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Looking for Very Good 32mm Eyepiece for Celestron C90 Mak

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#1 bgermano1738

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 07:50 PM

I'm looking to upgrade as much as possible my 32mm Plossl eyepiece that came with my new Celestron C90 Mak.  The supplied eyepiece was a "multi-coated" (NOT "fully multi coated") 32mm Plossl that I have already switched out with a "fully multi coated" Celestron generic 32mm Plossl that came with a Celestron Accessory Kit that I own (I don't think this eyepiece is the same as Celestron's "Omni" Plossl, as its body looks different).  

 

However, I'm looking to upgrade the Accessory Kit 32mm Plossl even more.  I have considered getting the Televue 32mm Plossl, given the excellent reputation of TV, but have also seen mixed reviews on CloudyNights about that particular eyepiece possibly not being the best or brightest view for a C90 Mak.  I already own a 32mm Orion Q70, but of course it is a 2" barrel and I need something that is 1.25".  I've seen info on a Meade Series 4000 1.25" SuperPlossl, but with the demise of Meade they are mostly out of stock or unavailable as new (plus, would they be better than TV?).  I already own several other eyepieces with good focal lengths that I am happy with (notably the Baader Hyperion Mark IV 8-24mm that I love).  However, I am interested here in something for 32mm focal length.

 

Any suggestions or helpful advice about which direction to upgrade would be appreciated. Thank you!  



#2 triplemon

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 07:59 PM

Honestly, the difference between any Plossl that isn't outright broken is tiny. I would not worry about changing one Plossl for another one if you want a notably better views. Upgrade to an different eyepiece type with wider views, better edge correction or both.

 

If you are restricted to the 1.25" focuser in that f/12 scope, that Plossl is as good as it gets at that focal length. Spending your time and money on eyepices of shorter focal length or a different scope would give you much, much more return on the effort.


Edited by triplemon, 22 April 2025 - 12:10 AM.

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#3 Polyphemos

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:00 PM

Did you notice a difference in the quality of your view when you switched out the multi-coated eyepiece packaged with your scope with the fully multi-coated eyepiece that came with the kit?


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#4 bgermano1738

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:10 PM

Did you notice a difference in the quality of your view when you switched out the multi-coated eyepiece packaged with your scope with the fully multi-coated eyepiece that came with the kit?

Triplemon & Polyphemus, Thankyou both. Good information.  Yes there was a slight improvement from the multi-coated to "fully multi-coated," but only slight.



#5 Notdarkenough

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:22 PM

I really like the Paradigms from APM, and the AT eps. Not expensive. Very Good glass. 95% of TV quality at 40% of TV costs.


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#6 MrJones

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:31 PM

A nice affordable 32mm Plossl replacement is the 27mm 65 deg. 1.25” EP that is currently sold by Astromania for $67. I got one after other mentions on this forum and like it.

More opinions https://www.cloudyni...lat-field-27mm/

Edited by MrJones, 21 April 2025 - 08:33 PM.

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#7 25585

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:35 PM

An ES68 24mm would be a good choice to take over from your 32mm Plossl.


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#8 RichA

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:42 PM

I'm looking to upgrade as much as possible my 32mm Plossl eyepiece that came with my new Celestron C90 Mak.  The supplied eyepiece was a "multi-coated" (NOT "fully multi coated") 32mm Plossl that I have already switched out with a "fully multi coated" Celestron generic 32mm Plossl that came with a Celestron Accessory Kit that I own (I don't think this eyepiece is the same as Celestron's "Omni" Plossl, as its body looks different).  

 

However, I'm looking to upgrade the Accessory Kit 32mm Plossl even more.  I have considered getting the Televue 32mm Plossl, given the excellent reputation of TV, but have also seen mixed reviews on CloudyNights about that particular eyepiece possibly not being the best or brightest view for a C90 Mak.  I already own a 32mm Orion Q70, but of course it is a 2" barrel and I need something that is 1.25".  I've seen info on a Meade Series 4000 1.25" SuperPlossl, but with the demise of Meade they are mostly out of stock or unavailable as new (plus, would they be better than TV?).  I already own several other eyepieces with good focal lengths that I am happy with (notably the Baader Hyperion Mark IV 8-24mm that I love).  However, I am interested here in something for 32mm focal length.

 

Any suggestions or helpful advice about which direction to upgrade would be appreciated. Thank you!  

Try a Brandon.


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#9 balcon3

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 08:50 PM

If you want top of the line, that would probably be a Takahashi 33mm TPL. But I agree with the others who recommend that you spend your money on higher power eyepieces where the differences in quality will be more evident.


