Which Eyepiece Set?

[John]

well, yes and no. a 600mm focal length will mean you're using very short focal length e/ps (say 4mm for x150) which can be a little uncomfortable as opposed to say, an 8mm e/p and a 1200 mm focal length. As they say, let the scope do the magnifying, not the e/p. I know you know that but maybe op doesnt so it's just another point to consider. But I suppose if you want to get purely technical on my head then you're 100% correct:)

Thats a good point on the focal length of course

My intention was to add to, or clarify your point, not contradict it - such a lot for someone new to this to get their head around, isn't there

[SiriusB]

Hmmm,

It's so difficult to advise on eyepiece choice, well, err there seems to be so many choices these days for starters.

If you know any fellow astronomers, a look through their eyepieces might give you an idea of what does & doesn't suit you.

& Searching through a few eyepiece threads & having a good read may be beneficial.

I've not heard anyone say anything bad about the hyperions, & plenty of good comments, but haven't used them myself. so can't comment from personal experience.

The focal lengths you've suggested sound about right for a reasonable spread of magnifications.

5,12,20mm are the ones i use the most with the 80ed, (thats just to give you an idea of what's useful, I'm not specifically saying to get those focal lengths,)

How do you find the 28mm you got with the scope by way of reference?

[red dwalf]

the baader hyperions would be a very good buy, 1.25" and a 2" adaptable, very versatile and bought second hand around the £70 make a real deal, 13mm and a 24mm would be a great start

[G2EWS]

HI siriusB,

Not even looked through it yet apart from setting it up!

Just wanted to make sure I have any bits I need. Damn frustrating getting out there and suddenly realising you cannot do what you want!

Hi John, you are not kidding about a lot to take on.

I am into photography as a hobby and over the last 18 months have spent a lot of money. Still learning and still trying to get my head around bits of it. This star gazing is very hard to take in. My original intention was not to buy for a while, but having met Nick at the last WAS meeting in Seend I arranged to meet him at Astrofest and he got a 'good deal' for me. All it is about now is preparing for that one distant day when the sky will be clear, I won't be off on business or at a meeting doing photography or something else and I will then run outside all excited, set up the scope and then go 'oh no!' I don't have x or y or z

Got all the kit for astro photography but blowed if I know yet how to connect it all up! Still that will come with time. All I want now is to look at the stars like I did nearly 50 years ago and get all excited, except this time I might just see a little more

Best regards

Chris

[G2EWS]

the baader hyperions would be a very good buy, 1.25" and a 2" adaptable, very versatile and bought second hand around the £70 make a real deal, 13mm and a 24mm would be a great start

Hi red dwalf,

Thanks for that. I see in your sig you have a Revelation eyepiece and filter set. So don't you recommend that?

Best regards

Chris

[red dwalf]

i would indeed recommend the revelation set, i have the older version without the t adapter and barlow in the case, these are great starter sets the revelation considered slightly better than celestron version, but the hyperions are real quality and a step up and can be used in a 2" diagonal where as the 1.25" revelation can`t,

but i do love my revelation set which i bought second hand for a real bargain and when you add up all the pieces in the sets seperatly they come in alot more then the £130 new price

[G2EWS]

i would indeed recommend the revelation set, i have the older version without the t adapter and barlow in the case, these are great starter sets the revelation considered slightly better than celestron version, but the hyperions are real quality and a step up and can be used in a 2" diagonal where as the 1.25" revelation can`t,

but i do love my revelation set which i bought second hand for a real bargain and when you add up all the pieces in the sets seperatly they come in alot more then the £130 new price

Many thanks for your input red dwalf.

Think I will go to bed as my head is spinning

Best regards

Chris

[red dwalf]

i know, there`s alot to take in, i was in exactly the same situation as you 2 years ago when i started this obsession as my wife calls it, and i`m still getting to grips with it and a couple of grand poorer for it, L.O.L

here is a picture of the 32mm revelation eyepiece which is the biggest in the box, compaired with the 21mm hyperion.

