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RussL
Music Maker
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 1608
Loc: Cayce, SC
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Thanks, Lew. 
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--Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
Celestron Celestar 8 Standard SCT, f10
Celestron 80mm Wide View ref., f5
Criterion RV-6 Dynascope, Newt., f8, (c. 1962)
Sears Discoverer 60mm ref., f7, (c. 1973)
Celestron Ultima DX 10x50, 6.5 TFOV
Tasco 7x35 wide
Several mediocre eyepieces
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katodog
Supreme Grandmaster
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 2301
Loc: Carol Stream, Illinois
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I use my 30mm Owl (82° fov) in an f5 Dob, and it works out pretty good. The edges do suffer a little bit, but with the wide field you don't spend a lot of time at the edges. I've used that eyepiece in a lot of scopes, from f5 to f10, and it does work better in slower focal lengths, but I never discount it for use in a faster scope. The view is good enough at f5, and wide enough, that you won't really notice the edges unless you look at them. I use it quite a bit in my Megrez at f5.9 with good results.
The thing that I like the most about the Owl is that you can unscrew the Barlow cell form the bottom and you have a 20mm eyepiece. Two for the price of one is a winner to me, especially if it gives good results in both modes. If you want to get into photography, it has threads at the top for a camera ring.
Besides, at the prices that you can find them, it can't hurt to test it out.
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The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked
12" Starhopper / Coronado PST
Stellarvue 20x85mm Binocular / LXD75 Mount
Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM
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rathbaster
sage
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 208
Loc: East Bridgewater, MA
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I run a college observatory which is open to the public often. We have a couple of 8" F/10 SCTs and use Meade "Super" Plossls with them and have not have issues with eye relief. These are not the masuyama clone early super plossls but the ordinary plossls meade markets now as 4000 Series.
Sky conditions generally limit us to no more than 125x to 150x so we don't normally drop below 20mm on the EPs (except for one of my assistants who's caught the magnification bug and likes to use the 8mm and 11mm TV Plossls to make nebula and galaxies BIG  )
Plossls in long focal lengths have rather good eye relief.
If I were seeking shorter focal lengths with good eye relief I'd get televue barlows or the Planetary EPs (Teton and APM still have them in stock right now)
-Joe
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Bridgewater State College Observatory
Celestron (Vixen) 6" F/5 Newt (1991)(soon to be sold)
TV-76
Nighthawk (soon to be sold)
Tasco 15TE (for sale)
Current Eyepiece Count: 34
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bcuddihee
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/04/06
Posts: 934
Loc: Cincinnati Ohio
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For your c8 might I recommend the Smart Astronomy 19EF with 65 degree FOV. Its an excellent EP, 17mm ER, nice coatings, and adjustable eyecup. Very sharp in an f10 and goes for 74.95. Orion sells them as Edge-On Flat fields for 99.00.
BC
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B Cuddihee
On the quest to find the best for the least!
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1968 Jason Empire 60X700mm refractor (my buddy from way back)
Celestron Nexstar8SE(a remarkable 8" grab and go)
Feathertouch Microfocuser
Stellarvue 50mm "Sparrowhawk" finder
Denk bino's with Power x switch
Pair of 26m Celestron Silvertop Plossls
Pair of Smart Astronomy 19 EF's
Pair of Smart Astronomy 16 EF's
Agena 38 SWA
Agena 26 SWA
Garrett 2" 2x ED Barlow
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Phillip Creed
Idiot Seeking Village
Reged: 07/25/06
Posts: 1033
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
The thing that I like the most about the Owl is that you can unscrew the Barlow cell form the bottom and you have a 20mm eyepiece.
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the FOV, edge correction and eye relief when you do that?
Clear Skies,
Phil
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"Why suffer from insanity when you can revel in it?"
Wilderness Center Astronomy Club member since 1995
ICQ Comet Observer Code: CRE01
*****
16" f/4.5 Truss Dobsonian (FOR SALE!!)
Orion 120mm ST Refractor
23mm Axiom LX
13mm Nagler Type 6
9mm Nagler Type 6
1.75X Siebert Barlow
*****
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Mr. Mike
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/08/05
Posts: 858
Loc: Churchville, NY
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Quote:
The Ultrascopics, Orthos and Plossls suggested here, while all very good to excellent EPs, all also have peephole eye lenses below 15mm or so. This leaves the Hyperions and other similar long eye relief EPs as better options for avoiding the short focal length peepholes.
True, but the peephole might not matter to everyone equally. I like big eye relief too, but my 4mm UO ortho is a great planetary EP. Sure, the peephole takes some getting used to, but for sharpness and detail you cant beat it regardless of price. So being $60 bucks makes them even more amazing.
As has been discussed, for high-power planetary viewing many people are using simpler designs with less light elements. I am now appreciating the performance of simple EP desings for *certain* situations.
Just saying....
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Stellarvue NG 80mm ED
Meade 7x50 Binos
Pentax XW 5mm
Meade 5K UWA 8.8mm
Vixen LVW 13mm
Vixen LVW 22mm
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RussL
Music Maker
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 1608
Loc: Cayce, SC
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Quote:
Orion sells them as Edge-On Flat fields for 99.00
I've been looking at those. I like 'em, I think.