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#10 balcon3

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Posted 21 April 2025 - 11:35 PM

Another. thing: one of the nice aspects of an f/14 scope is that you don’t really need to spend big money on high-element eyepieces that are well corrected to the edge. The high focal ratio will make even less well-corrected eyepieces look nice across the whole field.  If I wanted to spend some money on an eyepiece for an f/14 scope, I might think about a wide AFOV eyepiece of 72 degrees or greater to give you a more immersive feeling (although not at 32mm since that would be impossible in a 1.25 inch format). But again, no need to get the expensive versions like Televues. Astronomics UWAs or similar will be fine.


Edited by balcon3, 21 April 2025 - 11:40 PM.

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#11 Dave Mitsky

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 01:14 AM

A 25mm Astro-Tech Paradigm Dual ED or a 25mm Celestron X-Cel LX will provide 94% of the true field of view of a 32mm Plössl and will have a more spacious 60-degree apparent field of view.  If I recall correctly, the Celestron eyepiece is considered to be a bit better but it's also more expensive.

 

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#12 rfcooley

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 01:18 AM

Stick with the 32mm

purchase either a SVB 7 21 or  9 27 add a  Barlow and you are set. I use 32mm and either combo on my 90 or 102 maks

 

 

RF


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#13 Dave Mitsky

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 01:35 AM

Stick with the 32mm

purchase either a SVB 7 21 or  9 27 add a  Barlow and you are set. I use 32mm and either combo on my 90 or 102 maks

 

 

RF

The OP already owns an 8-24mm Baader Hyperion Mark IV zoom eyepiece and a 2x Barlow lens.


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#14 krishnak

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 07:50 AM

Hi, This time when I had taken my 90mm starmax to the dark site, I had taken along the 32mm GSO plossl and a 40mm eyepiece (1.25 inch unbranded). In one of the discussions, I had read that the 40mm provides same field of view but slightly brighter image due to better exit pupil. With the 40mm eyepiece, I was able to better detect and see the galaxies (especially Leo triplet, though I was unable to see the third one with this scope, I faintly saw it through the other observers 8 inch dob). The 40mm eyepiece could be a good option as you already have 32mm. Both of them are able to just fit in the Pleiades. I also use this scope on the az gti mount for double star viewing with the 7-21mm svbony eyepiece. Thanks.


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#15 GolgafrinchanB

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 07:02 PM

I think it's more relevant to think of "options in the maxed out 1.25 field stop" range instead of "near the 32mm focal length range".

 

Because you only have access to a 1.25" barrel, you are restricted to a field stop of 27mm and therefore true FOV of 1.2°.

 

A 32mm plossl is already a well-corrected, light, easy-to-use, and cost effective eyepiece for this 27mm field stop niche. You aren't going to see much of a difference in clarity by upgrading because a 32mm plossl generally doesn't have many defects to be dealt with. That said, I think it's perfectly reasonable to upgrade to a TV 32mm if you want to. I don't have personal experience with that eyepiece, but you could for example buy one used here, evaluate yourself, and then sell it if you don't like it - eating a relatively small cost in that scenario.

 

The other direction you can go is in other aspects of the eyepiece such as:

 

Spreading out that TFOV over a wider AFOV (thus zooming in and expanding the picture).

 - This will help stars pop more against skyglow and light pollution since star brightness isn't affected by zooming in while diffuse objects (like the light pollution) are dimmed

 - The views can be more immersive with a wider AFOV. This is pretty fun!

 - The eye placement is harder. I've had little children with very little difficulty in my 32mm plossl (50° AFOV) that really struggle to use my 30UFF (70° AFOV). You'll easily overcome this and it will get easy, but it's different for your guests

 - They are heavier and more expensive. Take heavier seriously with a C90 MAK as something like a 13mm Ethos for example has nearly the same TFOV of a 32mm plossl but weighs 1.3lb (28% the weight of your scope!!). That eyepiece would likely require that you jerry-rig a balancing solution to your mount. For reference, a TV 32 plossl is 0.39lb and a Celestron Omni 32mm plossl is 0.34lb.

 - After a certain point, it's hard to use these with glasses. Extremely wide AFOV eyepieces necessitate smaller eye relief (it's just geometry). Individual designs vary and eye relief numbers are notoriously unreliable since they measure distance from the glass which may not be the distance from the minimum eyeguard.

 - Examples here: Televue 24mm panoptic (full 1.2° TFOV spread across 68° AFOV, 0.5lb), Celestron 15mm Luminos (full 1.2° TFOV spread across 82° AFOV, 0.75lb), Televue 13mm Ethos (1.0° TFOV spread across an insane 100° AFOV, 1.3lb), plenty of others, these were meant to be instructive not specific recommendations.

