How to build an effective telescope eyepiece set. A guide and comparison of eyepiece types.
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- Selecting the right gear to go into your telescope eyepiece case can be one of thee most intimidating aspects of amateur astronomy.
In this video I discuss some of the most common eyepiece designs and the terminology around them. We then zero in on how to build an optimized eyepiece collection!
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Great video Vlad. Love your personal experiences with using them rather than just repeating the specs.
Glad you like the approach 👍
The best explanation of eyepieces i found as a beginner is in "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide" by Dickinson. TBAG is a book every beginner should have or borrow from library. I bought Teleview plossel in 32mm and 25mm as well as Teleview Delite in the 15mm and 9mm. The Delite eyepieces are very nice with 62deg FOV and generous eye relief for those of us who wear glasses. I cringed at the cost but now will stick with TV eyepieces. Now wanting 7mm and 5mm Delite eyepieces.
TeleVue does make excellent eyepieces, glad you off to a good start!
@@AVTAstro Thanks, wish they were more affordable for everyone. I started with the plossel and they were so much better than others I had looked through before. The choice was mainly based on eye relief. The only thing I don't like is the Delite sliding eye cup thing.
Well I wish a lot of things where more affordable(especialy these days)... LOL. I guess we have to pay to play!
They are expensive but worth ES are pretty good to ,have a couple of there 100°eyepieces 20 and 14 ,also the 30 ,82° some of my favorites
@@-donkey_696_I just discovered the Astro-Tech 28mm UWA 82° that is had for $200 shipped to your door. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of such an amazing deal for a new in box eyepiece. Its performance is 95% as good, maybe higher as my Tele Vue 31mm Type 5 Nagler 82° but that set me back $700+ shipped to my door. If your Telescope can handle a 1.5 lbs 2” eyepiece do not hesitate to pick one up, even if you have a piece that covers its power range.
I recently bought an Orion XT-8 Plus. While I was waiting the two months for it to arrive I also bought a right-angle finder and a Baader Hyperion zoom (& a Baader Neodymium filter) and I have not been disappointed in any way whatsoever. I would like to get the Explore Scientific 28mm to replace the 28mm Orion Deep View next...
Glad to hear your liking your setup. Sounds like a very solid start to me!
Been watching your videos new subscriber here ,love the videos, great content
WOW! That is an eyepiece collection! Hope one day mine looks like yours! Thanks for the great videos, new subscriber here!
Thanks for the kind comment and subscribing! I really appreciate it!!!
Hey Vlad. I have a question. Disregarding price, is there a point where a 2 inch eyepiece doesn’t provide a meaningful performance advantage over a 1.25 inch eyepiece? This video has been really helpful to me. You did a great job breaking down fov vs eye relief etc, and explaining the advantages vs disadvantages. I have 5 scopes now, 3 with 2 inch diagonals and 2 with 1.25 inch. Overall I like the 2 inch a lot better, but still enjoy the convenience of my small scopes, so I guess what I’m asking is, are there some focal lengths, magnification, or fov ranges where a 1.25 eyepiece can pull double duty without giving up much performance?
Glad you don't the video helpful! Basicly all that a 2" eyepiece gives you the ability to do is go wider. So with 1.25" you max out at 24mm @ 68*. If that is wide enough for you there is no advantage to a 2" eyepiece. Best, Vlad.
@@AVTAstrounless you want to keep that 68° AFOV and want to go lower in magnification for a larger Exit Pupil to be able to take in more light and see DSO’s that the 24mm would miss?
One thing to keep in mind when building a collection is to not overlap the true field of view. For example, the TV 32plossel has the same true field of view as the 24mm panoptic. If you had both then the 32plossel is useless because the panoptic would show you the same amount of sky at a higher magnification.
Very good point👍
Not really true… that 32mm would have so much larger of an Exit Pupil that your dark adapted eye could take in so much more light. In a F/5.9 for example it would be 1.5mm larger. You would see deep sky objects that the 24mm wouldn’t.
The 14mm es100 holds up well against the 13 ethos on edge performance, but the 21 ethos beasts the 20mm es100 easily. Sometimes there is a cherry in the line. The later Meade 5000 5.5uwa is the same. When I got one I used it with my 7mm nagler5 in my rv101 and it was just like increasing the power , they performed identically. Though I hear the 5mm nagler5 is one of the best in the set, so maybe at that focal length the nagler would be better. But for $99 at the time I was blown away by the meade.
Yeah price to performance is certainly something to consider when budget is a concern.
