planetary eyepiece

[kniclander]

I would like to buy a new e/p for my celestron ed80 in the 4-5mm range. I am considering the following -

baader genuine ortho

circle T volcano top ortho

teleskop service tmb design planetary e/p (not an ortho - much wider FOV and better eye relief)

My questions are -

the baader ortho is about £30 more than the circle T. has anyone compared the two?

in terms of the sharpness and contrast, how much would the orthos outperform the tmb planetary (I am assuming something is sacrificed for the extra FOV etc)?

I already have an 8mm Burgess Optical TMB planetary . I could just buy a barlow for that but presumably there is some visual loss by adding a barlow. But would I notice it?

ps, you don't have to answer all three questions at once

cheers

Dan

[Bigwings]

Dont know about the EP's but as most of us use a barlow at some time I would be tempted to try that rout first. You will then be able to see how it works with your current EP's and it gives you the best flexibility

[kniclander]

bump?

[Doc]

I use the circle t volcanoe top ortho's with my TAL 100r and think they are great. Very sharp and lots of contrast. Only downside is the exit pupil, it is very small and my eyelashes sometimes rub agasinst the glass.

[argonaut]

I have just written a small post on Cloudy Nights about the Ortho's I use.

Telescope Reviews: Another Ortho thread

I hope this helps a little.

Glen.

[Andrew*]

I don't think the TMB Planetary will be significantly beaten by either ortho to be honest, and would go as far to say that it would be worth sacrificing any optical advantage of the orthos for the comfort of the Planetaries.

Regarding barlows - well it depends on which barlow, but in this day and age adding extra elements does not impact the image hugely because of the excellent coatings.

This is my opinion only - feel free to add your own.

Andrew

[Doc]

Regarding barlows - well it depends on which barlow, but in this day and age adding extra elements does not impact the image hugely because of the excellent coatings.

This is my opinion only - feel free to add your own.

Andrew

I agree about the barlow comment. I personally don't use them as I think it does degrade the image. But then some people love them so horses for courses really.

[kniclander]

I have just written a small post on Cloudy Nights about the Ortho's I use.

Telescope Reviews: Another Ortho thread

I hope this helps a little.

Glen.

check out the CN guy's e/p collection - WOW!!

thanks all for the responses - from not knowing which one of three to choose, now I don't know which one of six to choose

[GazOC]

I've compared the Baader and UO volcano top orthos and found the volcano top format was a big plus point for comfort and positioning the eye correctly.

[PaulG]

I have just written a small post on Cloudy Nights about the Ortho's I use.

Telescope Reviews: Another Ortho thread

I hope this helps a little.

Glen.

Glen

Nice to see the T circle is your second favourite ortho in all three scopes.

I purchased a mint boxed T circle recently at a really cheap price and I'm quite impressed with it.

So much so I will be looking for another to add to the collection.

Paul