Controversial, "I don't get buying lot's of eyepieces."

[Franklin]

6 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

I get it. 😂

 

Eyepieces are great 🤣

 

[Franklin]

Just wait till @Louis D sees this thread, he must have about a million eyepieces!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

For visual night-time observing, I have quite an extensive set of premium EPs: A Vixen LVW 42 mm, Tele-Vue Naglers 31 mm T5, and 22 mm T4, an ES 17 mm 92 deg, a Tele-Vue Delos 14 mm, an ES 12 mm 92 deg, a Pentax XW 10 mm, a Tele-Vue Delos 8 mm, a Pentax XW 7 mm, a Tele-Vue Delos 6 mm, and a Pentax XW 5 mm. All are used quite frequently, depending on the targets. The Vixen LVW 42 sees least use, only on very wide targets under dark skies. The 31T5 is the main finder EP, the 22T4 and both ES EPs are great for galaxies. The Delos 14 and ES 12 see a lot of use on planetary nebulae, with the occasional cameo appearance of the XW 10. The XWs and shorter Delos EPs are the planetary quintuplet. I made the shorter Delos EPs par-focal with the XWs with parfocaliser rings. This allows rapid switching of magnification to match seeing conditions.

For solar I have a William Optics Zoom II 7.5-22.5 mm zoom at work paired with my Coronado SolarMax-II 60 mm, at home I use a Vixen Orthoscopic 25 mm for most H-alpha viewing. For lightweight travel and solar white light, I have a cluster of Vixen SLVs (5, 9 and 15 mm), and a 24 mm 68 deg MaxVision. For planetary imaging, I have a Tele-Vue Plössl 25mm that I stick into my Vixen flip-mirror for finding and centering planets. 

 

I make that 18 EPs. Perfectly reasonable . 

[ollypenrice]

Talking about extremes, a friend about 20 miles away uses a 31mm Nagler for planetary observing. I have to stand on a box to reach that eyepiece...

lly

[markse68]

12 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Talking about extremes, a friend about 20 miles away uses a 31mm Nagler for planetary observing. 

Haha yea we were using a 24mm for ~ 355x on Mars in the Great Equatorial at the ROG last month 😂

Eyepieces are very addictive- and luckily don’t take up much space to store They’re all different and having a few on hand to attempt to get the optimum magnification/contrast on a target is all part of the fun

Been using a fine zoom ep for a while and enjoying the simplicity of the setup but going back to well populated fixed eps was very satisfying too.

When i get a new ep, even though it probably wasn’t necessary, I’m always itching to get out and try it and that usually leads to a spurt of enthusiasm that lasts far longer- a good thing i think  

Oh and never get rid of any- you never know when that’s the one that would really be perfect for your target/conditions 🤣

Mark

[paulastro]

Nigella, whatever people have answered to your post, the real answer is more money than sense 😊.

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

@Nigella Bryant I think you probably need to be a visual observing nut, and quite possibly into planetary/lunar observing to get the need for more than two or three eyepieces.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve seen you more as on the imaging side, or at least a kind of EEVA ie viewing live images on a screen as your favoured ways of enjoying Astro/solar?

Yeah, I'm very much imaging EEVA. I confess I have more Zwo cameras than eyepieces, lol. I tryed looking through the cameras but I confess I couldn't see a thing, lol. 

[wulfrun]

I think the idea of three or four EPs really only works if you have one scope and live somewhere with consistent conditions. I have three scopes, ranging from 500 -1200mm f/l so some EPs aren't suitable for some scopes. Hence the Barlow, focal-extender, zooms and half-dozen fixed EPs. Between them I can find the optimum for most targets, scopes and seeing conditions.

[ollypenrice]

All right, how about this: on a given occasion, does a premium eyepiece of a compromise focal length beat a budget eyepiece of the perfect focal length?

My answer is, Course it does! 

lly

[Louis D]

1 hour ago, Franklin said:

Just wait till @Louis D sees this thread, he must have about a million eyepieces!

I've been observing for about 25 years now.  Being a bit of a hoarder, and not being hard up for money or storage space, I tend to collect eyepieces and compare newer ones to older ones as references.  I'm sort of like the musician with 40 or more trumpets or guitars.  Each has its own characteristics to be experienced.

Edited December 29, 2022 by Louis D

[Mr Spock]

I don't get why people have telescopes and don't look thought them 😜

[vlaiv]

21 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

All right, how about this: on a given occasion, does a premium eyepiece of a compromise focal length beat a budget eyepiece of the perfect focal length?

My answer is, Course it does! 

lly

actually that depends.