@AVTAstro back when explore scientific was still affordable, I got my 20 for $200 used. I got my WO 20mm xwa for a similar price, and that one was close enough to the ethos, even at an uncorrected f4.5. I was very happy after getting to do that comparison. With the paracorr it was even closer
So far this is what my Eyepiece collection consists of… anything else you would recommend?
Tele Vue Panoptic 35mm 68°
Astro-Tech 28mm UWA 82°
Tele Vue Nagler T4 22 mm 82°
Tele Vue Delos 17.3 mm 72°
Tele Vue Ethos 13 mm 100°
Tele Vue Ethos 8 mm 100°
Tele Vue 2x Powermate
Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate
Tele Vue 3x Barlow
Thats a pretty nice setup you have there. Unless you have some specific application your missing eyepieces for I think most folks would be happy with your set! ;)
Man, I thought my Ethos 21 was a monster... That 30mm is an enormous beast! I could get my exercise doing arm curls with that. I love a wide field of view on Jupiter, to be able to see details on the planet with it's moons in the view at the same time!
You surely can. It weights 5lb. LOL.
That "green writing" definitely gets the heart pumping 😅👍
Lol, sure does!
Vlad. I have to agree with you on using high power or perhaps medium power on deep sky objects. I recently purchased an 8 inch Newtonian F5 (1000mm) and placed it on a CG-4 mount. Perhaps under mounted. First light was a sliver of the Moon through the trees. Second object was M13. I had grabbed only some simple eyepieces, 25mm Plossl and 10mm Plossl. I also had a 2.1 x barlow. I decided to used the 10mm and barlow it for about 210 power. The sight was incredible!. It filled the whole field of view. I could still barely make out the individual stars.
I just realized that I have made the last three posts on this vid lol!
Yeah for the cg4 an 8" is kind of pushing it but I'm sure will work for visual use. Sounds like your off to a great start!
@@AVTAstro Yeah. I don't like goto mounts and its practically impossible to find a manual mount that can support more than 20 lbs. If you know of one please tell me. Twilight II is alt az.
Hi there 🙂.
Just wanted to thank you for showing the top of the 14 mm, 100 degree, explore scientific. Most, if not all, the advertisement for that ep.. don't show the top lenses. Apparently there's been some complaints of the top lenses being too deeply recessed on that particular EP.
Could you please comment on the 14 mm's top eye lenses. Do you find it satisfactory when observing??
Hi, glad it was helpful! Well in general as I said in the video all of the 100* eyepieces I have owned need you to get really, really close to the glass to see the entire FOV at one. I do not find the 14mm any worst then the others(both TeleVue and ES). Best, Vlad.
@@AVTAstro
Thanks for your prompt response.👍🙂
There are a couple I didn’t get to see size. Mostly bigger Naglers. Just would like to know.
I have the typical Meade line. Down to about 9mm.
Have Vixen (SLV) 9mm. Totally rocks.
Have 40mn and 32 mm 2 inch. Awesome eyepieces.
I'm looking at some orthoscopic EPs for planetary viewing and am liking the reviews I've read on them. Use them in my 100mm f-4 and my 150mm f5, both Newtonians. I do not like to go above 100x in my f-4 100mm, I keep it at 80x as the mount doesn't have hand controls so following a faster moving object is tough. My 150mm f-5 has hand controls so I'm looking at a Takahashi Ortho 14mm as it has a 50+ fov and should be good for DSOs. The Takahashi's are really just an ortho'd Plossl, but they're only around $50. I'm also getting the Baader Ortho at 10mm and Barlow 160x or higher for planets. All depends at how sharp it stays, but here in New Mexico most nights are good for viewing except when the wind tones it down some.
Yeah I like orthos👍
Whether 1.25” or 2”, do telescopes all have a standardized image circle size at the focal plane which the eyepiece focuses on? What is the image circle size? How much of an optical compromise does such standardization create? Are there times when you need to match the image circle of the eyepiece to the telescope i.e., the optics have been perfectly matched requiring a dedicated integration? Sorry, I don’t know anything about this subject.
Most scopes will be able to utilize any eyepieces. The only thing limiting the "image circle" size is your eyes exit pupil. Look up "eyepiece exit pupil" and you will find all the info you need.
That is the hardest flex of an eyepiece collection I've ever seen
Lol
After a year of stargazing I do a lot of planetary with two Orthos, Fujiyama 25mm and 18mm in conjunction with my Tele Vue Barlow depending on the scope. Nothing else is as bright and crisp, I guard those and don't loan 1 out without going with it. All out of stock and no one knows when they'll be available again if ever.
Vlad, have you ever used a Tele Vue 2.5x Powermate with the 4 elements instead of 2?
