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Equipment Discussions >> Eyepieces

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Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

which ethos would you buy?
#5734738 - 03/15/13 07:17 PM

I am contemplating buying another ethos,probably 2 at some point. I need to go one at a time though. I would be selling some ES82 and eventually (maybe) my ES100 9mm. Only the ES82s near the ethos focal length would be sold. what i am thinking is to buy either a 13e and sell my 11,14,18 ES82s or to buy a 8e and sell my 8.8 and 9mm es100 and 18mm ES82.
Right now I am leaning heavily toward the 13e. In both examples the 18mm gets sold because I have a 21e now and don't need the 18mm.

Post Extras:

MDB
member

Reged: 06/06/12

Loc: Idaho

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5734881 - 03/15/13 08:24 PM

Sean,

The 13e is an amazing eyepiece! In my experience with a 12 inch dob the 13e will see more use than the 8e and would make a near perfect companion for your 21e. You are headed in the right direction.

Mike

Post Extras:

City Kid
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 05/06/09

Loc: Northern Indiana

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5734882 - 03/15/13 08:25 PM

I would start with the 13mm unless the planets and the moon are your favorite targets. It that case I would consider starting with the 8mm. I have scopes similar to yours and I have the 21mm, 13mm, 8mm, 6mm, 4.7mm, and the 3.7mm Ethos. Which of those I use the most depends on which scope I'm using. The 13mm and the 8mm will both be very useful in both your refractor and your reflector.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: City Kid]
#5734992 - 03/15/13 09:16 PM

That's what I was thinking. The 13e would be a good dso exit pupil in both my scopes and I would still have 3 100* eyepieces.

Post Extras:

Ava
super member

Reged: 11/30/11

Loc: Sweden

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5735569 - 03/16/13 06:17 AM

The 9/13/21 100 combo sound like a winner in my book. The 13mm Ethos is fantistic in both my scopes, better than the E21. If you still feel the urge for more green letters later you can always switch the 9mm ES 100 for the E8 when you have the means.

Post Extras:

Kon Dealer
professor emeritus

Reged: 01/05/11

Loc: Cambridge UK

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Ava]
#5735574 - 03/16/13 06:26 AM

None- unaffordable to mortals.

Post Extras:

Aquarist
sage

Reged: 08/27/12

Loc: Illinois

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Kon Dealer]
#5735877 - 03/16/13 10:20 AM

My priorities were: E13, E21, E8 on a refractor.

Post Extras:

Paul G
Post Laureate

Reged: 05/08/03

Loc: Freedonia

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5735964 - 03/16/13 10:56 AM

I'd get the 13 first, then the 8.

Post Extras:

jeff heck
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 01/16/06

Loc: stl,mo.

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Paul G]
#5736385 - 03/16/13 02:13 PM

I own the Ethos 21mm, 13mm, 8mm and 6mm. For me the 13E is the holy grail of eyepieces. It was used 90% of the time with my old XT10 and is still the goto ep for the new 16". Get one, you will not be dissapointed.

Post Extras:

mountain monk
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 11/06/09

Loc: Grand Teton National Park

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: jeff heck]
#5736506 - 03/16/13 03:18 PM

13mm. I agree, it's the holy grail.

Dark skies.

Jack

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Stellarfire
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 07/10/11

Loc: Switzerland

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: mountain monk]
#5736561 - 03/16/13 03:59 PM

How about the 10mm Ethos? And another point to consider: the 59mm rubber grip diameter of the 10mm Ethos makes it similarly binoviewer-friendly like the 8mm and 6mm Ethos models.

Stephan

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Stellarfire]
#5736573 - 03/16/13 04:13 PM

My binoviewing days are done. Neither of my scopes can accommodate a binoviewer in the manner I would want so I sold all that stuff and bought a 21e and moonlite focuser for my dob.

Anyway, it sounds as if we are of one mind. I am working enough to afford it so why not?

Post Extras:

FirstSight
Postmaster

Reged: 12/26/05

Loc: Raleigh, NC

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5736750 - 03/16/13 05:52 PM

Another vote for 13E, then 8E in that order.

Post Extras:

Dunkstar
member

Reged: 03/26/12

Loc: Under the sky

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: FirstSight]
#5736892 - 03/16/13 06:46 PM

13 too.....but I wouldn't sell the 11 ES

Post Extras:

Jeff Porter
super member

Reged: 09/03/10

Loc: Utah

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Dunkstar]
#5736910 - 03/16/13 06:56 PM

I have the 21-6E. 13E was my first, and is still my favorite. Just something extra special about it.

