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Dave47tuc
05-05-2007, 11:56 AM
So in the equipment forum we have “Show us your equipment”

So I thought we should have a thread on showing your other half the “Eyepieces” :)

No matter what the eyepieces you have, let’s see them and tell us why you like them and which one is your favorite! :D

This can give people a good idea on what eyepieces look like for newer people and older members, and what characteristics you like on your eyepiece, which someone may not get a chance to use. :thumbsup:

No eyepiece bashing would be courteous. :whistle:

mick pinner
05-05-2007, 12:06 PM
great idea Dave l'll blow the dust of them.

beren
05-05-2007, 12:36 PM
:) For a long while I had a full set of series 4000 meade plossl eyepieces plus a meade 2x barlow that got me by, in 98 decided to buy a widefield eyepiece when meade had their direct shipping thing going , it was a 32mm SWA series 4000. This set kept me happy until I brought my current 10"SCT, decided I had to try a Nagler, held my breath emptied my wallet and purchased a 22mm T4. Holy smoke loved the view and then went crazy and brought a 9mm T6 nagler, 6mm radian, 14mm Meade UWA {before these went down in value for the onset of the series 5000 eyepieces :mad2: }and a 2x powermate. Recent purchases have been a 40mm University optics konig and 9mm HD UO ortho.Pretty happy with the set I have now :) :)

Dave47tuc
05-05-2007, 01:04 PM
Ok here is my set so far!:D
I like the 35 Panoptic as it has a big field of view, just behind a 31 Nagler.
Stars are not sharp across the field, but it’s a nice big wide field eyepiece.

The Vixen LVW’s are my favorite with the 22mm and 13 mm just beautiful.
Easy to look through and nice sharp field. Not the widest field around, but that’s fine by me. The 8 mm is also great for Globular clusters and Galaxy’s.

The 10 mm and 6 mm LV are very nice and well underestimated. I have had many people say the 6 mm eyepiece on Saturn was as sharp as they have seen.

When the seeing is good the 4 mm has its place on the Moon and Planets.

I hope to fill the LVW set in the future with the 17mm 5mm and 3.5 mm in the case to complete the set.

Cheers.

(Very nice Stuart:thumbsup: )

RB
05-05-2007, 01:05 PM
A bunch of Tele Vues.

ving
05-05-2007, 04:48 PM
i probably have 8 now... i only really use 2 tho: my 7.5mm celestron and 15mm gso sv :)
might get a good 1.25" 30-32mm plossl soon and sell the rest giving me 3 EPs.

Dave47tuc
06-05-2007, 12:33 PM
I know imaging is taking over the astronomy world,:rolleyes: but it’s my hope there are some visual observers left!:shrug: And some eyepiece users, :D
if so lets see them.:)

davidpretorius
06-05-2007, 12:46 PM
hmmmmmmmmmmmm, from a self confessed planetary imager...........
series 500; 40mm, 25mm, 12mm, 6mm..............useful for helping align the guide scope!

2" andrews ultra wide 30mm 80 degree thingy...........outer 33% loses it abit, but still nice

5mm lv vixen.........i like it
4mm TMB planetary.............love it

5x powermate.awesome!

matt
06-05-2007, 01:27 PM
Self-confessed planetary imager here too.

However, on occasion I do enjoy a little time at the eyepiece.

24mm Pan, 13mm T6 Nagler, 10mm Pentax XW, 6mm Vixen LV.

Also have the 2.5x and 4x Powermate, 2x Celestron Ultima barlow.

xstream
06-05-2007, 02:21 PM
Okay then........

32mm Tele Vue Wide Field
26mm Nagler type 5 (This would be my favourite without a doubt, love the 80 deg. AFOV with rich dark background in this EP)
17mm Nagler type 4
12mm Nagler type 4
9mm Nagler type 6
26mm Meade series 4000 Plossl
6.4mm Meade series 4000 Plossl
2.5X William Optics APO BarlowI'll post a pic when my Doctor gives my camera back. (Yes my Doctor has borrowed it :lol: )

bluescope
06-05-2007, 02:48 PM
Hope he's not a proctologist ! ;) Sorry, couldn't help it !


I'll post a pic when my Doctor gives my camera back. (Yes my Doctor has borrowed it :lol: )[/quote]

MY EYEPIECES

I like my Vixen LV eyepieces the best, 4mm and 20mm very sharp and good contrast with good eye relief. I use them with a Skywatcher 2x Barlow at present to give variety of focal lengths 2-10mm with Barlow. At 2mm ofcourse not very useful except maybe for planetary nebulae like ngc3242 ... 10mm good for Saturn, Jupiter ... lots of crisp detail. 4mm by itself is also good with good conditions. Actually had the best view of the core of ngc2070 with the 4mm a few weeks back ... amazing.

Meade 26mm Series 4000 ( came with DSX90-AT Mak ).

Skywatcher 10's and 25's ( Super Plossl set of each with Newtonian scopes ) plus SWLET 9mm and 25mm purchased with SkyWatcher Pro180mm Mak.

Don't forget the 12.5 Orion Illuminated Reticle that I should get to use for the first time tonight, the clouds finally have left the west.

Finally a Celestron 4mm plossl I got cheap from US ... sits in a draw since I bought the Vixen ... no comparison.

:thumbsup: I think that's it !

h0ughy
06-05-2007, 03:18 PM
mm eyepieces i remember when I used to use these........

Meade 34 2" and a 2" 26, a nag 20 and 9 and 17, a made 26 1.25 and a 15mmm 1.25........aaahhhh the memories come flooding back

Orion
06-05-2007, 03:24 PM
Yep I remember that 9mm Nag.:)

wavelandscott
06-05-2007, 04:08 PM
Okay I'll try and list them...

TV Plossl:
1 X 32 mm
1 X 20 mm
2 X 15 mm (Binoview)

TV Panoptic:
1 X 24 mm

TV Nagler:
1 X 16 mm T5
1 X 13 mm T6

Pentax:
1 X 10 mm XW
1 X 7 mm XW

Denkmeir:
2 X Denkmeir 21 MM (Binoview)

BO/TMB Planetary: (just ordered for a look see)
2 X 8 mm (Binoview)
1 X 6 mm

1 X 2.5 TV Powermate
1 X Denkmeir "Big Easy" Binoviewer

some misc. Bintel/GSO Plossl eyepieces hanging around

Gee, maybe my wife is right and I do have a "problem" ?!?!...

casstony
06-05-2007, 05:18 PM
The premium line-up was all purchased used but in nice condition (can't justify new prices), the Paracorr arriving from Astromart in the last few days. 22mm Nagler is my most used eyepiece, though that's largely due to my observing conditions which usually limit me to less than 100x.

Kieken
06-05-2007, 08:57 PM
My collection:


Celestron E-lux 32mm
Orion Highlight Plössl 32mm
Vixen LV30
WO UWAN 28mm
TMB Asph. ortho 25mm
Orion Sirius Plössl 25mm
Baader Genuine ortho 18mm
Baader Hyperion 13mm
Baader Genuine ortho 12.5mm
Orion Highlight Plössl 12.5mm
Baader Genuine ortho 9mm
Pentax XF 8.5mm
Baader Hyperion 8mm
Baader Genuine ortho 7mm
LER 5mm

Starkler
06-05-2007, 09:34 PM
Pentax xl10.5mm
Pentax xl 14mm

Nagler 31mm type 5
nagler 26mm type 5
panoptic 24mm

Burgess/TMB planetary 9mm
Burgess/TMB planetary 7mm
Burgess/TMB planetary 4mm

circle-T ortho 7mm
assorted plossls

UO 2" 2x barlow
Celestron ultima barlow.

Dave47tuc
07-05-2007, 06:29 AM
Nice list people, but no photo's :shrug:

Which do you use most and why?:D

gbeal
07-05-2007, 12:03 PM
Mine are in various groups.
For every night DSO use, I have an 8mm, a 13mm, and 21mm Hyperion.
For the bino viewer I have a pair of older but good Celestron Erfles, 20mm.
For lunar and planetary I have a set of Zeiss orthos, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.5, 16, and 25mm.
Zeiss barlow,
Powermates, 2,5 & 5x.

RB
08-05-2007, 07:06 PM
Well I'll list my favourites from my collection (see photos in previous post).

I love my 31mm, it gives beautiful wide field views and you almost have to hold onto something because you start feeling dizzy.

Also love the 2" sized 17mm and 22mm, (I've looked thru John 'Xtreme' and Anna's 26mm Nagler and it blows me away).

The 11mm Nagler gives me nice contrasty backgrounds.

And the 24mm Pano is so handy and a great size EP.

Needless to say I adore all my powermates too.

Having said all that, I'm mostly into imaging, but I do enjoy observing when I'm in the mood.

:lol:

Oh and I forgot to mention that the 6mm Radian gives me the same FOV as my Toucam when I'm doing planetary imaging.

wavelandscott
08-05-2007, 08:07 PM
Picking one is like asking which child do you love most! :whistle:

I love them all...I use the 24 Pan the most (widest field in a 1.25 inch package)...every viewing session start with it and then depending on the night I go from there. They all have things I like...

Dave47tuc
08-05-2007, 08:25 PM
Thanks, you have some very nice glass RB.

I love all my kids to.;)

It would still be nice to hear from others, the forum has over 2.5k of people on it.

My interest lies with what people use and like about there eyepieces.
We all have different eyes, and normally we find eyepieces with a 2 – 2.5 mm exit pupil
(Divide the focal length of your eyepiece by the F ratio of your scope... Example 10mm eyepiece in a F5 scope 2 mm exit pupil.)

So for me it’s my 13 mm LVW that spends most time in the focuser for DSO.
And the 8 and 6 mm for Planets.

I know a few people with 24 mm Panoptics and they seem to spend lots of time in the focuser!

What I look for most in an eyepiece is how easy it is to look through.
My friends 18” is a great scope and I really like using his 22 mm nagler, not really the 2 mm exit pupil but around 4.4 mm with paracor.
But it’s really nice to use and lovely to look through.

It’s just nice to look into an eyepiece get no black out or see you eyelashes or get tired eyes from eye strain.

Yeh imaging is nice but you can’t beat the eyepiece view. Not manipulated buy the computer.:P Don’t shoot me,:sadeyes: and lots of great photos are taken by many of you.:thumbsup:
But I have never seen a photo as good as the view of the great 47tuc in an 18” or even in my scope. :eyepop:

iceman
09-05-2007, 05:47 AM
I have:
- a couple of GSO plossls which see little use,
- a 14mm Meade s4000 UWA,
- a 7mm Pentax XW,
- a 5mm TMB Planetary

The 5mm gets the most use on planets, and before and after imaging sessions to judge the seeing.
The 14mm is my DSO all-rounder, lovely wide field of view and sharp to the edge.
The 7mm Pentax is an excellent eyepiece, great for high-power DSO work and a great companion to Rod's 20", giving 360x. The views of the humunculous through his scope and my 7mm Pentax were breathtaking.

ausastronomer
09-05-2007, 12:19 PM
I have the following eyepieces:-

31mm Nagler T5 (2")
27mm Televue Panoptic (2")
20mm Pentax XW (1.25")
17mm Nagler T4 (2")
14mm Pentax XW (1.25")
12mm Nagler T4 (dual barrell 1.25"/2")
10mm Pentax XW (1.25")
8.5mm Pentax XF (This is an absolute cracker for the price) (1.25")
7mm Pentax XW (1.25")
5mm Pentax XW (1.25")

In addition I own a full set of University Optics HD orthoscopics (5mm,6mm,7mm,9mm,12mm and 18mm), which I sometimes use for lunar/planetary/double stars. I also keep these for my 10yr old son to use in the 10" scope.

