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Televue plossl

paul mc c

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pbyrne

pbyrne

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I would look for something with a wider field of view for a dob.

I agree, go for a Radian or a Hyperion, if your budget can stretch to it, go for a Nagler or a Pentax XW. I have owned a 12" f/4.9 dob in the past and they really work to their best with wider eps.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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I have a couple of Radians - an 8mm and a 10mm - and they are really great eyepieces when seeing allows. BUT I really don't have an issue with the narrow fields of eyepieces even down to 40 degrees of the Orthos I have (see sig). If seeing allows the magnification it's perfectly possible to retain planets in view although I have to confess that I am working on an equatorial platform to effect tracking in RA at least which will help at higher magnifications. by way of example, I timed Jupiter across the field of view a while back with my 11mm TV Plossl and it took a full minute to go from field stop to field stop at 145x. I suppose in this basis you'd get maybe 45 seconds with the 8mm plossl between shunts.

In terms of optical quality, the field you get (in TV plossls - and Baader GOs) is just as good and sharp/contrasty as any of my other eyepieces.

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paul mc c

paul mc c

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Iam just being impatiant,i know i want the Radian,i had a view of Saturn a couple of nights ago which were the best i have seen using an old 12mm celestron plossl that i dug out,so cant wait to get o proper quality EP.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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what I did was buy one of the 'TMB' style eyepieces as a stop gap - I often do this to make sure I will actually use an EP of a certain focal length. it will give good views and then when a Radian comes up and you are happy you want an 8mm, you can pounce and then sell the 'TMB' for which there's always a market.

You might lose a few quid but at least you get usage in the meantime.

the other things is that buying a 'TMB' is almost guaranteed to result in the surfacing of an 8mm Radian :(:)

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Damo636

Damo636

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AT the risk of being torn to threads here, are the Radian's really worth the 4X the cost of the TMB Planetary series? I have the 6 and 9mm TMB's and imho they are excellent. Same fov ish as the Radian, i think, and really comfortable to use. I know if i posted this over on CN i would probably be receiving death threats by now lol...

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John

John

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AT the risk of being torn to threads here, are the Radian's really worth the 4X the cost of the TMB Planetary series? I have the 6 and 9mm TMB's and imho they are excellent. Same fov ish as the Radian, i think, and really comfortable to use. I know if i posted this over on CN i would probably be receiving death threats by now lol...

It's always a good question to ask and such a difficult one to answer !. As you spend more on eyepieces the peformance gains do get incrementally smaller so you are certainly not going to get 4x better performance (whatever that means :(). The differences will be subtle and I guess it's up to each individual to decide if they are enough to warrant the additional expenditure.

The TMB Planetaries were heralded as a lower cost alternative to the Radian's when they 1st came out.

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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AT the risk of being torn to threads here, are the Radian's really worth the 4X the cost of the TMB Planetary series? I have the 6 and 9mm TMB's and imho they are excellent. Same fov ish as the Radian, i think, and really comfortable to use. I know if i posted this over on CN i would probably be receiving death threats by now lol...

in all honesty maybe not but we get so little time to observe for the extra £60 (for a used Radian at £100) I'd sooner pay the difference and know that I am getting the max out of my scope and the observing conditions. as John says though it's a very personal choice.

if you get a chance try one someday and see if you agree.

I had an 8mm 'TMB type' once and replaced it with a Radian of the same FL once I was happy I'd use it. there was a difference but more in build quality than in the view if I'm honest. they really are very good the 'TMB types'.

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brantuk

brantuk

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I never used the TMB's but understand they are great budget ep's. I have Hyperions and Radians and find them very clear and sharp in my dob. The build quality is probably a couple of steps up from the TMB's. The TV's are a good investment as they are a "once only" purchase and you'll use them in all your future scopes. The Hyperions perform well and are camera friendly which is why I have them.

So well worth the extra imho :(

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pbyrne

pbyrne

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As a former owner of a 12" f/4.9 dob I know that they can be unforgiving, with some eyepieces showing definite kidney beaning towards the edge, I can't say this about the TMBs as I have never used one. I have owned Radians in the past know that they perform beautifully in a fast scope, sharp to the edge.

Televue eyepieces keep their value, so if you decide to upgrade in the future you will get most of your money back.

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pbyrne

pbyrne

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Keep an eye out on the second hand astro sales sites for one.

Here's a few that I know.

SGL, of course.

www.astrobuysell.com/uk

www.astrobuysell.com a Canadian site.

www.astromart.com a US site.

www.cloudynights.com also American

www.astrosurf.com a French site.

Green Witch also have a used section and might be worth keeping an eye on.

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DeejayP999

DeejayP999

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AT the risk of being torn to threads here, are the Radian's really worth the 4X the cost of the TMB Planetary series? I have the 6 and 9mm TMB's and imho they are excellent. Same fov ish as the Radian, i think, and really comfortable to use. I know if i posted this over on CN i would probably be receiving death threats by now lol...

In a word, Yes.

I've lost count of the number of low cost, latest thing, "Radian Beating" eyepieces that I've bought over the years.

The one thing that they all had in common was that none of them were anywhere near the Radians in terms of performance.

Sadly, you get what you pay for with eyepieces.

Trust me, I'm not the kind of bloke that spends Televue type money unnecessarily!

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