Eyepiece and barlow recommendations for C8 SCT

[plugger (Andrew)]

Hello everybody! I was hoping I might be able to pick your minds regarding some equipment. I've just purchased a Celestron C8 + Nexstar SE mount (thanks H0ughy!) and I'm looking to purchase some good eyepieces and barlows for it. I already have a Meade 2x Barlow as well as a Meade 26mm plossl eyepiece.

Ideally I'd like to own two or three quality eyepieces as well as a couple barlows. One for wide field views (as much as the SCT will provide) and a higher magnification eyepiece would be ideal. I've been looking at the TeleVue plossls (40mm specifically) but before taking the plunge I thought I'd ask you guys.

So, what are your recommendations for C8 eyepieces? Barlows? Will the quality of my 2x Meade barlow be sufficient or should I pick up a TeleVue or similar?

Finally, I purchased a Bintel 1.25" diagonal for the C8 as well. Should I be looking into picking up a higher quality diagonal, and just to make it interesting, should I pick up a 2" instead of a 1.25". Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

plug

[plugger (Andrew)]

And if it helps, here's the specific eyepieces I'm considering at the moment. Comments/recommendations?

Televue 40mm Plossl Eyepiece - 1.25"
Baader Planetarium 36mm Hyperion Aspheric 2" - 1.25"
Baader Planetarium 21mm Hyperion Modular Eyepiece - 1.25" & 2"
Televue 11mm Plossl Eyepiece - 1.25"
Baader Planetarium 9mm Genuine Orthoscopic Eyepiece - 1.25"

I guess the best thing I can say is that I'd like to stay in the couple hundred dollar / eyepiece price range.

[casstony]

Hi Andrew, with the aim of saving a few dollars I'd suggest you take a look at the Andrews 2"/1.25" 70° super-wide angle eyepieces that appear to be rebranded Celestron Ultima LX's. ($149 each). Maybe the 32mm and 22mm to start with - you could also get a 2" dielectric SCT diagonal to use these 2" eyepieces with. You could ask the salesman if they are in fact the same as the Ultima LX's.

http://andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm

I haven't used these Andrews eyepieces but I have used another clone of the 22mm Ultima LX and it's a nice eyepiece with decent eye relief.

If you have deep pockets there are many expensive eyepieces to choose from, though you probably don't need to spend a gazillion dollars if you're newish to the hobby?

[plugger (Andrew)]

Cheers for the response Tony. I'm tempted with the Andrews eyepieces you mention, the price is definitely right.

To give you more of an idea of where I'm at, I've had a Meade DSX-90AT since 2007. I've used it regularly, but I felt like it was time to finally take the plunge and get a 8" SCT. I don't want to buy a $500 eyepiece, but I'd rather buy a few more expensive ones then have a case full of rarely used eyepieces. I guess it's all about finding the balance between price and performance.

[casstony]

The hard part about recommending eyepieces is there are so many possible combinations to choose from. Another option to consider would be the Vixen 22mm LVW, Vixen 13mm LVW and Pentax XF 8.5mm from:
http://www.kkohki.com/English/kkohkiparts.html#Vixen LVW

Those 3 are high quality eyepieces around the $200 mark. You could then add 30 -35mm low power eyepiece that could be 1.25" if you want to stick with a 1.25" diagonal (eg. televue 32mm plossl) or a 2" for a wider field of view. A 2" diagonal would hold the eyepieces more securely.

[Louwai (Bryan)]

I've had a C8 for a numbewr of yrs. I only have 3 EP's for it.

When I started setting it up I made a decision to only buy & use 2" EP's & equipment.

I have;
WO 2" Quartz Dialectric diagonal.
WO 2" 28mm UWAN (82deg)
Vixen 2"/1.25" 17mm LVW (65deg)
Vixen 2"/1.25" 5mm LVW (65deg)

I have a 17mm Ethos which I predominantly use in my SDM 20". This goes good in the C8, but I still gravitate back to the WO 28mm.

I find that I use the WO 28mm the most on the C8. I have used a friend's 13mm Ethos in it as well & I was suitable impressed.