I like them all, otherwise I wouldn't have them. I don't keep anything I don't use, albeit some eyepieces get used more often than others. My two most used are the 14mm Pentax XW and the 10mm Pentax XW. These give 150x and 210x respectively in the 18" Obsession. I find this power ideal for most DSO work. What I like about them is the exceptional contrast, sharpness and light throughput. Combine that with the cool neutral colour reproduction, comfort and the big eye lens giving a very submersive view, there aren't many, if any, better eyepieces that money can presently buy IMO. The 31mm Nagler probably comes next as I use it to frame large extended objects and star fields at lower power. What I like about it is the large FOV without an oversized exit pupil in an F4.5 scope.

Other Accessories:-

2" 1.6x Antares Barlow
2" Televue Visual Paracorr
1.25" 2.5x Televue Powermate
1.25" 2x Orion Shorty Plus Barlow
2" DGM Optics NPB filter
2" Orion Variable Polarising filter
9 different 2" Hoya colour filters for special planetary effects
1.25" Astronomiks OIII filter
1.25" Astronomiks UHC filter
1.25" Sirius Optics Contrast Enhancement Filter
1.25" Sirius Optics Planetary Contrast Filter

All of these goodies live in an "everything proof" Pelican 1600 case.

CS-John B

Dave47tuc
09-05-2007, 05:42 PM
Very nice indeed John. :eyepop: Like the case :thumbsup:

Can I ask if you did not have the 31 Nag, or 27 Pano would a 26 Nag substitute for both of them?

Also I had a 12 mm Nag T4 but I always found it a bit soft in focus, meaning I could never get a real sharp focus with it.
My 13 mm LVW seems a lot better than the 12 mm Nag I had:shrug:

StarLane
09-05-2007, 06:57 PM
My EP’s are as follows. see picture

Pentax 30 XW
Hyperion 17
Hyperion 5
Burgess/TMB Planetary 3.2
Burgess/TMB Planetary 4
Burgess/TMB Planetary 7
Plossl 9
Plossl 15
Plossl 26

TV Panoptic 24 (arriving in a few weeks)
I am thinking of getting a Vixen LVW, not sure what focal length yet.

I really love the 30 XW. Great sharpness, through-put and contrast. Slight field curvature with my F5 scope, but a lot better than other EP’s I have looked through. Gives me close to 1.7 degrees of sky. Felt like quality right from the day I picked it up. Was going to wait for the BO/TMB 30mm but got the XW instead.

The Hyperions are really good for the money. Very comfortable to use, excellent eye relief. It has a thread under the rubber eye cup so a T-ring and SLR can be attached for eyepiece projection photography. The XW also has this feature.

The Burgess/TMB Planetary’s are great. Love the screw up eye cups, same as the XW. The 7mm also doubles as a deep sky EP on certain objects. Don’t get to use the 3.2mm much as the atmosphere can rarely support it.

The Plossl’s came with the scope.

iceman
09-05-2007, 07:01 PM
Hi StarLane, welcome to IIS! Nice eyepiece collection!

I'd love to get a look through a Pentax 30mm one day!

joe90
09-05-2007, 08:33 PM
I just received in the post my Burgess TDM 40mm Super Wide Orthoscopic, this is a 2" eyepiece. I am just waiting for the clouds to clear off to try it. I'll certainly let you know how it goes. It was either one of these or a University Optics 40mm.

Joe

DJVege
09-05-2007, 09:29 PM
- 30mm Andrews 80deg. UW 2"
- 26mm Meade 4000 QX 2"
- 7mm Nagler VI 1.25"

:rolleyes:

Kal
09-05-2007, 09:56 PM
24 Pan
15 Pan
11 plossl
9 nagler

and the meade standard 26 plossl

MortonH
10-05-2007, 12:01 AM
Here are mine.

Meade Plossl 32mm
TeleVue 8-24mm zoom
Pentax 21mm
Orion Stratus 13mm (received today from Steve "Janoskiss")
TeleVue 5mm Radian
TeleVue 3-6mm Nagler zoom
TeleVue 2.5x Powermate

Not pictured is my GSO 32mm Wide View, cos it's about to be replaced by a 35mm Panoptic!

ausastronomer
10-05-2007, 08:26 AM
Not really Dave. Firstly I can't use the 26mm Nagler T5 with my glasses on and take in the full FOV, which I like to be able to do. The "stated" eye relief of Nagler eyepieces is often slightly in excess of "useable" eye relief for many people, particularly for eyeglass wearers. I think they measure it to the top of the eye-lens, which can be recessed in the enclosure. Or something along those lines. At this focal length I am solely trying to maximise the FOV with good performance to the EOF, without an oversized exit pupil in the 18"/F4.5. I don't use this focal length for dim faint fuzzies where I would need superb contrast or high transmission, if I did I would have a 30mm Pentax XW, which clearly outperforms the 31mm Nagler in these areas. When I observe those dim faint fuzzies its always at a lot higher power.

The 27mm Panoptic doesn't get used in the 18" scope. It is the low power widefield for the 10" scope. It is a good choice for this because it is small and light and doesnt affect the balance of the scope. The 31mm Nagler does, as would the 26mm Nagler, considering it is balanced for smaller eyepieces. The 30mm Pentax XW would be a better choice in the 10" scope, but I can't justify selling the 27mm Panoptic to buy it. Particularly as I really only use the 10" for planetary and lunar and my 10 yr old normally uses that scope. I think for a 10yr old he is doing very well to have a 10" dob with Argo Navis and a 27mm Panoptic as his finder eyepiece. That 10" dob has also had a lot of time and money spent on it and is a long long way above standard. The thing is he is a very keen observer and loves it, so I don't want him to be held back with inferior equipment if I can give him good stuff. :screwy:




Something wrong with it, or it didn't match the scope you were using it in. Maybe, you should have sent it back and exchanged it?

While it is a tad soft at the edges in a short focal length reflector, it is still a very good eyepiece and only a small notch behind the 10mm Pentax XW IMO. When used in the 18"/F4.5 (2100mm focal length) it performs superbly.


CS-John B

Tamtarn
13-05-2007, 09:08 PM
Our eyepiece collection is very compact. Eye relief is a priority so we have the following EP's which suit our needs. Four out of the five EP'S also have adjustable eyecups which we find invaluable.

Panoptic 27mm
Nagler 17mm T4
Pentax 10mm XW
Pentax 7mm XW
Burgess TMB 5mm
Orion 2" Deluxe 2 x Barlow

26820


We use the 27mm Pano as our finder EP. The Nagler 17mm is our most used EP.It's amazing on large nebula, global clusters and galaxies the detail very sharp and very good contrast and the 82 degree FOV is a WOW :thumbsup: The Pentax 10mm is wonderful with dark contrast and very good for finer detail of DSO's. The Pentax 7mm is very good for extra magnification on Planetary Nebula, Clusters, Planetary and Lunar. The Burgess 5mm is our only pure planetary EP very sharp and good contrast. The Orion Barlow gives us 13.5mm when used with the 27 Pano and 8.5mm when used with the 17 Nagler giving us a wide range of focal lengths with just a minimum number of EP's.

We purchased all of these EP's on recommendation from IIS members on the forum and have never been disappointed with any of them.

Starkler
13-05-2007, 10:46 PM
Hi John I was with Dave observing one night when we did a bit of a comparison between his 12t4 vs his 22mm panoptic barlowed. This was in a 10" f5 dob.
The nagler didn't look bad until we compared with the barlowed panoptic, which was much much sharper.

I have mentioned this over on CN and some others have noted that they didnt think the t4's were as sharp as some others. Others of course said there is nothing wrong with a t4. I guess its not wise to draw conclusions on a sample size of one, but I'd love to repeat that test with another 12t4.

GrahamL
14-05-2007, 03:58 PM
I like all four a lot ..:)

ausastronomer
16-05-2007, 03:11 AM
Geoff,

I don't doubt this. The Panoptic is working at F10 with a 2.5 metre focal length, the Nagler is working at F5 with a 1.25 metre focal length. I believe 12mm Nagler T4 works progressively better in longer focal length scopes. It performs a lot better in my 18"/F4.5 which has a 2.1 metre focal length, than it does in the 10"/F5 with its 1.25 metre focal length. Combined with a paracorr it performs superbly in both scopes.



Nothing new here. Blind Freddy can quickly figure out the T4 Nagler's (all of them) in fast and short focal length systems are far from perfect in their EOF performance. They are still good. They are designed with longer eye-relief and the softness at EOF is the trade-off for the longer eye-relief. When combined with a paracorr all of the T4 Naglers are superb, although IMO a touch behind the Pentax XW's, in most respects apart from AFOV.

CS-John B

PS: Read my post re the new Televue Ethos

Starkler
16-05-2007, 08:24 AM
Just quickly , i was talking about on axis sharpness.

Stephen65
16-05-2007, 09:55 AM
So far I have:

WO UWAN 28mm
WO UWAN 16mm
Pentax 10mm XW
Pentax 7mm XW

TV 2x Barlow

GeoffW1
16-05-2007, 10:15 AM
My goodness me, I'm feeling much better, I thought I had to stop now, but it is apparent that I am nowhere near the REL (that's Reasonable Eyepiece Limit)

Cheers

GeoffW1

bytor666
20-05-2007, 09:53 AM
Here is my nice little family. :whistle:

wolfman
04-06-2007, 10:30 PM
MMMMM, some very nice eyepiece packages indeed. mine-Meade 34mm Super Wide 5000,Orion Stratus 21mm,Orion Stratus 13mm,Orion shorty plus 2X Barlow,Oh! and the usual-26mm Meade 4000 Possl20mmMeade 4000 Possl15mmMeade 4000 Possl9.7mmMeade 4000 PosslI really like the Meade 5000, just a wonderful eyepiece 68 degree FOV and 60X on my scope, the Orion's are great workhorses, good views and with the Barlow give me 4 useable magnifications at 68 degree FOV, 95X, 150X, 200X, 300X .So for a simple set of 3 main pieces, they serve my needs well, but I do feel the call of the dreaded eyepiece sickness.

74tuc
04-06-2007, 11:46 PM
Hi all,

My eyepieces were selected to give me 4 types of magnification (Widefield, Low power, Medium power and High power).

Widefield Fields to view star clouds, nebulae to use as a finder for star hopping.

Low Power to view star clusters and stars in general
Medium Power for the moon, planets and some doubles.

High power double stars and moon craters and have a bit of fun!

The eyepieces were selected to put the 'scope through its magnification range.

Eyepieces:

Widefield - 'Scope @ 1100mm focal length.

