Your eyepiece family!

[sn1987a]

True, true Graham.

PS the "table" is the lid on top of my 28's mirror box (just to rub it in) :D

[Stardrifter_WA]

My eyepiece collection is now complete.

The three pics below show my two eyepiece cases. The first and second pic is the Delos case and contains the 3.5 to 10mm Delos eyepieces, along with a Leica 8x32 binoculars. The third pic is the Ethos case that contains the 6 to 21mm Ethos eyepieces. And yes, each case contains the Sky Atlas, as each set of eyepieces are used on different scopes, and in this way, I don't need to remember to take the atlas from my other case.

The Delos are used with my WO FLT 110mm Flourite triplet and the Ethos are used with my SCT and 16" Lightbridge.

These are high quality cases with two layer machined high density foam inserts. The layout and design was produced by Image Alloy Cases, who also did my two aluminium telescope cases.

[FlashDrive]

Peter...very nice....:thumbsup:

[UniPol]

More than "very nice", very b#$%^* nice !

[Kunama]

Aaaaah ..... attention to detail, gotta love it Pete. Fine collection !

[Stardrifter_WA]

Thanks Matt, Steve and Col. :) I am happy with them.

[barx1963]

The EP collection has expanded slightly. Latest additions are an 8mm Ethos and (at the other end of the cost scale!) a 30mm Bintel (GSO) Superview 68deg.

The pic attached show the complete EP set. At the back from left to right are Ethos 8, 10, 13, 17 and 21 and a Panoptic 41.
At the front the 30mm and 15mm Superview, 25mm Coronado Cemax (came with my solar scope) and a 12mm Orion reticle EP (used to get more accurate alignments for the Argo)

The Superviews were purchased mainly to use in my little homemade 8" as I felt the Ethoi are a bit too heavy, good news is I found that the scope handles even the 41 Pan OK. The 8mm Ethos is a ripper. Viewed the Trapezium the other night in it with the 20". Could make out E and F stars so easily and even caught hints of G and H!

Malcolm

[Kunama]

UPS man brought a couple of little additions to my eyepiece collection today :D:D
BHPhotovideo sent these on Monday and they got here this morning :clap::clap:

Pentax XF 8.5mm (42x) and 12mm (30x) for the Little Tak.

(setting up an ultraportable Grab & Go: Tak FS60CB + Tak Clamshell + Tak 1.25" Prism + Pentax XF 8.5 & 12mm + Tak 6x30 Finderscope + (mount yet to be decided)

This mount might be a tad too big at 135Kgs:

[FlashDrive]

Very Nice Matt....... that mount is a ' trifle ' light for that BIG Scope...:D

Col.....;)

[Larryp]

Couple of nice additions, Matt :thumbsup:

[sn1987a]

New addition 11mm Nagler type 1 to try out over the next few days. These are supposed to be pretty good.

[Jatz]

I have to say, I'm still a huge fan of TV plossls; there is just something about the view through them that looks a little bit higher-def. than anything else that I have used. I have collected the 32, 20, 15 and 11 TV plossls and a 24 Pan and a TV 2.5x powermate round out my A-team.

I also have a 7mm William Optics UWAN - however, despite being a great eyepiece, I seem to prefer a slightly narrower field of view than 80 deg. (am I alone on this?). I'm wondering if a 6 or 8 Radian might be the way to go instead...

Anyway, I think that finishes off my first post on IIS!

[Kunama]

Welcome Jatz, I too prefer narrower eps, most of mine are in the 65-72 range. you've broken the posting ice, no excuse now not to post about your scope etc.

[Marios]

Just a general question to all.

what is the most used eyepiece power in your collections.?

[barx1963]

Mario
Depends on the scope. In my old 12" f5 I used a 24 Pan that only gave me 62.5x more than any other EP. In my 20" f5 the 17 Ethos at 150x is the go. Bigger aperture allows more power. I regularly use a 10mm giving 254x and even push it to 317x with the 8mm Ethos, but that needs pretty good conditions. In the 12", those sort of powers were nearly unthinkable, 150x was only very rarely possible.
That said the short while I had the 17 Ethos while I still had the 12", it was a really nice combo at 88x.

Malcolm

[RB]

That's easy, my Orion 12.5mm Illuminated Reticle.

RB

:P

[Tropo-Bob]

At 60x, I feel if though I am seeing many deep-sky objects well, almost regardless of the size of the telescope.

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: I agree with Bob , I find my 14mm Radian in my 127mm f8 at 71x the best all round for most objects .
Brian.

[bytor666]

Updated Jan 10, 2014.

[casstony]

Two or three eyepiece families in the one case, always accompanied by a rechargeable dehumidifier. You can play where's Wally and try to figure out what's there :)

[FlashDrive]

A ' few ' of my Vintage Eyepieces ....

1.... Smoothie 26mm TeleVue .....Japan made

2....Smoothie 15mm TeleVue ' Wide Field ' ....Japan made ( SOLD to Dave )

3....Meade Series 3000 25mm Plossl ..... Japan made

4....Meade Research Grade 20mm ' Wide Angle '

All of these are in excellent condition Cosmetically and Optically.

