Recommend me a 25mm eyepiece

[04Stefan07]

I have been using the standard 25mm eyepiece that came with my telescope and I would like to get a decent one.

I currently have a 9mm celestron x-cel series which is pretty good. I already have a 2x Barlow so I can get 4.5mm.

Should I get a 25mm or a higher one because I have a 2x Barlow?

Thanks!

[04Stefan07]

Oh and budget is around $100, even a used one!

[ZeroID]

When you say ' standard 25mm eyepiece ' are you talking about a Plossl ?
If so I'd suggest the GSO SuperView 25mm as an cost effective option. Nice wide feild of view and good to near edge. I have it and the 15mm as my most widely used EPs.
Price ? It's $79 NZ over here, probably cheaper in Aust.
Worth checking out anyway.
Try not to use a Barlow if you can help, it degrades the view and certainly is not a widefeild experience.

[04Stefan07]

I think it's a Plossl. It came with my Celestron scope.

[AG Hybrid]

+1

[MattT]

Have you looked at the Meade HD 5000 25mm eyepiece? $99 from Bintel. Not sure what a 25mm GSO Superview is as I can't find one anywhere unless it's the Kellner 26mm. Stefan do you want a 1.25" or 2" eyepiece and what scope? Personally I'd save a bit more.
Matt

[04Stefan07]

1.25" would suffice. I have two scopes listed in my signature so if they can be used for both that would be great!

I really don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on eyepieces. I would like to replace the 25mm that came with my telescope (already replaced the 9mm about a year ago with the Celestron X-Cel XL 9mm which is a fantastic eyepiece).

I also would not mind getting something around the 18mm number as well.

Are the Vixen eyepieces on MyAstroShop any good?

[barx1963]

The GSO Superview is a 68deg AFOV EP, a sort of a clone of the TV Panoptic.
They are quite cheap via Andrews so are not bad value for money. Bintel sell them under their own name, but I don't think they have a 25mm version. See http://www.bintel.com.au/Eyepieces-and-Barlows/Bintel-/Superview/117/catmenu.aspx
Personally I can heartily recommend the Televue 24mm Panoptic. Not a budget EP but superb value for money and the best value in the TV line. I used one for 2 years in my 12" and it was my go to item for almost all objects. Nice eye relief, wide field, nice and sharp right scross the field. If one ever pops up on the classifieds, jump on it!

Malcolm

[dannat]

astrotech or sterling plossl you could get both the 17mm & 25mm for $100

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: GSO Superview 25mm
+2 .

Brian.

[Astro_Bot]

To echo Malcolm, I've not seen these 25mm GSO Superviews people keep mentioning - 50, 42, 30, 20 and 15mm are the only sizes available as far as I can see.

The 24mm ES 68 degree is very nice. Cost is US$120 on o/s sites, but there's shipping - you can cut that if you bundle a bunch of purchases together or partner with others.

[04Stefan07]

Thanks for the recommendations! The GSO sounds like the way to go.

[AG Hybrid]

Good luck finding one... on this planet. I've been trying for 7 months. A shipment came in to US suppliers a couple months back. Back orders were shipped but they still are considered out of stock waiting for inventory.

[Fox]

Stefan

I don't think the Superview comes in 25mm, and IMHO I think you can do better with spending a bit more, but not necessarily into the 'hundreds of dollars' range as you state.

I fully agree with others above. The 24mm Panoptic would be superb, but new or used, its out of your price range.

However, the ES 68 deg 24mm would also be a superb buy, especially at around $160 either overseas or local, if you were willing to stretch your budget just that tad more. They are superbly constructed eyepieces, and the brand is getting excellent reviews considering what price they are going for.

Next in line you might want to consider are the Baader Hyperion or Orion Stratus range - the 24mm. There is a 24mm Hyperion on sale right now for $120 in the IIS trade section. Not a bad buy, but personally I would spend that bit more and go for the ES - I think the latter would outclass the Baaders and Orions.