AFoV = 69 degrees
TMB 40mm ............ mag = x28 FoV = 2.8 degrees
Pentax XW 30mm ... mag = x37 FoV = 1.9 degrees

Low Power - 'scope @ 1760mm focal length

AFoV = 69 degrees
TMB 40mm ............ mag = x44 FoV = 1.6 degrees
Pentax XW 30mm ... mag = x59 FoV = 1.4 degrees

Medium Power 'scope @ 1760mm focal length

AFoV = 55 degrees
Vixen LV 25mm ...... mag = x 70 FoV = 1.2 degrees (EOS 350 viewfinder!)
Vixen LV 15mm ...... mag = x117
Vixen LV 9mm ....... mag = x196

High Power 'scope @ 1760mm focal length

AFoV = 45 degrees
Vixen LV = 6mm ..... mag = x293
Vixen LV = 4mm ......mag = x440
Vixen LV 2.5mm ......mag = x704

Jerry.:)

Dave47tuc
07-06-2007, 09:04 AM
Jerry,
Nice to see you are using Vixen LV’s.:thumbsup:
Much underrated eyepiece imo.:D

74tuc
07-06-2007, 05:45 PM
Hi Dave,

I find that the Vixen are an excellent all round eyepiece. I have tested them on different refractors and reflectors and found them to give a very flat and colour free image.

I use them on my 'scope at F11.7 and if anything can show up a bad eyepiece it will be my scope as it is very, very well corrected.

I guess the only way to improve things would be to buy specialist eyepieces for the planets (** Addition here **) otherwise the Vixens are just fine!

Jerry:)

Addition: Remember, leaving out Earth, there are only 3 planets that warrent expensive planetry (monocentric) eyepieces - for the price of these Registax and a webcam may give better value for money!!

Dave47tuc
11-08-2007, 02:19 PM
I now have my LVW's:eyepop:

I had the 8, 13 & 22 mm all I found exceptional eyepieces. So I decided to sell a few other type eyepieces and get the rest of the LVW's 17, 5 & 3.5 mm

Thanks to My Astro Shop http://www.myastroshop.com.au/
For the great service on getting them:thumbsup:

Weather has been poor of late but I hope to give them a good run soon.

New eyepieces bad weather:screwy:

taminga16
11-08-2007, 04:50 PM
Well done Dave, and dont they look great in the case, I am yet to give the pano and the LV's a good run due to weather and other stuff, next weekend looks promising and I will keep you informed.

Regards Greg.

P.S. The ship that my son is on is currently headed for San Diego where they will be until Feb 08, it is only 50 klms south of OPT at Oceanside, perhaps we could send him shopping.

Fox
11-08-2007, 06:14 PM
The EPs I use are:
27mm Panoptic - sensational for Eta Carina in the Genesis.
13mm LVW - Dave47tuc, yep this is my favourite and most used too.
7mm XW Pentax - only just got it, so not much use yet, it will be my globular EP.
6mm Clave - for planets with 2x Meade 140 barlow, and maybe a 3x telextender in the future.

The others I hardly use, more for historical collection.
PS: my case only cost me $25 (to make)!

Dave47tuc
12-08-2007, 09:19 AM
Nice Ep's fox:thumbsup:
Thanks Greg, hope you get to use yours real soon.:)

Hope you guy's and other Melbourne people are coming to Snake Valley in November.:whistle:

Louwai
12-08-2007, 02:21 PM
Here's my bits.......

28mm UWAN
17mm LVW
5mm LVW
2X Barlow
4X Powermate

And a full standard set of Celestron 1.25" EP's & filters.

The top 3 are what I use on my C8 & AT80 refractor. The only reason I still have the Celestron set is because I'm using the 1.25" diagonal in my refractor. As soon as I get a 2" diagonal for it the Celestron set will go.
Although I might sell the EP's & keep the case for a couple of replacements.:whistle:

StarLane
13-08-2007, 02:13 PM
Here is a pic of my current eyepiece collection.
There has been a couple of new additions since I posted the last pic of my collection.

I have added a Pentax 10mm XW and a TeleVue 24mm Panoptic. Both very nice ep's :D

I am thinking of replacing my 17mm Hyperion with a 17mm Vixen LVW. The Hyp has some field curvature that I am not totally happy with (I'm fussy). I have tried the 17 LVW and it seems to be better corrected for faster scopes, flat field, good edge performance.

Sentinel
13-08-2007, 03:06 PM
Here's my mob.

Photo was taken February 2004. Still the same + a Lumicon Crosshair Eyepiece.

I would like to upgrade the 22mm Nagler to a 26mm Nagler.

castor
14-08-2007, 03:03 AM
University Optics MK-70 40mm
Andrews/BW Optik 30mm
TV Panoptic 24mm
TV Nagler t4 22mm
KK Widescan III 20mm
TV Nagler t5 16mm
TV Nagler t4 12mm
TV Nagler t6 9mm
Vixen LVW 8mm
TV Radian 6mm
Orion Stratus 5mm
UO Orthoscopic 4mm

OneOfOne
04-11-2007, 08:48 AM
It took me a while to get around to it (I was waiting for my 40), but here is my family portrait:

thorsdad
04-11-2007, 03:28 PM
Nice equipment guys, I'm sure it's taken you a while to build up these collections and through much looking through all sorts of eps. I'll add my modest collection. The 2 1.25" GSO Plossls (9 and 25mm) came with the dob scope, and I grabbed a cheap 2x long barlow and moon filter.

One question. I did read an article on here about using the lens in your barlow screwed into your ep same as a filter. This should give you 1.5x mag on the ep. However, the lens off my barlow does not screw into my gso plossls. Is this maybe because it is a cheap Andrews barlow? Should a good quality barlow lens screw into my eyepieces? Was thinking of getting the GSO SV42mm 2" ep.

erick
04-11-2007, 10:26 PM
Rob, I haven't played with many eyepieces & barlows, but I notice that my various eyepieces and barlow don't "mix & match" when I try to unscrew lenses and barrels and use them on another. I think you'll find that, apart from the filter thread, all other threads in eyepieces may not be interchangeable? Eric

§AB
13-11-2007, 03:01 PM
my collection:

5.5mm meade 5000 plossl
6mm GSO plossl
7.5mm Orion Sirius plossl
9mm GSO plossl
12mm GSO plossl
15mm GSO plossl
18mm Celestron Ultima
32mm TV plossl
cheap 2x Barlow

these give me a mag range of 39x to 454x on the 10" and 28x to 330x on the 4.5" (although the 330x is unusable!)

thinking of getting a 4mm (312x, 625x), 5mm (250x, 500x) TV radians as a high power planet and globular work horses, 7mm TV radian to replace the 7.5mm plossl, a 24mm Panoptic and a proper Barlow lens.

Stephen65
14-11-2007, 05:22 PM
I almost closed out the XWs, but just can't justify the 40XW's cost in mostly light polluted skies with a pretty short FL refractor when I have a perfectly good 40SWAN as a finder EP. Current EPs"

XWs - 3.5, 5, 7, 10, 14, 20, 30
LVWs - 13, 17, 22
Supermonos - 4, 6 (8 and 10 on order)
UWANs - 16, 28
SWAN - 40
some other odds and ends

koputai
20-11-2007, 09:10 AM
Here's my lot.

Back Row:
Televue 2x 1.25" Barlow

Middle Row:
Meade QX Wide Angle 26mm 2"
Bintel 25mm Plossl
Skywatcher 20mm LET
Televue Nagler 13mm T6

Front Row:
Unitron 12.5mm Orthoscopic 0.965" in adapter (very nice, almost equal to the Nagler)
Unitron 9mm Symetrical 0.965"
Bintel 9mm Plossl

35090

Will stick with these for a while, but I'm still learning.

Cheers,
Jason.

janoskiss
20-11-2007, 10:17 AM
Bit of an odd mix I've ended up with after lot of buying and selling (all get used):

- eyepieces:
30mm 2" Ultrawide (cheapie from Bintel)
GSO Plossl 32mm, 25mm x 2
Antares Elite Plossl 25mm, 15mm x 2
Pentax XF 12mm, 8.5mm
UO HD ortho 12mm, 9mm

- barlows (yes these ALL get used as well! listed in order of preference)
Japanese 2" 2x (same as Orion Deluxe / old UO 2")
Orion Deluxe 1.25" 2x
Televue 1.8x
GSO 2" 2x
GSO 1.25" shorty 2x

- and this little beauty for barlowing long FL EPs:
Panoptic barlow interface

in response to Rob's question about unscrewing the barlow lens group: Some use same threads as EP filters some dont. What I like about the two GSOs I've got is they use standard threads so the lens can be mated onto EP barrels etc. You'll probably find that big name manufacturers will use non standard threads so people be less inclined to muck around with their gear, e.g. my televue barlow.

Paddy
22-11-2007, 07:49 PM
Here are my little joys:

Televue Panoptic 24 mm
Vixen LVW 17 mm
Televue Nagler 9mm
Orion Stratus 5mm
GSO 2" 2x Barlow

I am very happy with this little set, although the 5 mm only gets a look in with good seeing. I sometimes contemplate a 13 mm Nagler, but find the 24 mm Panoptic works very well in the 2x Barlow and I'm not sure if I need another EP.

DaveM
24-11-2007, 11:41 AM
For me:
31, 22, 17 and 9 mm Naglers, Ethos, and 7 and 5 mm Pentax XWs. I like the slightly 'better' on-axis performance with the Pentaxes at the shorter focal lengths. The 17 Nagler might be redundant now with the Ethos, but I'll see how things go.

Lyra
25-11-2007, 11:19 AM
Mine aren't expensive, but they get me where I want to go. :thumbsup:

5mm Celestron Ultima Series
9mm University Optics orthoscopic
10mm Orion Sirius Plossl
13.8mm Meade SWA
20mm GSO plossl
26mm Meade super plossl
40mm Orion Sirius plossl
Orion 2x Barlow
Klee 2.8x Barlow

Merlin66
25-11-2007, 06:52 PM
For the last 20 years the mainstay of the collection has been TV Plossls, these replaced a set of UO Ortho I had used for 5 years. Over the years I've added crosswire eyeieces ( for guiding the Olympus OM-1's), various Barlow's and fliters.
Based on the telescopes I had (18", 13", 10" Dobbies, 12" f 5 Newt and a couple of 8" and 10" SCT along the way) found that the Nagler was a good buy. Recently added a Clave and managed to find a full set of the Meade 4000 series Super Plossls and the "ultimate" ones.... an almost complete set of Masuyama modified orthos ( Absolutely fantastic). Now have consolidated the scopes to a 12"Lx200, 6" cometseeker, Genesis and ED80.
Here's the list:

TV Plossl's 4.8, 7.4, 10.5, 15, 21, 26, 32
TV Nagler Type 1, 13mm
Ziess 6mm Monocentric
32mm Clave
12.5 Micro guide
12mm cross wire
Meade 4000 super plossls, full set
Masuyama, full set of 1 1/4", just need the 45mm!
Barlows: x2, x2.5, Klee x2.8, TV x 5 Powermate
Chinese 40mm, 45mm Orthos

GrahamL
26-11-2007, 05:51 PM
Settled in after the move ken ?

you sure must be persistant hunting down eyepieces you want
I recall buyers being extremely happy to of found one of those
masuyamas for sale .