Not easy to find nowadays.....Views through all of these are sharp and very satisfying.....and nice to boot....

Flash.....:)

[brian nordstrom]

:shrug: I had one of these Meade research grade 20mm's years ago ( orthoscopic x Erfel design ? ) and foolishly let it go as a freeby with a sold scope :shrug::shrug: , Flash and I am still kicking myself , great eyepiece it was , especially in my 10 inch f10 newt , perfect 125x for jupiter.

Things we do ?? :shrug: sometimes .

Thanks for sharing this mate .

Brian.

[FlashDrive]

Been looking for 1 of these for a long time.....not easy to find nowadays....in fact a bit rare to source.

Got it from a bloke in Georgia USA

A Vixen LV30mm Eyepiece ... 2" inch..

Flash.....

[Kunama]

If that is a 2" eyepiece Col then it must be HUGE !!!


On a sad note: My eyepiece case after Morton, Giovanni and Col raided it this week :sadeyes:

but there is light at the end of the tunnel ..............................
Enter: The Son of Eyepiece Case .....
The Pentax XF8.5s are here as are the XF12s and as we speak my new Panoptic 19s are on the tarmac at Honolulu International Airport about to catch a flight to Sydney!

[Varangian]

I like the FOV of the ES 82 line which is very handy using my dob. I use the 6.7mm 82 ES for planetary and moon viewing. I also picked up a 100 degree 14mm which is a pretty crazy EP to look through and is great on galaxies and neb. I also really enjoy my 10mm Delos on star clusters. I've just invested in a Tele Vue barlow for exceptionally good nights. I'll use this with my Delos. I also have a heap of plossls and superviews that don't get a place in my pelican case.

[Joves]

Think I may need a few cases...

[byronpaul]

Someone really likes Tele Vue eyepieces :P

Very nice collection !!!!

[04Stefan07]

:eyepop:

[Allan]

I just finished my new, larger case that lets me hold all of my eyepieces in one place. It's a Storm iM3300. I put 5 red led's in the lid that turn on automatically when I open it up. I found that really useful in my past cases when changing eyepieces or filters. Foam is from My Case Builder.

[Allan]

A couple more.

[Kunama]

Fantastic case Allan, well done! PM sent !!!

[rrussell1962]

Vixen LVW set and my modest collection of LV's, Tele Vue Panoptics 27mm, 24mm, 19mm and 15mm with the 10mm Delos and the ES 82's with the Hyperion zoom. Many thanks to all the people who have helped me get some of these over time.

[barx1963]

I have seen some low power eyepieces in my time but a 100mm Delos!!:P

[Benjamin]

My blended family for my non goto 12" Dob

[bytor666]

:party2: :bowdown:

[ab1963]

I don't have many eyepieces but very happy with the ones I have collected so far

[Allan]

You've got a lot of nice eyepieces there Andrew. I'm sure you put a fair bit of thought into buying them.

[ab1963]

I did buy and sell a fair bit early on until I knew what I wanted but I've only ever bought second so never lost a lot of money,the only exception being the TV 55 plossl that one has been impossible to buy used,like them all but there's something special about the docter ,barlowed it the other night on the moon before the clouds rolled in ,amazing

[salimant]

excellent collection

[ariefm71]

I think I've settled with the following EPs for my 8-inch f12.4 scope:
- 55mm R.O. Konig XL
- 27mm Panoptic
- 15mm Vixen NLV
- 10mm Pentax XW (might replace with a 10mm Vixen NLV as I don't need the extra FOV due to using a driven mount).

Might add the following to complete the stable:
- 8.5mm Pentax XF
- 17.5mm Morpheus
- 26mm Nagler T5 (to replace the 27mm Pan)

Arief

[Wavytone]

Culled mine last year so that I'm down to the vixen LVWs - 5, 8,13,22 and 42 mm, and the 50mm LV.

Of these my favourites are the 50 and 13, followed by the 8mm.

[iborg]

Hi All

My eyepieces as they are now. My favourite is the Orion Stratus, 17mm.

The Celestron Zoom is new (for Christmas) and hasn't really been out yet.

Enjoy

Philip

[Kunama]

My little travel kit has evolved into this:
Tak FC100DL with Zeiss T2 and TV Binovue
Pentax XW5
Pentax XW7
Pentax XW10
Denkmeier D14
Vixen LVW22
and for the binoviewers a pair of Tak LE24s and Pentax XF8.5s (out on loan)

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: nice .
Brian.

[bytor666]

Update....Feb 27 2016.

[MattT]

You must have looked up Suzy's thread on a 14mm eyepiece :lol: A great read :thumbsup:

[MattT]

My collection is getting to where I want it...actually think I have it now :D

ES 68's 20-40. Baader Morpheus 14 and 9 with ES 2" 2X Focal Extender. The Baader's with Barlow are a perfect match for the 68's, after trying out more than a few others. Perfect on weight, views and price.

The others are 65mm Rusell Optics Plossl and a GSO 2x barlow lens on an 80mm extension tube giving roughly 2.5x and Baader Fringe Killer and Moon and Skyglow filter.

