Help - premium eyepiece wanted

[dweller25]

I have a Takahashi FS128 and a very good 8" F/6 Newtonian.

I wear glasses (shortsighted) and draw at the eyepiece - planetary only.

So I am looking for a 9-10mm eyepiece that I will barlow to give magnifications around x200 in the refractor and x250 in the reflector. Most UK nights max magnification is x250.

My options at the moment are :-

Televue Nagler 9mm - x231 (refractor) x266 (reflector)

Pentax XW 10mm - x208 (refractor) x240 (reflector)

I would welcome peoples thought on these two eyepieces in the scopes I mentioned. I am looking for premium optics and comfortable viewing without kidney beaning whilst wearing my glasses.

Thanks in advance.

[John]

I have a Nagler T6 9mm and I'm trying out a Pentax XW 10mm to see how they compare. Both are excellent but I have to say that the Pentax just pips the Nagler on light throughput I think - I found this when picking out the fainter moons of Saturn - the Pentax showed Enceladus first - then I was able to pick it out with the Nagler. I have also tried an XW 30mm but it is the 10mm has really impressed me.

Although the Nagler has the wider AFoV, the large eyelens of the Pentax and it's easy-to-find eye position (with the adjustable eye cup helping of course) seems to make the difference more or less dissapear when actually observing.

Both great but the Pentax is just tiny bit better IMHO.

Edit: Just noticed that you are a glasses wearer - definately the Pentax then - the Nagler's 12mm of eye relief may well be just too tight for you.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Consider a Radian. I have an 8mm, love the extra eye relief (I have fairly severe astigmatism), it is VERY sharp edge to edge, and I do not mind that the AFOV is 60deg. I have a 14 and 22 mm with 82 deg AFOV, and a 40mm with 69deg, and was seriously annoyed at the 45-50 deg AFOV of the LVs I used to have. The Radian is really good, and a bit cheaper than the Nagler.

I do not have a comparison to the Pentax, which is excelent by all accounts.

[Rusty Strings]

Another vote for the Pentax from another glasses wearer.

[StarMan1701]

How about the Vixen 8mm LVW?

Slightly more magnification than you were looking for, but 20mm of eye relief and very good glass, (I have one).

Just a thought...

Lee.

[russ]

There's also the Pentax XF 8.5

The reviews i've read put it ahead of the Radian in most areas, although very close run. Good for glasses with 18mm eye relief, sharp edge to edge, Pentax SMC coatings, Ortho sharpness. Only a 60deg FOV like the Radian but that seems plenty. I can only vouch for the 12mm which is absolutely wonderful in both the 8" f6 newt and the 8" f10 SCT.

Worth reading a few reviews as the XF is only £120 and may do all you need for your planetary sketches.

Russ

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

The XF sounds interesting. I think I will see if I can check one out at something like 10mm.

[Ben Ritchie]

The 10mm Pentax XW is one of my favourite ever eyepieces, only reason that I don't still have one is that I can't afford that and my Ethos habit.

[dweller25]

Thanks for the replies, the Pentax 10mm or 5mm XW is looking like the way to go.

Russ the 8.5XF looks great but is just a little bit too powerful.

[russ]

I did wonder if it would be. Wouldn't leave you the headroom to barlow. Looks like the XW is the clear favourite.

Russ

[Ben Ritchie]

My experience is that the XW barlows very well, but it's worth getting a 'shorty' barlow as the XWs aren't small - they becomes quite ungainly with a long, 1.25" barlow, especially if they're hanging out of a Newt focuser...

[dweller25]

That's good info Ben, thanks

[oceanheadted]

I've got a pentax XF 8.5mm and it's pretty good.