eyepieces for an ED80?

[DJDD]

Hello,

i received two eyepieces with my Sky-Watcher ED80: 1.25” LET 20mm and 5mm.

what eyepieces would people recommend for this telescope?

I thought to get one in the middle, about 12mm, which will work well on its own or barlowed.

Someone else mentioned in another thread that they thought a good mid-range 2" eyepiece was a good bet.


so, some of my criteria (which are NOT fixed):
- Cost between $100 and $200
- 2" barrel (based upon nothing more than a few comments in different threads and not really sure how much of a difference this makes)
- eye relief, I wear glasses so long eye relief is useful but not essential as I can take them off.

thanks,
DJDD

[dannat]

one you could consider is the William optics spl series, they make a 12mm ep in 1.25" which is pretty sharp , long er and 60 deg fov. Andrews Comm also have long perng ep's which are very similar to the WO ones for $79.

I know its out of your price range but the pentax xf is an excellent line of ep's, the 12mm XF could be what you are looking for. I think prices are about $220, but would probably be a keeper - long term so money well spent.

[DJDD]

thanks, dannat.
I would like something that will be a 'keeper' so if I need to stretch the budget I will. i will check out all the options you mention.

cheers,
DJDD

[DJDD]

so, Xmas is coming soon (really?) and i can probably get someone else to buy me an eyepiece rather than forking out cash on myself. :lol:

I have:
- 5mm Sky-Watcher LET
- 20mm Sky-Watcher LET
- Bintel 2X ED Barlow

Where is the weak link in terms of quality?
The ED80, Barlow or eyepieces?

Is it pointless buying buying eyepieces of the quality of the pentax/Orion Stratus/baader hyperion? Would it be best to focus on the the WO's and LP's under $100?

My thoughts now are to upgrade the 5mm and 20mm eyepieces, giving me a range of 5, 10, 20, 40 mm.


- any thoughts on the quality or range questions is welcome.
- dannat has suggested the pentax xf as an option. From where can I pick one of those up in Melbourne or Australia.

regards,
DJDD

[wavelandscott]

Why do you say that it is pointless to buy a quality eyepiece?

Why not get the quality early on and upgrade your scopes to match later...you will still get more performance from them and maximise what your scopes are capable of...

[JethroB76]

Our falling dollar has decreased the options for importing such eyepieces unfortunately; but you should still be able to get Pentaxes at a reasonable price from http://www.frontieroptics.com.au/

[DJDD]

thanks for the reply, scott.


i was unsure if it was worth spending a LOT of money on an eyepiece now if the telescope was not up to it (or the barlow). i am not sure when i will upgrade telescopes, so...

but your point is a good one as I will eventually upgrade AND resale of quality eyepieces (if required) is better.

so, would you suggest going for a televue now or stay in the middle range? :)

i have no real experience in this so cannot really make an educated guess.

cheers,
DJDD

[DJDD]

thanks, jethroB76.

I will check them out as soon as i finish observing for the night. :)

ah, our weak dollar...

[wavelandscott]

My advice will be the same that it always is...before you spend your money go to a viewing night and look through other peoples gear...heck, most people will let you try their fancy eyepieces in your scope (I do anyway).

Some people perfer wide FOV, some like lots of eye relief, others want as few lenses as possible...the list goes on. But to buy the right piece of gear for you and the way you are going to view you got to get out under the stars and give them a try.

Until you get some viewing time under your belt and learn what you like/don't like then I'd keep my money in my pocket.

Once you know what you want (and have tried them out), then and only then buy...and then get the best that you can. You don't need lots of eyepieces to get started. A good quality low power, medium power and a high power will last a lifetime.

What you have already is nearly as good as some of the other eyepieces you are contemplating...try some gear out at viewing nights and then when you are convinced that you are really planning to be in the hobby for a while, save your money until you can really upgrade to the premium stuff and plan on keeping them a lifetime. If you take care of them they will last forever and likely hold a large portion of their value...

Clear Skies!

[JethroB76]

Scotts oft-repeated advice of taking your time and buying a few good quality EPs is spot on IMO.

Also keep in mind, though Televue make some excellent gear, they may not always be considered the 'best' for the particular situation, in particular many see the shorter focal range Pentaxes as better options than the naglers etc.

If, as you say, you have not much experience, a visit to some club nights etc will help you discern what features in an EP you value.

[DJDD]

Thanks, Scott and JethroB.

attending viewing nights with my kit would be a good idea- not sure how many there are before Xmas, though. everyone was extremely helpful on the one night I went to an unofficial club night.

After my fist successful night last night i found:
- the wide FOV (68 degrees AFOV) provided by the super view 30mm excellent for alignment and viewing (M41 looked great :thumbsup:).
- the 20 mm LET was ok but i would have liked a wider FOV. I think M41 would have looked stunning with a wider FOV.
- the 5mm LET, well, i did not really like that one but I have not given it much of a go. 47 Tuc was too small still, M41 was just a bunch of stars in this eyepiece, and I was not thrilled with M42 but the sky was too bright in that area. Teh FOV was very narrow but I do not know if I can get anything better or need to.

As you can see I like the wide FOV- very immersive (but I am sure most people do...)

Since I may not get a chance to have a look through anyone's telescope before Xmas, and I would not mind one astro-related Xmas present, i think i will have to bite the bullet and get one decent eyepiece. :)

But before I do I will need to look at a few other objects so I choose the best focal length/FOV comobo. The Astronomy 200 Yearbook has a lot of options to choose from on the side of the sky I can easily see. :thumbsup:



Thanks again,
DJDD