[bytor666]

Nice set Matt!! :thumbsup:

[ab1963]

Matt this is a near perfect set to me for what it's worth,i am not a fan of the LVW's ,thought the Denk 21 or the Pentax Xw 20 IMO would make it unbeatable

[Kunama]

There has been a little modification to the setup with the addition of a Delos 14mm and a Nagler 31mm. So no more buying for a few days !!!
The Prostar 30 is for public outreach events so that sticky fingers won't get near the Nagler 31.... :thumbsup: I found the Denk21 and LVW22 to be very very close indeed,
I will keep the LVW22 for the moment instead of the D21

[ab1963]

The prostar is a good eyepiece,i think it will surprise if you haven't viewed through one before

[Atmos]

Don't have any photos yet but:

Meade HD-60 4.5, 6.5, 9, 13, 18, 25 (think they're correct).
TV 35mm Panoptic, 10mm Radian & 20mm Plossl.

On order:
Another TV 20mm Plossl for binoviewing.
Fujiyama HD-OR 4, 6, 9mm view higher power planetary and Luna.

[Kunama]

Spent a couple of hours sorting eyepieces and accessories today and managed to condense things into two cases.
This one holds all the singles and often needed accessories, the other case is for the Binovues and bino-pairs (Pentax XFs and Tak LEs.
I think I will stick with these for a little while........

XW3.5 XW5 XW7 XW10 XW14 XW20 TORCH (Space for a few LEs) Delos14 Nagler22 Nagler31

TS20R BBHS2" SkySurferV Nexus DSC LE12.5 1.25"CLK (can't say) 2"Laser TOA 1.6X Ext.

(Famous last words .... ;) )

[FlashDrive]

That's a nice collection of goodies Matt .....


:D

[el_draco]

Ethos 4.7, 8, 13, 17, 21 :D

[Allan]

It's just a rumour unless we see photographic evidence. :D

[el_draco]

Ta Daaaah!!! :jump:

[janoskiss]

I bet the border police would call in ASIO and hold you for questioning should you ever travel overseas with that case full of hand grenades, dubious looking hardware and electronics. :eyepop:

Now show us your binoviewing kit! :jump2:

[Allan]

Ah yes, very nice.

[Kunama]

Nice collection Rom....:thumbsup:

[Kunama]

Especially the bazooka in the crate under the eyepieces and the little black box next to the gold laser....... But we won't talk about that one!;)

Just waiting for a couple of little Erfles to complete the bino-box.

[el_draco]

Couple are second hand but mint.. The rest I bought wisely when the dollar was high and they were on special... Could never justify it now. :sadeyes:

[Dave47tuc]

Well it's been a long time since I started this thread or even posted here :)
And many eyepieces have passed through my hands over the years :shrug:

I now only have 2 :lol:

David :)

[blexxx1769]

My current set, which seems to suit my viewing habits and 68 y.o. eyes.
Consists of 5mmT6 Nagler
9mmT6 "
13mmT6 "
17mmT4 "
31mmT5 "
35mm Panoptic
7mmXL Pentax
10mmXW "
20mmXW "
14mm Denkmeier
21mm "
24mm82* E.S.
T1 Paracorr
2X Powermate
Astronomik, DGM, Baader Filters.
These reside in my 'astrotools' box along with some Catseye & Glatter collimation tools & all the other 'essential' stuff I seem to use. The EPs all slide into plastic dust caps in the drawer bases - the whole box setup seems to function beautifully, even under very wet conditions.
Clear skies to all, Ian.

[Kunama]

I like that minimalist approach Dave

[Profiler]

I agree with this as well.

Over the years I have had a lot eyepieces pass through my hands and now I have finally found that all I really use and need are 2-3 really top shelf eyepieces and a good quality barlow (i.e. powermate). With these few I can pretty much do everything I want.

There is no point having a set of 6-8 eyepieces of which 2-3 you use 85% of the time.

Unfortunately, the real challenge is discovering for yourself what are those perfect 2-3 eyepieces which suit your personal preferences.

Once you can solve that mystery you will save yourself a lot money:)

[janoskiss]

I remember when you started this thread. And you have always been a "minimalist" in your approach to gear acquisition. But that you now only have those two 24mm Panos and a Denk I find hard to believe. You must have a hidden stash of special occasion EPs, a couple of orthos perhaps? Or is your wife reading these forums as well? :P

[Dave47tuc]

:lol: Hi Steve, no that's it just the 2 ! But I may get another 2 in the future ,
Just to get a little more power out of my BV. I'm thinking 15 mm DeLite !

Stay well :thumbsup:

[janoskiss]

Cheers! :) Don't you ever go cyclops any more?

[Dave47tuc]

No not anymore :) I prefer BV .

[janoskiss]

Interesting. I've been wanting to get back into BV-ing. Got a pair of 12mm XFs and decent longer FL plossls but my BV is a bit of a dud. Or at least it needs some TLC I haven't had time to give it. Appears to be a well made Chinese unit (ordered from a US dealer) but the collimation is off.

