Best eyepiece recommendation

[willow (Richard)]

Hi all

i would like your input

10 inch newt and ed 80 with EQ6PRO SynScan

i would like better views of planets and dso's
given that some sites say 20 to 35 x prime

what is the most cost effective ep / eps ( budget approx $300-$400)
Andrews 2"/1.25" 70° super-wide angle eyepieces appear to be a good purchase ??

regards

Richard

[dannat (Daniel)]

the newt at f5/6 usually requires decent ep's unless you barlow them

i have not seen too many reports of the andrews 70 deg ep's -

[sasup (Stacey)]

get a set of neglars and you wont go wrong or maybe RKE

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

Is the budget of $300-$400 for each EP, or for a set?

[willow (Richard)]

Thanks for the replys

I would think may be 2 eps would be ok at this stage

budget not set but in that region $300 / $400 would be ok

thinking of 8 mm and 17 mm ???

i have 2 inch 2x gso ed barlow

with an 8 mm and 17 would cover the range ????

comments please

Regards

Richard

[Steffen]

For better views of the planets I suppose you want more magnification than you have now. I wouldn't get hung up on AFOV for this, my pick would be a couple of nice orthos (like the UO or KK ones, about $70 each), say 6mm and 9mm which in conjunction with your Barlow would give a selection of higher magnifications to play with. A well-made scope can easily bust the 50x aperture rule under decent conditions. Earlier tonight I got nice views of Jupiter in my f/7 80mmED at 187x, so don't forget to try that.

Re better views of DSOs, it depends on what you've got now and what you like to improve about it. There is almost no limit to how much you can spend if you want to venture into extreme AFOVs. Personally I'd start at high quality eyepieces with conservative viewing angles, such as the TeleVue 32mm Plössl or the Edmund 28mm RKE. These are jaw droppers for small money.

Cheers
Steffen.

[rmcconachy]

Another option for a low power eyepiece is the Meade 5000 SWA series which has been discontinued. They are getting hard to find now and are heavy and not quite as good as premium wide field oculars but for the close out price of ~$US100 I think they are excellent value. If you could find a 28mm (or maybe 24mm or 34mm) that would make a very nice `finder' eyepiece.

[GrahamL]

$ 400 is a pretty nice budget to work with Richard
while looking at quality over quantity like you mention

20 mm pentax xw and your barlow gives you 60x/120x
usefull mags for most dso .. running out around the $300 plus range .

10 mm xw for the same dollars takes care of your dso and planetary
120x/240x but leaves low power a little financially challenged for the hundred or so you have left .

pentax xf 8.5 at around the $200 mark is also a great eyepiece
leaving a couple of hundred left .. maybe the
Hyperions and there clones are an option for you to mix things up a little
with any of the above to get a good result to suit your needs .

best wishes with your choices
graham