Televue 32mm Plossl - Best eyepiece ever !

[sublime_mick]

if the 32mm TV Plossl is the best - what would 2nd best be?

[John]

Blimey - this is an old thread !

I guess the original poster was pleased with his new aquisition - the Tele Vue plossls are nice but there are quite a few other nice alternatives around too.

[cs1cjc]

Not all Plossl's are 50 degree. Some are wider, but the image is unlikely good to the edge. On the other hand, the excellent Vixen NPL is advertised as 50 degrees, but my 20mm and 30mm eyepieces give a true field of view equivalent to only 46 degrees (50 degrees to 1 significant figure, I guess).

Edited November 7, 2011 by cs1cjc

[acey]

Blimey - this is an old thread !

Sure is. And looking back at my own replies from two and a half years ago I find that out of all the eyepieces I listed as using then, there's only one that I'm still using now - the TV 32mm plossl.

[Donkeiller]

As everyone knows, I'm not a fan.

[Ags]

Bah, plossls.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Some time soon I should be getting a TV with nearly the same focal length (just a shade shorter), but rather more FOV.

I do not think I will trade it in for the 32mm Plossl.

[Ags]

Bah, naglers.

:-)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Bah, naglers.

:-)

However did you guess?

So when I get an Ethos it will be

Bah, ethoses/ethoi?

Edited November 8, 2011 by michael.h.f.wilkinson

[Ags]

'Ethosis' is a disease contracted by spending too much time in the cold dark. After the sufferer has built up a complete set of ethoi, they seem to start rattling on about BGOs for some reason... :-)

[Moonshane]

Even thopugh I have a 26mm Nagler, I bought a 32mm Plossl to ensure that I have options if someone else is using another scope and threateneing to want to borrow the 26mm Nagler from my big dob - it's a great eyepiece.

in my 6" f11, it's a cheap alternative to the 24mm Panoptic and still having an exit pupil of <3mm.

[John]

... After the sufferer has built up a complete set of ethoi, they seem to start rattling on about BGOs for some reason... :-)

Thats just the guilt kicking in and the desire to display some humility by enthusing about something more affordable

Edited November 8, 2011 by John

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

'Ethosis' is a disease contracted by spending too much time in the cold dark. After the sufferer has built up a complete set of ethoi, they seem to start rattling on about BGOs for some reason... :-)

I thought getting the complete set meant you had no excuses left to succumb to terminal aperture fever

[swamp thing]

I think aperture fever is cheaper.

Full set of those Ethoses, Ethoi, Ethosis, Ethers, Easters......whatever, are pretty expensive (and impossible to know the plural of).

Regards Steve

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I think aperture fever is cheaper.

Full set of those Ethoses, Ethoi, Ethosis, Ethers, Easters......whatever, are pretty expensive (and impossible to know the plural of).

Regards Steve

Should we ask TV?

[newman]

ethoi - Wiktionary

I hope that helps As for TV quality, the 17mm Ethos I now own is my first TV eyepiece. I can't say I looked through every brand out there, but I did look through a few most popular ones (plossls of most big brands, hyperions, etc) and it blows most of them right out of the water by such a large margin I was stumped. I'll never forget my first look at the seven sisters through the Ethos when I was testing it out. Best view of them ever.. and it's definitely not just about the FOV. Image is just sharper, right out to the edge, it feels more neutral than most ep's I own, in short everything just looks better. Like someone wiped the window of some foggy residue and I can finally see clearly. Probably not fair to compare a 550€ ep to the 50-70€ range ones, though. But I'm definitely a subscriber. I'd rather buy 3 premium eyepieces now that cover all my needs than buy dozens of mid range cheaper ones before I get the 3 premium ones anyway

Clear skies.

Edited November 9, 2011 by newman

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I am sorely tempted by ethoi (thanks newman), but I find 15mm eye relief a tad short. My 14mm UWA has 15mm eye relief, and it is not that comfortable (but an excellent EP otherwise). This is why I went for T4 Naglers and Radians. The Delos range (Deloi?) are another matter entirely. I might well get a 10mm to replace the Radian 10.

[ollypenrice]

I picked up a used TV 32 Plossl for much the same reasons as Moonshane - something respectable for whoever doesn't get the 26 Nagler! It's pretty good but, yes, it's a Plossl.

Olly

[newman]

I am sorely tempted by ethoi (thanks newman), but I find 15mm eye relief a tad short. My 14mm UWA has 15mm eye relief, and it is not that comfortable (but an excellent EP otherwise). This is why I went for T4 Naglers and Radians. The Delos range (Deloi?) are another matter entirely. I might well get a 10mm to replace the Radian 10.