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--Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
Celestron Celestar 8 Standard SCT, f10
Celestron 80mm Wide View ref., f5
Criterion RV-6 Dynascope, Newt., f8, (c. 1962)
Sears Discoverer 60mm ref., f7, (c. 1973)
Celestron Ultima DX 10x50, 6.5 TFOV
Tasco 7x35 wide
Several mediocre eyepieces
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jrbarnett
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/28/06
Posts: 2698
Loc: Petaluma, CA
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One of the mistakes folks make when starting out (guilty as charged - I now have about 80 eyepieces assembled over thirty plus years) is to go eyepiece wild. The reality is, you can have awesome sessions with just two or three eyepieces. In fact, I rarely use more than 3 eyepieces during a session these days. I find that by limiting my eyepiece options, I spend more time observing rather than switching.
If you keep your eyepiece count down, then perhaps you can lift the price-per-eyepiece threshold. With the XT10i in my signature I use only two eyepieces - a 32mm 2" Baader Hyperion Aspheric and an 8mm Baader Hyperion. This gives me a large true field, low power finder eyepiece and a moderately high power eyepiece for close up views of DSOs and also works reasonably well for planets and double stars.
While I like Baader Hyperions, they are not even close to being up to snuff (especially in fast scopes) compared to Panoptics, Pentax XLs, Naglers or Vixen LVWs.
If you can swing the cost a bit fancier two eyepiece set, a set consisting of a 22mm and 8mm LVW would be absolutely awesome. I have 17mm, 13mm and 22mm Vixen LVWs and they are among my very favorite eyepieces in all kinds of scopes. They are better corrected in fast systems than the Hyperions, a bit better built, and a bit sharper. The Baader's, however, have a bit better throughput evidenced by the slightly brighter images at a given focal length. The Vixens sometimes can be had for under $200 new. I would gladly take two LVWs over any four $100 eyepieces.
Good luck, but remember - sometimes less is more when it comes to eyepiece collections.
Regards,
Jim
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"The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us — there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries." - Carl Sagan
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katodog
Supreme Grandmaster
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 2301
Loc: Carol Stream, Illinois
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Quote:
Quote:
The thing that I like the most about the Owl is that you can unscrew the Barlow cell form the bottom and you have a 20mm eyepiece.
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the FOV, edge correction and eye relief when you do that?
Clear Skies,
Phil
Unless others wish this info, I'll PM it to you. I don't want to hijack the thread.
--------------------
The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked
12" Starhopper / Coronado PST
Stellarvue 20x85mm Binocular / LXD75 Mount
Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM
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katodog
Supreme Grandmaster
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 2301
Loc: Carol Stream, Illinois
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Quote:
I use my 30mm Owl (82° fov) in an f5 Dob, and it works out pretty good. The edges do suffer a little bit, but with the wide field you don't spend a lot of time at the edges. I've used that eyepiece in a lot of scopes, from f5 to f10, and it does work better in slower focal lengths, but I never discount it for use in a faster scope. The view is good enough at f5, and wide enough, that you won't really notice the edges unless you look at them. I use it quite a bit in my Megrez at f5.9 with good results.
The thing that I like the most about the Owl is that you can unscrew the Barlow cell form the bottom and you have a 20mm eyepiece. Two for the price of one is a winner to me, especially if it gives good results in both modes. If you want to get into photography, it has threads at the top for a camera ring.
Besides, at the prices that you can find them, it can't hurt to test it out.
I just realized that in my post I had the numbers reversed. The eyepiece is a 30mm eyepiece with a 2x Barlow cell, which then makes it a 20mm eyepiece. That's the one I have. Sorry for any confusion. The actual content, other than the numbers, is correct.
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The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked
12" Starhopper / Coronado PST
Stellarvue 20x85mm Binocular / LXD75 Mount
Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM
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stevecoe
Reged: 04/24/04
Posts: 2129
Loc: Arizona, USA
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The Vixen LV eyepieces all have 20mm of eyerelief and are much easier to use with glasses than peephole eyepieces. They are on sale from Woodland Hills Camera for 88 dollar each. Three of those would do a great job for medium to high power. Maybe 15mm, 10mm and 6mm...like that.
Have fun;
Steve Coe
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150mm 6" f/8 Celestron Refractor on Sirius Mount
80mmED 3" f/7.5 Orion Refractor
Author "Deep Sky Observing" Springer-Verlag
Author "Nebulae and How to Observe Them" Springer
New Canon Xt astrocamera with Hutech modification
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RussL
Music Maker
Reged: 03/18/08
Posts: 1608
Loc: Cayce, SC
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Quote:
Vixen LV eyepieces
Looked at 'em. Think I like the LVWs better though, but man are they expensive.
Thanks for the tip.
--------------------
--Russell
"Akita mani yo." Observe everything as you walk. (--Lakota)
Celestron Celestar 8 Standard SCT, f10
Celestron 80mm Wide View ref., f5
Criterion RV-6 Dynascope, Newt., f8, (c. 1962)
Sears Discoverer 60mm ref., f7, (c. 1973)
Celestron Ultima DX 10x50, 6.5 TFOV
Tasco 7x35 wide
Several mediocre eyepieces
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