I bought a Sky Watcher 102mm Maksutov and they sent 25mm and 10mm Kellners with it instead of Plossls. Their 127mm came with a 2" 28mm Plossl I guess, doesn't say what type it is, just that it's multicoated. I actually prefer my GSO 32mm to it.
Sounds like you have some nice glass! I have used several of the powermates. Overall they are only better for photography.
@@AVTAstro Thanks, nice to know.
I wished the specifications for some items would point it out that something is more for photography rather than visual. The extra money isn't worth it over my tall TV Barlow.
From what you have said I take it that you use 6mm orthos on your binoviewer. I am wondering is it difficult to aline both eyes over such small eyepieces? I typically use a 4mm ortho on the moon and planets and I am wondering if I get a binoviewer will it be impossible to use a pair of 4mm orthos due to such small exit pupil and eye relief?
Yup you are correct, I have two of them for Binoviewers. I very rarely use them because the 10mm is much more comfortable. It is possible with the 6mm but eye relief is just tight. I have no issues with merging the images but that will vary from person to person and is also determined by how well your binoviewer is collimated.
@@AVTAstro Kinda what I was thinking. I assume I might need to use a corrector with the binoviewer so might only have to use a 6mm.I am trying to decide what eyepieces to get with it. Thanks
Really enjoying your videos and thankyou for the shared knowledge. I am new to the hobby and assembling a basic setup.
So far I have a Newt/EQ D=114mm F=900mm f/8, I have ordered a Baadar Zoom mk4, and I wear glasses as I am an older fellow.
which two eyepiece sizes in 1.25" socket size whould best complement each end of the Baddar rooms range ?. I would like a quality see as much FOV as I can on the zoomed out end of my scopes range (to zero in on targets manually), and then something else to get me in closer and cleaner than the zoomed in 8 setting on the Badder. Hopefully my question made sense and didn't come across as newb word salad LOL.
Do you have a 2" focuser? Overall you already own and excellent eyepiece that will show 98-99% of what your scope can show. Just spend some time with it and I think you will find for yourself if you need anything else!
@@AVTAstro No just a 1.25 focuser, glad to hear the Baadar Zoom pretty much covers my scopes near full range, still waiting for the BZ to arrive, any day now. !! Then watch, it will rain for a few weeks, just my luck lol.
HOLY MOLY those are some BIGGGGGGGGGG eyepieces
Lol, yes the first time I saw the Explorer Science 30mm 100* in real life I was in disbelief! Vlad.
Best main eyepiece for f/5 refractor 150mm? ES 20 100 vs Ethos 17 100 ?
Um idk that it would bake a huge difference between those two. magnification and FOV wise. At f/5 I'd probably prefer the Ethos as it will give you a cleaner image at the edges.
Thankyou for all this great information. I am a beginner with a celestron se8 on a standard base. After watching your video on the Baader 8-24 zoom, I really want to get that one. If I understood correctly, it sounds like a magnification of 120-130 x is very good for deep sky viewing. Would this zoom be all I need for that? I will also be using the high powers alot. I was thinking about something over 25mm, but being I am keeping my 1.25 diagonal, should I not go over 25mm, as I would not get a wider fov? I found only one eyepiece so far that sounds like it would fit, and it is a Baader hyperion aspheric 1.25 31mm. I think the fov is 72. The bad news for me is its price. I am lucky to get that zoom. lol Is there a lower priced eyepiece you may recommend for a 1.25?
Hey congrats on the 8SE! Its an awesome scope to start out with and I would have done just about anything to have it been my first scope back when I got into the hobby(I started with a 60mm Tasco Achromat)! If you are sticking with the 1.25" form factor I honestly would really just get the zoom and see if you feel like you really need a wider eyepiece. Issue is that with the 1.25" eyepiece you are maximized at 24mm 68*. While that is wider than the zoom at 24mm and 50* its not earth shatteringly wider. You really need to get a 2" eyepiece, 2" visual back and 2" diagonal to get a significantly wider FOV.
Check out my video on must have 8se accessories: ua-cam.com/video/Xq4sjKXih0Y/v-deo.html
If your not going up to two inch soon check out my blog post on the ES 26mm 62* and 24mm 68*: avt-astro.com/explore-scientific-24mm-68-vs-26mm-62-eyepiece-review/
@@AVTAstro Thankyou so much for your fast reply! I will check those out. I look forward to watching all of your videos. Thankyou so much for making them!
