What eyepiece?

[gobes]

I'm thinking about getting a new eyepiece (or two) for my Skymax 127 mak. So far I've only got the ep's that came with (25 and 10mm).

Can anybody recommend a good ep to get hold of, pref not too expensive. I've heard 'Plossl' being mentioned... but no idea what this is.

Any advice much appreciated.

[PaulG]

Have a read here for eyepiece designs

Eyepiece - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I use Plossl eyepieces, I also have a Baader Hyperion which is a comfortable eyepiece to use.

I have just bought a volcano top Orthoscopic eyepiece to try out.

I mainly observe the Moon and planets with my Mak.

Paul

[John]

I would probably think about getting a 32mm Plossl which would give you the widest field of view that a 1.25" fitting eyepiece can give and a 7mm Plossl which would increase your max magnification to a useful and useable 214x.

John

[ollypenrice]

I agree with John and am a fan of TeleVue. They are more expensive but are quite superb and hold their value. Are they worth the extra? For me, yes and without hesitation.

Olly

[The Warthog]

Here's an article on eyepieces with pictures: Eyepieces.

Televue does make great eps, but it'sabit like buying a Lamborghini when a Ford Prefect will do the job. The Meade 4000 and 5000 eps, the Celestron Ultimas, Antares Elite and Speers-WALERs, and Pentax all do an excellent job at a much lower price.

[DemonicOmelette]

I disagree with getting a 7mm Plossl. I had a 6.4mm plossl, and there was literally NO eye relief. My eye-lashes were constantly brushing the EP, and I like to think I have fairly short, manly eyelashes.

My cheapo 32mm Plossl is my favorite EP, but if you want something with more magnification, I can whole-heartedly recommend a William Optics 6mm SPL. Lovely bit of kit!

But I;ve only just started out in this hobby, so don't listen to me!!

-eli

[insomnia]

Demonic, I am like you and just a novice, but your experience and opinions on EP'S are just as valid.

You have found out what works well for your set up and seeing as you seem to have the same scope as me then i find your experience very useful for what I am looking for.

So for me its job well done.

[DemonicOmelette]

You should also listen to the people with much more experience, as they've probably tried out a lot more different kit. I only know I tried a 6.4 Plossl and didn't get on with it! But everyone seems to love a 32mm plossl.

One thing I know I can say is that the difference between a "high-end" and "budget" 32mm is MUCH less than the difference between a "high end" and "budget" 6mm. That is because it is a lot easier to make a larger aperture lens. In other words, if you wanted to buy premium, save your cash for an expensive smaller aperture. Don

t bother with a cheap 6mm, but a cheap 32mm isn't too bad!

Does this make sense??

-eli

[Macavity]

You can spend quite a lot of time "agonising" over choice of eyepiece. <G> But I now feel that you are basically trying to fill a RANGE of useful magnification, for your particular scope, with "N" (some number!) eyepieces. For the MAK, in basic configuration, this is often seen as (focal lengths) 32mm through 8mm (7/6/5mm? But not always under UK skies!). Then you fill in the gaps...

But in this, you can actually be reasonably well guided by common manufacturer series. Two main focal length progressions seem to emerge (roughly!): 6,10,16,24,32 & 5,8,13,20,32mm. Both show the characteristic "increasing gap" as the series progresses! Note the first already includes your "standard issue" 10 & 25mm - Perhaps a (cost) consideration, when just starting your collection. Of course, as your experience (financial commitment!) increases, you will doubtless replace / add to these with preferred focal lengths, fields etc. But I sense manufacturers chose these series with some solid basis...

If you want a FULLER theroretical background, this might help:

Tele Vue Optics Article Page

But, as with most things, there is a "scientific", and there is an "intuitive", approach? Or my preference, some combination...

[Tiny]

A 2x tal barlow is cheap and gives you 5mm and 12.5mm with you existing eyepieces. Add a skywatcher plossi 40mm to that and it gives you a good range to get an idea what you can see given the scope you have with its 1500mm focal length. FLO sell tal and skywatcher.