Eyepiece for Saxon 8'' Dob?

[pcool2 (Patrick)]

Hey,

Im new at this and have just bought a Saxon 8'' dob. Can anyone tell m what the be eye piece is to buy. I want to look at planets and other deep space objects. Should i buy barlow or what?

[andrew2008]

How much do you want to spend Patrick?

I'm a big barlow fan and would recommend one. If just starting out i'd go with an Orion Stratus 17mm $179 and Orion Shorty plus barlow for $159. I own both and will prob get another Stratus. Not the best quality but won't break the bank either. Assuming you got a 25mm and a 10mm EP with the scope this will give you a 25, 17, 12.5, 10, 8.5, 5mm.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

I don't do much visual work, but on the occasions that I do, i find I only use my Superview 15mm and a 40mm plossl. If I want to get in closer I use either my 2x TV Big Barlow or a 2.5x apo barlow.
If you want to try before you buy, you should try to get along to the Barambah Dark Sky Camp. It's on in only a couple of weeks time.
http://www.darkskycamp.org.au/photos.shtml
You'll get a chance to meet some other IISers, put some faces to the names.

[JethroB76 (Jeff)]

It depends somewhat on your budget, however I agree on the recommendation of the Stratus series for a midrange widefield; great EPs for the price IMO as are their close relatives the Hyperions.

Certainly a good move also to get along to an observing night where you can test drive a few different EPs before purchasing

[pcool2 (Patrick)]

Im willing to pay around $100. One more thing should i buy an ED or will just a barlow do?