I really like the pretoria I got of you .. I seem to use it more than my 27 pano

take care

Merlin66
26-11-2007, 07:20 PM
The Pretoria is a very underestimated eyepiece, especially for fast Newts.
The Masuyama's have got to be close to the "Holy Grail" of eyepieces. Maybe not as wide a field as the later Naglers etc but for clarity, tightness, crispness and feel; not sure they can be beat. If anyone knows where to find a 45mm Masuyama I'd be VERY interested.
I found my Ziess Mono in a auction sale in South Africa many years ago... a long story.... but I've just been offered us$450 for it!! Too good to sell even at that price!
Weather is pretty typical over here in the UK, but at least I've got Comet Holmes every night!! Working on the spectroscopes and caught up with Maurice Gavin ( great guy!) and joined up with the Guildford Society; they have an 1900's 20" reflector available to members.
I should point out that when I started with a 6" f8 I only had a 25mm Ramsden and a 12.5 MH; they lasted me for a few years before I could really appreciate what "good" eyepieces can do. It was only while doing the SN chart work that I really understood the difference an eyepiece can make to finding/ seeing faint objects, hence the change to TV Plossl's.
The attached list details the Masuyama family...(I wish!)
The photo show the ones I have ( plus the Klee and the Clave)

Dave47tuc
26-11-2007, 07:25 PM
Like to see some pics of those Masuyama's Ken :whistle::thumbsup::D

Good one you must have changed that as I was posting.:shrug::lol:

Merlin66
26-11-2007, 07:34 PM
I figured as you don't get the chance very often to see one, never mind actually using one! that the photo might be appreciated....ESP???

Dave47tuc
27-11-2007, 06:46 PM
Really like those Masuyama's Ken. Thanks for posting the pic.:thumbsup:

Be nice to see more of the not so norm eyepieces out there:D

§AB
16-01-2008, 10:30 AM
I'm a happy family man:

lknowlen
26-04-2008, 01:08 PM
Set of Brandon oculars 32mm, 24mm, 18mm, 12mm, 8mm In my opinion the best for lunar, planetary, and solar observing.

TrevorW
27-04-2008, 06:50 PM
where do old eyepieces go too when they die

Jeff
27-04-2008, 08:22 PM
my collection ... for use in f/5 Dob.

TV Nagler 5mm
TV Nagler 13mm
TV Panoptic 19mm
TV Panoptic 27mm
TV PowerMate 2x

Initially purchased low cost Meade & GSO eyepieces, but have now spent more on my EPs than on my Dob. :whistle:

It's easy to rationalise about the please of wide/flat views, buying for the long term, and the high resale value of TV EPs .... but I think that a lot of us just get hooked on improving our setup. :screwy:

Cheers.

zombie74
10-07-2008, 09:19 PM
I´m From Mexico and Found this Forum.

Hello

I have 2 scopes.

1 reflector Meade DS-2130 FL:1000 5"
1 Refractor Stellarvue SV80ED FL:560 80mm

Eyepieces: (all 1.25")

Ploosl

Kit Olivon
4mm FOV 50°
6mm FOV 50°
12.5mm FOV 50°
32mm FOV 50°
Barlow 2X.
#12 Yellow - 74% VLT
#21 Orange - 46% VLT
#23A Light Red - 25% VLT
#56 Light Green - 53% VLT
#82A Light Blue - 73% VLT
Polarizing Filter
Moon & SkyGlow


TeleVue
15mm FOV 50°
Barlow 2X

William Optocs.
SWAN 20mm FOV 72°
SWAN 9mm FOV 72°
Dielectric diagonal 90° 2"

Meade
26mm FOV 52°
9.7mm FOV 52°

FreeMark o "unknow"
20mm FOV 50°

Wavytone
04-09-2008, 06:40 PM
Well...

An old blast from the past - a Unitron 2" 60mm and a set of 5 Edmund RKE's (showing my age).
More recently Vixen LV10, LV15, LVW22 and NLVW30.
And a couple of others that should remain anonymous.
I'm not interested in optics faster than f/7.

§AB
16-09-2008, 08:50 AM
Vixen LVWs, TV barlows, set of Astronomik nebula filters :D

Rick Petrie
16-09-2008, 03:03 PM
32mm GSO
25mm Series 500 Plossl
15mm Series 500 Plossl
15mm Bintel Wide View
13mm TV Type 6 Nagler
9mm TV Type 6 Nagler
5mm TV Type 6 Nagler
TV 2x Barlow
TV Visual Paracorr (on order)

Hopefully this is it for a while! Would love an Ethos???

Dave47tuc
16-09-2008, 07:36 PM
After a few months of collecting my new set of eyepieces. Thanks Daniel
(frontier optics) today the last 2 arrived and now they are complete.

The volcano top Ortho's are still the best value for money eyepieces around.
IMO.
Around $90 Aus each. And very sharp and contrasty eyepieces.
No not wide field but hey you sure do pay for that wide field of view:)

Dave47tuc
29-12-2008, 11:17 AM
Eyepieces
A thread like this is a good place to learn about eyepieces.
My hope for this thread is for members to ask about various eyepieces owned and used.
Some may like to share there new eyepiece experience in this thread.

My comment above about UO orthosopics still stands as great value for money.
But with most scopes these day's for visual work being F5 Newtonian on a Dobsonian base.
A wide field eyepiece is more to peoples liking.

Luckily the choice of eyepieces has never been so great. A nice little article is here,
http://www.xmission.com/~alanne/AstronomyFormulas.html

A little tip is if you where to have only two eyepieces in your kit a wide field eyepiece of say 30mm and a medium power eyepiece say 10mm and a Barlow is all thats needed to enjoy the night sky with your scope. Spend that little extra and get a top quality eyepiece, say from Pentax or Tele Vue or Vixen plus many others. Don't get to wrapped up in buying over a dozen eyepieces, you will end up only using two or three most nights. There many opinions on this and you can spend forever reading the Internet about it, but thats fun also.

Happy viewing.:)

Kevnool
31-12-2008, 02:43 PM
Your right there David.
Myself only use three.
7mm Orthoscopic.
Meade 4000 14mm UWA.
Meade 5000 26mm.

The others including the barlow just dont cut it and are in hiding.
Cheers Kev.

Wavytone
06-01-2009, 10:24 PM
I have three sets. The "good ones" are Vixen LVW's - the 8, 13 and 22 and an NLVW 30mm, all roughly the same size (big) and weight (heavy).
http://web.me.com/nicholas.loveday/Site/Eyepieces.html#3 These are mainly for an f/15 Maksutov.

Eventually I also finally decided to build up a modest set of Vixen LV's - 4, 6, 10, 15 and 25 mm - for two reasons:

- I don't want to reach for the LVW's every time at a public star party or just for friends where they won't know the difference and I'd expect to have to clean the gunk off from peoples eyes afterwards, and

- the LVW's are too heavy for when i am using my smaller and lighter 102mm refractor - I have to rebalance the mount between eyepiece changes and that irritating. The Vixen LV's are smaller, lighter and the refractor balance is insensitive to these.

The third is a set of Edmund RKE's, which i don't use anymore.

Jay-qu
10-02-2009, 11:47 PM
I havent got these yet, but they are on the way :)
7mm WO UWAN, 82 AFOV, will give me .5 degrees at 170x
10mm premium plossel, 53 AFOV - .4 degrees at 120x
25mm WO SWAN, 72 AFOV, 1.5 degrees at 48x
40mm WO SWAN, 70 AFOV, 2.3 degrees at 30x

So I think I have the lower end covered, I dont know when I will need more than 2.3 degrees :) but I wouldnt mind getting a higher power for planets when the seeing is really good. I have an 8 inch so I should be able to push it upwards of 300x if needed :D

bytor666
13-02-2009, 12:24 AM
very nice eyepieces indeed !!!

Dazzler
04-03-2009, 04:24 PM
Here's mine:-

Pentax XL40
TV 24mm Panoptic
TV 17mm Nagler
Pentax XW10
Meade 9mm wireless illuminated reticle plossl
TV 6mm Radian
TV 2.5x Powermate

They sleep in a nice Pelican Case and I love them all. ;) :)

lknowlen
05-04-2009, 12:58 PM
Brandon 32mm, 24mm, 18mm, 12mm, and 8mm

trent_julie
03-05-2009, 07:42 AM
Heres Ours
EYEPIECES.......................... ..........My Rating
TeleVue Panoptic 27mm...................***
TeleVue Panoptic 24mm...................*****
TeleVue Panoptic 19mm...................***** (my fav up until ethos)
TeleVue Radian 14mm.....................****
TeleVue Radian 12mm.....................***
TeleVue Ethos 10mm....................*****+
TeleVue Radian 6mm........................**
Vixen LV 4mm plossl...................1/2 *

2.5 Barlow............................. ........**
CLS Filter............................. .........*****
Polorising Filter Set.........................***
And 4 other Coloured Filters.............*

TeleVue Ethos 10mm (Still awaiting good skies to test full capability, but impressive so far)

Vixen LV 4mm plossl (The first eyepiece We bought wanting to see planets in great detail from a 5 inch telescope..........Two Words sucked in.... whilst it is a fantastic quality eyepiece, I should not of been sold this eyepiece from the start....... :mad2:........As for now it would make an expensive round for a slingshot

The CLS filter gets a really good workout, we once did a public night with SASI and the kids couldn't get over the green Saturn, yes we did explain that isn't its natural colour but some how i think they will remember it for life

The Barlow doesn't really get touched, no good reason why, but its there anyway

I'm that impressed with the ethos that I'm considering selling the radians and Panoptics and having a 3 ethos set........

We now have a 10 inch collapsible Skywatcher, but probably looking at upgrading to a 16 inch scope to take full advantage of the eyepieces
(the Mrs is going to kill me):scared3:

beefking
07-05-2009, 08:01 AM
apart from the 10mm and 25mm plossls that came with my telescope, my collection is as follows.

31mm Nagler
24mm Panoptic
13mm Nagler
9mm Nagler
6mm Ethos

I only got the 31mm and the Ethos yesterday, so I haven't tried them out yet. the 31mm deserves it's terminagler nickname, it's huge.

I think the set is pretty much complete - maybe a 16mm or 17mm Nagler to fill the 24mm-13mm gap, but hardly essential.

GrahamL
08-05-2009, 06:24 PM
28 pretoria
22t4
14 xw
8.5 xf
Current

Bought and sold quite a few to get here ..3K worth all up ... in good times and bad ...dollar wise ...... and still managed to wear a
substantial loss.. money is evil ....and deserves to be spent as a punishment !!..:P

Jone5y
08-05-2009, 08:19 PM
My collection to date:
Televue Plossl 25mm.... This eyepiece wasthe only 1 I owned for the first 5 years I had my scope. A great all-rounder.

Televue 3x Barlow... Very versatile

Televue Plossl 15mm... Frames most globs quite tightly

..... On the list for my next B'day (behind an Argo Navis) is a TV Radian.

Wavytone
15-06-2009, 10:55 PM
Grab & Go set : 1.25" Vixen LV's - 4, 6, 7, 10, 15, 25mm.

Main set: "all 2-inch" - and similar in weight - so no fussing with rebalancing across this lot.

Vixen LVW 5, 8, 13, 22
Vixen NLVW 30
TMB 40mm Paragon, and
Vixen LV50

A full 10:1 range from highest to lowest power.

The 40mm Paragon takes in the full field of the 2" barrel - if your scope can fill it - which is why I bought it - but more below.

At the low end I started with the Vixen NLVW30 as I wasn't too sure whether either of my scopes could really fill the field of a 2" barrel. The field stop is 34.1mm, and gives a really gorgeous low power field in both my scopes.

