PST Eyepiece recommendation ?

[ONSLOWE]

Can anybody recommend a good affordable eyepiece for a PST (single stack) ? I have a cheap zoom which is good for a quick look but would like to find the best plossl or ortho for more detailed views. I have tried a Meade 4000 9.7 but think it is just too much magnification, has anybody tried the 4000 series 12.4 ? Only looking to spend about £30 and its only needed for the PST. Thanks in advance.

Martin

[brianb]

The PST is very easy on eyepieces. A standard Plossl will give good results ... it's true that the Baader Genuine Ortho is better but if you have only £30 to spend it's not a real option, and the improvement isn't that much anyway.

IMO 12.5mm is about ideal for the PST. 9mm is definitely too much, 18mm sometimes gives a better view of faint proms but you probably have the 20mm Kellner which came with the scope anyway ... that's not a great eyepiece by any stretch of the imagination but it works well enough with the PST.

[Solar B]

The Meade 4000..12.4 and 15mm are both great in a PST.

Brian

[Mark at Beaufort]

I use a Baader Hyperion zoom which I appreciate is expensive against your affordable request. However, all I will say is the best image with the PST/zoom is the 16mm and 20mm setting so I would look for a plossl in that range.

Mark

[Merlin66]

Something around the 10mm fl mark seems to work well for me. Gives full solar disk coverage and although only x40 magnification shows the surface detail. Any plossl/ ortho etc would do the job.

( BTW I can still get good views with a 7.4mm Nagler....)

Ken

[Andrew1972]

If I was you i'd borrow as many eyepieces as possible and test them before spending your money. When it comes to the PST it seems everybody has a different view on what is the best eyepiece for them (or their individual PST). Personally i'd say 12mm is a good focal length but i've used eyepieces on my PST that others have sworn by and didn't find them that good. A lot of people say that the Cemax eyepieces aren't worth the money but the 12mm I have gives me the best views through my double stacked PST so i'm happy even though it was a relatively expensive buy. Seems a case of each to their own so again my advice would be, if possible, try before you buy (take your PST to a shop on a sunny day and see if it's possible to test drive some eyepieces).

[brianb]

A lot of people say that the Cemax eyepieces aren't worth the money but the 12mm I have gives me the best views through my double stacked PST so i'm happy even though it was a relatively expensive buy.

The Cemax is a very ordinary Plossl design made with high quality glass (very little light scatter) & better than average coatings. It works well in the PST, and with other scopes with a fairly long focal length (f/7 or higher focal ratio) for planetary work too. But it's not as good as the similarly priced Baader Genuine Ortho.

Televue Radians are good, too, but you're not likely to find them for £30 (if you do find a source at that price, please let me know )

I agree that eyepieces are very personal - especially regarding eye placement - but the truth of the matter is that solar observation is very similar to lunar / planetary work so far as the demands of the eyepiece are concerned (low scatter, no internal reflections but field of view is relatively unimportant) & the optics in the PST are more forgiving of "budget" designs than most.

[part timer]

Just to add, that I find plossls in the 12/13mm best for better days but in general my 17mm plossl gives the most detailed and sharpest views.

I used good plossls for several years but now have excellent plossls and I can genuinely see an improvement in quality in the PST.

So if you can find something like a televue or celestron ultima plossl (or the Baader ortho) second hand (they come up quite often) it will be somewhere between £30-50 which only a bit more saving up time and will make a significant difference to the view.

[ONSLOWE]

Thanks for the advice, I will pick up a 12.4 Meade next time I see one for sale. The zoom is great for general viewing but just want a better lens for when there is a more detailed view reqd.

Regards,

Martin