New guys just got a Celestron C5+ OTA...

[Devs]

Hi guys

I’ve just bought my first scope, its a 2nd hand Celestron C5 OTA and it came with a couple of low quality unbranded lenses a 10mm and a 25mm.

I’m looking to purchase a new lens so that I can see what the scope is capable of. I’ve tried the 25mm and would like a little more magnification for terrestrial use. I was wondering if you could recommend a good lens to get me started that would be suitable for both terrestrial use and basic astronomy?

I've been looking at the Celestron 8-24mm Zoom has anyone got any comments on this one or is there something else I should be considering?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Devs

[Space Bat]

Hi Devs

It would help if you state your budget - as to what people would suggest?

Celestron eyepieces are OK and a good starting point, but if you have done searches you would have seen prices for eyepieces go for the same price you would buy a scope for

However as with anything you do get what you pay for so an eypeiece of £50 wont be a match for one of £500, saying that for a newbie - you would need to get some appreciation of what the scope is capable of and with that the mounting becomes one of the most important features of any telescope.

Personally I wouldn't recommend the zoom eypeice unless you are getting one of the premier eyepieces such as televue...or william optics etc.

I would go suggest getting a better 20 -30mm eyepiece and one around 10-15mm get to grips with these and move on to complement your range...

Chris

[beetlejuice]

I'm not a great fan of zooms due to their generally narrow field of view but there's no doubt they are handy and a relatively cheap way of obtaining multiple magnification. I think the Celestron zoom got a reasonable review in Sky & Night magazine recently though the Meade version was better. If I can find it, I can tell you what they said!. My preference is for a decent set of plossls which can be had for very reasonable money. At your focal ratio plossls of good quality such as Meade 4000 or better 5000 series work just fine without breaking the bank. I most commonly use 9, 14, 26 & 32mm fl's which suit my two SCT's just fine.

[John]

The Hyperion zoom is reputedly one of the best zoom lenses:

Baader Planetarium - Baader Hyperion Zoom Eyepiece

Not cheap but you get what you pay for. It it's just for terrestrial use then the Celestron would probably be OK. Astro objects are more demanding though which is where the Hyperion zoom comes in ....

[Cornelius Varley]

As the others have said, zooms are not as good as standard eyepieces. The field of view can be quite narrow compared with an eyepiece of similar focal length. The Baader hyperion zoom is one of the better zoom eyepieces available and is quite expensive but would give you a magnification range of 52x - 156x.

Peter

[Devs]

Good evening guys and firstly thanks for all the very helpful replies - I didn't expect so many.

I feel that I've got a steep learning curve in front of me!

My budget for a first lens would have to be around the £100 mark as all my 'play' funds have been exhausted by my other hobby - photography.

I live in a city center at the moment so the light pollution sucks for astronomy however browsing the skyline can be quite fun.

Until recently I've only discovered the last variety of lens on offer. I was hoping to pick something up second hand via ebay to get me started however there doesn't seem to be a great market for 2nd hand glass. I found this unusual?

It difficult for me to say exactly what I'm looking for as I've never looked through any of the different focal lengths that are on offer.

My quest continues...

Thanks again all.

Devs.

[John]

...Until recently I've only discovered the last variety of lens on offer. I was hoping to pick something up second hand via ebay to get me started however there doesn't seem to be a great market for 2nd hand glass. I found this unusual?...

E.bay is a minefield to be honest, unless you know exactly what you are looking for. The classified section of this forum plus the UK Astro Buy & Sell website are a better bet. There are always eyepieces coming up for sale on there.

[David Pavlich]

I echo what most have said. I'm not a zoom fan. Use yours for now and do more research about eyepieces. I'm new here and don't have a clue as to the available astroshops and the internet groups available to you, but these are terrific eyepieces for the money:

Orion Expanse Telescope Eyepieces | Orion Telescopes

David