Advice on 31mm Nagler and 4x Powermate

[Quark (Trevor)]

Hi All,

Have been thinking about purchasing a 4x Powermate for planetary imaging, I currently use 2x and 3x Barlow's. My 16" Newt could handle more magnification but I don't want to go to the 1 1/4 5x Powermate as I don't think I would get enough use out of it to justify the purchase.

I have a 31mm Nagler and wondered if any here had used a 31mm Nagler in a 4x Powermate.

Would there be any point to doing this.

I thought that if I was going down the line of a powermate I may as well get a 2" version that I could use for visual observing as well as for my DMK, but would be interested in the opinions of others regarding the suitability of a 31mm Nagler to a 4x Powermate.

Regards
Trevor

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

Don't have a 32mm Nagler, but have the 32mm TV Plossl and recently bought a 2" x4 Powermate. The relatively flat field from the Powermate should'nt have any detrimental affect on the Nagler, it just becomes effectively an 8mm version....
The x4 Powermate (PMT-4201) has a "split" body and allows the top end to be removed and replaced with a T thread adaptor (PTR-4201) which also reduces the overall length by around 55mm making it ideal for imaging with a DSLR!!
When the weather improves (Ha!) I intend using the x4 with the DMK21 for solar imaging... the x5 is just that bit toooo powerfull for my local seeing.
Hope this helps.

[Quark (Trevor)]

Thanks Merlin,

My local seeing would take the 5x Powermate occasionally. I primarily would use it with my DMK for planetary imaging but baulk a bit at spending that much on something that I can only use for imaging, call me old fashioned, but it is easier to justify the outlay for something that I will use for observing as well. Actually I am old fashioned.

I was really just looking for someone that had used a descent long FL eyepiece in the 4x Powermate to see how serviceable it would be for visual observing. I will be using it in a 16" F4.5.

Regards
Trevor