Jeff P

Post Extras:

Bakes
member

Reged: 01/06/09

Loc: Stratford, CT

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Jeff Porter]
#5737755 - 03/17/13 12:15 AM

Yet another vote for the 13mm. It is the one I use most in the dob.

Post Extras:

turtledude1
member

Reged: 10/08/08

Loc: SW Fla.& SW. NM

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Bakes]
#5738228 - 03/17/13 09:08 AM

Yep another 13mm here, but for my viewing style my next was the 6mm.

Post Extras:

JimMo
I'd Rather Do It Myself

Reged: 01/08/07

Loc: Under the SE Michigan lightdom...

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: turtledude1]
#5738709 - 03/17/13 02:13 PM

I have to agree with Stephan and say the 10E is my most used eyepiece in my 14.5" dob. With it's 2mm exit pupil is seems especially made for observing galaxies from a dark site. If I was to do it all over again (with gained experience) I'd choose the 21/10/6 progression with exit pupils of 4.2, 2.0, and 1.2mm respectively.

Post Extras:

faackanders2
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 03/28/11

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: JimMo]
#5738820 - 03/17/13 03:02 PM

Quote:

I have to agree with Stephan and say the 10E is my most used eyepiece in my 14.5" dob. With it's 2mm exit pupil is seems especially made for observing galaxies from a dark site. If I was to do it all over again (with gained experience) I'd choose the 21/10/6 progression with exit pupils of 4.2, 2.0, and 1.2mm respectively.

I use my 20mm 100 AFOV ES the most, followed by 10mm 100 AFOV Ethos, followed by 3.5mm Ethos the least. Not mentioning my 82 AFOV but I tend to use the wider ones more as well, with my 17.5" f4.1 dob.

Post Extras:

FirstSight
Postmaster

Reged: 12/26/05

Loc: Raleigh, NC

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: faackanders2]
#5738860 - 03/17/13 03:12 PM

All of them.

So what if for the next year supper is a continuous string of beans and rice, the monotony occasionally broken by splurging on some Ramen noodles.

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Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: JimMo]
#5738914 - 03/17/13 03:33 PM

With my paracorr, my dob is f5.5. The 13e is as close to 2mm as my 9mm es100 is. The 9 being a bit under and the opposite for the 13e. The 13e is going to take the place of my main dso eyepiece and the 8 will replace my 9mm es100 when I have the money and if I decide to do that. Maybe I should keep the 9mm es100 and get a 6e instead. The 9mm is great except for the slight loss of vividness in color of stars. It doesn't quite stand up to an ethos because ES doesn't add the unicorn horn and pixie dust to their glass like televue does. That is what makes all that glass seem to disappear.
I think this last plan may be much better. I know, from using one, that the 6e is a great eyepiece. That also is one less sale I would have to do. So here it is. Buy the 13e now or soon, then buy the 6e in the future. Keep the 9mm. The 6mm is slightly larger than a 1mm exit pupil in both of my scopes.

Post Extras:

jrbarnett
Eyepiece Hooligan

Reged: 02/28/06

Loc: Petaluma, CA

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5738940 - 03/17/13 03:40 PM

13mm. The first and the best.

- Jim

Post Extras:

tomcody
professor emeritus

Reged: 07/06/08

Loc: Titusville, Florida

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: jrbarnett]
#5739095 - 03/17/13 04:50 PM

Quote:

13mm. The first and the best.

- Jim

+1 for the 13mm, with my 8mm just behind it for usefullness.
Rex

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MitchAlsup
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 08/31/09

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: FirstSight]
#5739736 - 03/17/13 09:58 PM

Quote:

All of them.

I am happy with half of them.

The 8E and 10E don't seem so useful with a 9ES120.
Never found a need for the 17E sitting between the 13E and the 21E.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: MitchAlsup]
#5740323 - 03/18/13 09:43 AM

All of them is not really an option. I would have to use that money for a retainer for a divorce lawyer.

It is funny how my observing attitude has changed so much in the last few years. I initially thought that eyepieces should cost some fraction of the telescope price because that was what I had read. I have since changed that philosophy to, eyepieces can be used in more than one scope and can last a lifetime so why not buy the best you can afford? I used to get so upset every time I asked about eyepieces and someone said to buy a TeleVue anything. Who would spend that much on an eyepiece ?!?? Now I am considering buying more ethos.
Here in Always Cloudy western Washington, we have a limited number of useable nights and some would say that it is a waste to tie up so much money in this hobby. I say make the time you do get the best it can be.

