Best EP for the price?

[shaneaust (Mick)]

Hey:

I have approx $300 (AUD) to spend on a 6mm 1.25" eyepiece.

Can anyone/more-than-one give me some idea as to what make/model I should be looking at getting? I'm more interested in DSO than planet-watching, and I have a 10" dob.

Thanks!

Shane

[mickoking]

I haven't bought it quite yet but a televue plossl for $140 looks like a bargain. A premium eyepiece at a good price

[davidpretorius]

televue radian might be just over $300, televue plossl is good, vixen LVW are another and soonish the TMB planetary will be hitting our shores.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Im eagerly awaiting the 6mm TMB/Burgess to become available and that will be the best inside that budget.

[iceman (Mike)]

Do you want widefield, or is 45-50° FOV enough?

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

6mm is a tough one. Not much at that FL. Radian, LV and when it's out the Burgess/TMB are the only ones I can think of with any sort of eye relief to speak of.

IMO 6mm in your scope is getting to be too much power for DSOs in most instances, so would be rarely used. A good barlow and a longer FL EP might be a better option.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Originally Posted by iceman

Do you want widefield, or is 45-50° FOV enough?

He indicates he want's it for DSO's and he owns a DOB, so I wouldn't think so given a perfect world. Considering the budget is $300 it's really in no mans land, more than needed for a narrow field of view high quality eyepiece like a plossl or orthoscopic which isn't ideal given the stated parameters IMO and not enough for a premium widefield which would be perfect.

If it was me I would be saving my money for a little bit longer and going to the next level or 2 levels higher. The 6mm TV Radian is a great eyepiece costing about $380 with a 60 deg AFOV. The 7mm Nagler T6 and 7mm Pentax XW's would be an even better option, it doesnt get much better than these. The Pentax is superior to the Nagler in some respects optically, the Nagler has a slightly wider AFOV at 82 deg as opposed to 70 deg for the Pentax. This field of view difference is an "on paper" illusion to some, as many experienced observers dont notice much difference in the FOV when looking through both eyepieces. Both outstanding, its a matter of what aspects of eyepiece performance are most important to you. Try both before you buy if possible.

CS-John B

[Dave47tuc (David)]

I agree with the above saves me typing anymore.

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Originally Posted by Dave47tuc

I agree with the above saves me typing anymore.

Ditto...if it is DSOs that you are after and you are pushing a dob it sounds like widefield and maybe a little lower magnification is the go...

I'd save a bit more money and look at a higher end Pentax, Nagler route...

but best recommendation would be to go to a viewing night and see if someone might let you try one or two of the above...

[Starcrazzy]

check this out..nagler's...seem to be pretty poplular..
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZtomaudreynQQhtZ-1

[Wombat_In_Space (Darren)]

You could grab one of these Takahashi LE-7.5 mm $295, Ken (ballaratdragons) and myself have used one in out 12" and all I can say is WOW on DSO's.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aecclaudio/tak_eye.htm

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Originally Posted by Wombat_In_Space

You could grab one of these Takahashi LE-7.5 mm $295, Ken (ballaratdragons) and myself have used one in out 12" and all I can say is WOW on DSO's.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~aecclaudio/tak_eye.htm

The Tak LE's are an outstanding eyepiece for lunar planetary work. I have used them in several different focal lengths in several different telescopes. They are a 5 element modified plossl design incorporating a field flattener lens. With 10mm of eye-relief and a 52 deg AFOV they are best suited to lunar/planetary observation moreso than DSO's IMO. Ultimately, $295 is a lot of money for an eyepiece with an AFOV limited to 52 deg and only 10mm of eye-relief. I would rather add $120 to it and buy the 7mm Pentax XW which has an extra 10mm of eye-relief, an extra 20 deg in AFOV which at the eyepiece is very noticeable and is just as good in terms of light transmission, sharpness and contrast. If you think the 7.5mm TAK LE is an outstanding eyepiece for DSO work, chances are you haven't used a 7mm Pentax XW. Its well worth the extra $120 IMO.

CS-John B

[square_peg114GT]

How 'bout an 8mm Stratus?

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Peg,

I haven't used the 8mm Orion Stratus but I have used the 17mm in both F5 and F10 scopes. I was very impressed with it as a great value for money eyepiece. The only reason I didn't mention the 8mm Stratus, was the fact it was coming back a bit in power from Shane's stated 6mm focal length and to be honest I didn't even think about it as it was not close to 6mm. Reconsidering things, if he is prepared to reduce power to an 8mm eyepiece this is a great option for him at about $AUS 180. In fact, its what I would be doing if it was my money and I was budget constrained in any way. A 7mm pentax XW its not, but its a great eyepiece for $A180, or at least the 17mm that I have tried was.

CS-John B