Ultimately I decided to push the limits and try the TMB and the LV50. The TMB 40 is big. Looking at the field lens, it's aperture is bigger than some refractor objectives and you can't really appreciate how big till you hold one in the flesh. And as for the LV50... not many eyepieces have an eye lens cover BIGGER than the field lens cover - this one does as the eye lens is huge.

In my f/7 refractor the TMB 40 is good to the edge, a tad sharper than the LVW30 at the edges of the field and very crisp and contrasty. However it is not entirely comfortable to look through for long periods in comparison to the Vixen LV50 - which has a slightly smaller field field stop, a field of view of 45 degrees and heaps of eye relief.

My f/15 Mak however can't really fill the field of the TMB without some vignetting towards the edge of the field because the aperture at the back of the OTA is significantly less than 50mm. The same would be true for 8" SCT's.

Consequently while the TMB is spectacular in my refractor, I find the LV50mm is a better choice for low power on the Mak.

Sentinel
19-06-2009, 04:06 PM
Here are my 4 eyepieces. No new ones in 5 years.

I have a Paracorr as well.

Astrobserver99
17-09-2009, 06:24 PM
I don't use EP's much, except for framing my camera. When I do, I use a 9mm TMB Planetary, 26mm Meade Series 4000, Celestron Nextstar 40mm and TeleVue 2x Barlow

Oh yeah! and a Meade 12mm illuminated reticle EP

kustard
17-09-2009, 09:22 PM
40mm - E-Lux (Came with the scope and good for letting the little one look through)
32mm - TeleVue Plossl
24.5mm - Meade SuperWideAngle
18mm - Meade SuperWideAngle
15mm - TeleVue Plossl
11mm - TeleVue Plossl
8mm - TeleVue Plossl

Also have a f6.3 Reducer Corrector which makes for some nice viewing in conjunction with the Meade SuperWideAngles.

erick
01-11-2009, 10:18 PM
:jump:


Thanks David :thumbsup: With the 27mm Panoptic now added, I think my eyepiece collection should be fine for a good while to come. :D

dpastern
01-11-2009, 10:31 PM
Well, I've got (no piccies yet):

4mm Andrews plossl
15mm GSO plossl
25mm GSO plossl
40mm GSO plossl
30mm Andrews UWA 80º
32mm TeleVue plossl
GSO 2x Barlow

I'll be eventually adding more TeleVue eyepieces to my collection. Tested the 32mm on the moon tonight and it is far sharper than the GSO units. Still waiting to test on DSOs, scope's battery died on me tonight - again!

Dave

barx1963
02-11-2009, 09:33 PM
32mm GSO Super Plossl
25mm, 15mm, 9mm and 6mm GSO Plossls
13mm TV Nagler T6
24mm TV Panoptic (arriving this week thanks Paddy)
Thnking about a zoom, maybe the Meade 5000 which had a good writeup in the latest Sky at night magazine or a short Nagler say under 10mm as my next purchase.

erick
03-11-2009, 04:08 PM
OK here we go:-

Personal collection

Televue Panoptic 35mm
Andrews 80deg 30mm
Televue Panoptic 27mm
Televue Panoptic 19mm
Televue Plossl 20mm
Vixen LV 10mm
Burgess/TMB Planetary 5mm
Williams Optics 8-24mm

Public viewing collection

Bintel Wide View 40mm
Generic UW80deg 30mm
Generic UW80deg 15mm
Super Plossl 25mm
Generic plossl 25mm
Galileoscope 20mm
Super Plossl 10mm
Seben 8-24mm

troypiggo
03-11-2009, 06:44 PM
Short post from me:

Baader Hyperion 8-24mm zoom

barx1963
04-11-2009, 03:41 PM
The 24mm Pan has arrived, so can now retire the 25mm GSO. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

32mm GSO Super Plossl
25mm, 15mm, 9mm and 6mm GSO Plossls
13mm TV Nagler T6
24mm TV Panoptic (arriving this week thanks Paddy)
Thnking about a zoom, maybe the Meade 5000 which had a good writeup in the latest Sky at night magazine or a short Nagler say under 10mm as my next purchase.

Paddy
06-11-2009, 06:51 PM
Current line up, with which I'm very happy:

Televue visual paracorr
Williams Optics UWAN 28mm 2"
Televue 17mm Nagler T4 2"
Televue 13mm Nagler T6 1 1/4"
Televue 9mm Nagler T6 1 1/4"
Televue 2x 1 1/4" Barlow

and so far I'm keeping my Vixen LVW 17mm for public viewings (am I a little over protective of my 17mm Nagler - absolutely)

Astrorish
15-11-2009, 10:30 AM
Think I have too many!

dpastern
15-11-2009, 11:39 AM
Holy crap Batman!!! Crikey!!!

Dave

erick
15-11-2009, 11:51 AM
errr, Rishi, your box is a bit too small.

Astrorish
17-11-2009, 07:27 AM
Its a tight squeeze Erick!

DiamondDust
09-12-2009, 10:36 AM
Looks like Televue lenses are the most popular. Currently I don't have any filters :(. What should I start with? I'm thinking one of those that diminish light pollution. Any suggestions? :newbie:

erick
09-12-2009, 11:29 AM
Hi Ingrid

Best you move your question into a different thread - start your own. :thumbsup:

If you search there are many threads on filters on the Forum.

Here is some other reading:-

http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/filters.asp

http://sciastro.net/members/portia.php/2009/01/31/g-the-use-of-filters

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/raycash/filters.htm

http://www.omegafiltersebuyer.com/servlet/StoreFront

Cheers
Eric

Waxing_Gibbous
09-12-2009, 01:53 PM
Rishi, you need help.:lol:

After some buying, selling and swapping I've finally wound up with:

APM 32mm "Superwide"
'Orion' 26mm Q70
TV 25 Plossl (first 'premium' EP I ever bought)
TV 20 T5 Nagler
TV 19 Panoptic
TV 16 Nagler
TV 13 Nagler
Pentax XW10 (still for sale!:))
TMB 7mm Planetary (On its way!)
6 & 9 mm GSO plossls (nice clear, flat views)
Takahashi HiLe 5mm
(If you are part of the latest Masuyama craze-don't bother. The Takahashis are their equal and more)
Vixen LV 4mm
Celestron "Ultima" 2x barlow

I was really obsessed with EPs for a while. I've looked through literally hundreds of boutique, older, 'hand made by fairies' EPs, like Orthos, Kellners, Monocentrics, Supermonos, Abbes, Volcano tops, Flat tops etc etc. and discovered one thing:
Most out of production EPs are out of production for a reason: They're not as good as modern alternatives (IMHO). They have almost no eye relief and are difficult to use. Any effort you make finding and buying some "superior" EP from the past would have been much better spent observing.
Again (IMHO) any new Vixen, Televue, Pentax or Tak, will usually surpass the older EPs views and be much easier to use.
Don't sweat what you don't have and enjoy what you do! (Unless you actually collect them as a hobby - then just go nuts and have fun!):P

Lismore Bloke
10-03-2010, 07:55 PM
Here's my lot:

First Division:
TV 32 Wide Field (still good), Nagler 22T4, 17T4 (a gem), 12T4, 9T6 and 7T6.

The reserve team:

Celestron barlow, Celestron 45 Plossl, 26 Plossl, 18 Ortho, 12 Ortho, 9 Ortho, 6 Ortho. I didn't bother showing the 5 GSO's that came with the scope.

Guess what, Naglers rule, although the 26 silver top Plossl is a sweet eyepiece, easily the best of the old ones.

koputai
11-03-2010, 10:57 PM
OK, here's my revised lot.
Nowhere near all of them, but the more exotic ones. Not that
current TV's are exotic, just BLOODY good!

Back row (2"):
Kasai 40mm Konig
TV Panoptic 35mm
Meade Research Grade 32mm Erfle

Middle row (1.25"):
TMB Planetary II 6mm
TV Nagler T6 9mm
TV Nagler T6 13mm

Front row (0.965"):
Unitron Sym 9mm Symetrical (Plossl)
Unitron OR 6mm Orthoscopic
Unitron OR 12.5mm Orthoscopic
Unitron K 25mm Kellner



Cheers,
Jason.

chuckscap
27-04-2010, 11:47 AM
I'm kind of going retro, gradually selling off my TV Panoptics and Radians, my 22mm Pan's next to go because the 32mm Brandon is so much clearer. so here's my list:

35mm Panoptic
32mm Brandon
22mm Panoptic
16mm CZJ O-16
10mm CZJ O-10

I'm probably going to replace my 22mm Panoptic with a 25mm CZJ Ortho (O-25) and my 35mm Panoptic with a 48mm Brandon. If I had a dob instead of a Mewlon on an equatorial mount, I'm sure I'd still be into the widefield eyepieces.

Regards from Colorado,

Chuck

crazyqban67
28-05-2010, 05:07 PM
Family Portrait. That's FRANKENBINO (a Baader/Denkmeier Hybrid) on the right.

Wavytone
28-05-2010, 08:00 PM
For my refractor: Vixen LV5, 7, 10, 15, 25mm

For my two Maks a range of 2" ep's:
Vixen LVW 8, 13, 22 and Vixen NLVW 30, LV50, and TMB 30 and TMB 40.
And a Masayuma 45mm.

Marcus10
30-09-2010, 07:11 AM
I also confess to being a Televue buff:

Televue 31mm Nagler (great, but heavy as a brick)
Televue 20mm Plossl
Televue 13mm Ethos (great but $$)
Televue 8mm Ethos
Televue 5mm Nagler
Televue 3.5mm Nagler

I'm looking at the 17mm or 21mm Ethos at some point. After I've remortgaged the house to pay Uncle Al for his eyepieces!!

garrillaga
27-10-2010, 07:03 PM
For the Meade Lightbridge 12'':

Baader Aspheric 31 mm.
Baader Zoom 24-8 mm.
Baader Ortho 5 mm.
Baader Vip Modular Barlow 2X
TV Ethos 21 mm.
TV Ethos 13 mm.
TV Ethos 8 mm.
TV Ethos 3,7 mm.
TV Powermate 4X
TV Powermate 5X

sasup
10-03-2011, 09:07 AM
ok here is my lot so far
televue :

panoptic 24mm
neglar 20 t2
neglar 17mm t 4
neglar 9 mm t 6
ethos 17mm
ethos 6 mm
RKE 28mm
meade 32mm
televue paracorr
this is the new beastie!!!!!! ethos 17mm

ajg
15-04-2011, 06:00 AM
My set ...

http://i.imgur.com/5pRtu.jpg

... and in their case ...

http://i.imgur.com/MiOHG.jpg

erick
15-04-2011, 08:36 AM
Very handsome, Andrew! Quality product! Err... what are the optical properties of the Coke can like?

ajg
16-04-2011, 04:01 AM
The coke can has disappointing optical properties, although being free of coma, astigmatism and chromatic abberation, it was somewhat opaque. I also had to use a 4lb lump hammer to get it in the focuser.
I can best describe it's performance as "sub-optimal". Still, it's probably better than those Modified Achromat eyepieces you get with low-end SkyWatchers ... :lol:

JethroB76
20-04-2011, 07:46 PM
How do you find the 30mm ES?

ajg
22-04-2011, 07:03 PM
I'm liking it a great deal! Built like a tank and about as heavy as one too! Excellent optics.

mr bruess
22-04-2011, 09:05 PM
The coke can really gives you a good idea about the size of the eyepieces.
They are really big massive eyepieces!!!!
I've never seen such gigantic eyepieces before!

ajg
23-04-2011, 07:05 AM
Is precisely the reason why it's in the shot! They weigh quite a bit as well:
30mm 82° 1,030g
20mm 100° 968g
14mm 100° 872g
9mm 100° 657g
... although it's a cheapo electronic weighing scale, so that may not be entirely accurate.

