What would be a good planetary eyepeice for 72mm f6?

[stafford_stargazer]

I know the scope isn't really suited for planetary but it does give a good account for itself.

What would be a good quality eyepeice with good contrast around 2-4mm?

Thanks Gary 

[jetstream]

The Vixen SLV's are vg- 2.5mm or 4mm

FLO has them.

A 10mm BCO/Baader Q Barlow would be a good combo - giving 4.4mm

The BST 3.2mm might be good as well.

Edited February 14, 2023 by jetstream

[scarp15]

A Tele Vue DeLite 4mm (also available in 3mm) would be a choice consideration to. 

[jetstream]

4 minutes ago, scarp15 said:

A Tele Vue DeLite 4mm (also available in 3mm) would be a choice consideration to. 

Hi Iain!

Yes that is the premium choice for sure.

[Highburymark]

And if you really want to see every possible detail that your telescope can show, then any of the Tak TOEs - the 3.3mm and 2.5mm are wonderful. Quite pricey though.

[badhex]

From personal experience with a ZS73 F5.9, I found the 5mm BST to be around the comfortable limit a lot of the time. I never enjoyed using the 3.2mm with it. 

Although it doesn't really count as planetary for those looking for a 'pure' /limited glass experience, the Morpheus 4.5mm also works well with that scope. 

If you do want to go with minimal glass, BCO 6mm, or 10mm with a high quality barlow also works well as @jetstream says. In fact, the 10mm BCO plus barlow gives you additional ER which is helpful, as it can be very tight with orthos on a scope like that. 

[Louis D]

Before investing in exotic glass like Tak TOEs, I would look into getting an entry level binoviewer and a good quality Barlow to boost power when using 15mm to 25mm eyepiece pairs.  I find I can see far more detail on planets using two eyes instead of one.  It also cuts down on glare because both eyes see the same brightness.

I compared the view of Mars at opposition through my Pentax XW 3.5mm and Pentax XL 5.2mm against my Arcturus BV loaded with a Meade 140 2x Barlow element and 2 Svbony UWA 20mm eyepieces.  It was no contest.  The BV was showing loads of detail while both Pentaxes showed a featureless and overexposed orange disk.

[jetstream]

31 minutes ago, stafford_stargazer said:

I know the scope isn't really suited for planetary but it does give a good account for itself.

What would be a good quality eyepeice with good contrast around 2-4mm?

Thanks Gary 

Just saw your scope in the other thread- nice scope!

Really it depends how much you want to spend but a good barlow would be an asset like the Baader VIP. Also you can get eyepiece barrel extensions to increase the distance of the EP to barlow lens. Its too bad the Vixen HR are no more- they were made for your application.  Keeping an eye out for these is also a great option in the used market. They are stunning.

[stafford_stargazer]

34 minutes ago, jetstream said:

Just saw your scope in the other thread- nice scope!

Really it depends how much you want to spend but a good barlow would be an asset like the Baader VIP. Also you can get eyepiece barrel extensions to increase the distance of the EP to barlow lens. Its too bad the Vixen HR are no more- they were made for your application.  Keeping an eye out for these is also a great option in the used market. They are stunning.

Thankyou for your kind words and information on eyepeice.

I didn't know about extensions or wether a good Barlow would suffice.

But I've got more of an idea now.

Those eyepeices I'm not familiar with but I'm on Google in a minute 😁

Thanks Gary 

[stafford_stargazer]

45 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Before investing in exotic glass like Tak TOEs, I would look into getting an entry level binoviewer and a good quality Barlow to boost power when using 15mm to 25mm eyepiece pairs.  I find I can see far more detail on planets using two eyes instead of one.  It also cuts down on glare because both eyes see the same brightness.

I compared the view of Mars at opposition through my Pentax XW 3.5mm and Pentax XL 5.2mm against my Arcturus BV loaded with a Meade 140 2x Barlow element and 2 Svbony UWA 20mm eyepieces.  It was no contest.  The BV was showing loads of detail while both Pentaxes showed a featureless and overexposed orange disk.

Wow many thanks for the info, didn't think a binoviewer would give more detail.. appreciate all the advice ..another option for sure . 🙏🙏

[mikeDnight]

1 hour ago, Louis D said:

Before investing in exotic glass like Tak TOEs, I would look into getting an entry level binoviewer and a good quality Barlow to boost power when using 15mm to 25mm eyepiece pairs.  I find I can see far more detail on planets using two eyes instead of one.  It also cuts down on glare because both eyes see the same brightness.

I compared the view of Mars at opposition through my Pentax XW 3.5mm and Pentax XL 5.2mm against my Arcturus BV loaded with a Meade 140 2x Barlow element and 2 Svbony UWA 20mm eyepieces.  It was no contest.  The BV was showing loads of detail while both Pentaxes showed a featureless and overexposed orange disk.

Exactly what Louis said!! 

[Highburymark]

2 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

Exactly what Louis said!! 

Do you prefer binoviewing the planets Mike, or using your lovely Vixen HRs? Although I’m a complete convert to binoviewing the Moon and Sun, I’m still on the fence when it comes to planets, often preferring a single eyepiece for best detail. 
I accept that a binoviewer may be best solution with Gary’s 72mm ED, however.

[mikeDnight]

23 minutes ago, stafford_stargazer said:

Wow many thanks for the info, didn't think a binoviewer would give more detail.. appreciate all the advice ..another option for sure . 🙏🙏

It may sound strange that a cheap binoviewer with a 2x Barlow attached to its nose, and a couple of good plossl's or orthoscopics, could significantly improve the already great view through a high end eyepiece, but its true.  When you think about it, its quite logical really, as you're using both retinas and therefore twice the receptor sensitivity.  For the Moon and planets you'll not regret it, even with a small aperture scope. The Equinox 80ED below was a breathtakingly good  lunar and planetary scope when used with a cheap binoviewer.

