What's the next eyepiece you are going to... get rid of?

[Ags]

If your eyepiece case is anything like mine, there's a few that I like less than I thought I would. For me it is a toss up between the Vixen NPL 20 mm and the Speers-WALER 4.9 mm.

There is nothing wrong with the NPL, but the fact that the one-position click-up eyeguard is too high for the actual eye-relief of a 20 mm plossl is deeply annoying to me. Vixen obviously saved a bit of money by giving the 20 mm the same eyeguard as the 30 mm plossl! Planned replacement: 20 mm SLV.

The Speers-WALER 4.9 is quite nice some nights and dreadful other nights. That's because it has a wandering lens group that turns stars into little spectrums when it is so minded. I think I have fixed that problem, but no doubt it will rear its head again when I am trying to view some once-in-a-century celestial phenomon. The other problem with the Speers-WALER is it is not an Explore Scientific 4.7 mm, which I have always wanted....

What's on your hit list?

Edited March 16, 2022 by Ags

[Second Time Around]

I have both 25 and 30mm NPLs and love them for solar work with my Quark.  With this, eye position is particularly critical. 

The best position of the eyeguard for me is part way up.  To get this I simply put a doubled up hairband in the correct position and it stays put. Voila!

Hope that helps.

[Ags]

I do the same with a bit of elastic. But as soon as I open my eyepiece case, I think about the 20 mm and its ridiculous eyeguard. I don't know how a company can have the arrogance to make a product that simply cannot work.

[Franklin]

You'll love the 20mm SLV, better optically, longer eye relief and the eyeguard can be postioned where you want it. I have one but to be honest it doesn't see much use as I also have the 25mm SLV and an 18mm LV. All really nice eyepieces but with only 50deg field. But going back to your original post the eyepiece that is for the chop for me is the overpriced Vixen SSW 5mm. Don't get me wrong, it's a premium bit of kit but I just find 83deg too much at such a short focal length. Maybe there's a technique for using them which I do not have, because I can't see the whole field on offer and the eye placement is very sensitive leading to kidney beaning for me.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Franklin

[cajen2]

I've always loved my Vixen NPL 30mm: it gets more use than any other EP in my case. I've briefly considered upgrading it because I had the feeling that anything that cheap can't be that wonderful, but I'm now sure that it can be improved on. Having tested the StellaLyra 80° 20mm, I realise what I've been missing on FOV. The problem is, it's four times the price!

I also think I should be able to improve upon my 6mm Svbony and 8mm BST Starguider, but again, they're both very competent EPs and will cost a lot of money to upgrade.

I've always fancied a Morpheus or two but they seem out of stock everywhere.

Why aren't I rich? (Because I like astronomy, I suppose!) 🤔😄

Edited March 16, 2022 by cajen2
Typo

[cajen2]

29 minutes ago, Franklin said:

You'll love the 20mm SLV, better optically, longer eye relief and the eyeguard can be postioned where you want it. I have one but to be honest it doesn't see much use as I also have the 25mm SLV and an 18mm LV. All really nice eyepieces but with only 50deg field. But going back to your original post the eyepiece that is for the chop for me is the overpriced Vixen SSW 5mm. Don't get me wrong, it's a premium bit of kit but I just find 83deg too much at such a short focal length. Maybe there's a technique for using them which I do not have, because I can't see the whole field on offer and the eye placement is very sensitive leading to kidney beaning for me.

I don't think you're alone on that one. Others have had negative reactions too, which is possibly why the SSW range seems to have been discontinued.

I can recommend the Pentax XW 5mm, though - it would address all those problems.

Edited March 16, 2022 by cajen2

[JeremyS]

Every time I move an eyepiece on I come to regret it.

So the collection grows

[Franklin]

18 minutes ago, cajen2 said:

I've always loved my Vixen NPL 30mm:

Me to, for the money it's a great eyepiece. A bit of field curvature at the outer edges and the eyeguard is a bit basic, but it still gets plenty of use. I have a 24mm Panoptic but even so, I still use the 30mm NPL with some of my scopes.

[cajen2]

2 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Me to, for the money it's a great eyepiece. A bit of field curvature at the outer edges and the eyeguard is a bit basic, but it still gets plenty of use. I have a 24mm Panoptic but even so, I still use the 30mm NPL with some of my scopes.

