Eyepieces: A strategy to execute over time
I have spent the last two years trying and buying and looking through other people’s eyepieces and barlows in a wide range of telescopes. Mine range from 50 mm to 203 mm aperture, 350 mm FL to 1900 mm FL across refractor, Newtonian and Mak. I have looked through but never owned an SCT. I have come to the following approach for your consideration.
1 or 2 low power wide field eyepieces (30 to 40 mm for 2" or 32 mm Plossl for 1.25" )
Zoom for the midrange - 24 to 8 mm (Zoom is my most used eyepiece in all of my telescopes)
Barlowed zoom for the high range adding some single wide field eyepieces over time if the need is there.
Wide AFOV, over 60 degrees, are helpful in manual tracking scopes but may be a luxury in GoTo and motorized tracking scopes. They add a nice context but if the scope is tracking you don't need the wide field to assist in tracking.
Zoom – My most used eyepiece - Note that one zoom can replace 3-5 other eyepieces so take that into account when you look at prices.
Note that I am in the USA so pricing shown is $US from US sources.
Higher Budget – If you tend to buy eyepieces over $150 each then consider the highly recommend and highly praised
Baader Hyperion Mark IV Click Stop 8-24 Zoom. $280 or $380 with matching barlow. This would likely be your most used eyepiece. This is a very high quality eyepiece. I have links to discussion where people have stopped using their single FL eyepieces and just use this one. I have the earlier version.
http://agenaastro.com/baader-8-24mm-...e-2454826.html
Lower Budget - If you tend to buy eyepieces $80 or lower then consider the Celestron 8-24 Zoom. $60 – Good quality and very versatile. Not as good as the Baader but about 1/4 the price for the more budget minded astronomer. I have the Celestron too.
http://agenaastro.com/celestron-8-24...-eyepiece.html
I never expected the zoom eyepiece to become my primary eyepiece, but it has.
* The Celestron is good and comparable to my Plossl eyepieces but the Baader Hyperion is great and comparable to my Explore Scientific eyepieces
Watching doubles split as I rotate the barrel is wonderful
One filter serves over a wide range of magnifications, no screwing and unscrewing to try other eyepieces
* The Baader is a 1.25" zoom but it has its own 2" removable collar so, in my XT8i 2” focuser I can move from my 2" low power eyepieces to the zoom and a wide range of magnifications without playing with adapters.
* Moving smoothly from and between small changes in magnification helps when seeing is not the best.
* Sharing the view with others is easier, especially in my manual tracking Dob. I can hand it over at low mag so it stays in the view longer, and then have them zoom back in to whatever magnification works best for them rather than for me.
* Kids love the zoom
* My eyepiece case has been greatly simplified
There are some who reject this and that is fine. Everyone gets to enjoy the hobby as they wish. Some have call me lazy and that is fine, but I can do things with the zoom that I can not do with single FL eyepieces. For example I can split a double star and actually watch it split as I turn the barrel. You can't do that with single FL eyepieces at any price.
I find the zoom leaves me more time to focus on the target and less time fussing with eyepieces.
Just some ideas. If you just spent a bunch of money on a new scope, eyepieces will likely be your next additions. This is an approach that gets you the most coverage at the lowest cost. Naturally, over time you may want a special eyepiece here or there but this is your basic set. Low power wide view, zoom, barlow, and maybe a couple of short FL wide view which can be added later.
Of course, your smileage will vary.
zoom eyepiece review – Includes the Celestron zoom
http://www.chuckhawks.com/comparison_zoom_eyepieces.htm
Baader Hyperian Mark III Clickstop zoom review
http://www.weasner.com/co/Reviews/20...ece/index.html