149 replies to this topic

[dawnpatrol]

And speaking of binoviewers, my most underrated eyepieces are my Denkmeyer 21mm LOA "3D Deep Immersion" set. I don't use them too often, but I always get a kick out of them when I do. And they're consistently a hit with my non-astronomer guests when I set up a scope.  

[PKDfan]

This is my ugly duckling under rated eyepiece in my 100ED during early testing.

A Speers waler series 2 90degree 31.5mm 11 ounce 6 element DSO line filter eyepiece of choice (with an OIII filter) for ~29X & a 3.5mm exit pupil.

Extremely good transmission super easy pupil and WIDE engaging field.


Clear Steady Skies
Lance

Edited by PKDfan, 02 March 2025 - 02:56 AM.

[Maximus001]

I'm another fan of the 11mm Nagler T6 and just bought another for binoviewing.

[russell23]

It would be either the 20mm XW or the 32mm Brandon.  Both lines are well regarded, but these specific FL are not. 

 

The 20mm XW is know for field curvature.  But it has the most comfortable exit pupil of the 1.25" XWs and in a long focal ratio refractor or with a barlow it is incredible and I prefer it with a barlow to the 10mm and 7mm XWs.

 

The Brandons are seen as lunar/planetary/binoviewer eyepieces, but the 32mm Brandon gets overlooked in favor of the 24mm and 48mm FL.  It is an excellent low magnification eyepiece for open star clusters.

 

Dave

[f18dad]

In my kit for 1.25” fitment it would be the APM UFF 24, but the price has risen considerably since the time I purchased mine. Don’t know if I would do it at current prices. It seemed to be a sleeper bargain previously. Matches very well in certain scopes for me. No undercuts!

[RichD]

Another +1 for the 11mm T6. Had mine for 20 years now and still love it. Prob my most used eyepiece. I'm surprised so many jumped over the 11 to the 9mm.

Also the Radians, I only have the 8mm but I still have it all these years later. Super sharp, so comfortable, given me some memorable views of the moon and planets over the last 2 decades.

[25585]

It would be either the 20mm XW or the 32mm Brandon.  Both lines are well regarded, but these specific FL are not. 

 

The 20mm XW is know for field curvature.  But it has the most comfortable exit pupil of the 1.25" XWs and in a long focal ratio refractor or with a barlow it is incredible and I prefer it with a barlow to the 10mm and 7mm XWs.

 

The Brandons are seen as lunar/planetary/binoviewer eyepieces, but the 32mm Brandon gets overlooked in favor of the 24mm and 48mm FL.  It is an excellent low magnification eyepiece for open star clusters.

 

Dave

Ditto for the 14 XW. Mine performs well in a 2x Barlow and is a good effective 7mm, its field flatter.

 

I like the idea of a 32mm Brandon (flat top) to keep my 48 company.

[Scott99]

No question, the Zeiss 3-element aspheric micro eyepiece is the most under-rated I've owned.  The used prices on these have fallen below $150 and it's as good or better than any of the super-high price orthoscopics.   Zeiss OPMI's also

 

 

[Jacques]

And another +1 for the 11T6

[aatt]

2” 30mm Sterling plossl. Very comfortable viewing and great contrast. I really like sweeping the Virgo supercluster with it.

[Rick-T137]

And another +1 for the 11T6

With so much love for the 11mm Naglers, it is curious why they got discontinued?

 

Maybe they didn't want to cut into their Apollo sales???

 

[Doug Culbertson]

With so much love for the 11mm Naglers, it is curious why they got discontinued?

Maybe they didn't want to cut into their Apollo sales???

They discontinued them because they weren’t selling many. Most buyers went fo the 13-9mm progression and skipped the 11mm. That’s what Don P posted some time back.

[rfcooley]

I have an SVBony 26mm/70 2" that I like very much for outreach and it is the ep that I start out with every session. I don't often see mention of it so I think it is underrated.

 

RF

[Bivanus]

I am still looking for one on this side of the pond 

Edited by Bivanus, 02 March 2025 - 01:33 PM.

[saemark30]

15mm Celestron spotting scope eyepiece!

Was able to see clearly the crescent shape of Venus at 40x with 80mm ED scope and viewed M42 and M41 better than any other bargain bin eyepiece.

Edited by saemark30, 02 March 2025 - 04:21 PM.

[GrassLakeRon]

I find GSO Superviews and their Plossls under rated. They perform really well in my CC.

[ABQJeff]

1) The AT 20mm 100 degree (and its APM and SV brethren).

It was on sale, and I needed a good 20mm. Wow, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is now a staple in my line-up.

2) All the 82 degree AT/SV/APM series. I use the 1.25” for my binoviewers, which means affordability (bc double purchases) was important. But you also want good performance. These fit the bill, and slot in nicely for shorter focal lengths than the ES 24mm, 20mm and 16mm 68s.

3) Tie, ES 25mm 100 degree and Masuyama 50mm 53 degree. They are both expensive so hard to say “underrated”, but there are many threads about their questionable performance. However for me, in my C11 Edge operating at F/7, they work great, actually amazing.