[bytor666]

Just got a 24mm TeleVue Panoptic in the post. So far, so good!

I did a little experiment on it. Worked out really well!

http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/538430-24mm-televue-panoptic/?p=7243006

Here's my eyepieces now....

[Kunama]

Seems like your eyepiece lineup is evolving rather quickly Markus :thumbsup:

Now that I have found my ideal refractor and a big sister for it, I am also testing some new eyepieces to see how they compare with the XWs etc....
Here are a few that have come my way since March....... I'll see how they go and then make the final cut for the coming years........
(the 4.5mm, 6mm & 10mm were a birthday present from my dear wife yesterday :love: ... )

[bytor666]

Nice set you have there Matt !!! My EP lineup evolves monthly, LOL!

[ab1963]

After buying and selling quite a few eyepieces these 3 are what i have settled with and IMO are optically excellent ,with the 2 powermates and 1 barlow gives me the range i am very happy with

[Kunama]

My XWs and LEs are going to hibernate for the winter while the Delos/Nagler family get a chance to freeze their RRRs off:

There is a vacancy for an 8mm Delos if anyone wants to rid themselves of one...

[dbowie]

So Thnx for advice on where to start my EP collection any advice on where to stop?, dbowie..
9mm Nagler T1
12mm Nagler T2
15mmVixen LV
18mm ES82
24mm ES82
William Optics 'Ferrari' branded 7.5-22.5 zoom..

[pgc hunter]

My current set and magnifications with my 12" workhorse

5mm LVW (266x , 664x)
7mm Delite (190x, 474x)
9mm Delite (148x , 369x)
13mm LVW (102x)
22mm LVW (60x)
2.5x Powermate

Work in progress, I want to replace the 5mm LVW with a 5 Delite for weight reasons and to boost my planetary set (the reason I got the 7 and 9 Delites, based on reviews lauding their contrast and "purity" and ofcourse the light weight). I'm also on the hunt for sub-5mm eyepieces, considering the Delos line (again based on reviews of supreme contrast and FOV since my scopes are non-drive) but my wallet has other ideas...

[Blue-Echo]

After rediscovering astronomy about 18 months ago and acquiring the Evolution 8” SCT, I decided to buy a mix of good to premium quality eyepieces. I started off in a rational frame of mind and after much enjoyable research I determined that I only really needed around 4 Ep's to work in the SCT, in the range from 9mm to 35mm. Famous last words! I don’t seem to have been afflicted by aperture fever, but eyepiece fever is another matter. As a result, 18 months down the track, I have assembled the following collection (some full price, some on special (here or OS) and some second hand):

7.5mm Takahashi LE
8mm LVW
9mm DeLite
10mm XW
14mm Delos
17.3mm Delos
22mm LVW
30mm Takahashi LE
30mm 2” 80 degree generic (clone of the moonfish / Prostar)
42mm LVW
2x Televue barlow

I’ve also got some back-ups that I use instead for public outreach (and in the lighter weight Skywatcher scopes) being the 9mm Fujiyama HD OR, 11mm and 14mm ES 82’s and the 30 and 42mm GSO’s.

I think that will do me…… but there is always the 30mm ES 82 that I have read about……… and the Morpheus range …… and the fabled Naglers …… and the ……:help:

[Kunama]

Nice eclectic mix you have there Nick. Should keep you going for a while....

[Kunama]

With thanks to Anthony Wesley, my Televue collection now includes a mint condition Ethos 21 (and a Paracorr II)
(Might need to cut the poles on my Dob a little to accommodate the Paracorr II :shrug: )
Still looking to pair up some of the Type6 Naglers for the binoviewers.....

[croweater]

Verrry nice Matt, I love my 13mm T6. Cheers, Richard. :thumbsup:

[Allan]

Sweet collection Matt. I find green such a soothing colour, either TeleVue or Takahashi, I'm not fussed.

[ausastronomer]

What happened to your set of 1.25" Pentax XW's Matt ?

Cheers,
John B

[Kunama]

I still have some stashed away here somewhere, I might need to do a stocktake some day.... I just have to make sure a Jennifer doesn't find the stash....

[brian nordstrom]

:D my 20mm plossl arrived today so I thought I would show off my TV collection that has 100% all come from IIS classifieds over the last 12 years , Whew ! .

It is in 2 sections , still learning to resize using W10 :confused2:.
Comments welcome as usual .

Brian.

[Premordial]

My modest but hard working arsenal:

Vixen LVW 13mm
Vixen LVW 22mm
GSO 2.5x barlow

[m11]

Still slowly building up my eyepiece family - currently working on orthos eyepieces :rofl:

Still love Televue :thumbsup:

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Very nice !

Brian .

[m11]

Thanks Brian :hi:

Do you have you favourite eyepieces displayed as well?

M11

[FlashDrive]

These are excellent eyepieces to use .. known as ' black tops '.... 1st 3 pic's

Meade EWF 40mm Plossl's ...hard to find in good condition as these are ... but narrow fov'

Parks Gold Series 25mm ... outstanding ..!!

Orion UltraScopic 35mm .. outstanding also ..!!