I recently bought (as gifts for a friend) an Orion 24mm and TMB Planetary II 9mm - both relatively 'budget' eyepieces compared to stuff I already own. It was an excellent learning experience for me; before parting them them, I tested them in my scopes. Both eyepieces were good on-centre, but both also showed significant field curvature in my scopes. It confirmed what I suspected, the TV f/5 scopes are very demanding upon eyepiece design/quality if I want to preserve the type of images I am used to.

Fox

[Gem]

As an owner of far to many EPs around 25mm (Celestron plossl, TV Pano, GSO plossl, Sirius plossl), I would suggest that for around $100 you won't make a huge improvement on your Celestron. You would probably be better to spend the money on a different size. I have a nice 32mm TV plossl that has given me much joy over the years. It complemented my Celestron and Sirius plossls for the years until I got a 24mm TV Pano.
TV 32mm Plossl is $159 new at the moment. In my opinion, you could save towards that rather than get a GSO or Meade and get not a huge change in quality for the outlay.

[janoskiss]

Hi Stefan, how did you go with your 25mm choice?

I myself am back in the eyepiece market, so I've been skim reading the EP forums.

[Wavytone]

Stefan,

The Vixen NLV eyepieces are fine, for their price. If you can afford them, so are the LVW's which are comparable to the Panoptic/ Radian/Delos and Pentax.

One aspect of the LVW's is that those who have a set (self included) don't part with them - they never appear secondhand as these are real keepers. But they are big, heavy and best suited to 2" focussers.

[04Stefan07]

Have not chosen one yet! Ever since the weather has gotten really cold down here I have put off the purchase until the weather picks up and I can take my scope out again.

[janoskiss]

In that case, I'd put my (I mean your) money into a Masuyama design 25mm, such as the Parks Gold Series. They are absolute gems and getting rarer (with market forces and the hype that goes with them favouring optically inferior but wider field EPs).

There used to be a whole bunch of brands and manufacturers, all Japanese, for Masuyama designs but most seemed to have closed up shop in recent years. Parks is still going. I am sure there are others but I cannot find them. John B (ausastronomer) would probably know where to look.

I have the Antares Elite versions of the 15 and 25mm. But I do not use my 25mm very much any more so if you wanted to buy it off me, .... just kidding!!! :P I do love the 25mm and it's definitely a keeper!

But if you want to try it, or even borrow it for a week or two, you are welcome to it. :) Send me a PM if you are interested. (I host public observing nights at the La Trobe Uni observatory in Bundoora so that might be a good place to meet up. We do have some nice scopes. :astron: )

[Wavytone]

Steve,

Having had 1 Masuyama - and Alex had another, I'd have to say that they were good in their day - for a 50 degree eyepiece, but nothing magical now, just highly overrated due a false mystique. IMHO their were no better than my set of Vixen LV's which showed less colour at the edge of the field than did the Masuyama. Even the Meade plossls would be better.

If you have one cash it in now while idiots pay stupid prices for them - $500 and up.

[janoskiss]

Forget the original Masuyamas. I just meant the design is a good one. Never tried an original Masuyama, just like I never tried any of Mr Plössl's original EPs from way back when.

[denis0007dl]

My best 25mm eyepieces are Zeiss Aspherics with 3 elements!
25mm GSO Plossls are very good!

[Don Pensack]

I suspect you might want a field of view at least as wide as the Celestron X-Cel LX you have, so I am not recommending 50 degree field eyepieces.
In 60 degrees, it's hard to beat the Astrotech Paradigm (available in the US or in Europe as the BST or Teleskop Service NED).
In 68 degrees, the Explore Scientific 24mm or the Baader Hyperion 24mm are great eyepieces, and might fit your range if found used. Ditto for the Meade Series 5000 SWA 24x68 (1.25"), the Meade Series 4000 24.5mm (1.25") SWA.

[04Stefan07]

Thanks for that! Oh nice how often do you conduct the sessions? I am not far at all from La Trobe uni.