Which 3 of your eyepieces get the most use, and why?

[F15Rules]

Having fairly recently streamlined my main eyepiece set to just 6 pieces, I thought the title question might bring out some interesting answers.

This thread is not intended to be a competition between brands/types of eyepiece..it's just for interest, entertainment...and, perhaps, might help us all to gain insight, inspiration and ideas as to how we might revisit our choices of eyepieces, and how and why we use them?

Although I do use all 6 of my eyepieces, there are definitely 3 that I have used most in the past 6 months (ie during late spring and summer, into Autumn).

My set consists of the following:

Carton 7-21mm zoom (40-60 degrees fov).

Morpheus 9mm - 76 deg

Nagler T2 22mm - 82deg

Morpheus 17.5mm -76deg

Axiom LX 23mm - 82deg

Axiom LX 31mm - 82deg

Over the spring and summer months, (in limited sessions, due to our using our freedom during the summer to travel to visit family and friends), my most used of the above were the Carton Zoom, Morpheus 9mm and Morpheus 17.5mm. However, the two Axiom LX UWA's are newer additions, and so haven't been available to use for very long.

Also, I think it is likely that my choices will change over the winter season, and I predict that my most used winter eyepieces will be the 9mm Morpheus, the 12mm Nagler and the 23mm Axiom.

I should also add that I do often use a Baader 2.25x Hyperion zoom barlow on the Zoom (at the 7mm setting, for very high power) the Morpheus 9mm and the Nagler 12mm, again for higher power on doubles etc.

I bought the two Axioms specifically for lower power wide angle observing: the 23mm was bought in the hope that it would match or better the amazing Vixen LVW 22mm that I foolishly let go several years ago, and are now like hen's teeth to find on the used market.

The 31mm I bought as I had read reports of it rivalling the fabled Nagler 31mm 82deg UWA, which is a very expensive eyepiece to buy, even used. In limited early testing of the Axioms so far, I am well pleased with them.

My case is shown below..the two largest black smooth barrelled eps are the decloaked Axiom Lx's.

Anyway, enough from me... let's hear about your choices, why you made them, and your reactions to other people's choices😊!

Dave

Edited November 21, 2021 by F15Rules

[Ohgodwherediditgo]

People look through telescopes?

[wookie1965]

Dave, 

            I have a mixture of eyepieces Meade, BST, Televue, Celestron and Vixen. 

8 use my Celestron zoom to star align the mount. 

My most used are the 25mm BST to make sure I'm in the right place next the 15mm BST to me this is one brilliant eyepiece punches well above its weight. 

For tighter doubles its either the 11mm plossl or the 10mm vixen which although being a old eyepiece it's one of the best I have in my locker. 

I have lower mag eyepieces but nothing that compares to them I really need to get better ones but having a tal x2 Barlow I can Barlow the 10mm. 

I would love to try other eyepieces in my scopes but I will have to wait until I get to go to a meet but I'm happy with what I have and they do the job for me. 

Paul 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

Hmmm... The OVL Nirvana ES 7mm is used a great deal when lunar observing with the 4". The new Vixen SLV 4mm has been used the most for planetary and double star observation. The Altair Ultra Flat 24mm 65° is my go to wide field eyepiece. The OVL Nirvana ES 16mm gets an honourable 4th place.

[ONIKKINEN]

Of all my eyepieces i find myself using an Omegon cronus 7mm and 9mm and an Omegon flatfield 19mm the most. The 19mm without a barlow for "general" poking around wider fields, and a barlow + any of the 3 for planets and the Moon, where i spend most of my visual time.

Also helps that these 3 eyepieces are all of the 3 eyepieces i have 😅. Every time i put an eyepiece in i think about buying more or a zoom one to cover most ranges, but i haven't actually done it for some reason yet. Maybe these 3 are enough?

[Mr Spock]

As a planetary observer, with my 250mm I'll be using (when they arrive) exclusively the 6mm, 5mm and 4mm SLVs. That's x200, x240 and x300. No need for any other eyepieces 

[John]

With my refractors I would say that the 24mm Panoptic, the 5mm Pentax XW and the Nagler 2-4mm zoom get the most used.  I don't seem to do much medium magnification observing with those

With my 12 inch dob it is often the 21mm, 8mm  and 4.7mm Ethos's

 

 

 

[Kon]

It used to be 25mm box standard plossl that came with the Dob, 15mm and 8mm BST with my 8" Dob. I have recently upgraded all of them to ES including 24mm 68 degrees, 14 and 8.8 mm 82 degrees. (If seeing is good I might use the 6.7mm 82 degrees). I have decided to stick with 1.25" format for now.

[callisto]

I mostly use my 4.5mm Delos for close work on Moon/planets along with a 7mm Nirvana...big widefield scanning with my ES 34mm & 24mm Maxvision...and my OVL 7.2mm-21.5mm zoom for solar work 

[jock1958]

Not counting the variety of eyepieces I use for binoviewing it’s my TV 3-6 zoom for planetary / double stars, TV 14mm Delos for nubulae / galaxies also TV 24mm Panoptic & TV 31mm Nagler for widefield star patterns / galaxies /  nebulae. 