These eyepieces ( Early Japanese Plossl's ) would give the ' Modern ' Day ' Plossl's a run for their money.

Col ....

[AG Hybrid]

My smaller case I take with me when I am observing with my 12". A nice useful spread of magnifications and exit pupils.

[bytor666]

Here's what I have now. :D Need a 7mm XW or 7mm Pentax XL.

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Nice , those Morphous eyepieces get a good rap , yes a nice 7mm will round the set off nicely .
enjoy .

Brian.

[yoda776]

Impressive Televue collection Brian. I am looking for a Televue Nagler 2.5 and 3.5mm. Naglers are just the right size and greater field of view.

[brian nordstrom]

Thanks Matt , :thumbsup: I wouldn't say no to either of those Naglers or a TV zoom as well ,
but they are snapped up so fast when one shows up :sadeyes:
.

Brian.

[mr bruess]

my
rare vintage televue 40 mm plossl

[bigjoe]

My Grab and Go City eps..not a Nagler in sight..poor me!

Best Eyepieces I've ever looked through for CLARITY and CONTRAST ..KKs very good ..but these another level!

Its like theres NO glass in your way..in my Naglers, Delos ..you can see your looking through a lot of glass..Clarity not quite the same in my view..

The Vixen NLVs...some are surprising and clear...not so with most SLVs I tried.

TAK Orthos and TOE 3.3MM ..Ultimate Doubles and Planetary EPs Ive tried so far..I just see more when the seeing is very good. ..very ,very enjoyable EPs, with outstanding comfort, build and ergonomics...even the 6mm!

Tak Abbe 12.5mm ...my most used.

PS:Even my wife and the neighbours can tell the difference..and even after a few beers and there no experts!...
The EDs are for the neighbours and friends to use on the Moon, Planets..very good clear and honest eps, notably below 15mm..even survive tomato sauce, meat pie pieces, and accidental droppings by semi drunk friends and neighbours when I have a BBQ...perfect B Set.

bigjoe.

[Tinderboxsky]

My eyepiece set has been nicely settled for some time now. All have been sourced second hand, including quite a few from here on IIS.

General viewing:
Set of Vixen LVW’s giving a good spread of magnifications and exit pupils.
Why to I favour the LVW’s?

They provide a quality, value for money viewing experience consistently across all focal lengths.
I find the the 65 deg AFOV very comfortable and views are consistently sharp right to the edge.
All have 20mm eye relief making them very comfortable for extended viewing.
They are all par focal making it easier to swap between eyepieces
They are all approximately the same weight simplifying telescope balancing when changing between eyepieces.
They perform well across all telescope types, although my observing is primarily with a 140mm refractor where they excel IMHO!!

Specialty eyepieces:

Baader Classic 10mm Ortho with permanent occulting bar. The Teleview 2X barlow delivers higher magnifications when needed.
ProStar 22mm 70 Deg APFOV illuminated reticule eyepiece
Orion 12mm illuminated reticule.

[FlashDrive]

I'll take those LVW's thanks Steve .....;)

[Tinderboxsky]

Ha ha ..... they are under lock and key, hidden in far southern Tasmania. 🤫

[pgc hunter]

The LVWs are highly regarded for their well-corrected field of view even in fast scopes. A great collection to have for sure. I only have the 13 and 22mm left, at the lower end of the F/L scale I wanted something lighter and smaller. I find myself juggling low F/L eyepieces and Powermates often, and these things combined with a barlow are pipe bombs! The 22mm is a gem I most certainly will keep.



My 5mm might be coming up for sale soon :whistle:

[Tropo-Bob]

My collection of 0.965" EPs.

[bigjoe]

Nice collection from someone who knows about eyepieces ..a JAPANESE UNITRON 12.5 KELLNER I had with my 4inch UNITRON was soo sharp on axis..I wished I'd never sold it or the scope!
It's somewhere in Jambero last I heard.

bigjoe

[Ukastronomer]

What is it you don't say.

I have this and love it, complete with eyepieces

https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/william-optics-binoviewer-complete-package.html

[Wilso]

The weather here’s been average so I thought I would clean some lenses that needed it. So here they are!
From the back I have my wide fields, they have a good range. (all keepers)
Small Masu collection to the left, extender and barlow to the right.
My planetary selection in the middle.
The tiny ones in the front row have been a big surprise though, Nikon microscope eyepieces,( ortho type quality)
I’ve doubled up on one focal length but haven’t decided which one to keep yet.
(Probably both):D

[JeniSkunk]

Finally starting to collect an eyepiece family.
I now have 3 Saxon Cielo HD eyepieces. The 12mm, and 6.5mm, and now the 25mm.
Have yet to have a chance to use the 25mm. When I got out of the taxi after shopping this evening, clear skies. In the 25 minutes it took to get everything upstairs to my flat, clouds were moving in.

[brian nordstrom]

:rofl: You have the disease ,,, enjoy it as it's a fun disease .

Brian.

[dreamstation]

Here's my lot. Now I just need a better scope to go with them :) All Tele Vue bought from IIS members over the last couple of years. Pentax bought new from Japan. The 21 is probably my favourite.

