paradigm eyepeices....

[onmehedson]

Just noticed these well thought of eps are available. I bought the 18mm one!!

1.25" 18mm 60 Degree Explorer Dual ED Eyepiece on eBay (end time 03-Jul-10 08:59:59 BST)

[yesyes]

I have the 15mm, 8mm and 5mm versions and I love them...

[andyr]

Are these EP's any good? Been looking at these, the Celestron X-cel and a TMB 6mm for my 150P, and now unsure what's the best 'affordable' EP's to go for....

Cheers

Andy

[yesyes]

I love theses Paradigm (or Explorer as they are now called) eyepieces.

I don't have any direct comparison with really expensive eyepieces but they are FAR better than what came with my scope and also better than some other cheap EPs I bought for more or less the same price.

So I would say they are excellent value for money. They're not the very best, of course, but if you want better quality than these, you'd have to spend a lot more.

I would recommend them.

Maybe there's someone who has directly compared them to some good and expensive EPs?

[WayBig]

I couldnt really tell much difference in performance between a 5mm paradigm and a 5.2mm astronomica ED eyepiece - which I'm told is exactly the same as a celestron ED X-Cel

There are differences in build - eg hard eye cups (paradigm) vs soft ones, and the astronomica was much fussier about where you put your eye so would blackout quite frequently

[andyr]

Thanks guys

Think I'll purchase one (or two ) Paradigm's then, got to be a million time better than the pants SW basic EP's that come with the scope...

Cheers

Andy

[Moonshane]

you won't be disappointed. I have owned all of them bar the 5mm and found the performance to be not that much worse than the TV eyepieces I now have. personally I felt that long term the investment in TV was worth it and sold my Paradigms. as always it's a personal choice. in all honesty I might buy a couple again for public sessions if I ever do any in the future. they will be MUCH better than the standard plossl types you get with the scope, both in terms of sharpness, eye relief and general comfort of viewing.

to be honest even if for some reason you don't get on with them, you could probably sell them on here for £25 so it's not a massive risk.

[Moonshane]

ps

if I were you and you went for these, I'd probably get the 8mm first then if you want another, the 18mm as these would seem to sit well with what you have already.

if you like them I found the 25mm blew away the one I had with the scope.

the attached chart shows the range of mags with what you have (scope and current eyepieces) and the paradigms plus if you barlow them - you might want to consider a better barlow before the 18mm?

lenses.pdf

[andyr]

Cheers Moonshane

Thinking of getting a 6mm TMB clone off Skies_Unlimited (for planetary viewing (a few guys have recomended this)) and then go with the 8mm Explorer EP as you suggested, then build up from there, with a better barlow of course.

Thanks

Andy

[Moonshane]

you'll definitely not regret either choice in my view - will be great to hear what you think when they arrive. the 8mm was the most used of the 5 I had. I saw some lovely detail on Mars with the refractor earlier in the year.

[andyr]

Yeah, looking forward to increasing my messier count when the dark nights start rolling in, and getting ready for Jupiter too. May have to consider some kind of LP filter too, either that or hunt for a good dark site....

Cheers again

Andy

[zhgutas]

Cheers Moonshane

Thinking of getting a 6mm TMB clone off Skies_Unlimited (for planetary viewing (a few guys have recomended this)) and then go with the 8mm Explorer EP as you suggested, then build up from there, with a better barlow of course.

Thanks

Andy

Would be really interesting to see how these compare.. e.g. test 8mm Explorer and 8mm TMB clone at once. the prices are the same, wonder could the same be said about the performance?

Marius

[robhal9000]

Hi,

Just heads up. The seller of these EPs on fleabay (Sky's the Limit) is on holiday until beginning of July.