Gem
27-05-2011, 04:54 PM
Here's my family...

40mm Bintel Plossl
32mm Televue Plossl
26mm Sirius Plossl
15mm Celestron Axiom
12.5mm Celestron Plossl
4.8 mm Televue Nagler

FlashDrive
01-06-2011, 02:48 PM
These's get the most use.... ! :D

bytor666
08-06-2011, 01:36 PM
New pic!

Will add another when I get my 3rd Series 4000 Meade 8.8mm UWA!

Gem
27-06-2011, 02:37 PM
Flash drive! How many eyepieces do you need???? :lol:

FlashDrive
27-06-2011, 03:42 PM
Accumulated a few over the years :P ... just sold 5 eyepieces yesterday to a couple of IIS Members ( surplus to my needs ) .... went cheap to.
Had a couple of " double up's " because of Binoviewer use.

Flash :D

Calibos
16-07-2011, 11:01 AM
My Dream was realised on Wednesday when I recieved a big heavy package. While I had intended to slowly accumulate this set one by one over the course of the next few years, I ended up getting the whole lot in one go in the Televue 20/20 20% off sale with an extra 11% discount from the retailer and a favourable Dollar/Euro exchange rate. Ended up paying €2500 instead of the €4500 price in Europe. My Aunt in Seattle took her sweet time forwarding them on to me in Ireland but they were worth the wait.

Tiotion
16-07-2011, 02:35 PM
Here's my collection; A 24mm Panoptic and a 14mm ES 100degree. I do also have some cheapo eps that came with the scope but i haven't used them since i bought the Pano, and i haven't used that since buying the ES. Don't get me wrong, the 24mm Pano is a fantastic EP, but the 100 degrees and sheer quality of the ES and its views mean I can use it on any object. Its literally the only EP i use. I will get a TV 2x Barlow to get the ES down to 7mm and that will be it for me, just so i can cover planets and v small DSO's. Call me strange but i'm a one EP kind of guy!

Sylvain
17-07-2011, 02:27 AM
Many nice ( and pricey!) collections here, good on ya guys!!

GrahamL
17-07-2011, 08:34 AM
Well theres no need to wonder now Keith as you bought them all:lol:


I recently bought a 13 ethos Jack and also find you can almost live with 100* around this F/L without really wanting to slip in another.

barx1963
29-08-2011, 07:18 PM
Well following recent upgrade my EP family looks like this


7mm T6 Nagler (AFOV 22')
10 Ethos (AFOV 40')
13mm T6 Nagler (AFOV 40')
24mm Panoptic (AFOV 1deg)
34mm Meade SWA (AFOV 1.45deg)
and a 2x TV Barlow


Malcolm

Dieselten
09-09-2011, 03:53 PM
Fairly average collection for my 12" Dob:-

Televue 35mm Panoptic (I like this one very much!)
Celestron 30mm Ploessl
Meade 20mm 4000 Super Ploessl
Orion 9mm Ploessl
Televue 7.4mm Ploessl
Orion 6mm Ploessl

Need to get something good in the 13-17mmm range, possibly another Panoptic or a Nagler, not sure yet. Also examining the possibilities of replacing some of the longer 1.25" units with 2" equivalents. (Apologies for lack of photographs.)

Gowin
18-09-2011, 11:43 AM
The EP community is well and truely alive!

brian nordstrom
21-10-2011, 08:59 PM
:thumbsup:Sure did mate and thanks again ;) awsome 22mm , she barlows well to 11mm , nice!
Brian.

barx1963
29-02-2012, 07:40 PM
Well, a new addition to the family, a big bouncing Ethos 17mm baby.

Family now is (from left to right)
2x TV Barlow
7mm T6 Nagler
10mm Ethos
13mm T6 Nagler
17mm Ethos
24mm Panoptic
34mm Meade Series 4000 SWA

Need a new EP Case!

Malcolm

bytor666
01-03-2012, 07:26 AM
Very nice eyepieces !!! My family has changed since the last time, LOL!

28mm Meade 5000 SWA
25mm Celestron XCel-Lx
22mm TV Panoptic
12mm Nagler T4
6mm TV Delos
1.75x Barlow
2.25x Barlow
3x Barlow

Will post a pic later!

Cheers,

FlashDrive
02-05-2012, 05:14 PM
Most used eyepieces at the moment ....!! :D
Not all get used in each session...!! :rolleyes:

Flash :D

bytor666
02-05-2012, 05:34 PM
Nice Colin!

Mine have changed again...here they are! The EP's remain, but I have traded the two 1.25" filters for one 2" O-III, and the 1.25" barlow is now gone.

Cheers,

silv
06-06-2012, 03:00 PM
Hey Everyone,


I'm a noob and I would sooo appreciate a line or two about why this particular eye piece is great for you and your scope.

A comment like this goes a loong way - I will certainly stay away from buying this particular one:


More of this, pretty please?

Cheers Annette

bytor666
14-06-2012, 11:57 PM
New lineup yet again! ;) Gonna get another in a few days! :screwy::D:lol:

traveller
26-06-2012, 01:49 PM
Here are my EPs.
A collection of Vixens from 2.5mm to 25 mm and a collection of others.
There does seem to be an issue with the higher powered Vixens in that they only have 45 degree of view, as opposed to the 50 degrees offered by standard Vixen LVs. Are they the "first series"?
Thanks, Bo

brian nordstrom
27-06-2012, 09:46 AM
;) Like your Vixens there Bo , here are mine 7 off , and my TV's + 31mm Axiom 31mm .
Brian.

traveller
27-06-2012, 10:30 AM
Cheers Brian, yours don't look half bad either :D.
Looks like your 2.5, 4 and 6mm LVs also have 45 degree views. Mine just didn't have the large lettering, thats why I thought they were "first generation". Anyway, just waiting for a good seeing night now.
I also love your Nagler and Axiom hand granades :lol:.
Bo

FlashDrive
27-06-2012, 10:37 AM
Yeah ... so do I .. !!! ;)

brian nordstrom
27-06-2012, 10:53 AM
:) Thanks Bo and Flash , there is a new ( 2nd hand) 20mm T2 Nagler on its way , that will sit nicely in amongst these .
My darling said NO :( , but I convinced her that if I sell a few eyepieces to pay for it , it wont cost us anything ...:question: .
On the 45 degrees Bo I really dont notice it because I use the 2.5 - 6mm on double stars the moon and planets using either my IEQ45 and 127mm or the Vixen Super Polaris under my 90mm LP , and both are driven so once they are on target it stays there for a while . These are very good for this kind of work .. :thanx:.
Not so Flash :D using our Pronto and Gibralter , they work but its a chore keeping the objects in the field . Thats where the TV eyepieces rule .
One more thing , you gotta see the Eta Carina nebular and surrounds using the 31mm Axium LX and 60mm TAK,, ! :eyepop: beautiful .
Blew a few away last saturday night at our dark sky night , there were some big scopes there , to .
Brian.

FlashDrive
28-06-2012, 11:45 AM
A new addition to my Eyepieces.... Very nice indeed .. !!

:prey2: Carl Zeiss 25mm.

Flash :hi:

brian nordstrom
28-06-2012, 11:48 AM
:D Woaw !!! lucky you , that would go so nice with my Zeiss scope :question: .
Its a keeper aye mate .? hows about a small review ?
Brian.

silv
28-06-2012, 03:01 PM
yeah, review. ...

you guys showing off your pieces :D
and I just sit here and think: now what? :shrug:

why this one? why that one?

brian nordstrom
29-06-2012, 10:35 AM
:D Ok Silv, I have only refractors from 60mm to 127mm and they are all under f7.5 so i dont have much focal lenght / magnification for any given eyepiece , so thats why I have the smaller f/l Vixen's 2.5mm - 10mm these allow me to get medium to high powers for the moon , plarets and double stars without using my barlow as I find that barlows are a pain in the dark as I always bump into it ? :rofl:.True very annoying .
For example my 3mm gives me 166x in my 500mm fl 90mm APO which is plenty and the large eyeopening and 20mm eye relief is a joy , just one example .
For my Celestron Axiom LX 31mm and TV panoptics and naglers they are the best for low power large field of view , there is something about a large up to 5 degree + field using a quality refractor thats not seen in large , 10- 16 inch reflectors , oh yes the reflectors will go much much deeper , but the views are not as nice ( In my , and others eyes )
For example 2 weekends ago we had our dark sky night for june and I had my 60mm f5.9 TAK Flourite refractor out and using my 31mm Axiom , that is 11x and 6 degree field , the view of the eta Carina nebular ard huge surrounds was spectular !!:eyepop: , perfect pin prick stars of every colour across the entire field with the nebular in the middle , It blew every one there away and that included some large scope owners , up to 16 inches that night , Nice .
Thats just me , but I love my refractors .
Thats why , mate and its also fun trying to get a nice collection going , its taken me years .;) .Thanks to IIS .:thumbsup:.
Brian.

silv
30-06-2012, 08:11 AM
thank you! very much appreciated!
this is a really useful description for a noob like me!

:bowdown:

bytor666
30-06-2012, 08:47 AM
Nice eyepieces you guys! I have changed my lineup yet again! :rofl:

Cheers,

silv
30-06-2012, 01:41 PM
:sadeyes: why?

brian nordstrom
30-06-2012, 02:08 PM
:P As the micky mouse club say's ' because we like to'...
And its always good to try something new and if you dont like it or it does not suit your scope you can always sell it here at IIS and not loose to much money .
By the way Bytor666 how does the new 14mm perform , it looks a lot like the 32mm I have just sold to Georgio ? If its as good as that it will be a great eyepiece , and if you ever want to sell it ??? ;). think of me .
Brian.

MattT
31-07-2012, 11:57 AM
My collection after too much thought went into it. ES 68 deg 28mm 20mm 16mm, ES 82 deg 6.7mm, Denk 14mm Pentax XW 10mm, Hyperion 8 and 5mm.

bytor666
09-09-2012, 03:23 AM
3 remain. Two new additions! What I like about the Orion 38mm Q70 is that I can fit M-45 in the FOV, The Coat hanger Cluster, The Veil plus a few more large objects, and it serves well as a finder eyepiece. I also just picked up another 2" Antares 1.6x barlow!

Cheers,

FlashDrive
13-09-2012, 09:44 AM
Some recent additions :

Flash .. !! :)

Varangian
17-09-2012, 04:17 PM
Hi Flash, what do you think of the 17mm Stratus in your fast Dob? Many thanks, John.

barx1963
18-10-2012, 05:43 PM
The new beast turned up today, a nice shiny new 13mm Ethos!!:D:D
Collection now consists of 17 Ethos, 13 Ethos, 10 Ethos and a 6 Delos along with a 2x TV Barlow.
I still have the 13T6 Nag, but it is not in this photo.

Thinking the next purchase is probably a wiiide EP, thinking a 21 Ethos, 31T5 Nag or a 35 or 41 Pan.

Will make a decision once I have tested the 13E.

Malcolm

FlashDrive
12-11-2012, 03:58 PM
Vixen Collection.... still need 3 more ..!!
Lanthanum Glass ..!!

