27 replies to this topic

[edify]

I know there are lots of topics on eyepiece. I am in need of your opinion, this is my situation. I do have a 38mm, 15mm, 9mm, 25mm,17mm on hand and a 22mm on its way.

 

I been using the 38mm the most since I can see lots of space all at once. Love looking at deep space objects, been using the 9mm and the 15mm to see planets. The 25mm has a very small degree of view good for planets, I do like the 17mm but again would like a bigger field of view any suggestion. I am waiting for the nagler 22mm to get home see if its any better when it comes to FOV. I am eyeballing the ES 30mm 82 degree. What I am looking for is a good FOV where I can see the object but closer than a 38mm.  

[RoofMonkey911]

A 2X Barlow would work very nicely into your mix.

[Ranger Tim]

You’ve got as many as I do! I buy eyepieces to solve specific viewing needs. The more I observe the pickier I get as to quality.

[edify]

A 2X Barlow would work very nicely into your mix.

You know I went and got the 1 and 2 inch barlows both 2x using it with the 9mm was not so clear when trying to see Jupiter. You are right in using the barlows for cutting down from buying more eyepieces.  

[edify]

You’ve got as many as I do! I buy eyepieces to solve specific viewing needs. The more I observe the pickier I get as to quality.

That's my problem, the more I see the more I wanna see lol. I am just looking for an eye piece that I could see closer then the 38 but be able to see as much as the 38mm. 

[sevenofnine]

The ES 30/82 is a very nice eyepiece from all reports on this forum. It will give you a "Wow" feeling for sure. However, it is a very large soup can size eyepiece that weighs over 2 lbs. Be ready for that! There are other excellent wide angle options available. One is the AT 28/82 from our sponsor. Good luck! 

 

https://www.astronom...2-eyepiece.html

 

for reference thats (1) can of Progresso but 2x the weight 

Edited by sevenofnine, 23 January 2023 - 01:09 AM.

[Dave Mitsky]

That's my problem, the more I see the more I wanna see lol. I am just looking for an eye piece that I could see closer then the 38 but be able to see as much as the 38mm. 

Unfortunately, a shorter focal length eyepiece than your 70-degree 38mm Orion Q70 can not produce as large a true field of view in a 2" format.  The 30mm Explore Scientific 82 degree will produce a bit more magnification but will produce a smaller true field of view.

 

The TFOV with a 38mm Q70 is approximately 2.2 degrees at 32x.  It's about 2.1 degrees at 40x with a 30 Explore Scientific 82 degree eyepiece.

A 22mm Tele Vue Nagler Type 4 will yield about 1.5 degrees at 55x.

[edify]

Unfortunately, a shorter focal length eyepiece than your 70-degree 38mm Orion Q70 can not produce as large a true field of view in a 2" format.  The 30mm Explore Scientific 82 degree will produce a bit more magnification but will produce a smaller true field of view.

 

The TFOV with a 38mm Q70 is approximately 2.2 degrees at 32x.  It's about 2.1 degrees at 40x with a 30 Explore Scientific 82 degree eyepiece.

A 22mm Tele Vue Nagler Type 4 will yield about 1.5 degrees at 55x.

Oh I see, and that makes sense. In order to offset the the stronger magnification I would have to use 100 degree and those baby are expensive. I will only get 8x more getting the ES at 82 degree for a deal of 450 bucks while only losing .1 degree. I got some thinking to do.

[edify]

The ES 30/82 is a very nice eyepiece from all reports on this forum. It will give you a "Wow" feeling for sure. However, it is a very large soup can size eyepiece that weighs over 2 lbs. Be ready for that! There are other excellent wide angle options available. One is the AT 28/82 from our sponsor. Good luck! 

 

https://www.astronom...2-eyepiece.html

 

for reference thats (1) can of Progresso but 2x the weight 

Thank you, after reading the last post going 28/82 is not a bad idea. Did you say 2lbs!

[Dave Mitsky]

Oh I see, and that makes sense. In order to offset the the stronger magnification I would have to use 100 degree and those baby are expensive. I will only get 8x more getting the ES at 82 degree for a deal of 450 bucks while only losing .1 degree. I got some thinking to do.

