Looking for first ep's

[Roobi]

Hi there
I'm looking to buy my first set of ep's. I have a celestron astromaster 130eq, and am thinking a 7mm and a 3 or 4 mm would be a good place to start. these would give me a magnification of 92x for the 7mm, 162x for the 4mm and 216x for the 3mm. I have contemplated a 2x barlow, but i dont think this will be the best for me as i have a 10mm and 20mm already, and so double up the 10mm with a barlow. Maybe later on though after i have some other ep's. Any advice would really be appreciated. And if anyones selling, please message me.
Cheers everyone

[Roobi]

OH and ive just found what i think might be a good first buy: The nagler zoom 3mm-6mm. any thoughts on this one?

[barx1963]

Roobi, remember maximum ususable mag is 50x per inch of aperture, so for a 5" scope 250x is maximum in perfect conditions, most of the time, much over 100x is getting hard. I do most (80%) of my observing at 67x and the rest at 113x and find these adequate. Many DSO are actually fairly large so don't need magnification, but are very faint.

The Nagler zoom is an expensive bit of kit, $450 + I think. As with most Televue products I am sure it is well made, but I would definitely seek an opinion from someone who has one. I have not seen many people with zoom EPs, I gather the main reason is that fixed focal length EPs are optimised for that length, while zooms inevitably involve a level of compromise.

[astro744]

What apparent field of view are you after? 50deg, 60deg, 82deg, 100deg?

The Nagler Zoom is a very fine eyepiece and the ability to dial in any focal length between 3 & 6mm is a treat, (2-4mm Nagler Zoom also available). The AFOV stays at 50deg and the eyepiece is parfocal across the range. Eye relief is short but quite useable for non eyeglass wearers.

If you need extra eye relief, consider the Radian series available in 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and more upwards. The Radians give 60deg AFOV and 20mm eye relief.

If you want wider AFOV then the Nagler T6 are available in 2.5, 3.5, 5, 7, and more upwards. The Ethos with a 100deg AFOV currently goes down to 6mm but I would think a 4mm may be available in the future.

You could also consider both 2x & 3x Tele Vue Barlows which would give you 3.3mm, 5mm, 6.7mm, 10mm, 20mm. Yes you double up one size 10mm but for a lot less cost than the Nagler Zoom you will get three new focal lengths you didn't have before. However, the quality of the final image will depend on how good your 10 & 20mm eyepieces are. The Nagler Zoom is built on quality and basically gives you a premium eyepiece with inbuilt variable Barlow. There are click stops at 3, 4, 5 & 6mm but in between powers can be easily dialed.

[mswhin63]

I made my decision based on my future, I expect I will image so I did not buy Nagler or Ethos. So instead I purchaced Baader Hyperion as they can be directly adapted for imagery. Also they can fit 1.25" and 2" focusers as well.

I now have 4 eyepieces and will purchace more later.

[Roobi]

Thanx for all the input guys. seeing as i have a bit of cash coming my way (for a change) I'm really interested in something good quality. Judging by your responses im still thinking of the nagler zoom. expensive, yes, but also sounds like its worth it for the quality of the ep.
Cheers again guys, any other advice is appreciated
;)

[astro744]

You will not be disappointed with the Nagler zoom and it will be the only eyepiece you will need or use for planetary observing giving you an infinite range of powers between 108x and 216x for your 'scope. This is one eyepiece well worth the cost considering four quality eyepieces to cover that focal length range would cost more than double plus some.

[Roobi]

Now that ive decided on the tele vue nagler, does anyone know where might stock them? I'm about worried about getting one sent to me, i think i'd prefer to pick one up myself, or do you think theyre safe enough shipped. I work for aus post, so i kinda know what they can be like with parcels.

[TrevorW]

Guys don't you think that a Nagler may be a bit of overkill on a 130mm f5 fl650mm Newt which retails for around $450

personally I'd suggest a couple of nice widefield FOV GSO EP's from say Andrews

[Roobi]

hmmm, is it? Maybe i should keep looking then. I'm also thinking future though. I'm looking at getting a better telescope mid year.

[barx1963]

As Trevor said and as I was trying to say in my previous post, a Nagler zoom is probably a bit of overkill and is very expensive. If you are going down that path, see if you can try one first. If you are going to upgrade your scope, do that first, then see about EPs.
I have used a GSO widefield EP and they are excellent value for money, just make sure they will fit your focuser, many of these smaller scope only take 1.25" EPs!

