Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreat1
Hi Guys,
Total newbie here. I have a 6 inch (153 mm) f/7.8 Saxon Dobsonian which I've been using for over 4 months now.
The telescope came with two 1.25" Plossl eyepieces - 10 mm & 25 mm, a 1.25" moon & skyglow filter and a 2" adapter.
I am interested in expanding my eyepiece/filter set to enhance my viewing experience.
Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations to share about what will offer the most bang for the buck - e.g. a 2X barlow, UHC filter etc.?
I'd also like to hear if people with similar telescopes have had any experience with a wide view (Superview?) eyepiece, 1.25 or 2 inch?
Below are some more details in case they make a difference.
- I stay in the western subrubs of Sydney, so have typical suburban skies for most of my viewing.
- I don't wear eye glasses.
- I am willing to spend up to $150.
Your feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanks. |
I calculate a 1200mm focal length?
Then, judging from the nature of the scope, it won't be a telescope for ultra-wide true fields, but it will be an excellent scope for all objects.
Usable focal lengths will be from 4mm to 42mm more or less, but I don't think you'll need an eyepiece for every possible magnification.
In fact, I think steps of 50x from 50x to 250x will pretty much cover the bases, from large star clusters down to the size of planets.
That would be eyepieces of 24mm, 12mm, 8mm, 6mm, 4.8mm.
Plus or minus, of course. The 24mm could be a 25mm or a 23mm depending on the eyepiece of preference.
Certainly, the most cost-effective set would be of the inexpensive high quality 60° eyepieces out there. If eyepieces like that came stock with telescopes, I'm not sure a lot of people would ever upgrade.
That would be eyepieces like the Saxon Cielo HD, though it is of note that these eyepieces are identical to the Celestron X-Cel LX, so you might find them for less if you shop a sale.
Or the BST Starguider ED or Astrotech Paradigm eyepieces. You could get these from a US company and even with shipping pay less than typical AU prices.
I'd skip acquiring more Plössl eyepieces because the eye reliefs get uncomfortable at focal lengths under 14-15mm focal length and because I think you'd find the wider fields more engaging.
Like the SkyWatcher Wide Angle 66° eyepieces (6, 9, 15, 20mm), also sold under the Orion and Sirius brand names in Oz.
or the Skywatcher 58° Long eye relief eyepieces (these are not Plössls, by the way)
The Superview eyepieces are just OK at f/8. I find they are not that well corrected even at f/10 and shorter f/ratios only make that worse. As a lowest power, though, having one might be a fun eyepiece to use.
You might also consider looking for eyepieces on AliExpress, the Chinese eBay, where most of these eyepieces are available for a lot less.