[dreamstation]

Can anyone see the white stuff on the rough checkered band that surrounds the EP above the words on the 31 Nagler? Not sure what it is but it was on there when I purchased it from an IIS member. No other marks on the EP and it works great but it's got me buggered. I never got around to contacting the seller about it neither. :confused2:

[smaisy]

Mine is a Vixen SLV and thinking of purchasing some Vixen zoom too, been pretty good with those so far!

[Max Vondel]

Mine was all TV once.
But who can justify $1300- for an EP?
So I sold all my Ethoi, Deloi, Radians and Naglers
Now I am happy with the Luminos range while adding
the Meade MWA eyepieces. You can get 4 of these for 1 TV.
Even though the TV has better image quality its not 4X better

[Rainmaker]

I am pretty much set for eyepieces now, after testing Ethos/Nagler/XW/Radian/etc etc....

I now have the Delos lineup for monoviewing and for binoviewing I have pairs of XF8.5/Pan24/LOA21/LE5, 7.5, 18 & 30....

The Delos are all converted to 2" using Blue Fireball adapters which allow them to be set parfocal.....

Just one low power to get......... maybe another APM 30UFF or Pano27 :question:

[Slawomir]

That is a beautiful set of eyepieces Matt :thumbsup:

Must have taken a while to collect them all.

[Rainmaker]

Thanks, I'm set now, and have picked up a Panoptic 27mm....
my wife has taken my credit cards from my wallet so no more astro purchases for me...

[FlashDrive]

.... your talking to us Matt , not some bloke on a street corner ...:lol:

[yoda776]

As my wife just said to me tonight as I was trying to justify another scope purchase after saying no more astro purchases for me ... I have heard that one before (too many eyepiece purchases as well for me!) :lol:

[N1]

Here's a photo of my workhorse dob set, out in the field (i.e. at work). They come out often, and they deliver.

[gregbradley]

APM 12.5 HiFW, 9 amd 20mm XWA, 30mm UFF
Baader Morpheus 9, 12.5, 2 x 17.5
TV Naglers 3.5 T6, 9 T1, 16 T5
TV 18.2 Delite, 15 and 32 Plossl
Pentax XW 7, 10mm
Masuyama 85 degree 10mm
Edmunds Optics RKE 8, 15,28.
UO 12.5mm
Fujiyama 18, 25
TMB Planetary 11, 3.5,5,7.5, 9mm
Several Meade plossls, 14mm UWA
SvBony 8-24 zoom and another unbranded similar zoom.
Dual ED 15, 25mm
Bino
Tak 1.6Q extender, Bintel 2 inch quartz diagonal
Bintel 2X ED barlow, APM 2X ED barlow, Baader Q extender barlow

The core eyepieces that get used first are the APM 20XWA, Morpheus 17.5 and APM Hi FW 12.5. I find the Morpheus range slightly better than their Nagler counterparts due to comfort of view and pretty much matching or very slightly better sharpness/contrast and less susceptible to blackouts. Also 17.5mm matches my AP130 very well. But of course, Naglers are terrific eyepieces. Those 2 Pentax eyepieces are pretty perfect as well. Slightly touchy to eye placement is my only criticism.

I wouldn't mind adding Masuyama 16mm, 26mm but I would be better off getting a 12inch dob. A 22T4 Nagler would be nice as well. One of my memorable year ago eyepieces.

Greg.

[FlashDrive]

These are excellent Eyepieces .....;)

Col...:D

[Wilso]

Nice Col :thumbsup:
I like the 5 element eyepieces as well
How do the Parks eyepieces go compared to the orthos?
The only Parks I have is the 10mm, and a barlow

[FlashDrive]

I like them all ....the ortho's have a narrow fov ...but are very pleasing / sharp to view with, great eye relief also.


Hard to find, as are the Parks / Ultimas / Orion UltraScopic's and Vixen LV's.


If you have a chance to get any.....buy them....just my humble opinion .


Col :)

[MortonH]

I agree with Col. I'm looking for a few of the 5-element models myself. I particularly like the Ultimas because of the black & orange colour scheme but they're all good.

[MortonH]

Here's my current collection. Still missing a 20mm Japanese Meade Super Plossl.

[FlashDrive]

Current lovelies that I keep ....but the University 25mm / 18mm I hardly use..!!

Col....

[Rainmaker]

Nice eclectic collection you have there Col. I have also curtailed my astronomy equipment acquisitions. I replaced my full lineup of Delos eyepieces with the Leica ASPH zoom & Leica Extender. Still have my Outreach set of Nagler and bino-pairs of LEs.

[croweater]

Hi Matt. I told my wife I want to "curtail" my collection just to what Matt's got. She said I'll get back to you on that. I get the impression she's not going to :rolleyes:
Cheers, Richard

[Rainmaker]

:)

[gregbradley]

Baader Morpheus and several APM eyepieces do the trick for me.

I find the Baader Morpheus 14.5 and the APM Hi FW 12.5mm are hard to beat and suit my AP130 nicely. 9 and 20mm 100 degree APMs top it off.