Flash ..!!;)

Kunama
12-11-2012, 10:17 PM
Nice collection Colin,

I am hoping to get by on just the full set of LVWs, I am halfway there with a few ring-ins. Still need the 5,8 and 22 but I am waiting till my wife cools down before spending any more.

and maybe a couple for the Istar :question::question:

FlashDrive
13-11-2012, 01:40 PM
Looking Good Matt ..!! :thumbsup: ...keep going till you get what you want ..!!
Just ' hide ' them from the ' Wifey ' ;) as you get them .. that way .. she won't know .. :P

Flash ..!! :D

Wavytone
13-11-2012, 02:20 PM
And you're missing the 42... however I have an LV50 which IMHO is better...

/you'll have to prise the 5, 8, 13, 22 and 30 from my cold, dead hands.

FlashDrive
13-11-2012, 07:46 PM
These aren't easy to find ... I keep looking to complete the Set.

Flash ..!!

brian nordstrom
14-11-2012, 03:30 PM
:D I thought I might as well show off my TelVue collection as it stands today , I got every one from IIS's Classifieds ,, thanks all who sold em to me .
The 19mm Panoptic is the newest addition and it all started way back with my mighty 13mm T1 Nagler ,,;)
The story continues .......
Brian.

barx1963
19-11-2012, 04:13 PM
The new 21mm Ethos arrived today. A Healthy 2.25lb bouncing baby.

Cannot wait to try it out tonight!

:D

Malcolm

sn1987a
19-11-2012, 09:09 PM
Happiness is the new eyepiece arriving in the post. :D

barx1963
21-11-2012, 02:06 PM
Well the 21 Ethos is here and had first light on the last night of Snake Valley Camp.
Pic shows the EP collection as it stands on the Rack of my dob mount.
Consists of 10, 13, 17 and 21 Ethoi, 6mm Delos and the venerable old 13mm Nagler.
I still pull out the 13 Nag as it is still a nice EP.
The other new item is the Argo Navis which I have mounted on a small ball head for a more comfortable viewing angle.

Malcolm

AG Hybrid
24-11-2012, 07:25 PM
Here are my current eyepieces. Currently sitting in an eyepiece tray I made for my 12" skywatcher dob. Some might suggest the tray is over-engineered for the job at hand, but when its holding nearly $1500 of oculars at a give time... I don't think I've over done it at all.:thumbsup:

Larryp
24-11-2012, 07:46 PM
These are my eyepieces
26mm, 16mm, 11mm, 7mm and 5mm Naglers
2" Televue diagonal
4x Powermate (2"):)

oxygen
27-11-2012, 05:23 PM
I have a 35mm panoptic that is my favorite with a 20" F5 dob.
There is also a 41mm Panoptic giving a wider field and for higher mag a 16, 12 and 9mm Nagler.

I will sell these soon with the scope - I have a health problem and a destiny beyond my control. Stay tuned
W

bytor666
03-12-2012, 02:53 PM
My minimaliat family update! :hi:

FlashDrive
24-12-2012, 04:30 PM
A couple of recent additions.

bytor666
24-12-2012, 05:32 PM
Nice eyepieces you guys! I added another to the stable. The 14mm Denkmeier! If you're all wondering where the eye cup on the 14m Denk came from, look no further than the 22mm LVW! I took the rubber eye cup off of the 22mm Vixen LVW to see if it would fit on the 14mm Denk and it does! However, I just leave the eye cups on both eyepiece off so I can use my glasses with them!

Cheers,

FlashDrive
11-02-2013, 02:31 PM
A couple of recent additions to my Eyepiece Family.

Notice the 2 x TeleVue 26mm Smooth Side ... the writing is different ...writing at the top ... and writing at the bottom ...also ...one has a more ' pronounced volcano top ' than the other. :shrug: ...My only guess is the year of manufacture or just a different ' batch ' production.

and .... 2 Denkmeier 21mm FMC made in USA ...these are really nice ..!!

Flash ..!!

bytor666
25-02-2013, 03:28 PM
Nice eyepieces Flash!

I've added yet another, LOL! A 5mm Vixen LVW.

Cheers,

FlashDrive
13-03-2013, 03:40 PM
The Vixen LV Collection ....need to get a decent box for these ...

Flash ...!!

brian nordstrom
13-03-2013, 04:51 PM
:eyepop: You little beauty !!! you made it mate , cool collection and well done Flash .
Brian.

bytor666
13-03-2013, 08:11 PM
Yes agreed! Very nice collection!

Cheers,

Kunama
16-03-2013, 01:14 PM
Very nice collection Flash .......... I'm going more for the minimalist approach:

In anticipation of next week's postal deliveries, I have made some room in my cases:

C'mon postie !!!!!

FlashDrive
16-03-2013, 04:47 PM
Watch This Space ...eh ...:lol: ...I like it.:thumbsup:
Post them up when you get em '

Flash ..!! :D

Profiler
16-03-2013, 06:19 PM
Nice touch Matt and a good pick in EP too boot!

Pentax are stopping production of their EPs due to the rising cost of lanthanum and I imagine it will only be a matter of time before things start creeping over onto Vixen as well

Kunama
16-03-2013, 06:45 PM
Thanks, I noted that they are getting harder to find, even Optcorp have the 22mm on backorder and then Steve at myastroshop, being the gentleman that he is, made me an offer I could not refuse, so now I have 5 brand new LVWs and one immaculate previously loved one. Just one more to get when my bank balance recovers. I just love these LVW eyepieces in the Takahashi, just perfect with lots of eyerelief. Sometimes I forget and then have to move my head back away from the lens a bit.

Profiler
17-03-2013, 09:56 AM
No arguments from me - I am an unashamed Vixen fan and my feeling is their products are unjustifiably under-rated - their eyepieces being a classic example.

If I had to critique something unfavourable about the LVWs it would be their general size and weight (in some fls eg 3.5 is pretty big). However, in this day and age of Ethos sized coke-can EPs being the apparent norm this seems like a non issue now and if anything they are quite modest in comparison. I suppose the strategy from Vixen was for portable grab-n-go EPs you got their LV's and for a really good look through the EP you get the LVWs

Kunama
22-03-2013, 01:56 PM
My little vixens all together, rather than gathering an eclectic mix of brand names and types I decided on one set of parfocal eyepieces,
With the Takahashi TSA120 these give me 41x, 53x, 69x, 112x, 180x & 257x

Profiler
22-03-2013, 02:38 PM
Very Nice

Any thoughts on the 30mm NLV to round out the collection at the top end?

Kunama
22-03-2013, 02:54 PM
When my wife cools down I will get the 42mm LVW, but I doubt I will get the NLV30. I just bought a new T-Rex Alt Az mount from Claude so I will need to behave myself for quite some time.

FlashDrive
23-03-2013, 03:56 PM
And here it is .....:thumbsup: ....on it's way to me now....the Box that is......
LV Vixen Zoom Eyepiece will fill the remaining ' slot '

Flash...!!

Kunama
23-03-2013, 04:00 PM
Nice one Col !!!

Larryp
23-03-2013, 04:34 PM
My collection. 26, 16, 11, 7, 5 and 3.5mm Naglers and a 2" 4x Powermate.:)

Kunama
23-03-2013, 06:02 PM
Another nice collection!

FlashDrive
23-03-2013, 06:46 PM
Nice Collection there Laurie.

Flash....

Larryp
23-03-2013, 06:50 PM
Thanks Matt and Flash:)

RB
23-03-2013, 10:33 PM
Well done Laurie, we have similar tastes (see post #5)

:thumbsup:

Larryp
24-03-2013, 06:32 AM
Great minds think alike, Andrew!

simmo
24-03-2013, 04:29 PM
Hello all,

My range of ortho's. Like the 12.5 the most as it is versatile. Sadly these are no longer but you may be able to find some under different names. The glass in these is very clear and they are easy to use. :)

Cheers
Simmo ;)

Astro_Bot
24-03-2013, 08:47 PM
Yup, they're just about gone. After Tani-san (the 'T' in Circle-T) retired at the end of last year (he was 84, apparently), the factory shut and stocks have dwindled. These "volcano top" orthoscopics are also sold under the University Optics and Edmund Optical brands. UO are all out of stock. Circle-T are almost gone - only some focal lengths available in small numbers, but Edmund Optical still has some (they charge the most, though).


Good planetary views compared to other eyepieces I've used, but the shorter focal lengths (I also have the 4mm and 5mm in addition to others) have very short eye relief, which makes it a bit hard. Nevertheless, the raw view is better than any barlowed combination I've tried, so far at least.

Wavytone
24-03-2013, 09:04 PM
Probably the same as the volcano-top orthos which kokusai kohki used to sell (also gone)...

Astro_Bot
24-03-2013, 09:08 PM
Ah ha! I knew I'd forgotten one. Yes, they are the same, AFAIK.

Edit: Just for completeness, Lyra Optical (UK) still has one 4mm left, then they're out, too. Tan14 (HK) has some 9, 18 and 25mm orthos left, but I don't know how many - Peter's prices are pretty decent.

FlashDrive
04-04-2013, 09:26 AM
The New Box has arrived .....

Flash....

Larryp
04-04-2013, 09:33 AM
Looks good, Col!

04Stefan07
04-04-2013, 10:30 AM
Nice collection, love the box as well!

simmo
11-04-2013, 09:35 PM
WOW Col,

Where do you start mate. I'd be like a kid in the candy store. Hmmmm which one will I pick tonight?:confuse3:

Love the box, very stylish and rustic.:thumbsup: Gotta love the smell of new wood, it hits the senses everytime and invokes a good many memories. Hope you have many good ones with this set.

Cheerz
Simmo ;)

bytor666
12-04-2013, 06:32 AM
Added two more pieces to the immediate family!

A 17mm Celestron Ultima LX that I modified and de-cloaked and also a Meade 5.5mm waterproof UWA. The Celestron was so ugly, I had to take the mid section off. I made a thread about it on CN.

Here is my new family pic, and also a few pics of the now "modified" Celestron 17mm Ultima LX, which I think looks a lot better then it's original state.

Cheers!

brian nordstrom
12-04-2013, 06:33 PM
:thumbsup: What a difference Markus , looks like an eyepiece now , well done . ( yea they look like a body builder on to many steriod's to me ) but ...

Every thing I have ever heard on these LX's has been positive on their views , good addition ...
... ;) that looks normal now and a heap lighter ?
Brian.

bytor666
12-04-2013, 07:00 PM
Hi Brian,

You got that right! The original look on these are an eye sore, lol. The new slimmed down look is heaps better! As for the weight, before I took the middle piece off it was 19.5 Ounces. Once I removed the ugly part in the middle, it weighed in at 16 Oz.

Weight loss = 3.5 Ounces.

Cheers,

FlashDrive
13-04-2013, 08:02 AM
Thanks Simmo....yes...Box looks a treat and I went for these as the eye relief is 20mm on all of them ....very comfortable viewing for me.
The ' glass optics ' is VERY good on these.....Japanese Quality...took me about 6 months to ' hunt ' these down ..from CN, Ebay...some s/h and a couple are brand new.....all in ' top ' condition.Most of these came with original boxes and caps. I actually have a couple of ' doubles ' of these ...I use them on my Denk' Binos ....just beautiful using 2 eyes on objects ...especially the Moon :eyepop: and M42.

