[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Originally Posted by Wombat_In_Space

You could grab one of these Takahashi LE-7.5 mm $295, Ken (ballaratdragons) and myself have used one in out 12" and all I can say is WOW on DSO's.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aecclaudio/tak_eye.htm

The Tak LE's are an outstanding eyepiece for lunar planetary work. I have used them in several different focal lengths in several different telescopes. They are a 5 element modified plossl design incorporating a field flattener lens. With 10mm of eye-relief and a 52 deg AFOV they are best suited to lunar/planetary observation moreso than DSO's IMO. Ultimately, $295 is a lot of money for an eyepiece with an AFOV limited to 52 deg and only 10mm of eye-relief. I would rather add $120 to it and buy the 7mm Pentax XW which has an extra 10mm of eye-relief, an extra 20 deg in AFOV which at the eyepiece is very noticeable and is just as good in terms of light transmission, sharpness and contrast. If you think the 7.5mm TAK LE is an outstanding eyepiece for DSO work, chances are you haven't used a 7mm Pentax XW. Its well worth the extra $120 IMO.

CS-John B