 

Better mechanical properties

 - Some eyepieces offer screw-up/down eyecups (convenient for sharing between glasses and non-glasses users), rubberized grips, or other benefits

 

Better light transmission (maybe)

 - I haven't personally used them, but some people love brandon and ortho eyepieces for their slight edge in brightness. This often comes at the cost of eye relief (comfort with eyeglasses) and AFOV relative to other options at the same price point

 

I haven't actually offered any suggestions here (I haven't even used most of the example eyepieces that I cite), but hopefully this can be helpful in better understanding what it means to "upgrade beyond a fully multi-coated 32mm plossl". It's less about strict upgrades and more about tradeoffs and priorities at this point.

 

Edit - Lastly, I agree with many others that your money is likely better spent elsewhere. Also, I'm well aware it's rather ridiculous to even discuss something like a 13mm Ethos on a C90 Mak but I think it's good to develop a full understanding of the problem and the extremes are useful when trying to understand these things.


Edited by GolgafrinchanB, 22 April 2025 - 07:11 PM.

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#16 eblanken

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Posted 22 April 2025 - 11:06 PM

+1 on this line of thinking . . . 

 

Hi, This time when I had taken my 90mm starmax to the dark site, I had taken along the 32mm GSO plossl and a 40mm eyepiece (1.25 inch unbranded). In one of the discussions, I had read that the 40mm provides same field of view but slightly brighter image due to better exit pupil. With the 40mm eyepiece, I was able to better detect and see the galaxies (especially Leo triplet, though I was unable to see the third one with this scope, I faintly saw it through the other observers 8 inch dob). The 40mm eyepiece could be a good option as you already have 32mm. Both of them are able to just fit in the Pleiades. I also use this scope on the az gti mount for double star viewing with the 7-21mm svbony eyepiece. Thanks.

 

owning a 40mm Plossl in addition to your 32mm is what I say . . . 

 

Best,

 

Ed


Edited by eblanken, 22 April 2025 - 11:10 PM.

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#17 sevenofnine

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Posted 23 April 2025 - 09:32 AM

The ES 30/52 and Starguider 25/60 work very well in all of my scopes waytogo.gif  The ES has the advantage of being a sealed optic that is waterproof, dust, dirt and fungus proof as well. Something to consider IMO hmm.gif  Best of luck with your decision! borg.gif


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#18 bgermano1738

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Posted 23 April 2025 - 09:55 AM

Thank you all for your great feedback and input.  Based on what I'm hearing, I think I'm going to keep with the Celestron accessory kit eyepiece for the 32mm focal length for now, and consider purchasing a somewhat higher power wider FOV eyepiece in the future (27mm or 24mm) from the ones suggested.  Just to note:  I already own the Celestron 15mm Luminos (suggested by GolgafrinchanB) that gives the full 1.2 degree TFOV (I didn't realize that) so I'm going to try that first.

 

Thank you all again for the wonderful suggestions! Clear skies 


Edited by bgermano1738, 23 April 2025 - 01:40 PM.

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#19 GolgafrinchanB

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Posted 23 April 2025 - 11:45 AM

Just to be clear, I was a bit hasty in claiming the 15 luminos is "1.2deg tfov". It doesn't have a published field stop so I guessed. But running the numbers it's probably closer to 0.96deg tfov plus or minus some variation from flat vs curved fields which I don't fully understand. It's still closeish and totally worth trying! Enjoy the views 🙂
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#20 bgermano1738

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Posted 23 April 2025 - 12:58 PM

Just to be clear, I was a bit hasty in claiming the 15 luminos is "1.2deg tfov". It doesn't have a published field stop so I guessed. But running the numbers it's probably closer to 0.96deg tfov plus or minus some variation from flat vs curved fields which I don't fully understand. It's still closeish and totally worth trying! Enjoy the views

Got it. Thank you!



#21 sportsmed

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Posted 26 April 2025 - 06:46 AM

I used to own the C90 and its a fun little scope, kinda wish I would of just kept it. But yea not alot of choices for 32mm, I used a Celestron Omni 32mm and it did pretty well. But like others have said the ES 68 24mm and Celestron X-Cel LX 25mm could be other options for FOV but alittle more magnification. I have the ES and used to own the X-CEL LX and both are great EP's. Congrats on the little C90 though, enjoy!


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#22 bgermano1738

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Posted 28 April 2025 - 02:10 PM

I used to own the C90 and its a fun little scope, kinda wish I would of just kept it. But yea not alot of choices for 32mm, I used a Celestron Omni 32mm and it did pretty well. But like others have said the ES 68 24mm and Celestron X-Cel LX 25mm could be other options for FOV but alittle more magnification. I have the ES and used to own the X-CEL LX and both are great EP's. Congrats on the little C90 though, enjoy!

 

Thank you for the advice.  I'm already enjoying my C90 as a smaller scope to travel with. :-)




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