[TrevorW]

It's not all about the scope the mount is very important especailly at higher magnifications

Also remember stars are finite points of light improved seeing comes from increase in aperture (resolution) not magnification.

magnification is more relevant IMO for the moon and planets but with increased magnification a rock steady mount and tracking are important

[Roobi]

Thanx guys. I will certainly look into each of those options. While im getting some nice views with my 10mm, I would love to see things a little closer. I understand about the aperture size and am learning bit by bit, unfortunatly with the 10 i only have a mag of 65x, and while as i said im seeing some nice clusters and a nebula or two, id like to do some looking at around 100 - 150x. I guess il look into a few single ep's.
Cheers again.

[trent_julie]

Roobi,

We started out with the astromaster 130, We immediately went out and bought a 4mm LV vixen because we wanted to get "higher power viewing" however it only took us one night under perfect seeing conditions to realise that we had wasted our money!

Some time later now we now own a 16 inch lightbridge, and still we are asking too much from the telescope,

The best eyepiece We have ever had in the astromaster was a 14mm TeleVue, Followed by Our 10mm Ethos,

But seriously, I would not go beyond a 8 or 9mm eyepiece of any brand for the astromaster any more is just asking too much, this comes from an expensive line of experience

(P.S We still use the 14mm TV Radian Today, it's a very nice eyepiece for that scope)
Cheers

Trent & Julie

[JethroB76]

Certainly no reason to not buy quality, particularly if you're sold on the hobby and buying "for the future" as well.
However if you see a largish reflector (ie a dob) in your future upgrade path, a 3-6mm Zoom would probably not be a great choice..in this case moderate priced but good quality EPs to consider might be something in the 8-13mm range from the Hyperion/Stratus line, Pentax XFs or maybe the TMB planetarys.

Its boring, but sound advice is to see if you can go to a viewing night at a club and try before you buy, because there are some excellent performing EPs out there that are uncomfortable to use because of eye relief etc.

[trent_julie]

Too true

[Roobi]

thanx for the advise, Im actually going to a "How to use your telescope" day with the Astronomical Society of Victoria, so im sure i can ask there.

"most good observing is done in the range of 20 to 35 power per inch of aperture" Is this true for my scope also?
If so should i be looking at maybe a 6 or 7mm to a 4mm which would give me about 100x mag to 160x.



I really thought from what i read that i could at least go to 3mm ep.
Does it just blur the images too much?

thanx again

[astro744]

BINTEL are the authorized Tele Vue dealer in Australia and are a great bunch of guys to deal with. There is a store in Sydney and Melbourne and mail order is fast. Register the item for tracking.

For your current telescope the 3 to 6mm range is just about perfect for planetary viewing. If you were to get another telescope with double the focal length then about 5mm upward would be better. However, if you also get a short refractor such as the ED80 or other quality APO telescope with a short focal length then the 3-6 zoom is an ideal complement to such a telescope and will be one of your most used eyepieces.

Note the Hyperion 8-24mm zoom has had a lot of great reviews and with just two eyepieces you could have a range from 3 to 24mm. The Tele Vue 8-24mm zoom is no longer available, but I believe the Hyperion has a wider apparent field of view.

Whatever you choose enjoy!

[barx1963]

Yes Roobi the ASV event will be an excellent way to learn.

[mswhin63]

Astro clus are great oo, although when you decide on a really good quality lense, it can be a decision that can last a very long time. Buying Nagler eyepieces for a cheaper scope maybe overkill but will be perfect for the next scope to come along, instead of buying a set to suit , then buying the Naglers once you have the next scope.

[Prickly]

Hi there Roobi,

I have an old 4.7mm nagler type 1 which is just superb although eye relief is intolerable for me now without a barlow. I think I read that Al Naglers personal choice is to use a 4 inch Televue refractor with his 3-6 zoom for planetary viewing - so it cant be too bad (pretty damn fantastic I'd say). Compared to multiple fixed fl eyepieces it might not look so bad.

Limitations would be the short eye relief and narrow field of view - plossl like (how good is your tracking at high power?).

The theory might say 50x per inch but I know I have had my refractors past this with good results when seeing permits. Luke Dodd had his 5 inch astrophysics refractor also up at around 80x per inch easily and I can vouch for the fact that the results were superb. Optics would no doubt make the difference (someone will probably show me the theory now saying its just not possible!).

Clear skies
David