Post Extras:

Starman81
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 03/06/08

Loc: Metro Detroit, MI, USA

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5740478 - 03/18/13 11:10 AM

I have only owned and used the 13mm and I would recommend it. Also, in a 12" f/5 dob, it would be one of the most used FL's yielding 115x with a 0.9* TFOV, a good place to start I would think.

Post Extras:

turtle86
Pooh-Bah Everywhere Else

Reged: 10/09/06

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5740498 - 03/18/13 11:19 AM

Quote:

I am contemplating buying another ethos,probably 2 at some point. I need to go one at a time though. I would be selling some ES82 and eventually (maybe) my ES100 9mm. Only the ES82s near the ethos focal length would be sold. what i am thinking is to buy either a 13e and sell my 11,14,18 ES82s or to buy a 8e and sell my 8.8 and 9mm es100 and 18mm ES82.
Right now I am leaning heavily toward the 13e. In both examples the 18mm gets sold because I have a 21e now and don't need the 18mm.

I think 8, 13 and 21E would be a great set for you. I'd get the 13E now and maybe the 8E later on after you scare up the loot for it.

Post Extras:

MAURITS
professor emeritus

Reged: 09/22/09

Loc: Diksmuide (Belgium)

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: turtle86]
#5740603 - 03/18/13 12:22 PM

I think that every Ethos is great enjoyment to use!

Post Extras:

nevy
sage

Reged: 02/07/12

Loc: UK

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: MAURITS]
#5740907 - 03/18/13 03:07 PM

Quote:

I think that every Ethos is great enjoyment to use!

I agree, I have them all between 6 & 21 , I use them all , some say you don't need the 17 if you have the 13 & 21 but my 17 get used a lot , it's just right for a lot of targets.

Post Extras:

buddyjesus
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 07/07/10

Loc: Davison, Michigan

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: nevy]
#5741176 - 03/18/13 05:09 PM

I wouldn't buy for 3 reasons, and these are all personal.

1. If I was to buy something astro related that costs hundreds of dollars, I would rather buy a new primary/scope as that is a better use for my situation.

2. I sketch and it is handy to have the edge there for reference when sketching. Less FOV is less to have to sketch.

3. I also star hop and it is handy to know the diameter of the FOV for measuring distances.

They seem like great gear, and if I wasn't so into sketching and record keeping, I would prolly go with the 21mm. In my scope this would be 2.1mm exit pupil, 50x, and maximum FOV

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Starman81]
#5741192 - 03/18/13 05:19 PM

Quote:

I have only owned and used the 13mm and I would recommend it. Also, in a 12" f/5 dob, it would be one of the most used FL's yielding 115x with a 0.9* TFOV, a good place to start I would think.

I use my 9mm a lot on dso work now but have wanted lower mag for a while but with the 100* field. The 9mm was the first eyepiece that I saw the spiral arms in m51 with in my scope. The 13e would make it a bit smaller but also brighter. I think it is my next big purchase.

Post Extras:

Deep13
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 01/25/05

Loc: NE Ohio

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: FirstSight]
#5742169 - 03/19/13 01:44 AM

Yeah, you'll use a 13 more than an 8.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: buddyjesus]
#5742744 - 03/19/13 11:42 AM

Quote:

I wouldn't buy for 3 reasons, and these are all personal.

1. If I was to buy something astro related that costs hundreds of dollars, I would rather buy a new primary/scope as that is a better use for my situation.

2. I sketch and it is handy to have the edge there for reference when sketching. Less FOV is less to have to sketch.

3. I also star hop and it is handy to know the diameter of the FOV for measuring distances.

They seem like great gear, and if I wasn't so into sketching and record keeping, I would prolly go with the 21mm. In my scope this would be 2.1mm exit pupil, 50x, and maximum FOV

I have the scopes I want for the foreseeable future so I don't need to spend money there.

I already know that I enjoy 100* fov eyepieces and ethos so I was really just looking for advice to make sure that the 13e was the best starting place for my situation. (already having the 21e). So the question was really which one? Not should I or would you?

This thread has been very useful. It also demonstrates that many of us enjoy Mr Al Nagler's vision of a porthole into space. I love ultrawides and superduper wides in my dob but, in my refractor they are a real treat as well. The fast flat field with near perfect corrected eyepieces just really make uncle Al's vision shine.

The fact that this type of view has convinced a penny pinching guy like myself to spend ethos type money is fairly amazing as well.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: buddyjesus]
#5742753 - 03/19/13 11:47 AM

I missed the star hopping part. 100* make star hopping easier and they make your rough estimate (pointing the scope by just looking down the tube) easier to get in the fov. The 100* seem to me to be made for undriven manual scopes.