That won't work.  True field of view depends upon the diameter of the eyepiece field stop. 

The longest focal length 2" 100-degree eyepiece will produce a TFOV of ~2.1 degrees.

https://explorescien...oducts/100-25mm

 

If you had a 3" focuser, a 3" 30mm Explore Scientific 100-degree eyepiece would yield a TFOV of 2.5 degrees.

https://explorescien...oducts/100-30mm

[Dave Mitsky]

Thank you, after reading the last post going 28/82 is not a bad idea. Did you say 2lbs!

The 28mm Astro-Tech UWA is an excellent eyepiece.  Since buying one early last year, I rarely use two of my far more expensive low-power eyepieces.

[quercuslobata]

You know I went and got the 1 and 2 inch barlows both 2x using it with the 9mm was not so clear when trying to see Jupiter. You are right in using the barlows for cutting down from buying more eyepieces.  

It could be that the equivalent of 4.5mm was too much for your seeing. Did you try to barlow your 15mm? If that always works for you perhaps that would serve as your planetary magnification. I would probably rather have a 12-13mm which you could barlow to fill the gap between 9 and 4.5. Otherwise I think you are pretty well set up. I've never used a 22mm Nagler but I imagine it will see a lot of use.

Edited by quercuslobata, 23 January 2023 - 08:00 AM.

[SeattleScott]

If you want a 17mm with wider AFOV than the Hyperion, consider the ES 18/82. And then consider if it is worth the investment after you just got a 22mm 82. 
 

Yes you really could use something between 9mm and 4.5 (9 barlowed). That’s a huge gap where you really don’t want huge gaps. More common to have bigger gaps at low power and smaller gaps at high power. Soon you could be looking at 28, 22 and 17 for low-medium low power. I would consider 10-13mm medium power for your scope. You don’t have anything in this range. 9 is leaning towards medium high, and 4.5 is close to max power. And I suspect your 15mm is low quality. So I second the recommended medium power eyepiece that can barlow to high power.

 

It seems like you are really focused on low-medium low power viewing. Do you regularly collimate your scope? Poor collimation makes high power viewing bad. 
 

Scott

[Dave Mitsky]

If you want a 17mm with wider AFOV than the Hyperion, consider the ES 18/82. And then consider if it is worth the investment after you just got a 22mm 82. 
 

Yes you really could use something between 9mm and 4.5 (9 barlowed). That’s a huge gap where you really don’t want huge gaps. More common to have bigger gaps at low power and smaller gaps at high power. Soon you could be looking at 28, 22 and 17 for low-medium low power. I would consider 10-13mm medium power for your scope. You don’t have anything in this range. 9 is leaning towards medium high, and 4.5 is close to max power. And I suspect your 15mm is low quality. So I second the recommended medium power eyepiece that can barlow to high power.

 

It seems like you are really focused on low-medium low power viewing. Do you regularly collimate your scope? Poor collimation makes high power viewing bad. 
 

Scott

If you like the 22mm Nagler Type 4 and are going to keep the 38mm Orion Q70, edify, a 28mm Astro-Tech UWA really isn't all that necessary.  A medium power eyepiece, as Scott suggests above, might be a better option in that case.

[vtornado]

svbony 7-21 zoom and 2x barlow could cover all of your lunar/planetary needs.

The zoom being adustible to match seeing conditions.

[sevenofnine]

"The Backyard Astronomer's Guide 4th ed." has a whole chapter on eyepieces. FOV, AFOV and TFOV are all explained and will help you make the right decisions about eyepieces and other astro-equipment. It's an excellent guide book and available on Amazon. Good luck! 

[edify]

If you want a 17mm with wider AFOV than the Hyperion, consider the ES 18/82. And then consider if it is worth the investment after you just got a 22mm 82. 
 

Yes you really could use something between 9mm and 4.5 (9 barlowed). That’s a huge gap where you really don’t want huge gaps. More common to have bigger gaps at low power and smaller gaps at high power. Soon you could be looking at 28, 22 and 17 for low-medium low power. I would consider 10-13mm medium power for your scope. You don’t have anything in this range. 9 is leaning towards medium high, and 4.5 is close to max power. And I suspect your 15mm is low quality. So I second the recommended medium power eyepiece that can barlow to high power.

