Quote:
Originally Posted by Krumlov
Based on the replies so far I am taking away that the TMB will provide as good (or better?) view of the planets than the Hyperion or Pentax in my scope with my essentially untrained eye!?
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Hi,
Thats incorrect. Without question the Pentax XW will give a better view of the planets than either of the other 2 eyepieces. Unfortunately however, as you spend logarithmically more money, the proportionate gain for spending that money reduces dramatically. The Pentax XW might give a 5% to 10% better view than the TMB Planetary. That assesment in itself is subjective, however the difference between the 2 eyepieces will be easily detected by an experienced observer under good seeing conditions, when used in a high quality telescope. A less experienced observer under marginal conditions would probably struggle to see any difference.
The big question comes back to what level of performance you are really seeking and how much you wish to pay for it. The Pentax XW is 4 times the price of the TMB planetary. It is a clearly better eyepiece to my eye and in my telescopes, but it isn't 4 times better. Only you can decide if it is worth spending all that extra money for something which is a bit better.
Cheers,
John B