eyepiece purchasing

[sammy1404]

Hi guys (again)

Im going to buy an eyepiece or 2 this weekend along with a collimator. Im probs going to get them from ebay. I want more mag from my scope so really im looking at an EP under 7mm. (yes i understand the loss of field view but im mostly going to use this for planetary and lunar viewing).

On ebay im looking at these 2 :

4mm Plossl telescope eyepiece - Fully multi coated on eBay (end time 23-Jan-11 20:24:17 GMT)

and this one 6mm Plossl telescope eyepiece - Fully multi coated on eBay (end time 23-Jan-11 20:26:51 GMT)

Anyone have any objections to that? My preference is with the 6mm if i have to get just 1 because its more realistic that ill get to use it properly with this uk weather etc. Or should i go for a bit up market stuff?

Thanks again

[Moonshane]

I presume you don't wear glasses?

the 4mm would be extremely tight on eye relief - your eye would be about 3.2mm from the lens when observing. I really couldn't work at such close range. The 6mm would be better on this basis (4.8mm) but still very tight.

Do you have a 2x barlow with your scope?

If so, I'd tend to consider a 15mm Plossl which would provide about 160x magnification (with the barlow) which will be useable many more nights.

If you don't have a barlow then this might be a good buy initially and if you can afford say a 15mm plossl too then even better.

The site sponsor will be able to provide more advice too if you give them a call on Monday and I bet they can supply better quality at not much more money then Ebay.

[rowan46]

I would imagine you would have a heck of a job tracking a planet in a 4mm eyepiece is there nothing nice on the for sale board

[rowan46]

was going to suggest this barlow Tal - Tal 2x and 3x Barlows

[sammy1404]

i cant access the sale section yes.. And no i dont wear glasses, im thinking of just getting the 6mm ep. Out of interest what would say jupiter look like with this compared to a 10mm??

[John]

... im thinking of just getting the 6mm ep. Out of interest what would say jupiter look like with this compared to a 10mm??

With your scope the 10mm gives 120x and a 6mm would give 200x so Jupiter would look about 65% larger in apparent diameter. That would be noticable and useable on a good night.

Bear in mind you do get what you pay for - those eyepieces will be a little better than the ones that come as standard with the scope but won't blow you away.

If you are on a tight budget they are servicable though.

[sammy1404]

oh ok thanks john, always love your advice lol

Im just going to get a 6mm now but im thinking of stretching a little bit for a higher quality thing. I was however looking at a celestron 6mm eyepiece here any comments? : NEW! CELESTRON 6mm PLOSSL 1.25" Telescope Eyepiece Lens on eBay (end time 24-Jan-11 05:17:34 GMT)

Also i was considering: GSO SUPER-PLOSSL EYEPIECE 6MM 9MM 12MM 15MM 20MM 25MM on eBay (end time 20-Jan-11 18:57:46 GMT)

CELESTRON OMNI SERIES 1.25 INCH - 6MM EYEPIECE on eBay (end time 26-Jan-11 20:39:53 GMT)

and TMB 6mm Premium Planetary Eyepiece (1.25" Fitting) on eBay (end time 29-Jan-11 13:18:14 GMT)

If anyone can comment on any of those 4 EP's please let me know ASAP. Or maybe someone could advise a 6mm ep for me to get? My budget is around £60 but i dont really want to spend above £45 but i can.

thanks!!!

[John]

This promotion on the Celestron Omni eyepieces by First Light Optics might be of interest if they still have stocks:

http://stargazerslounge.com/sponsor-announcements-offers/121166-celestron-omni-plossl-eyepiece-promotion.html

Way lower than the e.bay price !.

[Capricorn]

The TMP planetary's have a fair reputation and they also have decent eye relief.

Believe that they come in a selection of the smaller sizes so sounds a reasonable choice. You could add others later. Chck if they are advertised as parfocal also. Not necessary but hels a bit.

Get one and see how you, the scope and the eyepiece combination get on.

[sammy1404]

thanks for that!

im going to buy that then saves me 10 quid so im pretty happy, and thats not including the coupon my search around there site for more bargains

[umadog]

You ask about Jupiter. Jupiter is funny in that its' doesn't take magnification all that well. Under less then perfect seeing, objects such as double stars and the moon will take substantially higher magnification than Jupiter. This is probably due to the low contrast of the Jovian features. On most nights were I am I find 150x gives sharper views and shows more details than 215x. Just something to consider...

[Nillchill]

take a read of this, may give some idea of the quality of the 6mm TMB

6mm Lunar/Planetary Eyepiece Comparison - Review

[CGolder]

i recommend the clones of the TMB, the trader is offline at the moment. they are clones of the TMB above but are unbranded and cost 38 delivered.

Nice chap too

Sky's the Limit

[sammy1404]

ok thanks.

I was looking at FLO website and ive come across the skywatcher UHC and OIII filters. I was wandering, when in use, what do they do, make nebula appear on colour? if so.... i want one

[Nillchill]

Also take a look at these guys they are closed till 1st Feb, they were selling the 6mm TMB for £36 last month

Sky's the Limit Astro and Optical items - Get great deals on items on eBay.co.uk Shops!

[John]

The UHC and O-III filters will enhance the contrast of nebulae but dim the surrounding stars a bit to do this.

They don't bring out the colours in these objects I'm afraid - with the exception of faint tints in one or two objects, nebulae, like galaxies, appear in shades of grey visually.

For some objects, notably planetary nebulae and supernova remnants, these filters are pretty effective, sometimes making the difference between seeing it and seeing nothing.

They don't have any effect on galaxies.

I expect you are fed up of hearing from me now

[sammy1404]

fed up, god no you are proving to be of much use

Hmm i dont think ill bother for now, maybe later though. Its a shame that we cant actually make out the colours by eye

thanks for all your help, im going to buy that celestron omni for now, see how i get on with it, if i enjoy it etc then i may consider moving down even further or getting a barlow and in the future getting a higher quality 6mm

[LukeSkywatcher]

I would imagine you would have a heck of a job tracking a planet in a 4mm eyepiece is there nothing nice on the for sale board

I have a 4mm Omni and all i can use it on is the Moon on nights of perfect conditions. Tracking planets with a Dob and a 4mm would be almost impossible if not impossible.

[Moonshane]

I have a 4mm Omni and all i can use it on is the Moon on nights of perfect conditions. Tracking planets with a Dob and a 4mm would be almost impossible if not impossible.

for me it's more the eye relief. my TV 6-3mm zoom is great on the moon at mags between 267-533x when seeing allows. Even at the higher end it's OK to track with a dob as the eyepiece has eye relief of 10mm and a field of 50 degrees. That said, I am making an EQ platform to bring an end to constant hand tracking.