Eye pieces advice needed

[Maverik359]

Hi I'm new to this, so please accept my apologies. I've very recently purchased a new Skywatcher explorer 150pds and it came with a 28mm eye piece, could I please ask for some advice to what other eye pieces that would be wise to have? Thanks Pete.

[Mr Spock]

How much would you like to spend?

[Maverik359]

Approximately £20 to £35 per eyepiece. 

[Froglord]

A second-hand BST StarGuider 8mm might just be within your budget.

That would give you 94x magnification and a 1.6mm exit pupil. A complete change of pace from your 28mm and enough to get a good gander at the planets, moon craters, etc.

[Mr Spock]

There's not much at those prices.
For £20 there's these https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astro-essentials-eyepieces/astro-essentials-super-plossl-eyepiece.html
Better quality of the same type at £46 https://www.firstlightoptics.com/vixen-eyepieces/vixen-npl-eyepieces.html
Next step up at £55 https://www.firstlightoptics.com/bst-starguider-eyepieces.html

[Louis D]

Perhaps a SV171 Svbony 8-24mm zoom?  They're only $51 on Svbony.com right now.  I have no idea if there's a UK equivalent website, however.  It's no Baader Hyperion Zoom, but if you combine your budget for multiple eyepieces into one, it would be no worse than a series of Plossls when used at f/5 as in your scope.

There's also the Celestron/Skywatcher 8-24mm zoom which might come in cheaper in the UK.

[Naughty Neal]

For the  £30 mark reasonable good EP's will be used  (barring the AS ones mentioned), one may be lucky and get a BST but generally Meade 4000 's are the likely target.

Recently I picked up a silver 4000 Japan 12.4MM EP for  £30 and a 26mm & 32mm later china 4000 EP's for £38 for the pair.  Otherwise one is  looking   to £46 - £65 for new EP's, to add to  those already mentioned  Ortho lens from Baader are worth a look , a very nice compact light weight offering.  Even the china 4000  EP's are still a pretty good lense still in todays age.

Baader Classic Series Ortho & Plossl | First Light Optics

 

Also Starbase Japan EP's at £45 - £65.

Starbase 1.25" Orthoscopic Eyepieces | First Light Optics

Edited March 12, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[Ratlet]

The 28mm is a pretty decent eyepiece which is handy since you won't need something at that focal length yet.  Do you need to wear your glasses whilst observing?

What do you plan on observing?

[bosun21]

I found the 28mm Kellner to be seriously lacking in my f5 & 6 scopes. It was usable in my Maksutov.

[Carbon Brush]

The questions posed by @Ratlet are very valid and important in choosing eyepieces.

Before limiting your choices by imposing a low target price, consider the future.
Your eyepiece collection can stay with you when you change scope.

I have a lot of different eyepieces purchased (often used) at different times.
These range from new price almost zero (poor quality supplied with a scope) up to £200.
After trying them, some are kept, some move on for someone else to try out.
The ££ lost in reselling a used eyepiece usually is not large, allowing you to experiment.
 

[ED Splitter]

Hi Pete,

Is this your first scope? If so it’s an incredibly exciting time just willing those clouds to disperse.
Lots of good advice has been given here already. If you are starting out you may not know what you want to observe so everything sounds appealing.  So where to start?
Well you are set for wide viewing at the moment with the bundled 28mm kellner, it will serve you well if you are staring out, you will want to upgrade it at some point but it’s not going to spoil your viewing  especially if you don’t have experience of something better. 
Rather than say spending £25 on seven or so eyepieces I would  recommend you spend that entire budget on one good eyepiece. As you have a lower power wide eyepiece already I think something that offers more power would be of use. We have seen the best of the planets for now so look at a medium power around 9mm. The second hand market will give you a greater return for your money and if it doesn’t suit your enjoyment or targets you can sell it on for no loss as prices are stable. Naglers and XWs can be had for £180 or Morpheus for the £160 mark. It’s an investment but one that pays. Cheaper eye pieces are available used but as the saying goes the more you pay the more you save 😎
If you want to keep to new products and if you’re just starting out I can understand that. Instead look at open box displays or returns. FLO did have a few starter eyepieces at a good discount. Keep checking on their offers page. Alternatively you could invest in a good zoom like a baader mk4 which is excellent to look at the moon. This offers several eyepieces in one form factor. Use it to work out which magnification suits you best for your chosen targets.  Think I saw one on the buy and sell here for £150. 
Exit pupils are something to consider. I won’t get into it now, go on YouTube and search for it. Chris, a forum member, has a YouTube channel called astalavist. He did a great video on eyepieces that explains this concept very well. 
FOV is a personal taste, from a practical point of view if your mount doesn’t track then you will be less frustrated by a wider field of view. 
Eye relief is how close you have to be to the eyepiece to find the light cone. Something to consider if you wear glasses to correct a stigmatism.  

There are many factors that go into considering eyepieces. It’s very easy to become overwhelmed when starting out and whilst everyone is helpful in giving in advice unfortunately the only way of finding out what suits you is for you to actually use different eyepieces and experience them for yourself. Do you have a local group you could join? Look out for some stargazing events in your locality.

If you get stuck in a purchasing decision and want to bounce ideas feel free to send me a pm on the messages and we can have a chat. 
 

clear skies