Eyepiece and barlow recommendation for XT8G

[protik]

Hi guys,

Picked up a XT8G couple of days ago as a first telescope along with the 9x50 right angle finder. I am wondering which Nagler/Delos/Ethos eyepieces and barlows can be recommended for long term usage? Most usage will be done at backyard in Sydney with occasional trips out to dark sites. Next scope if ever would probably be a 14"-16" however I am not sure which eyepieces would give the best balance between the two scopes (without overlapping due to barlow):

Telescope 1: XT8G (1200mm, f/5.9, max 400x)
Telescope 2: e.g. XX16g (1800mm, f/4.4, max 800x)

- Big DSOs (30-35mm): Nagler 31mm or ?
- Smaller DSOs (12-16mm): Nagler 16mm or Delos 14mm or Ethos 13mm?
- Planetary/tiny DSOs (8-10mm): Nagler 9mm vs Delos 10mm vs Ethos 10mm?
- Planets/moon (4-7mm): Nagler 3.5/5mm vs Delos 3.5/4.5mm?
- TeleVue Barlow: 2x Barlow (1.25") or Big Barlow 2x (2")?

Camera: Orion 1.25" Variable camera adapter + T-ring for Nikon (D750) or TeleVue T-Ring Adapter: Can I expect to take decent planetary / long exposure images with these adapters or not worth obtaining?

Thanks so much in advance!

[The Mekon]

Protik,

I am not a fan of trying to get big fields in longer focal length scopes. That is what rich field refractors are for!

So make your longest F.L. eyepiece under 30mm. I recommend a 26 Nagler or 27 panoptic. That will give you a field of over 1 degree in the bigger scope and just less than 2 degrees in the smaller. In addition your exit pupil stays under 7mm which is ideal.
Then go for an eyepiece giving magnification of around 100X -120X, so Here the 13mm Nagler or 14mm Delos is the go. (I like the Delos range, better than naglers or ethos in my view)
Then for higher magnification (forget 800X) a 6mm Delos or 7mm Nagler will give 257X or 300X with the big scope or 171X or 200X with the smaller. With a barlow double all these last figures and you have those huge magnifications you may dream about but never use.

[protik]

Thanks for the reply! Is my understanding correct that with a 2x barlow/powermate Nagler 26mm, Delos 14mm and Delos 6mm becomes equivalent to 13mm, 7mm and 3mm? So the 2x barlow/powermate on a 26mm could replace the need for a 14mm on both the scopes? Cheers

[The Mekon]

Most observers do not use barlows for intermediate powers. Just think of the mass of the eyepiece assembly with a 26mm nagler and 2" barlow or a 14 Delos with same! - Which is another reason why I have not recommended the 31 nagler - the thing is referred to as a "hand grenade". Impressive to look at but you will soon grow weary of balancing such a huge eyepiece. It is preferable to avoid using the barlow unless you have to, I only use mine on those rare nights where the seeing will allow maximum magnification. For general observing I do not use one.

[barx1963]

Hi protik

My advice, for what it is worth, is not to jump in spending a lot of $$ on high end eyepieces until you know what you want to observe and how you like to do it.
What eyepieces do you have now?

Malcolm

[protik]

Hi there, I currently have a Orion 28mm 2" DeepView eyepiece that came with XT8G; you are spot on - I will be using for a while to find out exact what I like to observe :) The 3 eyepieces (Nagler 26mm, Delos 14mm and Delos 6mm) are just in the wishlist which I am planning to save towards in the meantime while I learn. Cheers