2" eyepieces for Esprit 100?

[thercman]

Hey Guys!

Although this scope is primarily for imaging, people are wanting to look through it. So I thought it would be a good a idea to get a couple 2" eyepieces. With that said I do not want to spend hundreds on an eyepiece. I am looking for something decent that will provide nice views of the Messier objects.

So what would you guys recommend for focal length, field of view, and brand?

PS. I wear glasses. :-)

[The Mekon]

Why 2" eyepieces? For visual with this scope I would go for around 30X at a minimum and a 2 degree field working up to around 100x.
A 18mm and 6mm TV Delite would suit perfectly, both 1.25" eyepieces.

[thercman]

I don't know.. :shrug: I was thinking larger field of view and better eye relief. Of coarse my main scope is a 12.5" dob...

Edit: Reading up on eyepieces (Televue articles) to get a better understanding of what I need... I'm a noob!

[Wavytone]

Greg, at f/5.5 the longest useful eyepiece is around 30mm and a few come to mind that have decent eye relief without paying the Televue Tax - there’s an ES 70 degree 30mm, and APM have an ultra wide 30mm

http://apm-telescopes-englisch.shopgate.com/item/333938

To that I’d add another around 15-20mm ... explore the APM site for ideas.

If you want real budget ones there are GSOs from Andrewscom.com.au

[The Mekon]

If you want real budget ones there are GSOs from Andrewscom.com.au[/QUOTE]

Nick, not sure if you read Greg's address - he is in Washington state.

All I want to add is that IMO, anything over 3 degree field, you may as well use binoculars. Which is why I recommended an 18mm eyepiece with this scope.

[Wavytone]

Well this is an Australian website. His problem, not mine.

[Ukastronomer]

Nothing is better than a good wide field 2" eyepiece, though of course in higher magnifications you only have 1.25, just get good ones.

Like a camera, a camera is only as good as the lens you have on the front, I have the Esprit 120, they are superb scopes, supplement it with good eyepieces.

Someone once said to me, using a 1.25 eyepiece is like looking through a keyhole, switching to a 2" is like looking through the letterbox

[Jeff]

Hey Greg.

I have an Esprit 120 (f/7), but have had around 10 scopes/OTAs over the years. Have owned a variety of budget eyepieces, plus a variety of Televue Naglers and Panoptics. Have only kept 3 EPs which serve me well, mainly for occasionally showcasing my favourites to friends & family.

Panoptic 27mm - 2” sweet spot, nice FOV, good to the edge, reasonable $
Nagler 13mm - 1.25”, nice for tight clusters, cheaper EPS ~15mm good too
WO UWAN 7mm - 1.25”, good for planets & double stars

Cheaper 1.25 EPs (eg. GSO made superviews, rebranded) can generally be okay too, down to about 5mm. They mainly struggle on newt reflectors of f/5 or below.

With your Esprit being f/5.5 I suggest that you:
- avoid cheap 2” EPs (poor stars towards the edge)
- avoid FL larger than ~27mm (exit pupil 4.9mm in your scope). Otherwise it can be difficult for folks to line up their pupil with the full image (especially for 1st time viewers)

Hope that helps.
Enjoy your viewing!

Jeff

[N1]

A number of Aussies, incl IISers, seem to have gotten that same message too, judging by their level of activity over at CN compared to here.

[Ukastronomer]

I know this may not be relevant, but you say you wear glasses, so did I once, for distance, then I tried MONTHLY contacts, only change them once a month, makes Cycling (wearing sun glasses), astronomy, photography 100% better