[F15Rules]

14 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

Not counting the variety of eyepieces I use for binoviewing it’s my TV 3-6 zoom for planetary / double stars, TV 14mm Delos for nubulae / galaxies also TV 24mm Panoptic & TV 31mm Nagler for widefield star patterns / galaxies /  nebulae. 

Cheers Iain..

I should have said in my OP that I do use a binoviewer as well from time to time.

I only have one binoviewing pair currently, a nice pair of Kson 16.8mm orthos with 50 deg fov: this is actually all I need for now, as I can combine them with 2.25x and 1.6x for high power/lunar use and they work very well.

I would consider buying a longer FL pair (s) in the future if and when (I as I hope) I get a better quality binoviewer to use them with. But for me, binoviewing will never be about real widefield observing, much more lunar, planets and some doubles.

Dave

[Ags]

Hard to answer as I have many different observing moods and very different telescopes and targets. My ES 20/68 is used all the time, but that is because it is used in my finderscope, except when it is replaced by the venerable Super 25 when I want to save weight for scope balance issues.

In the Zenithstar 66, my most used piece is currently the Speers WALER 4.9/82. It combines wide field with the highest native magnification in my eyepiece case, so very suitable for doubles and many DSOs. But it might be supplanted by a barlowed ES 6.7/82 if that gives a sharper view. The ES 6.7 is already preferred for solar work as it is substantially sharper than the Speers WALER. But if I need a bigger exit pupil or I am looking at huge DSOs like the Pleiades, the ES 20/68 is the eyepiece of choice, or alternately the Speers WALER 13.4/82.

If I am in a nostalgic mood, the ultrawides are relegated in favor of the NPL 20/50 and SLV 6/45 as those give views in the ZS66  reminscent of my childhood.

In the C6 for DSOs, it is a toss-up between the Speers WALER 13.4/82 and the ES 20/68. But for planetary and lunar views it would be my "zoom eyepiece": a Baader turret with NPL 20/50, NLV 12/50, NLV 9/50 and SLV 6/45. The NPL 30/50 might substitute in for the NPL 20/50 for lunar viewing however.

Pick just three from those! It is Solomon's choice! I would have to pick the ES 20/68, ES 6.7/82 and Speers WALER 13.4/82.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Ags

[F15Rules]

11 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

Dave, 

            I have a mixture of eyepieces Meade, BST, Televue, Celestron and Vixen. 

8 use my Celestron zoom to star align the mount. 

My most used are the 25mm BST to make sure I'm in the right place next the 15mm BST to me this is one brilliant eyepiece punches well above its weight. 

For tighter doubles its either the 11mm plossl or the 10mm vixen which although being a old eyepiece it's one of the best I have in my locker. 

I have lower mag eyepieces but nothing that compares to them I really need to get better ones but having a tal x2 Barlow I can Barlow the 10mm. 

I would love to try other eyepieces in my scopes but I will have to wait until I get to go to a meet but I'm happy with what I have and they do the job for me. 

Paul 

Thanks, Paul.

You have some lovely gear with your 5" refractor and Vixen plossl and Tal barlow..you might find, when you try out some other more modern eyepieces at a future meeting, that apart from field of view, there really isn't that much difference in on axis image quality between most of them!

Dave

[JTEC]

With the refractor, mono, probably, 13mm Ethos, 10mm Delos and 7mm XW.  For lunar and planetary, I almost always binoview with either the 1.7 (gives x1.5) GPC or the x2 Powermate, so that would be pairs (if I’m allowed?) of 12.5, 9 and 6mm Tak orthos, with the 9mm getting the most use.
 I’m constantly thinking about ‘rationalising’ my eyepiece collection which has built up over many years. (And a new member is on the way - a Svbony zoom at an irresistible £39.99) Apart from the Tak orthos and a pair of XWs, the 7 and 5mm, I haven’t built any sets. Looking at the other end of f15’s question, I have a few high end eyepieces that see little use. Top three among these are the 3.4 Vixen HR, Tak TOE 4mm and 30mm APM flat field. Superb as the first two are, at those sorts of focal lengths, I’d almost always be using the binoviewer. And I just don’t seem to find much use for the 30, except as a finder - if the skies were better here, I’d probably find more use for longer and wider ‘sweeping’ options. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by JTEC

[F15Rules]

9 hours ago, John said:

With my refractors I would say that the 24mm Panoptic, the 5mm Pentax XW and the Nagler 2-4mm zoom get the most used.  I don't seem to do much medium magnification observing with those

With my 12 inch dob it is often the 21mm, 8mm  and 4.7mm Ethos's

 

 

 

Hi John,

That's interesting..can I ask, why would you use your 24mm Panoptic in your refractors in preference to your Ethos 21mm?

