What do you recommend in EP's

[Louwai]

Hi all,
I currently have a C8 & an AT80, both with 2" diagonals.
Current EP's are
WO 28mm UWAN
LVW 17mm
LVW 5mm

Also have
2 x Barlow
4 x Powermate

I like looking at everything & also trying to pull out the deep sky stuff.

Can anyone recommed other EP's that may suit my gear.

I've been looking at the WO Planetary EP's. Just not sure if they would be any better than what I have for planetary viewing.:shrug:

Cheers, Bryan

[Starkler]

I wouldn't say theres much wrong with what you've already got.
What do you feel is missing in your lineup?

[Louwai]

To be honest I wouldn't know.
Almost every time I look on this forum I see recomendations or comments about gear or brands I have never heard of.

So I thought I'd put the question out there to see if anyone had any better suggestions.

B

[Astrolabe]

Hi Bryan

May I suggest a 35 or 40 mm FL eyepiece for slightly wider FOV. You cannot go wrong with Panoptics or Pentax if you find their cost acceptable.

Regards


George (astrolabe)

[Louwai]

George, a few mths ago someone at MPAS had a 52mm EP. I may be wrong but I think it was a Nagler or a Panoptic, don't really recall. When swapping it directly with my 28mm UWAN there was very little noticable difference with regard to FOV.
So on that comparison alone I have tended to think that the 28mm UWAN is pretty good at that end of the range.

Bryan

[Stephen65]

I have a 40mm WO SWAN (72 degrees AFOV) which I use as a finder/sweeper. It shows some distortion towards the edges but for the price its a bargain.

[wolfman]

My only suggestion would be somthing around 10mm, mainly for the C8 for planetry viewing.
Nothing wrong with a LVW to match the others.

[thongus]

Hi!
My scope hasn't yet!
but was just wondering

Would a 4mm be the same as a 8mm with a 2xbarlow?

OH
and i would also like to hear the recommendations. I have (will have) a 8inch Reflector

[casstony]

Bryan, have you considered getting a larger scope? 12" Lightbridge?

Thongus, a 4mm is essentially the same as an 8mm with barlow. Be cautious of short eye relief when buying short focal length eyepieces.

[janoskiss]

I assume the C8 is an f/10 SCT and the A80 is an f/8ish achromat...

The 28mm UWAN and the 17mm LVW will serve you well. The 5mm would see little use in either telescope - too much power in these scopes - but you can decide for yourself: how often do you find it useful?

2x barlow if a good one will be useful with the 17mm for high power observing - planets. The 4x powermate - hmmm - with the 28mm possibly but it will be a big heavy beast.

Assuming C8 is on a tracking mount and you don't wear glasses, for planetary viewing I'd recommend a 15mm TV plossl, 12mm (and perhaps 9mm if eye relief okay for you) UO HD ortho and an Orion Deluxe 1.25" 2x barlow. These are comfortable and very high contrast EPs, as is the barlow with internal baffling (this is truly an outstanding barlow, IMO the best for planets, and does not cost a lot either!).

An 18mm HD ortho is worth considering also but you have the LVW 17mm... Use on planets in barlow (inst of short ER 9mm), on deep sky on its own. The HD will have slightly better contrast and transmission, and significantly more faithful colour rendition (not so red/yellow) which I like on planets. Also handy for faint DSOs when you are trying to tease out every last bit of light.

[Louwai]

Bryan, have you considered getting a larger scope? 12" Lightbridge?

Cass - Yes, I'm currently tossing up between a Celestron CGE 14" or an Obsession 20" with AN & SCGT. Either way it will be at least 18mths away, so just trying to make the most of the C8 while I'm stuck with it.

Jano - I use the 5mm in the 80. It produces equal image size / magnification to the C8 with the 17mm when veiwing Jupiter etc. Surprisingly clear & crisp.
Very useful on public viewing nights. I can have 2 people veiwing at once.
Thanks for all your other EP suggestions. All noted.

Cheers & thanks for the input.

Bryan

[gary]

Hi Bryan,

Thanks for considering an Argo Navis in the future.

One eyepiece worth considering is the new Tele Vue Ethos 13mm with
a 100 degree apparent FOV. I believe it will be released within the next week.

This is one amazing eyepiece and John Bambury, Andrew Murrell and myself
had several opportunities to view through it on a variety of scopes in Texas In fact,
one night we spent a good part of the night observing with Al Nagler
using it and other Tele Vue eyepieces on one of Al's refractors. However,
even on large aperture Dobs, it was fabulous and was well corrected across
the field. You can look up , down and every which way and this eyepiece
just keeps delivering the view. Al told us that it was the first time he had used
it under dark skies as well, so we were amongst the first to ever use it in the
field. I then had another opportunity to look through it at Riverside up
at Big Bear Lake when Al Nagler plugged it into Steve Kennedy's Starstructure scope.

This is going to be one popular eyepiece and worth waiting for in my opinion.
I am hoping to get another another opportunity to use one in a few weeks
time if Dave Kriege brings one down with him.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Louwai]

Gary, Thanks for the info on the Ethos. Read the reviews.
Sounds like an awesome EP.
But I'm afraid at US$620 (OPT) it'll be a little while before I get one.

B

[rumples riot]

Louwai,

SCT EP's. Radian by TV. work really well or and more value. Pan 24 TV with 2.5x powermate for planetary, (really love this) or just the pan 24 on its own for DSO viewing. I have both but the pan 24 combo is the best.

[CoombellKid]

I wonder if that ep will be under $1000.00 when it reaches Oz suppliers.

regards,CS

[erick]

Already advertised for A$869 at Bintel.

[KG8]

I see you don't have any real low power stuff.
I regularly use a 40mm and 50mm in a C11 and the views are great, especially useful for that first hour and a half while the mirror is cooling down. I prefer the crisp clear views of the lower power EP's than my 20&13mm ones, both of which are widescan III's. In a C8 I would imagine a 40 or the 30 would be a good addition to your lineup.
What brand? Check these out, and don't be put off by the price, they are great eye pieces, much better in my opinion than the more expensive orion generic type plossils.

Guan Sheng SUPERVIEW 68°
1.25" and 2" eyepieces
$39 AUD each

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

[Louwai]

Nothing low. As mentioned earlier, I compared the 28mm UWAN with a 50mm & there wasn't a whole lot of diference. (in my opinion anyway) So since then I haven't really looked at any other low power EP's.
Have to say I agree with you though. I love the 28mm UWAN. It has a great FOV & sharp as......
Lately I've been using the LVW 17mm in the 8" SCT a lot. It also gives nice clear & sharp views.