No problem. I'm considering a 10mm Delos myself right now. From what I could gather they should essentially perform the same as Ethoi, only with a 72deg AFOV instead of 100 and almost half the price - this makes them a very interesting prospect, indeed. After I have actually had some viewing time through an Ethos, I realized that it's ultra wide AFOV is the least of it's benefits; it's the image quality that has me really hooked, so it's not hard to understand how an eyepiece of the same optical quality, somewhat narrower AFOV and a much lower price tag would be really interesting. Reviews of both currently available Delos ep's are still scarce but those I was able to find were all quite favorable. BTW, does anyone know if TV plans to add more focal lengths to the Delos range? I did see some speculation about an 8mm, but I'm guessing TV is keeping a lid on things for now as I wasn't able to find anything concrete.

Edited November 9, 2011 by newman

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Having just invested in a s/h "hand grenade", I will stick to my plan, and just upgrade the 14mm UWA to a Nagler 12 T4. Replacement of Radians can wait a bit longer. The 40mm Paragon might go, as it has only a slightly larger FOV than the Nagler 31 T5. On the other hand, I might keep it, and give it the same role as Shane's 32mm TV Plossl. It is a very easy to use EP, ideal for public outreach (and half the weight of a Nagler 31 T5)

Edited November 9, 2011 by michael.h.f.wilkinson

[acey]

I picked up a used TV 32 Plossl for much the same reasons as Moonshane - something respectable for whoever doesn't get the 26 Nagler! It's pretty good but, yes, it's a Plossl.

Olly

What you pay for in a wide-field eyepiece is wide field. But FOV aside, is a Nagler really any better than a Plossl? Couple of interesting articles/threads comparing the two types:

Eyepieces: Performance of Simple Vs Complex types - Shootout

Telescope Reviews: Nagler vs Plossl - Round 1 (Indoors)

Quote from first:

"In almost every comparison I made, the simpler eyepieces delivered better absolute performance than the MUCH more expensive Naglers and the lone Panoptic in this test."

Quote from second:

"On-Axis Sharpness and Brightness - - Plossl Wins."

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

What you pay for in a wide-field eyepiece is wide field. But FOV aside, is a Nagler really any better than a Plossl? Couple of interesting articles/threads comparing the two types:

Eyepieces: Performance of Simple Vs Complex types - Shootout

Telescope Reviews: Nagler vs Plossl - Round 1 (Indoors)

Quote from first:

"In almost every comparison I made, the simpler eyepieces delivered better absolute performance than the MUCH more expensive Naglers and the lone Panoptic in this test."

Quote from second:

"On-Axis Sharpness and Brightness - - Plossl Wins."

I compared a 40mm Paragon with a 36mm Plossl, and a 22mm Nagler with a 26mm Plossl. On axis the difference is not that big, but in both cases the more advanced EPs had the edge.

To put this in perspective: first of all, this is just N=2 statistics. Secondly, I just bought the new EP, so I want it to be better. How can I make an objective visual judgement of the quality? People, including me, too often see what they want to see.

It is very difficult to get the observer out of the loop in judging EP performance. Ultimately, you have to balance many factors, and there is no one best solution. I know many planetary observers prefer orthos, I cannot work with them due to short eye relief. EP design is a compromise, and different situations require different compromises.

The first comparison you cite is on fairly slow scopes, where a simpler design might perform very well indeed. On faster scopes, things may be very different. The second test in at F/6, moderately fast, but indoors, and only on two EPs. Stars are a better test, and more tests are needed to make sweeping statements (should you so desire ). I agree a simple design might perform well on contrast and resolution (see TMB Monocentrics) on axis. In Dobs without tracking, on-axis performance is not sufficient, you need good overall performance.

Edited November 10, 2011 by michael.h.f.wilkinson

[acey]

Ultimately, you have to balance many factors, and there is no one best solution.

Totally agree. And if wide-field is a high priority then I'm sure those EPs are worth the money. Another interesting thread:

CN FORUMS ARCHIVE Telescope Reviews: Nagler vs. TV Plossl ? (FOV aside)

[sublime_mick]

bought the TV 32mm plossl myself - little birthday treat - all i need now is a clear sky

[dog52]

Im looking for 32mm plossls to use in my Denk with a Quark for solar viewing. I have a pair of 19mm panoptics but convinced that the 32 is the way to go.

My question is. Who does Denkmeier get to manufacture his eyepieces? Are they of the same quality as Televue when it comes to eyepieces?