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Old 29-01-2014, 04:33 PM
Tropo-Bob (Bob)
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Cairns
Posts: 1,603
Re Plossls, my experience has been that the longer the telescopes F ratio, then the better the image, so I respectfully disagree with the idea of negative coma.

However, I really dislike Possls below 15mm, as the eye relief is really too short because in part, I do not like my eyelashes touching and leaving marks on the lens.

Eyepieces that I favour generally have from 15mm to 20mm eye relief, at least a 60 degree field, do not weigh too much, and have a sharp image almost regardless of the F ratio.

Personally, I like the Radians (although the smaller focal lengths are a bit heavy), and I have a 13mm ethos (which is really uncomfortably heavy) which I also like.

Recently, I have taken some pleasure in trying to estimate the colour of the nova in Centaurus. I thought the radians gave a slighty false, warm colour, so out come a rarely used Meade 20mm SWA, which in my opinion is better colour corrected. So it can really be horses for courses.

At my age (58), I have become more fussy with eyepieces. I can remember being an enthusastic 13 year-old amatuer and both myself and a friend wondered why binoculars come with a fine focus for the second eye, as it always seemed in focus regardless of where we focused it. I wish my eye had retained that capacity to compensate, as getting that fine focus right is now very important requirement for me being able to see clearly. In a similiar vein, for general viewing, I used to greatly favour eyepieces that gave an exit pupil of about 5mm, now I prefer those with an exit pupil of about 3.5mm.

So it a nutshell, different eyepieces have come in and out of my favour depending on what I wish to use them for, and sadly, the state of my eyes, as I age.

I actually thought I had found the 'perfect' eyepiece when I brought a Unitron 25mm Kellner, some 44 years ago. I have found many perfect ones since, but I am still looking, as the improvements in my astronomical-lifetime have been absolutely amazing.

Last edited by Tropo-Bob; 30-01-2014 at 07:48 AM.
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