The main effects with the above eyepieces have been my ES 24mm 82 degree displaced for normal use by my AT 20mm 100 degree, and the ES 30mm 82 degree displaced for normal use by my ES 25mm 100degree.

The 24mm and 30mm ES82s now live standard in my 140 F/6.5 and ST120, respectively.

[dave253]

I also have a cheap unbranded 20mm wide angle (70*?) 1.25” which is spectacular in the Vixen at 46x. 
 

[T1R2]

My Meade HD60 4.5mm, 6.5mm and 9mm, underated because they're only 60* but have perfect edge correction (which they should be with a negative design)  and great eye relief, and really comfortable and easy on the eyes. 

[25585]

The Celestron Ultima LX 22mm 70 AFOV is under-rated. It has been released under various brands over the years, currently TS Expanse being an example. Its 2" fit, good optically, and has long eye relief, so +++ points. 
 

[Jon Isaacs]

I like this thread, it's better to be positive about eyepieces that are not supposed to so great.

 

My problem is coming up with an underrated eyepiece.  I have a 11mm Nagler T-6, it is great eyepiece but it's performance is no greater than I expected, it's a T-6 Nagler.. 

 

Jon

[dawnpatrol]

I like this thread, it's better to be positive about eyepieces that are not supposed to so great.!

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

 

My problem is coming up with an underrated eyepiece.  I have a 11mm Nagler T-6, it is great eyepiece but it's performance is no greater than I expected, it's a T-6 Nagler.. 

 

 

For me the underrated aspect of the 11T6 is in the (mis)perception that it’s a poor performer based on its relatively weak sales and subsequent discontinuation. Maybe sleeper is a better characterization than underrated. I think it fits the confines of this thread because of the inference that it’s a lesser member in the T6 line.

[Kutno]

Based on what I have read in this forum over the years, I have two candidates for this thread; both of which still reside in the stable:

 

The first is the 15mm Tele Vue Panoptic.  Some in this forum have looked down on its 10mm eye relief; but this figure is no different than that offered by a 15mm Plossl or a Vixen HR.  The Panoptic's performance is excellent, and I particularly like the way it renders color.

 

The second is the original edition of the 4mm Vixen LV.  It does not get that much press in this forum and one can understand why.  My 4mm Tele Vue DeLite and 4mm Tele Vue Radians perform in a manner superior to this LV, providing better sharpness, contrast, and brightness across their entire and much larger AFOVs of 62° and 60°, respectively.  Even though the LV is dimmer than the Tele Vues, as noted by others in this forum and in astronomical equipment publications I have read, it does, in its own way, deliver some nice detail across its entire 45° AFOV.  During the 1990s, the 4mm LV pulled in a surprising number of Saturn's moons in a 10.1" Coulter Dob I had, in heavily light-polluted New York City.  I guess the thing I most like about the 4mm LV is that it is very ergonomically comfortable for me to use.     

Edited by Kutno, 02 March 2025 - 11:46 PM.

[eblanken]

+1 on what Jon said: Nice to say & read good things . . . 

 

+1 on Vixen LV 4mm . . . for smaller scopes this is (and all these LV are) great . . . too bad they are discontinued . . . 

 

Best,

 

Ed

Edited by eblanken, 03 March 2025 - 01:51 AM.

[eblanken]

I like this thread, it's better to be positive about eyepieces that are not supposed to so great.

 

My problem is coming up with an underrated eyepiece.  I have a 11mm Nagler T-6, it is great eyepiece but it's performance is no greater than I expected, it's a T-6 Nagler.. 

 

Jon

 

 

Based on what I have read in this forum over the years, I have two candidates for this thread; both of which still reside in the stable:

 

The first is the 15mm Tele Vue Panoptic.  Some in this forum have looked down on its 10mm eye relief; but this figure is no different than that offered by a 15mm Plossl or a Vixen HR.  The Panoptic's performance is excellent, and I particularly like the way it renders color.

 

The second is the original edition of the 4mm Vixen LV.  It does not get that much press in this forum and one can understand why.  My 4mm Tele Vue DeLite and 4mm Tele Vue Radians perform in a manner superior to this LV, providing better sharpness, contrast, and brightness across their entire and much larger AFOVs of 62° and 60°, respectively.  Even though the LV is dimmer than the Tele Vues, as noted by others in this forum and in astronomical equipment publications I have read, it does, in its own way, deliver some nice detail across its entire 45° AFOV.  During the 1990s, the 4mm LV pulled in a surprising number of Saturn's moons in a 10.1" Coulter Dob I had, in heavily light-polluted New York City.  I guess the thing I most like about the 4mm LV is that it is very ergonomically comfortable for me to use.     

 

For me, two more come to mind: 40mm Plossl in 1.25 inch format & TeleVue 55mm Plossl in 2 inch format. Many say "too narrow" AFoV. I say "sell me your discards at a discount on the used market" . . . Some say "excessive eye relief", but I've learned how to "hover effectively" . . . I find ways to use these at their best instead of complaining about their worst attributes . . . 

 

and I would also say 32mm Plossl in 1.25 inch format & 40mm Pentax XW in 2 inch format, but are these "under-rated" ???

 

Best,

 

Ed

Edited by eblanken, 03 March 2025 - 02:33 AM.