[Stu]

To date I would say that I’ve used my 24mm Panoptic, Leica 8.9 to 17.8mm ASPH Zoom and 3 to 6 Nagler Zoom the most. This is probably because I’m often taking my Tak around and about and these make a nice compact set which cover most bases.

For binoviewing I have a pair of 25mm Zeiss Orthos which are converted microscope eyepieces. They are very sharp and comfortable to use, excellent for solar.

I’m hoping that as I do more observing at my new location under darker skies, my 31mm Nag, 21mm and 13mm Ethos will get more use.

[Ags]

22 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Hi John,

That's interesting..can I ask, why would you use your 24mm Panoptic in your refractors in preference to your Ethos 21mm?

I'm betting three reasons: weight, weight, and weight.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Ags

[Voyager 3]

Or 1.25" focuser (maybe in the DL?) ..

[wookie1965]

51 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

Thanks, Paul.

You have some lovely gear with your 5" refractor and Vixen plossl and Tal barlow..you might find, when you try out some other more modern eyepieces at a future meeting, that apart from field of view, there really isn't that much difference in on axis image quality between most of them!

Dave

Dave,

           I had thought that myself as my biggest FOV are the BST`s at 60°  obviously I would have to spend a fair amount on eyepieces and are they going to be any better just for the sake of a wider FOV.

[Ags]

1 hour ago, Ags said:

Hard to answer as I have many different observing moods and very different telescopes and targets. My ES 20/68 is used all the time, but that is because it is used in my finderscope, except when it is replaced by the venerable Super 25 when I want to save weight for scope balance issues.

In the Zenithstar 66, my most used piece is currently the Speers WALER 4.9/82. It combines wide field with the highest native magnification in my eyepiece case, so very suitable for doubles and many DSOs. But it might be supplanted by a barlowed ES 6.7/82 if that gives a sharper view. The ES 6.7 is already preferred for solar work as it is substantially sharper than the Speers WALER. But if I need a bigger exit pupil or I am looking at huge DSOs like the Pleiades, the ES 20/68 is the eyepiece of choice, or alternately the Speers WALER 13.4/82.

If I am in a nostalgic mood, the ultrawides are relegated in favor of the NPL 20/50 and SLV 6/45 as those give views in the ZS66  reminscent of my childhood.

In the C6 for DSOs, it is a toss-up between the Speers WALER 13.4/82 and the ES 20/68. But for planetary and lunar views it would be my "zoom eyepiece": a Baader turret with NPL 20/50, NLV 12/50, NLV 9/50 and SLV 6/45. The NPL 30/50 might substitute in for the NPL 20/50 for lunar viewing however.

Pick just three from those! It is Solomon's choice! I would have to pick the ES 20/68, ES 6.7/82 and Speers WALER 13.4/82.

I realize I managed to mention every eyepiece I own except one...the oldest piece in my collection, the Speers WALER 10/82, does not seem to play any role at all...hmmm. Can't sell it though, as it has a case of Lens Rattle.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Ags

[callisto]

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

should have said in my OP that I do use a binoviewer as well from time to time

Oh yes, forgot mine 🤪...I use a pair of 25mm BST in my binoviewers for lovely wide views of the moon 🙂

[John]

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Hi John,

That's interesting..can I ask, why would you use your 24mm Panoptic in your refractors in preference to your Ethos 21mm?

Hi Dave. It's not really a preference thing but when I use my refractors I tend to have my 1.25 inch eyepiece case with me rather than the Ethos / Nagler 31 case. It's a simple as that.

When I want a really wide field with a refractor I do use the Ethos 21 or Nagler 31 of course but mostly I find that usually my refractor targets don't need that. From time to time I use the 13mm Ethos in the Tak FC100 and the views of star clusters are rather stunning and very immersive

Perhaps if I kept all my eyepieces in a single case they would get more even usage ?. I'd need a case with a strong handle though !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scarp15]

Three eyepieces that gain the most use; chops and changes depending on circumstance. For quite some time, this has constituted observing Jupiter from my backyard. Therefore amongst a select bunch of eyepieces for this task; 5mm  plus 7mm DeLite and 10mm Delos credit perhaps the most use. 

[JeremyS]

3 hours ago, Stu said:

To date I would say that I’ve used my 24mm Panoptic, Leica 8.9 to 17.8mm ASPH Zoom and 3 to 6 Nagler Zoom the most. This is probably because I’m often taking my Tak around and about and these make a nice compact set which cover most bases.

For binoviewing I have a pair of 25mm Zeiss Orthos which are converted microscope eyepieces. They are very sharp and comfortable to use, excellent for solar.

I’m hoping that as I do more observing at my new location under darker skies, my 31mm Nag, 21mm and 13mm Ethos will get more use.

That’s interesting about the amount of usage your Leica Zoom gets Stu. Do you have a 1.25-inch adapter or a 2-inch? Or perhaps both? 

[Ian McCallum]

For me it's my second hand 28mm 2" LET, great for wide views. 

Second would be my BST StarGuider 12mm ED, for closer in observing. 

Lastly would have to be the BST StarGuider ED 8mm for occasions when the seeing is good.