[G2EWS]

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your advice which proved to be an overwhelming amount of information last night! Phew!

Whilst using your information and continuing to search for the best value product I have just found this:

Baader Planetarium - Baader Hyperion Zoom Eyepiece

Seems to cover everything I need and you have all rated Baader as good. A search here and on the web also shows good reviews.

Anyone have any strong opinions either way before I order it?

Best regards

Chris

[G2EWS]

Hi All,

Well if I have taken your 'no response' correctly the 'zoom' eyepiece is no good then?

So, as you have recommended Baader Hyperion, how about I get these:

Baader Planetarium - Baader Hyperion 68 degree eyepiece

Should I get a 5mm for my 80ED it would that be pointless?

Then:

8mm

13mm

21mm

or should the last one be

24mm

I have the 28mm already.

If I have totally misread all your responses then tell me, I can take it

Best regards

Chris

[red dwalf]

the zoom eyepiece i belive is well regarded

[G2EWS]

Hi Red dwalf,

I think that the majority of the opinion I found told me the same about the zoom. But in photography it is always better to have a prime lens and wondered if the lack of response form the more astronomy educated here was becuase of the same reason?

Are those Baader Hyperions I linked to the same as your 21mm?

Best regards

Chris

[kniclander]

IMHO you will need something shorter than an 8 as that will only give you x75. A 5 is good - when I had a clone of that scope the 5 was my most used e/p for moon, planets and double stars. Again, IMHO, i would stick to 2 or 3 e/ps for the time being - something like a 5 for moon and planets and something like the 28 you have for widefield stuff and dso's (and maybe something like a 13 to go in the middle). Those hyperions are s'posed to be great. Tbh, I don't think getting a set is really worth it - i think most people end up just using a high, a low and a middle.

I gather the zoom is pretty good although I instinctively assume that zooms will be rubbish. I wouldn't get it because, as I said, you'll need something shorter than an 8.

hth

[John]

I used one of the Baader zooms for a short while. It's a nice eyepice and probably one of the best zooms around. Personally I think the Hyperion eyepieces on their own are little better so that's what I'd go for.

A 5mm eyepiece would certainly be useful in the 80mm 600mm focal length ED80 - it would give 120x which would be very useable.

[red dwalf]

yes the baader hyperion in your link is the same as mine in the picture, a 13 and or 21mm would cover alot of options as the focal lenght of these can be adjusted with rings

[SiriusB]

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your advice which proved to be an overwhelming amount of information last night! Phew!

Whilst using your information and continuing to search for the best value product I have just found this:

Baader Planetarium - Baader Hyperion Zoom Eyepiece

Seems to cover everything I need and you have all rated Baader as good. A search here and on the web also shows good reviews.

Anyone have any strong opinions either way before I order it?

Best regards

Chris

Well i followed the link Chris, & i'd never realised the Hyperions had a removable 1.25" adapter, very neat design IMO.(i always admire good design )

So going back to your original musings, you could use them all as 2" ep's as you were initially considering.

SORTED!, Jobs a good 'un.

Almost tempted to try one myself... one more ep couldn't hurt, surely?

[G2EWS]

Thank you very much everyone. I am now feeling better and will order tomorrow from flo.

So should I get:

5mm

13mm

21mm

With my 28mm giving me four in total.

Or should I drop the 13.. or 21mm

Bet regards

Chris

[SiriusB]

Thank you very much everyone. I am now feeling better and will order tomorrow from flo.

So should I get:

5mm

13mm

21mm

With my 28mm giving me four in total.

Or should I drop the 13.. or 21mm

Bet regards

Chris

I'd be tempted to go for all three if you're happy with the expense, gives a nice spread of magnifications to suit most purposes.

& Here i am spending some one else's cash

Or you could play it safe & just get one to try, then add the others later...mind you i'd be suprised if you didn't like them.

