Which Planetary EP to buy?

Frosty · #1 09-01-2005, 06:55 PM

Im looking at purchasing a new EP for planetary viewing and not really sure which one.

Im thinking of buying a SuperView GS from Andrews, not sure if I should get a 1.25 " or 2 " and combine it with a Barlow.

Has anyone used any of these EP's if so what did you think?

Another question I have is... If I was to buy a 15mm Superview GS from Andrews, would I get the same quality (clarity, sharpness) than If I was to buy a Celestron Omni 15mm EP.
In other words are these Superview GS EP's poor in quality or reasonably good.

Another option I have is buying an ELP (Extra Low Dispersion) 1.25" EP from Andrews. which cost between $130 - $150 depending on mm size.
Has anyone used any of these EP's? If so any feedback would be great.
My budget for an EP at the moment is $150

Thanks in advance Frosty

MintSauce (Gordon) · #2 09-01-2005, 07:02 PM

I was under impression that for planetary viewing a higher magnification was preferable; so a 20 or 15mm (which the superviews are) would not be high enuf, an Andrews 80degree UW 2" eyepiece is better than the 2" superviews too.

so I would look at shorter focal lenghts and not so high AFOV.

as I'm not an expert this is just what I gather.

Starkler (Geoff) · #3 09-01-2005, 07:17 PM

This eyepiece in conjunction with a good 2x barlow

iceman (Mike) · #4 09-01-2005, 07:47 PM

haha nice one

Frosty · #5 09-01-2005, 07:56 PM

Well im prepared to buy that of ya starkler... assuming its in good condition etc

rumples riot · #6 09-01-2005, 09:19 PM

Yeah a 15mm is good with a barlow, but I would buy the best barlow you can afford. I have the televue 3x barlow is very good for $200.00 and then the EP should also be the best. Buy good quality and you have it forever. Just my opinion though.

mch62 (Mark) · #7 10-01-2005, 08:25 AM

My preference for planetary viewing is to use the trusty old Orthoscopics and a good barlow or preferably a Powermate.
Orthoscopics excel in planetary viewing and give a very natural and sharp image with little light scatter and black back grounds.

Do a quick search for planetary Ep and see how often Orthos pop up!

Most probably not good to use in very fast focal ratio Newt , although they work great in my f6 and a friends f5 newt .

University Optics orthos are a respected EP in Orthoscopics or you could spend more for Taks or Pentaxs.

One point though with short focal ratio EP like Orthoscopics is the eye relief is small and on say a 3mm EP your eye will be almost glued to the lens.
I use a 4x Powermate with a 12.5mm Orthoscopic to give the equivalent of a 3mm EP but with good eye relief .

If your a spectacle wearer than you might have to look at one of the Lanthium or Andrews ED 20mm eye relief style eyepieces . While they are a good EP some of these designs tend to be softer in the image omn planets .

I have used many different design EP for the planets but still keep going back for the Orthoscopics.
There not good for DS stuff as the field of view is only 40-45degs but you don't buy them for that purpose.

I have some of the EPs you mention and while they are good all round EP's and work well with a barlow , I still use my Orthos for planets .
Just my opinion.
Mark

mch62 (Mark) · #8 10-01-2005, 08:39 AM

P.S. if you want to get real serious about planetary eyepieces you could try the monocentric design but be prepared to pay big$$$
http://www.tmboptical.com/catsTree.asp?cat_id=24

Mark

Starkler (Geoff) · #9 10-01-2005, 09:24 AM

The problem with orthos is the difficulty of tracking at high powers with a dob, due to the smaller FOV.

A nice big FOV makes tracking much easier, but as we have said many times, quality wide field views come at a price !

P.S. take your time in deciding if you want the Ultima. There are many reviews of this eyepiece online if you want to read about it.

mch62 (Mark) · #10 10-01-2005, 09:35 AM

The field of view at high power on the planets in a Dob is not the problem but keeping it in the centre of the field to eliminate coma from the outer field is. Yes it helps tracking having a bigger field but it can be done if the tracking is smooth and you don't go over board with the magnification .
No matter which EP design you use you are going to have to keep the object centred for the best corrected view in a Newtonian unless you have a Paracorr.
As I have said before with EP try before you buy or at least have the option to return or swap.