This also makes them more resistant to any form of dust getting inside the eyepiece. The Big Bang Optics is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The field of view of the eyepiece has a few effects when it comes to actually using it in the telescope. These sport a 60-degree apparent field of view, about a 20% wider apparent field of view than Plossl eyepieces. It doesnt matter what type of telescope you have, as long as your scope takes these standard sizes. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. Most people prefer the wider TFOV. In general terms, the higher the AFOV number, the more the eyepiece will cost. Here's the short answer - Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. Is it just about finding and framing, or do wide fov EPs create a more immersive experience? Again, this is more noticeable in lower focal ratio scopes. https://telescopicwatch.com/orion-skyquest-xt8-intelliscope-review/. This design has some advantages over other designs, such as the Kellner eyepiece or Orthoscopic eyepieces. But will the Baader CO with 1.5-2-3x Barlows deliver a visibly sharper and more contrast view of the Moon and planets than the zoom lens with a 2x Barlow, to compensate for the zooms convenience that is the question! EP-mm = magnification = afov Focal length telescope / focal length eyepiece = magnification or power. Hi, I have recently bought a Orion XT8 and am trying to work out which eyepieces to add to what is provided with the scope. They include links to them where they can be ordered. 30 = 60 = 1.3 Looking from different sorts I found the Baader Aspheric 31mm and 36mm.these two eyepieces allow me to switch between 2" and 1.25"just by changing the barrel. To achieve six magnifications, you can have six eyepieces. Those are significantly more expensive than the 1.25 focal lengths. I have since moved up to a 12 Dob but I use the same eyepieces and the BH Zoom continues to be my most used. We may earn commissions by recommending products on this website. Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. The Plossl eyepiece has 4 lenses, consisting of 2 identical double lenses. No price limit? If youre still wondering between a Kellner vs Plossl, my advice to you would be invest a little extra cash and go for a good quality Plossl. Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. With your glasses on, you simply cant get your eye close enough to an eyepiece that only has 10 mm of eye relief. For what it's worth: I believe the Omni 1.25 inch 2x Barlow is one of the Shorty Barlows manufactured by GSO. Plssl eyepieces are good all-around performers, producing sharp images at the center of the field, but they have only four lens elements. The longer FL Plossls (>15mm) have some distinct advantages over more complex designs without the major disadvantage of Plossls which is short ER. Centuries of improvements led to achromatic refractors, where the primary lens is made up of two lenses of different types of glass, which reduces false color fringing and allows the telescope to be made considerably more compact. They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. Thanks all. As Im sure you know, a Barlow actually narrows the cone of light that enters the eyepiece, hence it affects the apparent focal length and thus the f/ratio of the telescope objective. If you are buying your first telescope, and you are choosing between the telescope that includes a Kellner or a telescope that comes with a Plossl, with all the other specs being similar, pick the telescope thats offering you the Plossl, even if its slightly more expensive. Using this approach, you would buy a 2X Barlow and hold off on the 4 mm and 3 mm to see if you can reach these magnifications often enough to justify buying an eyepiece. And remember, when all else fails, read the instructions. Celestron - 1.25" Eyepiece and Filter Accessory Kit - 14 Piece Telescope Accessory Set - Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - Barlow Lens - Colored Filters - Moon Filter - Sturdy Metal Carry Case. Type above and press Enter to search. Orion Q70 38 mm works well. However, your budget must guide your purchases. I cant answer that specifically as I have no experience with that eyepiece in that scope. It is all about your budget, your goals, and your objectives, as outlined in the article. As for Barlow Lenses, take a look at this article. If you are looking at eyepieces that are wider than 55 degrees AFOV, you will again need to consider looking at the better corrected, and typically more expensive, eyepieces. Explore Scientific recently extended this offering by adding a series of 82 degree eyepieces labeled LER, or Long Eye Relief. OK that makes sense, many thanks. Hello sir, thanks for your article its realy helpful. They are not that expensive I would pay about $100 for both eye pieces. This can be debated 100 ways, but that is my advice. