Is this overkill on a 5inch vixen R130 reflector

[redsquash]

Kokusai Kohki ORTHOSCOPIC lenses are around $50 with good reports
Vixen Lanthanum LVW lenses are around $190.
with a excellent reports in Magazines

Kasai HC -orthoscopes are around $120 but based on the Carl zaiess Abbe series.........of course not the same quality but apparently getting there.
These are similar to vixen with only around 40degreesFOV

All are Japanese but only Vixen is probably relatively well known and I cant find much on the other 2 though I am led to believe by various posts that some people believe they are good or very good. vixen would perhaps just edge them out



I have been going round in circles the last week trying to select some appropriate eyepieces for a 5inch/130mm Vixen reflector model R130sf.

I figure if I get a high priced /high quality eyepiece I can easily swap or sell this down the track if i ever need to upgrade to another/ different type of scope .
With cheaper models I can buy a greater range and see more
but perhaps not as well.
NO point putting a $10,00 STEREO INTO A CLAPPED OUT $500 VW , though some may.
likewise I DON'T WANT TO OVER SPEND ON A SCOPE, WHICH IS FAIRLY INTRODUCTORY.It has its limitations.ie 260x with a barlow


galaxies , nebula and planets would be my main viewing,

I have decided to order a good quality Barlow though many have said not to.

I want to get the most out of viewing but if differences are not so noticeable the price becomes the issue.
There would be no issue if i had the opportunity to try them alll....................which I don't have

Buy what you can afford is not the point of this post, rather where is the value.
What areyou favorites.
If you had about $200 each to buy 4 lenses what would you buy in order of ranking for your $800.

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

Wellllllll, I like the LVW very much, especially in the shorter focal lengths, and although that's partly because of the eye relief it isn't only that. I find them sharp with good light through put. (The only downside I find, when compared to Radians and some other EPs, is a propensity to eyeball reflections on the eye lens. That can be distracting sometimes, especially on bright objects, which is usually the case with the shorter FL EPs, I find.)

But my present journey is to hone down my eyepieces to two or three, so I would want to consider something like the Pentax XW 7 or 10mm in the group, and make do with fewer EPs...

Good luck with the hunt.

Brian.

[dannat (Daniel)]

kohki sell pentax xf's which were till the $AUD dropped about 155, now 170, would be great value & a keeper the 8.5 is more popular , also for your shorter f/l would give more mag.

i would start with it and one of the lvw'sin the low 20's, ?21mm

then look around and experience them before buying more