Arghh - More eyepiece help needed!

[jamespels]

Sorry everybody - I've been trawling here and on CN and am getting loads of "nearly there" titbits but not quite what I'm after...

From reading the excellent sticky on EPs at the top of this forum, I know a good starting setup for my F8 newt would be 6mm, 10mm, 16mm and 24mm Plossls. I already have a 25mm TAL Plossl so that leaves me needing three more.

I am a glasses wearer so eye relief is really important for me. One of the things I cannot work out is: is a 6mm EP roughly equivalent to a 12mm EP plus a 2x barlow? If so, am I right in thinking that the latter would give me better eye relief and what would the disadvantages be?

There are various EP & filter kits around for about £100 - £150 (my budget limit for now) - the Revelation kit currently on FLO seems good but the kits with GSO optics advertised here (Astronomy eyepieces, Antares plossl and kellner eyepieces) also seem reasonable. Would I be better off going with one of the kits or just buying a select few EPs? Something that attracts me to the kits is the filters but the only one I KNOW I need is a moon filter - do the others in these kits (RGB ones, mainly) really add anything and are they likely to be reasonable quality or are they most likely to take up space never being used?

Sorry for asking so many questions in one post, and thanks in advance!

J.

[John]

No point in getting a 24mm plossl if you already have a 25mm one !.

Go for the TMB Planetaries and their clones - they all have 16mm of eye relief and soft, adjustable rubber eyecups, even the short focal length ones.

A barlow and a 12mm plossl will be better on eye relief than a 6mm plossl but not as comfortable or optically nice as a TMB Planetary 6mm.

I'd avoid the kits and just purchase the items you really need, after doing your research.

Kellner eyepieces will not be good with your scope I'm afraid.

[jamespels]

Thanks John, will keep digging for a bit. Thinking 6mm planetary, 12 mm plossl and moon filter for now. Seem like a reasonable approach?

[russ]

6mm Planetary will be spot on with your Tal-2M. And you could swap the 12mm Plossl for a 15mm Skywatcher Ultrawide 66. It will be pin sharp in your scope with a much wider field and more eyerelief. Plus if you should wish to barlow it, it will create a 7.5mm eyepiece to compliment your 6mm Planetary, so no overlap. I find my Ultrawide is a very nice eyepiece to use for minimal outlay.