Eyepiece recommendations

[Yuzza]

hi guys, I'm looking to get some new eyepieces so just want to ask what eyepieces would you recommend for a 10" SCT

[Miaplacidus]

Probably not what you were expecting, and maybe not what you want, but how about a William Optics Binoviewer with two included 20mm WO eyepieces for only $350 from Frontier Optics?

[janoskiss]

Can't you ask an easier and less open question like: What do you recommend for dinner on a Saturday night? :P

Better tell us about your budget and expectations. Also: What EPs have you got already and what are your impressions of them? :)

[Yuzza]

lol sorry about the big question,
i have a meade 26mm 4000 which i am happy with, i also have a 10mm and a 40mm no name Plossl which is ok,

my expectations is a good quality image such as good image across the field and brightness (hope it makes sense,lol), the price, best not thought about

Im looking at the naglers and vixen LV, and LVW series

thanks for the help so far

[janoskiss]

I'd get some good plossls and/or orthos to begin with. I find HD orthos and TV plossls are outstanding. IMO they are great to have even if you get premium widefields later.

and then you cannot go wrong 22mm LVW. Excellent and very consistent performance across the entire field. Great value too.

The Naglers would be good EPs if they cost about 2/3 as much as they do. IMO they are not worth it unless you buy 2nd hand.

LVs I'm not sure about. Some love them some don't like them that much. :shrug:

[cjmarsh81]

I love my LV :thumbsup:

[Dave47tuc]

Pentax XW, end of story.:D

[anthony2302749]

You may need to look at your observing habit, if you are into planetary viewing I would go with Steve's choice either orthoscopic or Tele Vue plossls. Both of these design have an AFV of around 45-50 degrees which are good for planetary work. If you are into deep space work than eyepiece with AFV of 66 degrees and greater would be better.

For me eyepiece selection is a personal choice so if you have a chance test out the eyepiece before you buy.

[Starkler]

:lol: Dave.

We havent seen your first light report yet :poke:

[beren]

:) I was asking the same question a couple years back when i got my 10"SCT and a number of kind folk universally suggested a good quality 20mm eyepiece.It was suggested at the time a eyepiece of this focal length would be my most frequently used ....and it has been :D. I ended up getting a Nagler 22mm Type 4, although I came close to getting a 20mm Nagler Type 2.The 22mm is my favourite eyepiece without a doubt and sticking my neck out i would suggest maybe these two eyepieces or something of equivalent FL.

[Dave47tuc]

Stuart is spot on.:thumbsup:
I remember that ? asked.
At the time i to had a 10"SCT. And at the time I found the 22 panoptic very good indeed.
I remember one observing session and I had the 22 in the scope.
Someone came along and said that's the best view of Saturn they had seen tonight. I said how so?
The person said
"that's the clearest view they had seen":shrug:
The 20 - 25 mm range will give you the best over all view with your scope.
So on a budget say a 20 or 25 mm Plossl Tele Vue.
Or more bucks 22 Panoptic. 22 Vixen LVW or 20 mm Pentax XW.:eyepop:
Or more bucks again 22 Nagler.
Any of the above will serve you well.
Happy eyepiece hunting.;)

[Starkler]

Its interesting that so many times I have seen it said that cheaper eyepieces perform well in slow f-ratio compared to faster scopes, but still when eyepieces are recommended, the same ones as listed for fast newts are also put forward to sct owners :confuse3:

Just which ones work well in sct's that do not in fast newts? :confuse3:

[janoskiss]

Very good point, Geoff. How about Königs? :shrug:

[Yuzza]

thanks very much for everyone’s responses, time for some interesting reading

[Starkler]

Yes Steve, I've heard that Konigs do well in sct's but not in fast scopes and even so Konigs arent exactly cheap either.

Which others guys? Maybe this deserves a thread of its own.

[janoskiss]

It sure does.

[ausastronomer]

Regardless of which telescope you own a premium eyepiece will still outperform a cheap eyepiece. In a slow scope such as an F15 Maksutov the differential between a premium and a budget is not as great as it is in a fast scope. In other words a $100 eyepiece is still a $100 eyepiece regardless of which telescope you own. In a slow scope the $100 eyepiece is useable and provides acceptable levels of performance. A slow telescope will not transform a bad eyepiece into a good one, it makes it acceptable. In a fast telescope it may not be acceptable to some.

FWIW, Konigs are reasonable in slow scopes. They do not have the contrast, light transmission or sharpness of a Pentax XW or Nagler T6, or a good ortho or plossl for that matter. In a slow scope they will give reasonable performance and stars appear as stars almost to the EOF. A good mid priced option if you own a slow scope. They are not suited to lunar/planetary observation IMO.

CS-John B

[Dave47tuc]

All spot on John,
In my scope most eyepieces work well. Even a gs 40 mm in the 1.25" It cost $65. I see you can get them for $39:eyepop: and in my scope its fine. But I tried a Mk-70 40 mm 2" I found this very nice in my scope very big field for a F12.
I did try this EP in my old F5 dob Yuk :screwy:
But to much exit pupil 8 mm:rolleyes:
In the mak exit pupil is 3.3 all good.
But in the Konig's this is the only one I would have as i think eyepieces like the XW's are far and away better.
I was not prepared to pay a big price for my widest field Ep. 40 mm XW around $700+ Mk-70 just over $300.
I see I would use a 22 and 14 mm more than a 40 mm.
So I got the better ones in these focal lenghts.

So the same can apply for the the F10 SCT.
But as you said a premium eyepiec is still a premium eyepiece in any scope.:)

[GrampianStars]

Siebert Ultra 2" in 7mm through to 30mm :thumbsup:
high quality 8oz wide 70deg around us $180 ea
20mm eye releif ::eyepop: