8"dob need advice on EPs

[NightBringer (Seb)]

I recently upgraded to a more serious telescope after the celestron powerseeker 60AZ to a 8" Saxon dob. Which i got ozscopes.com.au shop is located in Canberra, good prices and postage is Fast check it out for yourself if your looking to buy

8" Saxon Dobsonian
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/2539/img0095ex.jpg

But find that the supplied EPs aren't really cutting it for DSOs and planetary objects. Here is what is i have

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9030/img0419qo.jpg
EP inventory:
*25mm possl - multicoated
*10mm possl - multicoated
*4mm celestron
*20mm celestron
*2" EP adapter
*3x barlow

From what i have been reading on some forums/reviews something with a higher FOV say 72-82 degrees are really good for DSOs. Also some reviews with my telescope given the right EPs can get decent views of some nebulas and other DSOs. Or have i not do enough research and my dob is restricted to get any real detail with DSOs

Can anyone confirm this or help me with choosing the right EP im happy to pay the price i just want to make sure its for the right equipment.

Any help or suggestions would be great !

[Wavytone]

..

[Wavytone]

Well yes those are rather down-market eyepieces for a fast dob.

Unless you want to pay rather high prices for fairly esoteric eyepieces, one of the best budget sets around are the Edmund RKE's, they are designed specifically to match f/4 Newtonians, and have a 50 degree field of view in focal lengths from 8 to 28mm.

http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlineca...productid=2075

Having had a full set until recently, you will have to pay several times the price of these to find a better eyepiece.

If you want to economise, buy the 28, 15 and 8mm and use your barlow.

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

I too can recommend the RKE's. Fabulous EPs on my 8" f/4.

For your f/6 dob, there are a couple other very good options that won't break the bank. These are available form Andrews Communications, from the Guan Sheng (GSO) range:

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

*SuperView 30mm $69
*SuperView 15mm $49

I have used them both on a dob just like yours, and they are superb.

Another EP I can recommend is the TMB Paragon 30mm. Around $300 new (from Frontier Optics). It depends on how much you want to spend. I have both the SuperViews, and I'm happy with them, but the TMB 30mm IS a better EP than the GSO 30mm. The 15mm GSO is in a legue of its own, however.

Mental.

[Brian W (Brian)]

Hi I own an 8" F/6 lightbridge. I find the Orion Stratus widefield 13mm is good for finding faint fuzzies. At the advice of others I have tried Orthoscopic type eps and while they do not come with a wide fov they do give a fine detailed picture and they definitely do not break the bank. Frontier Optics has a full line of University Optic Orthos which retail @ 100.00 A.D. and are excellent eps.

Let me also say that when you learn how to use your 8 you will from a dark site be able to catch just about all of the H-400. It will give you limitless viewing pleasure.
Brian

[dannat (Daniel)]

you might also want to look at the meade swa series from bintel..proces have recently dropped to about 139 for the 16mm. they would give 75x mag in your scope. some people prefer slightly higher mag . its a personal pref
if you want to spend a little more look for a 12mm pentax xf

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Originally Posted by NightBringer

From what i have been reading on some forums/reviews something with a higher FOV say 72-82 degrees are really good for DSOs. Also some reviews with my telescope given the right EPs can get decent views of some nebulas and other DSOs. Or have i not do enough research and my dob is restricted to get any real detail with DSOs

Can anyone confirm this or help me with choosing the right EP im happy to pay the price i just want to make sure its for the right equipment.

Any help or suggestions would be great !

Congratulations on your new scope!

The eyepieces that you have should allow you to see many things in the night sky. I'd encourage you to practice with them for a while before considering spending more money.

If you can, get to some nearby viewing nights at a club or star party (not sure where you live) but take your scope and look through other people's gear before you buy...heck most people will let you borrow an eyepiece to try it out in your scope before you have need of spending any money.

Once you know what you like to look at and also what you like/don't like about the eyepieces that you have (or have used) then jump in and buy the best available one eyepiece at a time as budget allows.

In the end, I reckon people can get by with 3 or 4 eyepieces...
Low power - magnification 50 - 90 x
Medium Power - 120 - 175x
High Power - 200 x

Couple that with a good barlow and you can be set for life...
My 2 cents...

Clear skies,

[Brian W (Brian)]

Hi again, let me cast a vote with Scott, do take time to get to know your new scope. I have been using my 8" for going on 2 years and the more I use it the more I see.

If you download E.S. Holden's 'Monograph on the Central Portions of M-42 you will find that he has an incredibly detailed sketch that was drawn using a large Clark refractor.

This is and was a superb instrument and neither of us with our equipment will ever match his views.

However by knowing what to look for and learning the skill of averted vision and possibly sketching you may be astounded at what you actually do see.

On many nights I have been able, sans filters, to get very good views of the Veil Nebula in Cygnus with the 8.

Certainly there are many scopes that will give better views but as the wise old man once said... 8 is great.

Brian

[GrahamL]

Welcome to iis

You did say

im happy to pay the price

A 24 mm panoptic would be a great low power choice for your scope .

Your 10 mm plossl is close to where you'd be doing a fair bit of observing but its unlikely you will ever find it comfortable to use.As mentioned pentaxes xf 12 is a great preformer for the price I havn't tried it but have the 8.5 and find it very nice .

enjoy your stay

[areyouabus (Pauly)]

Take your time to find a bargain on the classifieds pages of this website. There have been some major bargains recently.
Get a shortlist from trying other peoples eyepieces, reading reviews and comparisons, then watch and wait for one of them to pop up.

[Greenswale (Wren)]

I also have an 8", with fine optics. My eyepieces are Pentax XW, in 20mm, 10mm and 7mm, plus a TeleVue 2x barlow.

I also have a TeleVue plosl 26mm that I use on occasion, but I find the field of view is about the same as the 20mm XW. The TeleVue produces lots of 'seagulls' towards the edge of the field of view and does not seem to let as much light through, certainly not as nice to use.

The barlow came about because I followed advice - I figured a 5mm XW would be the go for highest magnification, but the concensus was that it would be too much for the system and deliver poor images; and that a 7mm would be best. Not true! In my telescope, the barlowed 7mm (effectively 3.5mm) works really well. And it is fun keeping up with the target!

I went for Pentax XW to gain comfortable eye relief, and a fairly wide field of view. These features make lengthy times at the eyepiece much easier. The 'penalty' was cost.

For general work, the 20mm and 10mm see the most action. For larger field of view work, I decided to go for 10x50 binoculars instead of another lens. Definately 'grab and go', and great for for reading the sky for targets.

A bit down the track, I will probably replace the 7mm with a 5mm, and not bother with the barlow.

There you have my working outfit. It consumed a few dollars, but works just beautifully for me.

Cheers!

[NightBringer (Seb)]

okay still alot to take in, and im getting use to all the lingo.

But thanks for all the information & input on what you think etc.
ill search around for the best bang for ep and let you know how i go.

cheers