Eyepiece Selection help -Planets/moon

[Astro78]

Hi Guys,

Recently upgraded to a 2nd hand 8 inch newt on an EQ5 and want to buy an eyepiece with higher power for planets and the moon.

Already own 2 Ep's that are garbage and 2/3 ep's that I find excellent. So willing to spend around $100 (2nd hand) for the quality.

The Tele Vue 32 mm is by far the best. Also have a 15mm Vixen LV but don't find this as good. The others are a no name 6mm plossl (crap) and a bintel 12mm plossl (crap).

Strangely enough a 25 year old Huygens 20mm gives me best views of the moon but it's a .965 and a pain to screw in all the attachments need to fit.

So far leaning towards a University Optics ortho in perhaps the 7 or 9mm.

Am I on the right track? Are there better options in my budget?

thanks guys,
Trav

[gbeal]

For lunar and planetary, the U/O orthos are well respected. While some will tell you otherwise, the widefield eyepieces also have appeal as they allow a wider field of view for the dob (non driven) systems. TV Plossls are a good all round compromise.
Best I can suggest is listen to everyone, and also nobody, and try as many as you can before committing.
Gary

[rmcpb]

What is the focal length of your scope?

[Astro78]

Focal length is 1000mm - 8 inch newt. So F5.

Good advise Gary, looking forwards to joining a club to expand on the experience.

[janoskiss]

UO HD orthos are great choices. Eye relief starts becoming and issue though <~9mm. I'd recommend the fully baffled Orion Deluxe 1.25" barlow and a 12mm UO HD ortho. This combo is superb for planetary viewing and a bargain to boot.

[wavelandscott]

You might also try the TMB Planetary eyepieces...they are available from Frontier Optics.

I have a couple and they seem to be pretty good value for money with decent eye relief and build quality.

While not exactly in the same league as Pentax and Televue, they are not bad in my opinion for the price I paid.

[DaveO]

I'd agree. I got the 3.2mm, 5mm and 8mm for $300 when they had a special, and have been very pleased.

[janoskiss]

I'll third the TMB/Burgess too. I've used the 7mm side by side with a 7mm XW and it was no slouch. Great bang for buck EP.

[MarkN]

And here comes #4 in support of the BO/TMB series. I have the 4, 5 & 7 mm. 6 mm is covered by the UO HD. 8 mm TV Plossl and 9 mm by TV Nagler.

The UOs are like looking through the proverbial straw and can be a bit of a pain in a non-motorised scope but the views are hard to beat at the price.

The 60 deg. of the BO/TMBs and the general quality makes them a safe choice.

You could also go for an 8 mm TV Plossl and a good quality barlow.

Good luck.

Mark.

[Astro78]

Thanks guys,

The options just keep getting wider and wider (no pun). Diverting a little - Just been reading the pro's and con's of a TV Barlow vs their Powermate. Seems there's merit in both depending on use for high power or lower power. The barlow being the choice for high power and lower power better with the powermate. Do you guys agree?

Considering the current performance of the 32 mm TV Plossl it's hard to go past the 8mm TV. Being completely biased though. That being said are plossl's good for planets?

Would it be right to assume the ortho's will give best quality visual but at the cost of narrow view. The TMB's less quality viewing but wider. How much less detail would one expect for the value wide field experience with the TMB?

Having bought some crappy GSO's initially the TMB's "good" and
"value" ratings scare me a little.

Mark how would you compare the TV 8mm with the TMB's 7mm?

[wavelandscott]

Make no mistake that the TV gear will be top notch...But, don't be afraid of the BO/TMBs...they are a different kettle of fish to the GSOs and a reasonable substitute for the High End stuff. I understand your concern with the magic phrase "value"...but, in this instance with respect to the BO/TMB series it is meant in the best sort of way.

I think TV Plossls are a good "all around" eyepiece and that they work well on planets...however, as you increase the magnification, you will decrease the eye relief...that is one of the advantages in my opinion of the BO/TMB eyepieces decent eye relief across the range.

While I have not tried an 8 mm Plossl against a 7 mm BO/TMB, I would expect that the BO/TMB may be more comfortable due to the increased eye relief and maybe wider field of view.

I've not had enough viewing experience with any Orthos to add comment on them versus the BO/TMB...

I'd encourage you to hook up with someone nearby (if possible) to try out some of the different eyepieces yourself if you can.

Good Luck!

[ausastronomer]

The TV plossl is a fractionally better performer in terms of its "raw" on axis optical performance. However, the difference is very minimal and only detectable under good conditions by an experienced observer. The Burgess TMB has a larger AFOV and has infinitely more eye relief making it much more comfortbale to use. Having used both, if I needed to buy a midpriced eyepiece at this focal length, I would be grabbing the Burgess TMB without hesitation.

Cheers

[Astro78]

Thanks for your replies guys,

This is such a great resource - sincerely appreciate your time and expertise.

Looks like the next eyepiece will be a TMB 7mm for the planets and moon. An old Huygens lying around in a .95 is fantastically clear but it's narrow view lessens the pleasure quite a bit. So for this reason ruling out the ortho for now.

Also a barlow will have to wait a while so the shorter eye relief of the TV 8mm is the other factor medium term.

Thanks for the assistance - let the bargain hunt begin! :thumbsup:

[MarkN]

Astro78

Couldn't put it any better than ausastronomer. That's it in a nutshell!

Mark.

[Astro78]

Well after much deliberation and even after deciding on the TMB 7mm - ended up receiving a Pentax XL 7mm and 4mm LV second hand, all for marginally the cost of a new TMB.

This Pentax is like a grenade, much bigger and heavier than expected!

C'mon clouds, what a tease :whistle:

[madwayne]

Good luck with your new gear Trav, and the weather. I'm hoping this cloud clears so I can blow the dust off my gear 3 views in 3 weeks no wonder I'm getting the shakes.

Have a good weekend and roll on 5pm.

[Astro78]

Thanks Wayne. Hope you got a session tonight before the clouds came over mate.

Wow we got a glimpse of the moon late this arvo and just knocked the socks off everyone. The shadows and landscapes are pretty darn cool under higher power and the mirror was still warm.

Bring on Mars!

[prova]

i just purchased a 5mm Vixon LV and am very happy with it for moon and planetary observation.

just for kicks, i pointed my scope (same as yours) at the moon the other night, whacked my 5mm and 2x barlow together, took a deep breath and had a look ..

wow

thought it was going to be blurry and unviewable but i was wrong, not has crisp as lower mags but still an awesome sight

drive motor is a must though for such a high mag

have fun :thumbsup:

[Astro78]

That's some serious magnification, did you spot the flags? :rofl:

One thing for sure is a wooden deck and high power is a no no, just learnt recently :)

Just out of curiosity do you know the minor axis diameter of your secondary for the skywatcher Prova?