Greg.

[entr0py]

Surely this has been asked many times but what are everyone's "go to" eye pieces for planetary observations? i.e. if you had to do it again what would you not buy or buy differently or sooner?

[Hans Tucker]

I have a big collection of eyepieces Takahashi, Televue, Pentax XW's, TMB Supermonocentrics, Zeiss, Docter 12.5mm and newly acquired Nikon Nav's but I seem always to come back to the Takahashi LE's for viewing Planets. I am eager to try the new range of Takahashi TPL's.

[Rainmaker]

Pairs of Tak LE 5mm and 7.5mm in Zeiss binoviewer at the back end of TOA130NFB…..

[EpickCrom]

Hi, in my admittedly small time in this hobby (4 years) the best eyepiece for me so far for planetary observations has been my Cielo HD 6.5mm ( I believe it the same as Celestron X Cell).

This eyepiece always gives me a razor sharp view, Jupiter and Saturn look like they have been etched with a very fine pen! I have compared it with my other eyepieces, same night same conditions and it always comes out on top for planetary observations.

[croweater]

Hi Joe. I, too use cielos and xl. I'm very happy with them. They give nice sharp views and 60 degree field which suits me as I dont like to have to move my eyes around the field too much while observing. I can just stare. Comfortable 16mm eye relief which is right in my sweet spot. Also very nice screw up eyecups. Good value eyepieces.
Cheers, Richard

[EpickCrom]

Hi Richard, I heartily agree! They are very good "bang for your buck" eyepieces. I too like the 60° AFOV they have and yes those screw up eyecups are very nice. I also have the Cielo HD 4.5mm and 2.3mm, they are also good for planetary and lunar observations and come close to my 6.5mm for sharpness . I'm glad that you are enjoying yours as much as I'm enjoying mine:thumbsup:

Clear Skies
Joe

[Dave882]

In my binoviewers I only use 2 pairs for pretty much everything:
Denkmeier D21mm FMC for Solar and Lunar
Burgess 9mm TMB Planetary for major and minor planets or Lunar if the conditions are excellent

These give me around 200x and 450x in the c14 (bit less with the powerswitch) and found both to be great contrast and really sharp. Although I’ve got my eye out for something around the 5-6mm for those nights of exceptional seeing.

[JeniSkunk]

Another Saxon Cielo HD eyepieces user here, I've had mine since Pete at Astro Anarchy first started stocking them. I've three eyepieces in the range, the 25mm, 12mm, and the 6.5mm. I posted about what ones I have, in post number 357 (https://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showpost.php?p=1443649&postcount=357) in this thread.
The 6.5mm is my go to for most tasks, with the 12mm being used mostly as a general viewing ep. The 12mm is my immediate go to for general lunar viewing. At dark sites I can get transport to, that's when the 25mm gets its most use. It's good for constellations and nebulas, which you simply can't see in urban light pollution.
I don't have any Celestron X-Cel LX eyepieces, but I wouldn't mind trying some out to see how they compare to the Saxons.

[MTregz]

I'll have to look into that, thanks for sharing

[Crater101]

I have most of the Celestron X-Cel LX 1.25 eyepieces (2.3, 5. 9, 12, 18, & 25mm) and I find them great for planetary viewing, and quite good for general observing. They're accompanied by X-Cel LX 2x and 3x Barlows.

[OzEclipse]

I have a homemade 6"f7 Newt, optimised for visual obs with a 3.5% by area secondary. It only takes 1.25" eyepieces. My other scopes 18" dob, 8" Vixen cass and 80mm and 100mm refractors all have 2" focusers.

Over the years I have assembled an excellent set of mostly premium eyepieces. Most of the premium eyepieces have been purchased second hand here on IIS.


2" eyepieces
GSO SV 42mm (54 deg)
31mm* & 17mm* Naglers (82 deg)

1.25" eyepieces
Unitron 40mm Kellner
Meade 25mm & 12mm Orthoscpic (45 deg)
Denkmeier D21mm* and D14mm (65 deg)*
University Optics 16mm König (65 deg)
Explore Scientific 11mm (82 deg)
Pentax XW10* & XW5* (70 deg)
Nagler 12mm* and 7mm* (82 deg)

* Purchased 2nd hand

For some reason, the Denkmeiers are resold at very discounted prices. They are really superb eyepieces in fast newts and longer f ratio scopes. Many members of my circle of friends all own the 14mm and 21mm Denkmeiers.
The Naglers, Denks and Pentax are the jewels in this set. The others are good eyepieces, just not superb eyepieces.


Joe

[Matthieu]

I also have a few of the X-Cel LX's (25, 12, 9, 7 and 5mm). They serve me well in a 16" f/4 dob which is no mean feat. I liked all of them aside from the 5 but that's probably because 360x is too much mag most nights. Also, a couple of them had the known issue of small bits of metal on the inside which were very visible on the moon until I cleaned it. I'd be curious to hear whether the Saxon Cielo have better quality control.