Yes the 31mm is actually a good way to go because it will still get you the maximum possible FOV out of 1.25" but you can use it in the future with 2" if you go that route. Do keep in mind that you will not et the full 72* at 31mm. You will effectively have about a 31mm ~55* eyepiece when used with the 1.25" nosepiece. If you order on Amazon please use this link: amzn.to/38JX6dn
@@AVTAstro Thankyou. When I get down to deciding which one to go with, I will order from there. I started out wanting to get a 2" diagonal that was dielectric. The reason I wasn't so sure I should, is that I don't know how good my SE8 will support that. It is a standard mount fork, and I do not do astrophotography. I think for me it would get way out of my budget. Would it cause issues with the goto motor in my scope from the weight of that and the eyepieces, and would moving my scope up on its dovetail mount solve the issue of the eyepiece in 2" hitting on the base on movement? Those were my concerns. If you feel I could safely have a 2" diagonal setup, is there one more compact (where it isn't so big to hit anything) that would work, that is very good quality, but in a more reasonable price range? Would it have to be the prism type rather then the mirror? If I did go with a 2" would the Baader zoom give me more fov on the low magnifications like the 24 or 20? I am wondering if I did go with a 2" if the zoom should be eliminated, and I go with just some 2" eye pieces. (for budget reasons) Thankyou for your time and patience. I did go over your reviews for the 6SE and the 8SE.
You are right that the 8se is not really designed to use with a 2" setup. You will have issues with the diagonal hitting the mount when pointed near up. You can and will actually need to(because this will help to have it balanced better) move the OTA as far up as it will go on the dovetail but even that will not let the diagonal clear.
As far as the zoom, it will not get a wider FOV with a 2" diagonal. Its not maximizing even what 1.25" will do. Quite frankly if it was me faced with this decision what I would do is just stick with a 1.25" diagonal. Get the zoom plus a 24mm 68* eyepiece. The 24mm 68* is the absolute widest possible FOV you can get out of 1.25", and the zoom covers you for the rest. But even just the zoom by itself is an awesome, awesome eyepiece that will cover you for so many observing situations. I literally have over $3,000 of eyepieces form 50*-100* and use the zoom the most. Its that good!
Nice presentation and decent recs except about the high mag. option totally disagree. Widest field then the ~2mm exit pupil and then the 120-130 mag. ocular and a 3element 2" 2x barlow. Done!
Clear and steady skies
Thanks for the feedback! It sounds like what your proposing is a good way to go as well. Obviously there are more then one way to skin this when it comes to eyepieces. What I recommend has worked for me with essentially any type of scope you can think of over and in 25 years of being in the hobby. This includes everything form a 50mm Tak APO to a 18" Dob. I must say for some reason I have never been too much of a fan of barlows but this is a totally personal preference;) Lol
How about Vixen SLV Lantan eyepieces for Moon and planetary viewing?
Never had one. If I come across one I will be sure to. Thanks!
Hi Vlad, how the Morpheus/huperion series by Baader would hold aginst the 68 ES series ? In terms of quality of the image and flatness/coma at edge?
Hi, sorry I do not have much experience with the Morpheus line.
Hyperion is somewhat overHyped and expensive for not designed for faster than f/7 telescope eyepieces and with only mid wide AFOV.
Morpheus is again very high quality eyepiece line (14mm is the weakest, but that's unneeded focal length anyway) and with eye relief giving better viewable field than for example Naglers or closely related ES82s... Whose short(/ish) eye relief makes significant part of field to be hidden "behind corner".
Baader has 20% discount on Morpheus making them very good buys especially in Europe. (215€ here in Finland)
Hey Vlad, I have to question. I have a dob 12” 1500 FL 4.9F
For widest EP should I go with the ES 30mm 82 or a ES 24mm 82? Obviously I know magnification is different. But I’m reading people discussing exit pupil. The 30mm is around 6.0 and the 24mm is at 5.1. Should I put exit people into consideration due to light pollution? I’m a bortle level 6. I did check with Stellarium and I know the 30mm would frame better. Which one should I buy first? And do I need both?
I think if you are observing primarily from a light polluted area the 24mm would be a better way to go. If you do plan on going out to dark skies during new moon then the 30mm would be my choice easily! I have owned both and they are excellent eyepieces. Hope this helps, Vlad.
@@AVTAstro thank you for the suggestion. I guess also the plus is the 24mm is lighter.
There is a local shop selling a 25mm 100 used that would be 5.0 exit pupil and it would actually have the same FOV as the 30mm 82 but I can’t wrap my mind spending $700. Maybe I could negotiate $50 off, maybe pay cash to avoid tax.
The 25mm 100* is my primary low power-wide field eyepiece. Its expensive but awesome! $700 used is kind of steep on it. I picked up mine used in like new shape for around $500.
