Strider_
08-01-2011, 11:49 AM
This is my second post here on IIS and it regards my recent experience investing in some premium eyepieces. When I purchased my scope(12”f5 dob) I received the standard 9mm, 15mm and 32mm eyepieces, I also purchased a fairly cheap 7.5mm Saxon ED eyepiece. I had read nothing on the Saxon eyepiece and things like true field of view were unknown to me. I found the view spectacular through all four eyepieces although I did find myself favouring the 7.5mm Saxon and the 32mm both these eyepieces seemed much more comfortable, a lot of nights the 9mm and 15mm did not leave their boxes.
After becoming quite familiar with my scope and having had time to save my pennies I decided it was time to purchase a new premium eyepiece. I read countless posts, reviews and articles and became quite familiar with eyepiece magnification and field of view. It seemed like there were two choices to buy myself a single premium eyepiece like a Nagler or a couple of mid range eyepieces. I found myself having an opinion and information overload. After reading a promising review of a 13T6 Nagler by a fellow F5 12” owner and seeing it was not out of my price range I took the plunge.
When I first put my eye to the Nagler on a dark evening I was truly blown away. I now understood why I had read numerous times that looking through an eyepiece like this was looking through a porthole. Yes the stars were sharp and yes the field of view was amazing but this is not what I found most impressive. Some galaxies in Dorado had eluded me, I was convinced that the authors of “Atlas of the southern night sky” were having a laugh at my expense but now armed with my Nagler I pointed my scope at their supposed location and when I put my eye to the eyepiece... I was sold that Nagler was worth every penny for that single view, there they were. I am not saying that a lesser eyepiece would not reveal these galaxies I am not to sure why this one did? The larger field of view? Better light throughput? I would have paid just to be able to get that view night after night. Needless to say the Nagler was instantly my most used eyepiece.
Since then after receiving some vouchers for Christmas I have also invested in a 2.5xPowermate and a 24mm Panoptic. While I would have loved a 26mm Nagler I am afraid my budget did not stretch that far, also the Panoptic continued 1.25inch trend of the Powermate and all my filters. First light with the Panoptic was just as impressive as the Nagler. The Eta Carina Nebula and the Tarantula nebula with my UHC filter both amazed me, I was not overly fond of the UHC filter until using it with the Panoptic.
So my advice to anyone else looking to upgrade their eyepiece arsenal. Obviously try before you buy if that is at all possible. While I cannot comment on other brands as I own none I assure you that the Televue eyepieces may be expensive but if a single view can convince me that the purchase was worth the money, then the countless views to come are freebies. Also I suggest that you familiarise yourself with the true field of view of eyepieces and their magnifications. Sit down and work out the range of magnifications and fields of view you will get with a Barlow or likewise on eyepieces you are considering, write a list or a table so you can see which two or three eyepieces will give you the best spread. I do wish I had done this before diving into my premium purchases although I am very, very happy with what I have.
After becoming quite familiar with my scope and having had time to save my pennies I decided it was time to purchase a new premium eyepiece. I read countless posts, reviews and articles and became quite familiar with eyepiece magnification and field of view. It seemed like there were two choices to buy myself a single premium eyepiece like a Nagler or a couple of mid range eyepieces. I found myself having an opinion and information overload. After reading a promising review of a 13T6 Nagler by a fellow F5 12” owner and seeing it was not out of my price range I took the plunge.
When I first put my eye to the Nagler on a dark evening I was truly blown away. I now understood why I had read numerous times that looking through an eyepiece like this was looking through a porthole. Yes the stars were sharp and yes the field of view was amazing but this is not what I found most impressive. Some galaxies in Dorado had eluded me, I was convinced that the authors of “Atlas of the southern night sky” were having a laugh at my expense but now armed with my Nagler I pointed my scope at their supposed location and when I put my eye to the eyepiece... I was sold that Nagler was worth every penny for that single view, there they were. I am not saying that a lesser eyepiece would not reveal these galaxies I am not to sure why this one did? The larger field of view? Better light throughput? I would have paid just to be able to get that view night after night. Needless to say the Nagler was instantly my most used eyepiece.
Since then after receiving some vouchers for Christmas I have also invested in a 2.5xPowermate and a 24mm Panoptic. While I would have loved a 26mm Nagler I am afraid my budget did not stretch that far, also the Panoptic continued 1.25inch trend of the Powermate and all my filters. First light with the Panoptic was just as impressive as the Nagler. The Eta Carina Nebula and the Tarantula nebula with my UHC filter both amazed me, I was not overly fond of the UHC filter until using it with the Panoptic.
So my advice to anyone else looking to upgrade their eyepiece arsenal. Obviously try before you buy if that is at all possible. While I cannot comment on other brands as I own none I assure you that the Televue eyepieces may be expensive but if a single view can convince me that the purchase was worth the money, then the countless views to come are freebies. Also I suggest that you familiarise yourself with the true field of view of eyepieces and their magnifications. Sit down and work out the range of magnifications and fields of view you will get with a Barlow or likewise on eyepieces you are considering, write a list or a table so you can see which two or three eyepieces will give you the best spread. I do wish I had done this before diving into my premium purchases although I am very, very happy with what I have.