They don't make these anymore ..although the newer range are NLV's ....not LV's that I have here.
You can still get them ( LV's ) if you hunt around...they're not all gone yet.

I like your UV Or's so much ...I went and got 2 myself from Claude ( AEC ) ....for Bino use ... and ' single ' use also when required....( these are so nice...worth spending the money )

Flash ...:hi:

bytor666
13-04-2013, 10:52 AM
Nice eyepieces Flash!

I worked on my 17mm Ultima LX some more and put a hand grip piece on the inside and bought some pin striping to match the lettering which I will put on later.

Cheers!

FlashDrive
13-04-2013, 12:26 PM
I like what you've done to the 17mm Ultima ...' looks ' a lot better IMHO ...not so ' bulky ' and more pleasing to look at.... ' slimmer ' :thumbsup:

Flash...

bytor666
14-04-2013, 12:21 AM
Thanks again Flash! I finalized everything on the eyepiece today which includes adding reddish / orange pin striping and blackening the chrome bottoms of the 1.25" and 2" barrels to minimize any reflections form the moon, or other bright targets.

Looks a lot better in the final stage IMO! Feels nicer in the hands too!

Cheers!

gbeal
14-04-2013, 06:31 PM
Flasher, you got me inspired to dig out an old picture from a few years back. Still got them all, and now in a nice self-made wooden presentation case. I use them occasionally, most times I want a higher power view.
Gary

FlashDrive
15-04-2013, 04:53 PM
gb........they're different....I'll bet their not made anymore....German...no doubt.
They look expensive :scared2: ...and high quality.

Flash ....

gbeal
15-04-2013, 06:36 PM
Right on all points Flasher, especially the "expensive" bit. The O-8 is made from pure Unobtainum, LOL.
GB

glnn_23
05-06-2013, 10:54 AM
Just grabbed a Delos 14 to add to my compact collection.

bytor666
13-06-2013, 05:32 PM
Nice eyepieces!!! :D

I have completely revamped my lineup. Here are two of them I have now. The 14mm will be here very soon!

Cheers,

MattT
14-06-2013, 12:58 PM
For mono viewing appearing on the left the unbeaten XW's and on the right the newcomers ES 100 degree. All of them give molto molto viewing pleasure.

MattT
14-06-2013, 01:01 PM
And for two eyed viewing pleasure these babies: With a Williams Optics Bino.

bytor666
17-06-2013, 09:54 AM
Here they ALL are together now. I think I need a CRANE to get these in my focuser, LOL! The rest are in the second pic.

Cheers,

PeterHA
15-07-2013, 11:04 AM
Well here it is 3 x Delos, 1 x Raian and 1 x Baader Eudiascopic plus Ultima Barlow.
The speciality is the Kasai Petaprism which gives a 110mm glass path for my short semi apo refractor (it need a glass path).
I have customized a small tough case with coreflute sections, easy to cut and bend, soft and does not damage the EPs and will not accumulate dust. I like my EPs in the case by night and exit lens up so I can grab them easily.

Allan
17-07-2013, 04:25 PM
There certainly are some wonderful eyepieces here.

It has taken me a while, but I think I have arrived at my final eyepiece collection. I really like each and every one of them and they all do the job they were purchased for.


143822


I bought a Pelican Storm rifle case for them to live in. Still has enough space left for my accessories, when I get around to cutting out the foam. I added 3 red LED's that automatically turn on when I open the lid. Makes it nice and easy to change eyepieces and filters in the dark.


143823 143824 143825

mr bruess
28-07-2013, 04:06 AM
LOL at watch this space for future eyepieces.

bytor666
20-08-2013, 06:21 PM
Just another update....

bytor666
20-08-2013, 06:30 PM
The 14mm was dropped by another observer...so he replaced it with a shiny new 14mm Argon Purged one one......as seen here!

Cheers,

brian nordstrom
21-08-2013, 10:40 AM
:), Here are my 4 TV Pan's , 19 , 22 , 24 and 27mm's .
Radian's 3 , 5 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 and 18mm's + 2x Powermate all in a $29 Bunnings Craftright case .
All got from IIS'rs over the years except the Powermate that was bought new .
Brian.

Allan
21-08-2013, 09:50 PM
Very nice set of eyepieces you have there Brian. You must be a patient person to have picked them all up in IIS.

mr bruess
22-08-2013, 02:17 AM
i gota get me a $29 Bunnings Craftright case for my valuable televue eyepieces

brian nordstrom
22-08-2013, 01:01 PM
;) Thanks Allan , yes 6 years so far Whew!

And yes Mr Bruess , they are a steal at that price , its the 2nd one I have , I have the bigger size for my Ioptron IEQ45 mount , a perfect fit .

I will grab another for my Naglers I have grabbed here at IIS as well , great cases for sure .

Brian.

FlashDrive
25-08-2013, 10:51 AM
Brian... that's a good effort..... to get a good set...takes time...but worth the effort.

Here are most of my ' Bino ' eyepieces....these took some time to get together also....2 pair came with the Binoviewer...the rest sourced from the rest of the Universe :P

also a recent purchase....27 Panoptic ....bargain price to....great combo with the TV76.....wide field views ....just ever sooooo nice....!!

Flash......:D

brian nordstrom
25-08-2013, 02:45 PM
:thumbsup: Sure does Flash , years , my last buy for a while was last week a 16mm T2 Nagler to go with my others .
I will grab a $29 case from Bunnings same type as my Radian Panoptic case .
I will post a photo soon , and that's IT!!!

Just gotta keep out of IIs's classifieds, that's not easy tho :shrug: .

Brian.

FlashDrive
25-08-2013, 03:35 PM
and that's IT ....eh ......really :lol:....yah sure.....:whistle:
There's ALWAYS something yah MUST have.....even I'll admit to that. ;)

Flash......:innocent:

Allan
25-08-2013, 04:38 PM
Hey Flash, nice gear, I like your TV Refractor.

How do your D21 and Pan19 compare in your bino? Could you pick one set over the other? I'm in the market for either of these 2 pair. Cheers

FlashDrive
26-08-2013, 11:54 AM
Celestron Ultimate Classics....arrived today...

42mm/ 18mm/ 12.5mm

This 42's going to be nice ....should produce some superb wide field views.
18 & 12 will be sharp...have looked through these 2 before ... but never owned them....now I do :D

Made in Japan ;)

Flash....

brian nordstrom
26-08-2013, 12:28 PM
:thumbsup: Sweet mate , I know the ultimas are good , when I lost my eyepiece case a while ago :sadeyes: with my Orthoscopics in it my Celestron Ultima 1 1/4 inch 2x barlow was in it and it was an awesome barlow , best I have ever used , enjoy these Colin .
Brian.

FlashDrive
26-08-2013, 01:02 PM
The Whole Lot....you'd think I collected eyepieces...

hmmm...!!! I'm sure somebody else has more...;)

....one day I'll have to narrow this lot down.

The LV Vixen Set has been Sold.

Flash.....:)

brian nordstrom
28-08-2013, 11:05 AM
Well the 16mm Nagler T2 arrived today and its the last Astronomy purchase for me in a while ;) , I have all I need now and these along with my previous post here showing my radians and Pan's is plenty for me .

So here are my Naglers .

9mm T1 , 13mm T1 , 16mm T2 , 17mm T4 , 20mm T2 along with my awesome Celestron Axiom 31mm 82* , this eyepiece is as good as a friends TV 31mm Nagler at 1/2 the price so I don't need one and it compliments the naglers very well .
You should see the southern milky way in my Tak sky90 and this Axiom 31mm , awesome ! :thumbsup: .
The AT titan 40mm is best in my M210 , a nice 40x sharp and to the edge .

On a side note I went to Bunnings this morning to grab a CraftRight case like my other only to find they have gone up $10 to $39 now :shrug: ,
Still good value tho .
Brian.

brian nordstrom
28-08-2013, 12:49 PM
Here are all my eyepieces , every one bar the Celectron 31mm Axiom ( that come off NZ's 'Trade Me' ) and the 2x Powermate ( Bintel ) has been bought off IIS , over 6 long years ,, whew!!:help: .

A few $$'s worth but a lot cheaper than buying new and as I said the cost has been spread over 6 years .
I am happy with what I have now .

All these eyepieces work well in every scope I own .
Brian.

MattT
29-08-2013, 09:04 PM
Nice set Brian.
Good to get to a point where you feel thats good enough. I'm happy with my lot too.
Matt

Larryp
29-08-2013, 09:56 PM
Good collection, Brian :thumbsup:

mr bruess
30-08-2013, 03:39 AM
It's good to spread your purchases over 6 years than 6 weeks or months.That way you don't go broke or have to borrow money and get into big credit card debt.
Astronomy can be an expensive and addictive hobby with all those seductive ads for equipment when you read articles in magazines and even the internet now.:D:D:D

Kunama
22-10-2013, 02:34 PM
With thanks to thebonz and baileys2611 my Vixen LVW set is complete finally
(including a bino-pair of 17s):

FlashDrive
22-10-2013, 04:17 PM
Nice Collection....they are good those LVW's.

Flash.....:D

chiaroscuro
22-10-2013, 05:13 PM
There's an amazing range of eyepieces here. One thing I've noticed is that very few people seem to have TV Delos eyepieces. I know they're expensive, but so are the Ethos and Nagler range, and I just wondered if they were not popular for another reason besides the price.
I'm just starting out, so I've only got a SW 25mm, Delos 12mm and 8mm, and Powermate x2. I love looking through the Delos because I feel like i"m falling into a worm hole when I look through them!

FlashDrive
22-10-2013, 05:18 PM
Luke.....nothing wrong with the Delos eyepieces...they are excellent.....have the...17's and 14's....for Bino use.
The others are UO Or 25's x 2 and UO Or 18's x 2 ....Meade Research Grade Wide Angle 20mm x 2....and TV19 Pan's x 2.

Flash....

MortonH
22-10-2013, 06:19 PM
The 14mm Delos is my most used eyepiece :D

The 10mm Delos is supposed to be particularly good. I'd buy one if I didn't have a 10mm Pentax XW.

AG Hybrid
23-10-2013, 02:07 PM
Quoted for truth.

Allan
24-10-2013, 11:30 AM
The 10mm is my favourite Delos. Probably because I use it every session and when I team it up with the 13 Ethos they make the perfect combination in my Dob.

Having said that, the shorter focal length Delos I have are just as good. They have the same image quality and feel about them, just that they aren't used quite as much as the 10 when the seeing is not as good.

philipheaven
24-10-2013, 09:17 PM
I was originally going to go for a 14mm Delos. In my scope (8inch f/5) it would yield 71x and almost exactly one degree field of view. But i changed my mind at the last minute and went for a 12mm Nagler type 4, because it would have the exact same field of view as the 14mm Delos, yet provide 83x. Plus the 12mm Nagler has the same adjustable eye relief as the Delos.

sn1987a
24-10-2013, 11:38 PM
I've probably overdone it a bit :P

byronpaul
24-10-2013, 11:50 PM
Wow .... now that's an addiction to eyepieces :eyepop:

Making me envious ...... but what's your favourites???

sn1987a
25-10-2013, 12:10 AM
I mostly use the 10 or 17 Ethos with a Paracorr.

GrahamL
03-11-2013, 08:48 PM
plenty of room on that table to buy a few more :D