Powermate 5x

[EzyStyles]

Hey All,

Currently i have the 2x and 3x barlow and was thinking of getting the powermate 5x. I want greater magnification and clearity at the sametime. $310 is quite expensive for a powermate 5x, how is it compared to the barlow's?

[iceman]

For visual, don't get it. You won't use it as the magnification will be too high.

The 5x powermate is primarily used by lunar/planetary imagers for increased focal length and higher magnification.

The 2x/3x is all you'll need for visual stuff. If you want the best quality at that magnification, you can get a 2.5x powermate (again for $310), but you'd struggle to see the difference most times.

[EzyStyles]

thanks mike. will the 5x help though with the dsi? im too new to all these.

[ving]

like mike said... imagin only

put anything more than a 25mm eyepiece in it and it'd be unusable.. (25mm EP + PM = (approx) 5mm)

what eyepieces do you have?

[EzyStyles]

thanks david. 25mm/15mm/9mm/4mm

[ving]

your 4mm gives you 200x magnification, it is probably near as high as you want to go. you will loose alot of detail above that. i do most of my planet veiwing at about 160x and when the seeing is poor 114x. when seeing is really exeptional i go up to 184x but that as high as i go.
of course this is purely visual, imaging is quite different. :)

[iceman]

I wouldn't get one now. Everything gets harder, the higher you go in magnification.

Start at prime focus (just the DSI in the focuser), then if you need increased image scale, use the 2x, then the 3x. But there's a very steep learning curve to get over before you think about chucking a 5x in there.

Take your time before jumping in the deep end! Otherwise you'll be in for a lot of frustration.

[EzyStyles]

Thanks guys. I think im trying to move "too" fast in the astro world. Always have a passion for astronomy but i just started everything 2 weeks ago. Got my first scope, read alot about eyepieces etc and help from members here. ill take your advise mike and pace myself before i go broke in no time :)