5mm EP

[Sunwind]

can anyone find me a good 5mm EP for my scope for viewing planets better with? my budget isn't very big probably <£50

found a 6.4mm or something one on FLO for £20 but I would rather get a straight up 5mm one but they don't have any

[StarMan1701]

Hi Sunwind,

You could perhaps try one of the Paradigm ED eyepieces:

1.25" 5mm 60 Degree Explorer Dual ED Eyepiece on eBay (end time 14-Feb-10 15:37:54 GMT)

I have no experience of these eyepieces myself, but several members of this forum have recently aquired some and first impressions seem to be good.

They also fall comfortably within your budget.

Hope this helps,

Lee.

[spike87]

I'm also after a 5/6mm eyepiece and really like the look of those. Quite a few users very happy with the 8mm and 18mm, but does anyone have any experience with the 5mm Paradigm? Can't decide whether to go for the 8mm or the 5mm.

[russ]

I was out with the 8mm last night and this morning. Used in an 8" f6 and 8" f10 SCT.

Mars was sharp, free of false colour and showing nice detail around the polar cap in the SCT. That was at a magnification of 250x.

In the newt i barlowed it with a Celestron Ultima 2x to give 300x.........perfect!!!!!

I have the 8mm, 12mm and 18mm. Love em all. For the money they are the best eyepieces i've bought. Really can't grumble at £38 delivered.

Russ

[TheThing]

Not quite 5mm but the 6mm WO SPL planetary EP is excellent (and not just for planets!). Exceptional views against a lovely dark background. Works well in both a fast and slow scope.

[StarMan1701]

...but does anyone have any experience with the 5mm Paradigm?

Although quite new to the hobby, my nephew, (also a member of this forum) is out, right now, testing the 5mm in his 130mm f/5 newtonian. Apparently, initial views seem promising...

Lee.

[Sunwind]

thanks for the tips. i'm also after a high mm EP for looking at large DSO's / things like andromeda, pleides etc, do I want a 32mm or 40mm?

32mm SP-Series Super Plossl EyepieceTelescope Accessories | Rother Valley Optics

40mm SP-Series Super Plossl EyepieceTelescope Accessories | Rother Valley Optics

both are the same price.. as far as I know 40mm would give a bigger view right so isn't that better? or should I go for the 32mm for some other reason?

thanks

[russ]

If you can afford it, try and go for a 2" widefield. I use a 32mm 2" 70deg eyepiece and get a true field of view of 1.87deg (same as you would get with the 10"). Which is a good chunk of sky.

Russ

[Sunwind]

how much are those and what kind of make do I want?

[StarMan1701]

Sunwind,

I would avoid the 40mm eyepiece in favour of the 32mm. The field of view of these eyepieces is limited by the physical size of the 1.25 inch barrel format, which is why the better wide field eyepieces tend to use 2 inch barrels.

The 40mm has a narrower apparent field of view, (around 44 degrees), than the 32mm, (around 52 degrees).

In practice this means that although both eyepieces would give a similar true field of view in your telescope, (around 1.4 degrees), the 32mm will give a slightly higher magnification, (37x as opposed to 30x for the 40mm), and a darker sky background.

Hope this helps,

Lee.

[part timer]

for the 5mm get a TS planetary. They are about £50 pounds from Modern Astronomy and beat the pants off everything else!

Go for a 32 mm plossl as it shows the same area of sky as the 40mm but at higher magnification.

[John]

I agree with the suggestions re: 32mm over 40mm plossls if you have to stick with 1.25" eyepieces. You can get a lot wider fields of view with the 2" format of course but I would still stick to a max eyepiece focal length of 30mm-32mm with your F/4.7 scope otherwise the exit pupil (the diameter of the bundle of light hitting your eye) gets a bit too large.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I go with John and Lee. I had a 36 mm Plossl, which already had a narrower field of view. Furthermore, the Plossl of that type have such long eye relief that they become a pain to use. I rarely used the thing and stuck with teh 26mm and a focal reducer. A SWAN is more expensive but well worth it. With a 40mm Paragon on my C8 I get about 1.4 deg true FOV, but only because I fitted a 2" back to my C8. You should also check out the Hyperions if you want a lower priced EP in this class. I have seen the 36 mm on the 16" RC and id did a pretty decent job.

[TheThing]

...but you can't beat a 40mm Tal plossl. A truely excellent EP. Admittedly, it doesn't give me any extra than a 30mm Vixen, as mentioned above, but it is a lovely EP!

[russ]

how much are those and what kind of make do I want?

Skywatcher do a version called the Panaview and FLO sell it. It does cost 50% more than the version i had in mind and the one i have but it does look better finished:

Skywatcher - Skywatcher PanaView 2" eyepieces

Telescope House have a Revelation version at 30mm 70deg for £50:

Revelation 30mm Eyepiece 2"

This is the one i have. I bought it secondhand and i'm very pleased. No it's not the best corrected eyepiece for an f5 scope but nor will a cheap 32mm/40mm plossl, so nothing lost. It does however show a very large chunk of sky in a scope with a 1200mm focal length. And for some reason the outher parts of the field do not bother me:

Adler Adler Optik Skarp 32mm 2" fit 5 element SWA Eyepiece

Something to consider.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

...but you can't beat a 40mm Tal plossl. A truely excellent EP. Admittedly, it doesn't give me any extra than a 30mm Vixen, as mentioned above, but it is a lovely EP!

Does it give a 69deg AFOV ?

[John]

Does it give a 69deg AFOV ?

The max AFoV for a 40mm 1.25" eyepiece is 44 degrees and, as I recall, the TAL 40mm plossl is in the 1.25" format.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I do not doubt it is a good piece of kit, I am just very happy I have a 2" back-end and my 40mm 69deg AFOV eyepiece. If you want to go wide field, there is no substitute for a BIGGER eyepiece (though you do need a bigger budget as well ).

[russ]

I do not doubt it is a good piece of kit, I am just very happy I have a 2" back-end and my 40mm 69deg AFOV eyepiece. If you want to go wide field, there is no substitute for a BIGGER eyepiece (though you do need a bigger budget as well ).

Indeed. I think if you have a 2" focuser it pays to make use of it when looking at this focal length eyepiece. Really maximise the possiblities. After all if you are looking for a 30mm-40mm eyepiece it's because you want to see as large an area of sky as physically possible with your scope.

[Sunwind]

thanks I think i'm gunna go for the 5mm paradigm and the 32mm panaview seem like good choices.

[russ]

Should be a great combo to add to your current eyepieces. That 32mm Panaview will give you a true FOV of 1.87deg....that's gonna be great for extended objects or as a finder eyepiece.

If the 5mm Paradigm is as good as the 8mm you are in for a treat. Extremely comfortable to use as well.

Russ

[Sunwind]

just to check I will be able to use the 2" panaview with my scope using the 2" eyepeice adapter that the scope came with?

edit: also does anyone know someplace else to get the 5mm Paradigm EP as it's sold out on ebay now and I can't find any more.

[russ]

Yes, the Panaview will need to be used with the 2" adapter provided with the dob. Should work perfectly.

Send a message to Alan (Skies the Limit) via Ebay and ask if he will be starting another auction for the 5mm Paradigm. From what i've seen he just restarts the auction when one auction sells out. Unless he has run out of stock. But best bet is to contact him.

Russ

[Sunwind]

thanks

can't wait to get a look at Mars with this eyepeice

[russ]

Don't be too disappointed if your first view doesn't show too much. If Mars is showing it's boring side there's really not much to see. But it should be a great eyepiece (and Saturn is rising fast now) based on how the others in the series perform.

Just hope you can grab one.

Russ