149 replies to this topic

[Rick-T137]

I've owned a lot of inexpensive and relatively inexpensive gear in my day, but one eyepiece that jumps to my mind when I think of "underrated" is my 8mm Tele Vue Plössl. It is a much maligned eyepiece for its short eye relief (6 mm) but for me it is a wonderful eyepiece. I can acquire the exit pupil easily and see the whole 50° field. With my 8" SCT it provide about 250x which on most nights here is the max I can coax out of my SCT (although I've had it up over 500x on good nights!).

 

I know the TV Plössls have a good reputation - especially amongst planetary observers. So in this regard, I think where the 8mm is underrated is related to how easy it is to use. Compared to regular 6mm or 9mm Plössls I find the Tele Vue a step up in both quality and ease of use. Many people won't go near a Plössl eyepiece that is less than 15mm in focal length. And I know that tolerance for eye relief is a very personal thing - my tolerance is very high apparently.

 

Anyway, cheers to the TV 8mm Plössl and all the wonderful views it provides me.

 

 

Do you have an eyepiece (or eyepieces) that surprises you? It could be expensive or cheap (or in between) but just has a quality that was unexpected or performs in a way better than expected.

 

Clear skies!

 

Rick

[Chris MN]

For a single eyepiece, my Meade Series 2 MA 25mm.  This eyepiece does surprisingly well with my C11.  

 

I have always liked my Meade Series 2 Ortho's.  The Meade Reseach Grade line is well known and are excellent eyepieces but the Series 2 ortho's are very, very close to the RG line.  At least in my C11.  

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

Edited by Chris MN, 01 March 2025 - 11:14 AM.

[Rick-T137]

For a single eyepiece, my Meade MA 25mm.  This eyepiece does surprisingly well with my C11.  

 

I have always liked my Meade Series 2 Ortho's.  The Meade Reseach Grade line is well known and are excellent eyepieces but the Series 2 ortho's are very, very close to the RG line.  At least in my C11.  

I would agree! I've owned a set of Meade Series II MA eyepieces, and honestly they perform better than I thought they would as well. They present a cooler tone than my TV Plössls do, but they are plenty sharp on axis. I only have the 25mm and 9mm these days (to go with my 2080 LX3 as the "stock" eyepieces) but I never really use them.

 

Maybe I should break 'em out tonight if the skies are clear! Thank you for sharing your awesome eyepieces.

[Sandy Swede]

1. Most KK Fujiyama psudo-masuyamas.

2. Most Baader Classic orthos

[25585]

Where to start?

 

For 2" fit my 31mm Celestron Axiom LX. At F5 it is as good optically as a 31 Nagler I find. Also my 40mm Rodenstock Erfle, which gives really easy immersive views. Finally my 48mm Brandon, which with the right telescope has a true floating effect.

 

For 1.25" fit, more to consider. 14mm Morpheus, a great eyepiece that gets passed over due to its FL more than any other reason. Takahashi 28mm Erfle and Nikon NAV SW 17.5 eyepieces, both neat enough for binoviewing.

[cimar]

Baader 31mm Aspheric

BCO 10mm for planetary with barlow

Lunt Zoom for planetary with barlow

UWA eyepieces from AT and other brands for BTs

[Jim R]

TV Radian 14mm

[Shoestring Astronomy]

Explore Scientific 30mm 2" 80 deg.

[RAKing]

Televue 11T6 Naglers. 

 

I don't know why people didn't buy these, but they are just as indispensable in my binoviewer as the 24mm Pans.

 

Ron

[izar187]

Siebert Ultra's, in particular the six element ones.

[Refractor6]

 Speers-Waler Series 1 7.4mm ep in my case I still own.

 

Back in the day local observers were fighting to get their hands on these when the various first up series 1 models hit the market from Antares {Sky Instruments}...or in my case at the time the nearby to the source long gone telescope shop.

 

 Don't hear much about them anymore but those who have certainly hold onto them.

[fftulip]

This is a bit out of left field, but the most surprising eyepiece I've ever owned is actually a Bausch & Lomb 15X (about 16.8mm f.l.) "Ultra W.F." microscope eyepiece.

It has a B&L part number of 31.15.74 and I believe was made for their Stereozoom microscopes, starting in the late 1970's or early 1980's (my guess).

The history is a bit convoluted because in 1987 B&L's microscope division was merged into Cambridge Instruments and in 1990 they were merged into Leica.

This was about the time, or possibly before, when Al Nagler introduced his revolutionary ultra wide angle eyepiece.

You can find this eyepiece under various labels besides B&L (Cambridge, Leica, ...), often for bargain prices on the used market (I think I bought mine for well under $100).

What's Unique about this eyepiece (for its time, now it's commonplace) is that it incorporates a Smyth lens, in this case incredibly thick (see picture) for both a wide field and long eye relief.

I'm guessing that the extreme thickness of the Smyth lens is due to the small 24.5mm diameter of the microscope standard and the need to relay the image to the larger eye lenses.

Of course it needs an adapter for use in a telescope.  I haven't made a rigorous test of this B&L eyepiece but my estimates of its specifications are:

 

focal length: 16.8mm

AFOV: 65 to 70 degrees

eye relief: 19-20mm

 

It works quite well in telescopes even at short focal ratios.  I think I do see some noticeable lateral color error, otherwise it's a great performing eyepiece and is good for binoviewing (it's quite compact).