Take planetary scope - one with long focal length, and take budget EP in form of plossl or ortho at good focal length for planetary (with long FL scope you'll have enough eye relief to feel comfortable) - and then compare it with any sort of premium eyepiece that is not of good focal length (either too much or too little magnification).

 

[Louis D]

1 minute ago, Mr Spock said:

I don't get why people have telescopes and don't look thought them 😜

For me lately, it's been a combination of poor weather, lack of spare time, and sheer exhaustion keeping me from using mine.

For a long stretch in the 2000 to 2012 time frame, I was too overwhelmed with helping to raise three little kids to get out much to observe.  Luckily, I didn't sell my gear, so I was able to get back into observing relatively painlessly once they all became tweens or older.  It was also good for at least one of my kids who took an interest in astronomy.  The other two were too busy playing video games or dancing/teaching dance to be interested in astronomy.  I had maybe 7 or 8 eyepieces, a few Barlows, and three scopes back in 2012.  This has exploded to over 70 eyepieces, 8+ Barlows, and 7 scopes today.

[Elp]

19 minutes ago, Mr Spock said:

I don't get why people have telescopes and don't look thought them 😜

I don't get why I look through my telescope all I see is clouds.

[bomberbaz]

@Nigella Bryant, I refer you to the statement highlighted in white in my signature 😉

[Roy Challen]

Umm, I only really use two eyepieces these days, a Baader 32mm plossl for solar and a Hyperflex zoom for everything else. 

But I still have the full set of Baader BCOs, a Meade ortho, Vixen plossls, Orion plossls, not to mention the 100+ eyepieces I've had in the last 8-9 years😁

[vlaiv]

3 minutes ago, Roy Challen said:

Hyperflex zoom for everything else.

Is that 7.2-21.5mm version or 9-27mm one?

[Roy Challen]

2 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Is that 7.2-21.5mm version or 9-27mm one?

7.2-21.5mm, my scopes are long f/l so it covers most bases. I like the look of the new svbony 3-8 zoom though, so that's another one for the list!

[vlaiv]

1 minute ago, Roy Challen said:

7.2-21.5mm, my scopes are long f/l so it covers most bases. I like the look of the new svbony 3-8 zoom though, so that's another one for the list!

Very little info on 9-27mm version and I think I'd prefer that one for my little Mak - to be lunar EP, but I'm not completely sure of how good it is.

 

[Roy Challen]

2 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

Very little info on 9-27mm version and I think I'd prefer that one for my little Mak - to be lunar EP, but I'm not completely sure of how good it is.

 

I use the zoom in my little mak (skymax 90) too. I'm pleased with lunar views, it seems best around 8mm as did the previous example I had. It is also reasonable for Jupiter and Saturn, although my orthos do outperform it when seeing allows.

[Sunshine]

5 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Part of the issue is if you have more than one scope.

This is basically it in a nutshell, but aside from this fact, there are some of us (not me) who just buy them as they come along and add to a collection just like golfers. My neighbour has over 50 golf clubs, I don't get it.

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Talking about extremes, a friend about 20 miles away uses a 31mm Nagler for planetary observing. I have to stand on a box to reach that eyepiece...

lly

OMG who is your friend? Jeff Bezos or Thanos?

[ollypenrice]

4 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

OMG who is your friend? Jeff Bezos or Thanos?

Marc Bretton. He founded an astronomy centre nearby, on a rather different scale to mine!  A good guy. https://www.obs-bp.net/

Olly

[scarp15]

John, whom has not posted for some time, would refer to dedicated visual observers, expanding their experiences encountering a broad range of observational subjects; as ocularholics; to which he was openly one.   

There is logic for having available multiple types of eyepieces at multiple focal lengths for particular conditions, circumstances and subjects. It can take years to gradually build, chopping and changing on the journey; the 'dream team' perfect set-up. 

Yes three may do, of course at a pinch, but for dedicated visual observers who do not dabble at all in imaging, focusing all their session time on observation - not likely.

There is always an itch for one more. 

[cajen2]

Why have a lot of EPs? For the same reason as so many people have a lot of scopes! Which scope or EP you use depends on what you want to see, the observing conditions, etc etc. I have only two scopes:  6" and 8" dobs so I need a variety of EPs for different targets and conditions. I'm a dilettante and love a wide variety of targets (planets, DSOs, double stars, etc). Also, my two 2" EPs won't fit my 6" dob, so I need a couple of 1.25" EPs to fill the low mag gap. Oddly, the bits of kit that would obviate the need for a variety are the ones I use the least - a zoom and two Barlows. I just find good fixed f/l EPs are better. I have nine of those....😉