 

It seems like you are really focused on low-medium low power viewing. Do you regularly collimate your scope? Poor collimation makes high power viewing bad. 
 

Scott

Thank you, and you are correct went and got this 15mm from eBay. I got it because it said it was a 80 degree and at the time it was the widest I had but was disappointed. Its ok to look at the moon but that's it. I did end up getting the ES 30mm. In the future will be looking at a 15mm or 13mm quality lend. Will need a 5mm or 6mm as well. In the mean time I am having fun out there as soon as it clears up outside need to get a look at that comet.  

[edify]

"The Backyard Astronomer's Guide 4th ed." has a whole chapter on eyepieces. FOV, AFOV and TFOV are all explained and will help you make the right decisions about eyepieces and other astro-equipment. It's an excellent guide book and available on Amazon. Good luck! 

I shoulda started with that book, boy did I spend lots on these lends. What made me asked about eyepieces was that I was enjoying using that 38mm more than the very expensive lends I had. I just wanted to see what friends on here were using and recommending. 

[rhetfield]

You know I went and got the 1 and 2 inch barlows both 2x using it with the 9mm was not so clear when trying to see Jupiter. You are right in using the barlows for cutting down from buying more eyepieces.  

I would spend more time playing with that combination.  It should show Jupiter quite nicely, but you need good collimation and good atmosphere.  Good atmosphere might be the hardest part.  That might be rare.  Consider that the moon, Mars (at a good position in the sky now) and Saturn respond well to higher magnification.

[pj_thomas]

svbony 7-21 zoom and 2x barlow could cover all of your lunar/planetary needs.

The zoom being adustible to match seeing conditions.

Fairly narrow FOV for a manual DOB.  Also probably disappointing after some of the other eyepiece the OP has.
 

[DHurst]

You’ll love the 22mm.  It’s one of my favorites!  Next I would go for a 13mm Ethos to replace your non wide field mid range eps.

[Dave Mitsky]

You’ll love the 22mm.  It’s one of my favorites!  Next I would go for a 13mm Ethos to replace your non wide field mid range eps.

The 13mm Tele Vue Ethos is my favorite eyepiece but it is very expensive.

 

A much lower cost option, at about 38% of the cost of the Ethos, might be the 13mm Astro-Tech XWA.

 

https://www.astronom...2-eyepiece.html

[NeroStar]

Depends on preference, as well as your preferred viewing targets.  I have refractors, Newts, SCTs and Maks in both 1.25 and 2 inch,  so I've built a rather large selection of eyepieces (currently around 100) and Barlows, not including zoom eyepieces and the complete Baader Hyperion set I recently purchased. 

 

Like you, I tend to prefer wide fields of view 68 to 100 degrees, though I do possess a number with a more narrow FOV that I generally use for planetary and bino viewing. The ES 82 degree argon-purged are wonderful EPs, and the 8.5mm LER and 14mm have worked very well in my Dob and SCTs.  The 82 degree Celestron Luminos EPs also work really well in my Meade Dob, so I dont really understand some of the hate they get on forums. 

 

A lower-cost option are the Omegon SWAN EPs, which come in 26, 32, and 38mm (2in.), but if you're **** about perfection to the edge of the viewing field, these may not be your cup of tea.  I'm not that picky, but I understand that it bugs some people. 

 

If you'd like a versatile Swiss Army knife EP, the Baader Hyperion Zoom is wonderful.  It tops out at 68mm at low power, but narrows at high power (as does all zoom EPs).  The Televue 18.2 DeLite also seems to work well - Sharp all the way to the edge in my Dob, but with a narrower 62 degree FOV.  

 

-Just some options off the top of my head.  

[Mike Q]

Just looking at your numbers I think i would be looking for a 30mm.  Seems that the ES 30mm 82 degree is getting a lot of love here, and it is well deserved.  

[SeaBee1]

I use the ES 30mm/82 for wide field, low power viewing in both my 10" reflector and my SW 120 refractor and it is all I need for that. The Pleaides in that eyepiece... Holy Moley! That view alone was worth the cost (well... I did get it used at a considerable savings...). But, as others have said, it is a beast...

 

Good hunting!

 

CB