of the eyepiece. Because the barlow part is deeper than a standard filter, it won't always fit.

Anyway, of the BSTs that I possess, I can say which will take the Barlow in the filter thread:

3.2mm
5mm  no
8mm  no
12mm  no
15mm 
18mm  yes
25mm

Others may be able to comment on the others.

[Tiny Clanger]

17 minutes ago, dieg00 said:

Why do you dislike the barlow in your heritage dob?

It seems to decrease the quality of the view more than I'd like. No idea why. However it seems OK in the ST80 I decided I'd rather buy another BST than experiment with a more expensive Barlow..

To attach a DSLR, you need a T mount * , these are made with a standard thread on one side, which screws in to the barlow top (no eyepiece, just the barlow ) and on the other side a mount to match your DSLR bayonet fitting. The heritage is not an ideal 'scope for photography, but you can take photos of the Moon . Not every Barlow has this feature I suspect, so if it is important to you, check before buying.

 

* Or a T2 mount, which is the same thing but can be rotated, You don't need T2, as you can rotate the barlow in the focus tube , but they are often sold for the same price. Either is fine for this purpose.

[Stu1smartcookie]

13 hours ago, dieg00 said:

As in, to check for other types of Barlows?

Yes , i recently bought a barlow from RVO (albeit 2" ) , which had ED glass . Anyway the point is , there are other suppliers 

[dieg00]

14 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

It seems to decrease the quality of the view more than I'd like. No idea why. However it seems OK in the ST80 I decided I'd rather buy another BST than experiment with a more expensive Barlow..

To attach a DSLR, you need a T mount * , these are made with a standard thread on one side, which screws in to the barlow top (no eyepiece, just the barlow ) and on the other side a mount to match your DSLR bayonet fitting. The heritage is not an ideal 'scope for photography, but you can take photos of the Moon . Not every Barlow has this feature I suspect, so if it is important to you, check before buying.

 

* Or a T2 mount, which is the same thing but can be rotated, You don't need T2, as you can rotate the barlow in the focus tube , but they are often sold for the same price. Either is fine for this purpose.

Understood, thanks!

[dieg00]

1 hour ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Yes , i recently bought a barlow from RVO (albeit 2" ) , which had ED glass . Anyway the point is , there are other suppliers 

Ah okay, yeah there is a plethora of Barlows available from different stores, so I guess I'll keep looking for "the one"

[dieg00]

14 hours ago, Zermelo said:

I'm not aware of anywhere that says.

To be clear, all the BSTs work fine with the Baader in its normal 2.25x mode, but to use it at 1.3x you need to unscrew the Baader into two parts and screw the lens part into the filter thread at the back of the eyepiece. Because the barlow part is deeper than a standard filter, it won't always fit.

Anyway, of the BSTs that I possess, I can say which will take the Barlow in the filter thread:

3.2mm
5mm  no
8mm  no
12mm  no
15mm 
18mm  yes
25mm

Others may be able to comment on the others.

Thanks for the info!