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. By the 1980s, amateur astronomy equipment suppliers were still selling new telescopes with Huygens and Ramsden eyepieces, not merely because they were cheap but because they lacked internal reflections. Now we have a maximum established. If you feel the need to buy something now, consider this Orion diagonal. This is a good thing, because normally the shorter the focal length of the eyepiece, the less eye relief you have. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. Omni 32mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. I decided to jump in with both feet and get an Orion ED80 (600mm f7.5 with a 2 focuser, So that I can move into astrophotography down the road. Where a difference can show up is that a lower number focal ratio scope will make it harder for an eyepiece to provide a uniformly good, in-focus image all the way across the field of view due to the steeper angle that the light arrives at the edges of the eyepiece with a low focal ratio scope, as compared to a high focal ratio scope. How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? The Hexagon Zoom Eyepiece is made from durable plastic material that resists scratching and it has an eye relief distance of 15mm. The quality of a Plossl eyepiece completely depends on the brand and model, so be very careful in our selection. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. I believe the 5000 UWA's are good as well. I recommend it often to beginners on a tight budget. The Plossl was also called a Kellner Type III in some earlier references; in the 1950's, Edmund Scientific sold a "Kellner" eyepiece made from war surplus lenses, but it actually consisted of two achromats in the classic Plossl configuration. Because the eyepiece was still similar enough to a Plossl and still kept the symmetrical design, they called it Super Plossl. Of course, for the cost of the two Plossls, you could justify having them as spares or outreach EPs. The Celestron Omni Plossl eyepiece range offers a nice entry-level range into the higher quality 4-element Plossl design. . If your scope uses eyepieces that are closer to 1, then you have an old style .965 that is now obsolete. Now we can establish a target magnification range. How does that field of view impact the viewing experience? From planetary viewing to deep sky watching. However, Orion has managed to make one that is quite compatible with most styles of telescope. If you go this route, you can always add single focal length eyepieces along the way to serve specialized purposes. So your 600 mm example (f/6) becomes, in effect, an 1800 mm focal length, f/18 but it does not change the focal length of the eyepiece. Ah I see what you are saying, I had wondered whether this might have had an impact as Ive seen it mentioned before but dont fully understand it so will do some research, thank you . However, some lateral color error is apparent when looking at bright subjects, such as Jupiter or Venus, against a dark sky. How important a consideration is this when deciding on an eyepiece? There is no problem using a Celestron eyepiece in a Meade telescope, for example. The magnification range that is appropriate to your scope. Or, you can have three properly sized eyepieces and use a Barlow lens to achieve three more magnifications, which is usually a less expensive way to go. If your focuser/diagonal only accepts 1.25 eyepieces, I would recommend you use a 32mm as your longest focal length, lowest power eyepiece. AP is all about the mount and accurate tracking. But, at least get the 32mm Plssl. The generic GSO Plssl from many manufacturers, including Astronomics (Astro Tech) and Agnena Astro, is as good as the Celestron and a few bucks cheaper. A zoom eyepiece works like the zoom lens on a camera. Hi - I bought these from another AM'er 1 year or so back, thinking I will get into visual astro, But never found the inclination, So here it is for sale 9mm Nagler type 6 mint with box and caps,16mm Nagler type 5,optics are exc. These eyepieces have about 35 to 50 degrees apparent fields of view and reasonable eye relief, though quite short for high magnifications. They also have good eye relief, making them comfortable to use for extended periods. But the conventional way of expressing it is in terms of eyepiece focal lengths. If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. A good modern eyepiece like a BST starguider 12,8 and 5mm are excellent eyepieces. You mentioned regarding ORTHO eyepieces: Excellent specialty eyepieces, usually for planets. There are certainly much better options out there but at a significant cost. The price can run to over $1000 per eyepiece. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. In the world of eyepieces, when you want the very best, turn to Tele Vue, but be prepared to pay a truly premium price. A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Eye relief of less than 10mm gets really uncomfortableyou tend to rub your eyepieces against the eyepiece or lens, and you have to hold your eye at just the right distance to keep from touching the lens.