Post Extras:

buddyjesus
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 07/07/10

Loc: Davison, Michigan

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5742888 - 03/19/13 12:54 PM

just food for thought bro. I could see the 100*ers being good for rough estimate pointing. I generally do that to find the nearby star and then hop from there with my 40x eyepiece that is 1.25* across and then use my eq mount to follow grid lines to the exact location. I do see you have alt-az scopes so yeah big eyepiece a good idea for your situation.

So the question was really which one? Not should I or would you? sorry, was thrown off by the title of the thread. Certainly not purchase should be considered even if dismissed quickly.

My experiences with Nagler eyepieces has been using a type one 7mm Nagler and an 11mm plossl. Loved the plossl, but the Nagler was too low a FL IMO for my situation as I was unsatisfied with planetary performance from it. Should have gotten a 12mm or so...

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: buddyjesus]
#5750047 - 03/22/13 04:05 PM

Sorry it took me a while to check in. My first post gives my situation and different options for what I should do. Then I asked which option you would choose. Your option, none, is a valid choice. It just wasn't one I listed and that is ok.

I have been trying to buy a 13e off and on for about a year. Used. I was getting to the place where I was ready to buy an ethos and wanted to see if my thinking matched the hive. It does. I would really like a 6mm too though.

Post Extras:

Starman1
Vendor (EyepiecesEtc.com)

Reged: 06/24/03

Loc: Los Angeles

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5750329 - 03/22/13 06:15 PM

I have a scope which, with Paracorr, has a 1825mm focal length.
I own and use the Ethos EPs in 21,13,10,8, and 6mm.
There are nights when the only eyepiece in the focuser all night is the 13mm.
There is something special about that one. The 10 is pretty much the same, but the 13 doesn't seem to be as affected by seeing as the 10, in my scope.
I see the OP has a Paracorr-corrected 12" f/5, with a focal length of approx.
1753mm. The 13mm would be wonderful in that scope.

Post Extras:

Aquarist
sage

Reged: 08/27/12

Loc: Illinois

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Starman1]
#5750583 - 03/22/13 08:47 PM

Well, if I were only to have one, it would be the 13E.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Aquarist]
#5752058 - 03/23/13 02:52 PM

Thanks guys. The 13e will mainly be for use in my 12"f5 with a paracorr (of course). The paracorr ruined my tolerance for bad edge correction. I will use the 13e in my refractor too though. The exit pupil is nearly the same. I think at the dark site I will have the 21e in the refractor most of the time to help find objects for my 12". Before I had to either share the ES82 30mm or use the 24mm in one scope. I will probably end up in the same situation with the 21e once I setup both scopes together. I haven't set both up since getting the 21e.
I keep checking for a 13e used but, no luck yet.

Post Extras:

Lamb0
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 07/25/07

Loc: Fairbury, Nebraska

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Sean Puett]
#5753178 - 03/24/13 02:20 AM

Were I to buy an Ethos it would be the 13mm. The exit pupil is likely your "sweet spot" and will see plenty of use to make it worth your while. Once my eyes were trained to see the the advantages of higher quality eyepiece$ my Paracorr lives in my f/5 as well. As your already have 100° 21mm & 9mm EPs filling between is a no brainer!

Post Extras:

chaoscosmos
sage

Reged: 01/26/13

Loc: Mission Viejo CA

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Lamb0]
#5794586 - 04/12/13 02:12 PM

Sean, looks like you got the 13e now. Make sure to try it in your 4 inch Televue. It's a winner there.

Post Extras:

Scanning4Comets
Markus

Reged: 12/26/04

Loc: Deep Space!

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: Lamb0]
#5794633 - 04/12/13 02:27 PM

None ~ I prefer LER @ 70° or 82° eyepieces. I only have one 82 degree eyepiece and it has long eye relief for being 82° and 5.5mm.

Post Extras:

Sean Puett
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 09/06/10

Loc: always cloudy, washington

Re: which ethos would you buy? new

[Re: chaoscosmos]
#5794955 - 04/12/13 05:21 PM

Quote:

Sean, looks like you got the 13e now. Make sure to try it in your 4 inch Televue. It's a winner there.

I am sure it is a winner. Nothing but clouds and rain since I got it so I haven't tried it yet. The 13e was a great deal and I didn't even bother trying to negotiate a better price. It was only a few dollars more than the deal that fell through last year so I jumped on it.

Once I save up for the 6, I may be done with eyepiece purchases for a few years. I may have a couple sales though.

Post Extras:

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