[brantuk]

I have the Mk2 Hyperion zoom and it's great in all my scopes. Very nice crisp and clear - field narrows a little as you stop it downwards but no problem. Combined with TV 5mm Radian and 33mm/40mm WO Swans it makes a nice flexible range of sizes at very good to great quality.

The Zoom is very useful with it's direct DSLR thread (only adaptor ring, and t-ring needed).

[G2EWS]

Thanks SiriusB and Brantuk,

I have the adaptor for the Nikon already so guess I am covered for that.

Will do some ordering in the morning.

Regards

Chris

[G2EWS]

Hi All,

Some time on from my last post and after reading and playing with my now arrived spotter scope which came with the following bits:

Super 25 Wide Angle Long Eye Relief

2 x Barlow Lens

Super 10mm

All obviously very cheap and not much good apart from understanding what each bit does.

So what I need to do now is make a decision and need your input if you would be good enough to help again!

Based on the good advice and what I have been reading, I think I am going to buy just one eyepiece to start with and in answering don't worry about the value but about the long term benefits rather than the eyepieces use only with my 80ED.

I am reasonably confident that to buy one eyepiece it should be a 5mm or thereabouts and I have worked it out to be one of three:

Baader Planetarium - Baader Hyperion 68 degree eyepiece

Pentax - Pentax XW 5mm

Ethos 6mm Eyepiece - Telescopes UK: Telescopes & Telescope Accessories in your only London shop

Now I can already hear a sigh from you 'experts' but as I mentioned what I am trying to do is buy something that will future proof my purchase. A bit like the NEQ6 which is obviously completely over the top for my 80ED.

However, I don't want to buy something that is going to be pointless for me, nor get used, apart from the original 'wow' factor.

Best regards

Chris

[MG1]

from that choice of three...the pentax every time. The ethos is very nice with that space walk feel wide view, but 1/3 as much again...even with that tasty discount.

The extra eye relief of the XW makes them one of the most comfortable viewing experiences I've had to date...in fact my next planned purchase is a 7mm XW, the 5 is nice, but I think I will get more use out of the 7 because of frequent bad seeing.

If you do still fancy the ethos have a look here:TeleVue Ethos Eyepieces

Cheaper still here: TeleVue 6.0mm Ethos Eyepiece 1.25 & 2.0"

but I have never used this supplier, although I believe others have without problem

I've found Lee at GW nice to deal with.

HTH

[ollypenrice]

Forget sets. Buy each EP on the basis of what is best at the focal length you want to use.

Like John, i would say TeleVue and Pentax. Note that a 19mm TeleVue Panoptic has a wider field of view than a 26mm Meade Plossl so in effect you get two for the price of one. Albeit the price is TeleVue!!!

Since your scope is quite small you don't need dozens of EPs. It will not take huge magnification and it will automatically give a wide field because it does not have a whopping focal length. This is good news.

I would go for a simple narrow field planetary (I'm not a planetary buff so others know more than I about what is best) and, in this order, one of...

TeleVue Ethos 13mm. (Have chair handy when looking at price).

TeleVue Nagler 13.

TeleVue Panoptic 19. (Truly one of the all time greats.) And that would do me.

Olly

[G2EWS]

Hi MG1,

Many thanks for your experience. I guess you are fairly emphatic in your recommendation of the Pentax then

Hi Olly,

Many thanks for your input.

I think that perhaps you did not read to the end of the thread?

Check out number 46 where I list the three eyepieces that I have short listed. I would appreciate any input as to which you think is best.

Best regards

Chris

[MG1]

Hi Chris, don't get me wrong, I'm not a 'Pentax' man...I also have a few Nag's and a great Panoptic. However I know that if you gave me the cash to buy the Ethos I would get the Pentax and put the rest towards a nice filter or something else.

I am also about to sell my 5mm Nag because I'm just not getting the chance to use the magnification it provides. I plan to get a 7mm Pentax XW rather than the 6 or 8mm ethos....but then I like to be different...

You'll not be dissapointed with either of those two, they are both the next level IMHO when compared to the Hyperion.

Clear skies

Michael