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Thanks everyone. Without a car, it's not really easy or convenient for me to get to star parties etc.
I want to view both planets and DSOs. This is what I currently have:
Andrews 2" 30mm 68º UWA - I really like this eyepiece
GSO 2" 40mm - this is a nice eyepiece as well
GSO 25mm Plossl - haven't used it yet
GSO 15mm plossl - I think it's quite good, haven't noticed any optical aberrations
Andrews 4mm Plossl - not very good imho
GSO 2x Barlow
These were all bought on the cheap. I'm happy with all of them except the 4mm. And I haven't tried the 25mm yet. My favourite is the 30mm UWA - breathtaking views imho. My previous scope (as a kid/teenager, some 20 years ago) only had 0.965" eyepieces, and the cheapies that came with it were a H12.5mm and H5mm. I replaced them with some Bintel Plossls @ the same length. Current eyepieces, other than the 4mm, easily outclass the ones from my old scope setup.
My eyes are pretty good still. I'm not quite sure how much eye relief will affect me, I do know that the 4mm has a horrid black tunnel effect, that makes viewing with it not very pleasant. Said black tunnel is always moving around, making it hard to centre the object and view it. I'm not sure what the technical term for this is.
I realise that quality costs money, and I'm happy to pay a bit more.
I'm currently considering some TMB plossls, which are on special at one store at the moment. They seem to have a good reputation, but are they an increase in performance over the current GSO/Andrews ones I wonder. They're only $89, so it's not like I'm throwing a huge amount of money away if they don't work out.
I note that many forum members use Pentax eyepieces, I've also seen on CN that they have a good reputation. Where's the best place to buy them in Australia? I know of one place, but it has a very limited selection...
Dave
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