 

 

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 

[sevenofnine]

SVB 7-21mm zoom for me. I read decent forum comments but at $50 my expectations were very low 

[chemisted]

I'd have to say my Celestron Axiom 40 mm 2" eyepiece.  They apparently didn't sell well, and I picked up mine new when they were being closed out at half price.  I did it on a lark as I already had a Panoptic 35 mm in the stable.  Here we are decades later and I still revere the Axiom while the Panoptic has moved on to another happy home.

Edited by chemisted, 01 March 2025 - 02:22 PM.

[Jon Isaacs]

Explore Scientific 30mm 2" 80 deg.

 

I'm not sure how these can be considered "under rated" For as long as they've been around it seems to me they've been "rated" as providing "near 31 mm Nagler performance but at a more affordable price.

 

That's what I saw when I compared them.

 

Jon

[Inkie]

I used my ES 8.5mm for the first time about five weeks ago and was very pleasantly surprised at how nicely it showed Jupiter. I don't recall ever seeing it mentioned in all the hundreds of threads and posts I have been reading since joining two-plus years ago.  In this case, it was in a probably-forgiving-longer-focal-length OTA, it being my Celestron 127mm Mak.

[areyoukiddingme]

Meade 26mm super plossls. I used a pair of them in a binoviewer in my 11" Edgehd for the best view I ever got of Jupiter.

 

They are also comfortable, as I am able to smoosh my eye balls into the cups for a good fit.

 

Gave them away when I sold my William Optic binoviewer.

[Corky]

My Celestrom Axiom LX 10mm and 15mm eyepieces (uncloaked, as their chunky width makes them fit perfectly into my eye socket, leaving just the right amount of eye relief).
Those aluminum shrouds look and feel beautiful, but its the optics that really shine. Never any kidney beaning with the entire field of view instantly available with the greatest of ease.
A few months after buying these, I couldn't resist pushing the boat out for a TV Nagler 17mm, but after careful nightly comparisons over several months, I reluctantly admitted to myself that the Axiom worked better for me, so I sadly sold the TV.

Edited by Corky, 02 March 2025 - 05:22 AM.

[bobhen]

TV Radians. 

 

As newer models like the Delites came out, the Radians seemed to garner some negativity. And sure, the Delites have better edge performance are lighter and have a better eye guard. But if you can put up with those slight negatives, the Radians offer 20mm of ER, excellent centerfield sharpness, good ergonomics and can be had on the used marker at half the price of a Delite.
 
I have the 3mm, 4mm and 6mm Radians. I also have 6 Delites. I'm in no hurry to sell the Radians.

 

Bob

[Chris MN]

Televue 11T6 Naglers. 

 

I don't know why people didn't buy these, but they are just as indispensable in my binoviewer as the 24mm Pans.

 

Ron

+1 on that.  I like the 11T6 in my C11 (~250x).  Seems to be a sweet spot between higher magnification and my seeing conditions.  I can routinely use the 11T6 on planets but not so much the 9T6 (due to my seeing conditions).  Sharp eyepiece!

 

Televue should bring that one back.  In the T6 family, it's a big jump between the 13T6 and the 9T6.

[csrlice12]

This one....This is an approx 5mm with about a 44* afov.  All I can  find out about the company is that it mostly did DIY including a 6" newt.   It existed in NYC circa 1935.  This little eyepiece is sharper on axis than anything else I own, orthos to Ethos.  Got it in a wooden box from S&S Optika as from an estate sale.  The wooden box also contained a 20mm Orthostar Erfle and the 26.6, 10, and 6.6mm Orthostars, and a 16mm Volcano top Brandon (preVernonscope), so it was in good company.  Anybody knowing anything more about this company, let me know.

 

[dave253]

12.5 UO circle T ortho, Vixen LV series. Although I’m not sure they’re underrated.

[chemisted]

TV Radians. 

 

As newer models like the Delites came out, the Radians seemed to garner some negativity. And sure, the Delites have better edge performance are lighter and have a better eye guard. But if you can put up with those slight negatives, the Radians offer 20mm of ER, excellent centerfield sharpness, good ergonomics and can be had on the used marker at half the price of a Delite.
 
I have the 3mm, 4mm and 6mm Radians. I also have 6 Delites. I'm in no hurry to sell the Radians.

 

Bob

Bob,

I was chatting with Al Nagler early in 2005 about my recently acquired TeleVue-140. Always the salesman, he encouraged me to buy his new 2.5 mm T6. I responded that I found my 3 mm Radian was nicely filling that spot and he didn't argue.

Ed 

Edited by chemisted, 01 March 2025 - 05:13 PM.

[Jay_Reynolds_Freeman]

Not a single eyepiece, but I have a set of three Ramsdens, with focal lengths of 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, and one inch, that appear to have been made with World War Two military surplus lenses that received an excellent polish. Only four air/glass interfaces and excellent polish means very low scattered light, and of course, classic Ramsdens are exceptionally well corrected for lateral color. Thus they deliver excellent views of planets in long-focal-ratio instruments.

 

Clear sky ...

[dawnpatrol]

Televue 11T6 Naglers. 

 

I don't know why people didn't buy these, but they are just as indispensable in my binoviewer as the 24mm Pans.

 

Ron

I couldn't agree more. They're mainstays in my binoviewer.