I have Explore Scientific 82 deg: 4.7mm, 8.8mm, 14mm, 30mm, ES 68 degree 24mm, Televue Plossl 32mm. - 12" f/5 Dob. Do you think I'm missing any focal lengths or FOVs? I also have Baader zoom, usually use it to judge best eyepiece focal length for seeing conditions and then swap to the indicated fixed focal length eyepiece. Debating getting a second Baader Zoom to binoview with
Looks like your pretty well covered! Nice collection of eyepieces!👍
sheeeersh🥵🥶🥵🥶🥵🥶
@@consti-xe8cj I got all ES's cheap from Aliexpress. Don't worry :)
@@Mandragara ok..
Thanks for your post. Could you please advise your suggestions for my first time purchase with a 115 triplet apo? I would like to minimize my eyepiece collection to 3-4. So far my list looks like a 31 Nagler, 24 panoptic, 9 Nagler, 2x Barlow. Thanks in advance
Do you already have a 115mm APO or are you asking witch one I would recommend(if so what's your budget)? Also it would help to know what the focal length is of the scope to give a good recommendation on the eyepieces. The 31mm Nagler is certainly a very good choice! 24mm Panoptic is a very good eyepiece as well if you need the 1.25" form factor. If you are using a 2" diagonal anyhow I don't see why not just go with a nagler in that focal length as well. But overall It does sound like you are considering a very good eyepiece lineup! Vlad.
@@AVTAstro Thanks for your reply. Everything is on back order but I have been making changes often. Sorry for the lack of info but I planned purchasing the Orion 115mm f/7.0 805 focal length with the atlas ll mount and a televue 2” diaelectric diagonal. You definitely have a lot of experience with eyepieces and I appreciate your input. I would like to have only 4 eyepieces to take care of my needs for all around use with possible Astro photography in the future. I just plan on visual use for now. Thanks for your time.
Based on that scope that I would recoment is a 31mm Nagler(low power 25x), 13mm Nagler(mid power 61x and 123x with barlow) and for hiigh power 9 or 7mm Nagler depending on how good your seeing is. Best, Vlad.
@@AVTAstro you’re awesome. I’m really excited to put this all together with so many people helping me on this hobby.
@@chettdavidson1568 It's hard to go wrong with Televue eyepieces. Personally, I'd stick within the same eyepiece series in a 3 eyepiece + barlow starter collection, in case you want to complete a "set" someday. (i.e. Panoptic, Delos, Ethos, Delite, Nagler) A 115mm f/7 APO will be great on the moon and planets, so a set of Baader Orthoscopics (18mm, 10mm, 6mm + a Barlow) may be a less expensive alternative to consider.
That's nice n all. How about an effective set up for someone who makes less than 200k a year?
Ummmm, did you watch the video or just look at the thumbnail of the video??? I specifically say at least 3 times that all you need is 3 eyepieces.
are those 3 inch eyepieces? Absolute units
Only the 30mm 100* is a 3".
No Naglers at this point.
Vlad do you have any recommendations for binoviewer? I have been thinking about getting one. Just happens you mentioned them. Also, I was thinking of using orthos with it and was wondering if you can use small exit pupil eyepieces such as 4mm or 5mm? Would they be too tight to actually see with them? Also it seems that some come with something like a 1.6X barlow which I assume is to bring the binos in focus. Thanks!
I have only used Denkamire binoviewers and highly recommend them. I know that Baader makes a good one that's less expensive. Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the budget offerings. The 1.7 corrector is required to reach focus if you do not use a SCT. I have used my binoviewers with the 6mm orthos and it works well but the eye relief is very tight. I don't know if I'd want to go below 6mm and honestly in most cases use the 10mm of 18mm. Best, Vlad.
@@AVTAstro Wound there be an issue in using say a set of 4mm orthos or plossls in a binoviewer? Meaning would it pose an issue in aligning them with your eyes?
Also, what advantages would Denkamire have over Baader?
i have
-TS Plössl 40mm
Cool, and how do you like it???
@@AVTAstro i cant use it because the delivery time of my telescope changed two times and now i have to wait till juli
it sucks
Knows his onions or in this case optics.
Thanks👍
that's about 10 grand worth of eyepices. hope u have eyepiece insurance
Yes sir! I have my own terminator robot protecting them. LOL;)
@@AVTAstro I have a nerf gun turret protecting my stuff
all I see is $$$ especially the Tele Vue!
All the Ep's on that table are a fair amount of cash. For someone that is in the hobby for a lifetime they are all about the best investment that can be made!
That's a lot of money sitting on the table.
A lot of money well spent😜
Spend lots of money …then spend more.
lol, you pretty much described and good hobby;)