Tele Vue eyepieces or powermate?

[johnst]

Hi all,

I've been selling some of my eyepieces to get funds for adding to my favorite eyepiece the 24mm Panoptic. For  the low power range I've got (borrowed) the Nagler 31mm but for a high powered eyepiece then there is a massive  range to pick with Delite at 62 degrees, Delos at 72 or go for a 2.5x powermate. Which ever way I go is going to cost although I'm looking more for second hand but I know that they go quick when they are available, what do you guys think, any comments greatly appreciated. 

[John]

What scope (or scopes) will you be using with these eyepieces ?

 

[johnst]

I only have 2 scopes at the mo, a WO Megrez 72d and my homemade Dobsonian F6 6" which is in the process of me fitting a newish 2" 11/4"  focuser on but hopefully done by September.  

[johnst]

No replies? Perhaps I'm in the wrong section! 

[Louis D]

Personally, I don't like using Barlows or "magnifiers" like the Powermate unless it stays in the focuser all night.  It's a pain to insert them between the eyepiece and the focuser and to adjust focus afterward.

The 9mm Morpheus is very close to the 10mm Delos in performance in my experience, so I can highly recommend it as a lower cost alternative to a TV eyepiece.

The 10mm and shorter Pentax XWs are also a good TV alternative.

If you like 100 degree views, the APM XWA HDC line is also a good TV alternative.

At 30mm, I recommend the APM UFF once you've returned the borrowed Nagler.

There's also the BCO line for planetary observing.

You haven't really established a budget or preferred objects to observe.  You haven't even stated whether or not your mount is driven or not.  All this makes offering advice difficult.

[johnst]

Sorry if I haven't given enough info, I've recently got a second hand HEQ5 mainly for imaging and spent a fair bit of money on AP but recently I've sold a lot of my eyepieces to get another quality one, I fancy a powermate because I can use it for imaging. I've got around £300 in funds but don't want to blow it on one item. I do love DSO's btw. Hope that helps.

[Louis D]

The only DSOs that benefit from higher powers in my experience are planetary nebula and globular clusters.  Do these interest you a lot?  The 2.5x Powermate would yield 9.6mm with your 24mm Panoptic, which is a decent mid-high power combination.  I tend to favor a bit lower focal length eyepieces, in the 12mm to 14mm range, for viewing most DSOs in my f/6 scopes.

What focal length eyepieces did you sell?  Which of them did you tend to use the most often?  That should probably be your guide to purchasing replacement eyepieces.

If you can get double-duty out of a Powermate, then I say go for it.

[johnst]

Thanks for the comments. I had the full Baader Hyperion range at one time and used them all particularly when I had the WO FLT 120 but have since sold that and I'm looking for a lighter eyepiece. I've just got the 8mm and 17mm now and it's a case of still using them until someone purchases them, I did wonder about getting the 19mm Panoptic but don't want to pay full price. Still a bit unsure about the different Powermates whether they can handle 11/4 or 2" eyepieces but someone has said that it's not a good thing to Barlow up on 2" eyepieces. While I'm not sure I'll keep my money!