Which says a lot for the Vixen: £49 v the Panoptic at £323! 😱

[Franklin]

1 minute ago, cajen2 said:

Which says a lot for the Vixen: £49 v the Panoptic at £323!

I only buy used gear though. There's no way I would pay the new prices, couldn't afford to.

[cajen2]

My problem too..... The only thing is, by the time I see an EP that I want in the classifieds, it's been snapped up!

 

 

 

[Ags]

I have been quite good about secondhanding my eyepieces, only the plossls and an ES 20/68 were bought new.

[Stu]

Two eyepieces which would be most likely to shift in my eyepiece collection are the 2.5mm TOE and 2 to 4mm Nagler zoom as they see comparatively little use.

However! I doubt I will sell them as the Nag is likely to be very hard to replace if I ever want another, and the 2.5mm does have its uses for tight doubles. They are also handy if I’m using my Genesis and fancy some more magnification as it’s only 500mm focal length.

There is an argument that I’ve got a Zeiss Abbé Barlow, as well as 3.5mm, 5mm, 7mm and 10mm Pentax XW so could either sell the barlow or two Pentax but again, unless the financial wheels fall off then I will keep them all.

I’ll make that laughable statement and say that ‘I’m done’ changing eyepieces, but I don’t even believe myself so don’t expect you guys to either 🤪🤪🤣🤣

[Louis D]

My 3.5mm Pentax XW is fantastic, but gets very little productive use, so I've toyed with the idea of selling it.  When I want powers that high, I generally find my binoviewer working at 3x with 8-24mm zooms yields a more detailed image.  However, it nicely completes my 3.5mm XW, 5.2mm XL, 7mm XW, 9mm Morpheus, and 10mm Delos power progression.  I sometimes wonder if I should get the 6mm and 8mm Delos for filling in the holes.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, cajen2 said:

Why aren't I rich? (Because I like astronomy, I suppose!) 🤔😄

I wish I'd had the disposable income I have now back when my back was strong and my eyesight super sharp (and focusable).  Ahh, to be young and poor again.

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Every time I move an eyepiece on I come to regret it.

So the collection grows

You and me both.

[cajen2]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

I wish I'd had the disposable income I have now back when my back was strong and my eyesight super sharp (and focusable).  Ahh, to be young and poor again.

But I'm old and poor.....!😄

Not strictly true, or I couldn't afford to have the hobby at all, but I do feel more than a twinge of envy when I read posts of people spending four- or even five-figure sums on astro gear....

But I'm not really sorry for myself....I have the chance of enjoying glimpses of the universe. 👍

[Mr Spock]

None. I'm still buying 

[Highburymark]

2 hours ago, Louis D said:

You and me both.

I suffer too. And this was before I acquired an APM 100 degree 20mm.

[cajen2]

It must take you two half an hour just to select the right EP for the job! 😛

[Alan White]

I have churned eyepieces for many years looking for the ones that work as a small set,
sadly with changing scopes and tastes the collection has grown and shrunk at times, but never done.

I often regret selling items though, sometimes buy another and then realise why I sold the other one on.

The most likely of my collection to go is the Pentax XW 5mm, it is not often used and I have others at this length.
I might even do the same with the 7mm XW as well.

I went back to DeLites for easier ballance with the Refractors, and this may be the path I take, undercuts and all.

 

[Paz]

I have a couple of explore scientific 82 degree eyepieces I got early on in my observing and they are great but realising I needed to wear glasses I had to switch to long eye relief eyepieces and now I use Delos and SLVs mostly so the ES eyepieces should go up for sale at some point. 

[Zermelo]

20 hours ago, Stu said:

I’ll make that laughable statement and say that ‘I’m done’ changing eyepieces, but I don’t even believe myself so don’t expect you guys to either

😂   No, because you've said that before, and then look what happens:

 

 

[Stu]

Just now, Zermelo said:

😂   No, because you've said that before, and then look what happens:

 

 

🤣🤣 well I did tell you not to believe a word I said! 🤪🤪🤣🤣

[Zermelo]

I haven't been going long enough at this game to be brave enough to sell anything yet. I try to compare at least two eyepieces on any observation, and I certainly have 'overlaps'.

Until this month, I would have said that the first to go would be my BCO 6mm. It's bigger sister is superb, but I've struggled in the past with the 6mm, the eye relief being very tight and the views affected by (what I thought was) light scatter. But in recent outings it's performed better, so perhaps I was mistaken; and I'm getting used to the (lack of) eye relief.