[stafford_stargazer]

5 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

It may sound strange that a cheap binoviewer with a 2x Barlow attached to its nose, and a couple of good plossl's or orthoscopics, could significantly improve the already great view through a high end eyepiece, but its true.  When you think about it, its quite logical really, as you're using both retinas and therefore twice the receptor sensitivity.  For the Moon and planets you'll not regret it, even with a small aperture scope. The Equinox 80ED below was a breathtakingly good  lunar and planetary scope when used with a cheap binoviewer.

Nice setup, I fancy trying one now, I bet it's comfortable viewing 😁 have you a make or model for yours? Thanks Gary 

[mikeDnight]

5 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Do you prefer binoviewing the planets Mike, or using your lovely Vixen HRs? Although I’m a complete convert to binoviewing the Moon and Sun, I’m still on the fence when it comes to planets, often preferring a single eyepiece for best detail. 
I accept that a binoviewer may be best solution with Gary’s 72mm ED, however.

It depends on the magnification really. The Vixen HR's are great when I need very a high mag and the seeing allows, but I mainly use them for double stars. With the binoviewer im limited to 320X if I want to keep things comfortable, and then I'd only go so high with the Moon. I do feel that binoviewers somehow ease turbulence. The HR's can give me 500X, or 1000X with a barlow on double stars. I think I'd look like Marty Feldman if I tried such high power with my binoviewer.

[mikeDnight]

9 minutes ago, stafford_stargazer said:

Nice setup, I fancy trying one now, I bet it's comfortable viewing 😁 have you a make or model for yours? Thanks Gary 

I bought my binoviewer in 2008 for £99 and have used it ever since. It's branded Revelation, but I'm pretty sure that its a generic binoviewer sold by many reputable companies. The eyepieces I used in the image were 16.8mm Kson Orthoscopics at around £40 each. They are excellent in a binoviewer, giving great eye relief and truly sharp detail. Using longer focal length eyepieces works really well in a binoviewer if a 2X barlow is used between the telescope and the binoviewer, and rather than 2X, the amplification factor becomes approximately 4X. In your case the 16.8mm's would give you around 108X, which is glorious on the moon. You can increase the power by changing to a 2.5X or 3X barlow while using the same eyepieces. 

[Stu]

I used to find that eyepieces in the 3 to 4mm were best high powers in similar scopes I’ve had in the past. Often somewhere around 3.5 ish worked out best. I have a Nagler zoom which is ideal in a small travel scope and covers those ranges well. Perhaps a smidge behind some of those dedicated ones but fairly close. A Vixen 3.4mm HR might be fun too, although rare on the used market.

Regarding binoviewers, I think they are something that everyone needs to try for size themselves, as personal experiences vary widely. It took me quite a few pairs and a number of years before I got used to them for Solar and Lunar, and I would still say I’m only 50/50 for planetary. The view is easier on the eye in the BVs, but if I look through the floaters, I still normally see more detail/a sharper image with a single eyepiece.

[Stu]

1 minute ago, mikeDnight said:

I bought my binoviewer in 2008 for £99 and have used it ever since. It's branded Revelation, but I'm pretty sure that its a generic binoviewer sold by many reputable companies. The eyepieces I used in the image were 16.8mm Kson Orthoscopics at around £40 each. They are excellent in a binoviewer, giving great eye relief and truly sharp detail. Using longer focal length eyepieces works really well in a binoviewer if a 2X barlow is used between the telescope and the binoviewer, and rather than 2X, the amplification factor becomes approximately 4X. In your case the 16.8mm's would give you around 108X, which is glorious on the moon. You can increase the power by changing to a 2.5X or 3X barlow while using the same eyepieces. 

I reckon you should treat yourself to a pair of MaxBright IIs Mike, I’m sure you would see a different.

[mikeDnight]

6 minutes ago, Stu said:

I reckon you should treat yourself to a pair of MaxBright IIs Mike, I’m sure you would see a different.

Thats very kind of you Stu, I'll pm you my bank details. I'm hoping to have an adventure to the Astronomy Show at Kettering in March, so  your kind donation will be put to good use. 

[jetstream]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

I would still say I’m only 50/50 for planetary.

Me too, but I do use them in my 15"- the best view of Jupiter ever was around 350x with the Binotrons, some views we just dont forget. The colours and detail were superb, eclipsing all other views in my varied scopes.

[Ricochet]

The only downside to using binoviewers is that they are relatively heavy and a 72 mm scope is quite light so the set up will become quite back heavy. As l use my skywatcher 72 ed as a grab and go scope I prefer to use a televue 3-6 mm zoom as my sole planetary eyepiece for that scope. I find that the limit of the scope is at a setting of about 3.5mm before the degradation of the image exceeds the increase in magnification. 

[Mr Spock]

I have a SLV 2.5mm which is rather nice. TOEs are good too. The new Svbony 3-8mm zoom is proving rather popular at the moment.

[IB20]

I haven’t really been able to get on with BVs so far. Incredible amount of faff to get focused with existing kit and once I have got focused I’m seeing double images or my brain isn’t wanting to merge the images. Just bear in mind BVs might not be a straight forward path. 

[Stu]

14 hours ago, Ricochet said:

I find that the limit of the scope is at a setting of about 3.5mm before the degradation of the image exceeds the increase in magnification.

That’s exactly what I found too 👍

[jetstream]

18 hours ago, Ricochet said:

As l use my skywatcher 72 ed as a grab and go scope I prefer to use a televue 3-6 mm zoom as my sole planetary eyepiece for that scope.

👍

This is what I would use with the OP's scope, and it is what I use with the 90mm Raptor and H130.