I've started upgrading eyepieces so have an ES 68° 40mm (for my frac), a few Ultima Edges (30, 18 and 15mm), an ES 82° 11mm and the SvBony sv215 3-8mm zoom. So far, I've only properly compared the zoom to the X-Cel LX's and the zoom seems both brighter and sharper to me than the 7 and 9 X-Cel Lx's which are my favourite.

[Matthieu]

It's a great set, even the B team eyepieces are well rated.

[JeniSkunk]

Finally started adding to my eyepiece family.
Today I bought a Saxon Cielo HD 9mm to add to my 25mm, 12mm, and 6,5mm
The LEGO set in the background was also bought today.

[EpickCrom]

Nice additions to your eyepiece family! I have the Saxon Cielo 6.5mm, it's the sharpest eyepiece I've yet looked through and will be staying with me forever!

[JeniSkunk]

The 4.5mm is the limit I could effectively use in my P130 telescope. The 2.3mm is simply too powerful to be usable in it with a magnification in my telescope of 282x.
I bought the 9mm as I was after something with slightly more magnification than the 12mm, but not as much as the 6.5mm.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get the 18mm, as I don't use the 25mm anywhere near enough, and I fear that the 18mm would get even less use than the 25mm.
For my little telescope, the Saxon Cielo HD are a very good upgrade series of eyepieces, from the stock eyepieces SkyWatcher supply with their telescopes.

[refractordude]

Hello There


Meade 56mm Plossl/52 Degrees/30mm Eye Relief


Celestron 30mm UFF/70 Degrees/22mm Eye Relief


Olivon 22mm/70 Degrees/20mm Eye Relief


BST Paradigm StarGuider 15mm/60 Degrees/20mm Eye Relief


Stellalyra 9mm, 6mm, 5mm/55 Degrees/20mm Eye Relief


SvBony 7-21mm Zoom


My first eyepiece upgrade was the GSO 20mm Superview. Way better than the stock eyepieces that came with my first two scopes. I also have a few of the Red Line and Yellow Line eyepieces laying around and about in plastic bags. I also have a bunch of eBay plossl cheapos.


My favorite is the Olivon 22mm. It is now sold under a variety of names. https://astromaniaoptics.com/products/astromania-2quot-22mm-70-degree-super-wide-angle-swa-mean-you-always-enjoy-a-huge-field-of-view?srsltid=AfmBOooOnoEBkJvME3rKqD GyanwQGG3EPIdT3BlquqJDGtYI1j66wTIs&VariantsId=10092

[Don Pensack]

My set is somewhat pedestrian, and all of them have hundreds of pics on-line.
Used in scopes of 12.5" f/5 (f/5.75 with Paracorr) and 102mm f/7 triplet apo.
30mm APM Ultra Flat field
22mm Tele Vue Nagler Type 4
17.5mm/14mm/12.5mm/9mm/6.5mm/4.5mm Morpheus
11mm Tele Vue Apollo11
7mm APM XWA
6mm Tele Vue Ethos
3.7mm Tele Vue Ethos SX.
The last 3 are not glasses-compatible, but fortunately, I do not need glasses with those focal lengths.
Magnifications range from 61x to 493x in the 12.5" and 24x to 193x in the 102mm.

I have a custom 16" coming shortly, and the same eyepieces will yield magnifications of 58x to 474x

[Anth10]

I originally started my Astro pursuit with an 8 inch hand crafted Dob and later upgraded to a 10” where it was used for visual obs.
My set consists of 5mm and 7.5mm LE MC Takahashi eyepieces/
25mm Masuyama, / 16mm 82deg UWAN / 28mm 82deg UWAN/ and regular plossl set

Since then I have reconfigured the 10” into a scope used for astrophotography however on the most clear nights I do still use the eyepieces to gaze into the heavens and particularly the planets when seeing is perfect.

My favourite is the 7.5mm Tak(nice color and sharp image) and the 28mm wide field really brings that space feel to the subject which is most amazing using my f5 light bucket.

Cheers
Anth10

[Davido]

I got a 25mm plossl with my 100ED and then got a little 7-21 zoom.
Then bought a number of extras trying to improve but always come back to the little zoom as my favorite.
Most of those just sit in a box now as I got a 2.5X barlow and a 2.5mm and use only the 3 mentioned earlier.
Maybe someday I will get the chance to look through a very high end to see what I am missing.
I found some info on the zoom and it seems to be a GTO, possibly made by Nikon a long time ago but is nice and solidly constructed.
I recently got a 127ED as well and it's great on that too.

[Davido]

Actually 7.4 - 22mm

[Davido]

This is what happens when you get way too much free time and have a 3D printer I guess.
I got sick of looking for black caps dropped in the dark and keeping my eyepiece set together.
I think it's nice.

[JeniSkunk]

Visited Astro Anarchy yesterday and bought another EP to add to my collection of Saxon Cielo HD EPs, the 4.5mm.
This joins my existing 6.5mm, 9mm, 12mm, and 25mm.
Now all I need to complete the set are the 2.3mm, and 18mm.

[EpickCrom]

Nice collection of Cielo eyepieces you are building there!

I have the 6.5mm, one of the sharpest eyepieces I have ever looked through!

Clear Skies
Joe