TheSkySearchers

allen g wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:06 pm I few years ago I had my cataract surgery at ucla. The surgeon developed a technique called astigmatism management and what a difference the entire procedure made in my viewing - like a new set of eyes.

UCLA? Any chance that was at the "Jules Stein Eye Institute"? I understand that is one of the best places for eye surgery in the world.

yes Jules Stein and the doctor was Kevin Miller

Hi Folks,

Some good comments here. One thing I have found is that my astigmatism has improved(!) as I age: so my distance vision has improved (although my close-up vision has worsened!). When I look at bright stars now without glasses I can see a distinct dot in the centre of all those spikes: eg: Sirius used to look like 3 or 4 Eiffel Towers superimposed on each other at different angles with a hole in the middle, and covering about 1/4 degree of sky. Now there is a nice dot in the middle, with less spikes...

That means that I can get a sharper view through an eyepiece than I used to without wearing my glasses. There has got to be some benefits to ageing!

The same thing can happen with short-sightedness apparently, as the eye muscles change their tone and the lens shape is altered.

Bottom line is that all my eyepieces work as well or better than they used to. The important thing for any of them as I age at least is that I get the best quality I can afford to ensure top transmission and maximum sharp field.

- Dean

Hello all,

with the increasing age, like in my case, the first is the observing comfort:
- long eye relief
- no black outs
- no kidney beaning

The same importance has:
- the highest possible transmissivity of light
- the highest possible contrast
and this depends on the quality of materials, quality of surface polish, multicoatings, internal blackening, diaphragms to stop the stray light, ...

With the highest transmissivity and contrast I can win up to 1/2 Bortle against the hobby grade EPs, and I can see some elusive faint fuzzies from the Sharpless and Lynd's catalogs, for which the others need much more aperture.

As Mark (Don Quixote) has put it above,
the ultrawide Docter 12.5mm is the King, and I would add that the Leica ultrawide WW aspheric zoom is the Queen.

I have already posted elsewhere the core of my arsenal, and here it is with some more comments on "why":

Low magnifications (f=25mm - 32mm), small AFOV:

Leica L Plan 32mm
Leica HC Plan S 25mm
(professional grade with the maximum transmissivity and contrast)



Medium magnifications (f=22mm - 11mm), wide (ultrawide) AFOV:

Leica B WW and B Televid series (discontinued), intrafocal design for the fast refractors
Zeiss B WW Diascope series, intrafocal design for the fast refractors

Pentax SMC O-18 (discontinued), Abbe ortho
Carl Zeiss Jena 16-O export version (discontinued), Abbe ortho

DOCTER 12.5 mm

High magnifications, wide AFOV:

Pentax SMC XW 10, enhanced transmissivity in blue for the galaxies hunting
Pentax SMC XW 7, enhanced transmissivity in blue for the galaxies hunting

High magnifications (f=9mm - 6mm), small AFOV:

Pentax SMC O-9 (discontinued), Abbe ortho
Pentax SMC O-7 (discontinued), Abbe ortho
Pentax SMC O-6 (discontinued), Abbe ortho

Maximum magnifications and beyond:

Pentax SMC XW 3.5, when I am too lazy to track the scope

Pentax SMC XO 2.5 (discontinued), the Prince

Zooms:

Leica 25x - 50x WW Asp., eventually on the Baader VIP Barlow, eats lots of other very good EPs for breakfest

Tele Vue Nagler Zoom 3mm - 6mm, the best from Al Nagler

Otherwise, like with the wines, the choice of the EPs is a matter of taste, and unfortunately the budget matters as well,

JG

JG, that's an impressive and valuable list. But... I do wonder if it might fit even better into an "EPs as we get richer" category.
Do you happen to have any suggestions for the less-$$-committed types?

allen g wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:06 pm Galileo had cataracts and as we age it is probable most of us will as well. Today's surgery makes a big difference. I few years ago I had my cataract surgery at ucla. The surgeon developed a technique called astigmatism management and what a difference the entire procedure made in my viewing - like a new set of eyes.

I have very slight cataracts. So slight they are that folks don't want to operate. I find them annoying for observing but no trouble in daylight. I'm carefully using protective eyewear during sunlit hours. Cutting down on uv exposure helps. I'm also looking at video astronomy.

I’m new with regard to being able to afford some decent eyepieces, always cheaper out and for the <$50 ones.
Now I have a great triple set, 55PL, 17mm Nagler and a 2X powermate. Televue’s glass is really good to my eyes. Like my old pro 2.8 lenses. Makes a big difference over the $50 ones, but they are considerably more pricey.

JCINGA wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:58 am I’m new with regard to being able to afford some decent eyepieces, always cheaper out and for the <$50 ones.
Now I have a great triple set, 55PL, 17mm Nagler and a 2X powermate. Televue’s glass is really good to my eyes. Like my old pro 2.8 lenses. Makes a big difference over the $50 ones, but they are considerably more pricey.

Good performance costs. I'm not fan of the Naglers but the Panoptic and Delos lines are pretty sweet. I also have the TV Plossls with which I get the best detection of faint objects. (I get better internal contrast from BCOs and KK Orthos).

My guiding principle is that a well chosen set of eyepieces is good for a lifetime but the scopes come and go.

AntennaGuy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:18 pm JG, that's an impressive and valuable list. But... I do wonder if it might fit even better into an "EPs as we get richer" category.
Do you happen to have any suggestions for the less-$$-committed types?

Since I have retired, I am not getting any richer, just the opposite, ha, ha
With one or another exception, all these EPs I have purchased 2nd hand, or from the surplus sales.

If you want the best Plössl ever made, then take this Zeiss Ploessl https://www.ebay.de/itm/1-Stuck-Symmetr ... Sw21Rb9UAh for less than $40
I have a pair of these, and our John Baars can tune a song on its performance.
And when you scroll the bwoptik, they have also some other EPs you eventually may like.

If you want the Zeiss E-Pl, hyped on the cloudy nights,
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/5119 ... elescopes/
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/5083 ... ype/page-2
then you can get it from haristar https://www.ebay.de/itm/ZEISS-WEST-E-Pl ... SwjapddTIe for less than $100

Best,

JG

notFritzArgelander wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:43 pm

allen g wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:06 pm Galileo had cataracts and as we age it is probable most of us will as well. Today's surgery makes a big difference. I few years ago I had my cataract surgery at ucla. The surgeon developed a technique called astigmatism management and what a difference the entire procedure made in my viewing - like a new set of eyes.

I have very slight cataracts. So slight they are that folks don't want to operate. I find them annoying for observing but no trouble in daylight. I'm carefully using protective eyewear during sunlit hours. Cutting down on uv exposure helps. I'm also looking at video astronomy.

Hello not_Fritz,

I am also protecting my eyes from the sun light on the days before the observing sessions.
What might help you at the telescope is the Baader UV/IR cut filter, which cuts all wavelengths shorter than 420nm.
I am using this filter sometimes.
Another possibility is to use the light yellow long pass filters, the best ones are the porfessional grade from Leitz, but difficult to find.
They also need resizing into 1.25"

We won't be any younger, we just believe to be wiser, ha, ha

JG

AntennaGuy wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:18 pm JG, that's an impressive and valuable list. But... I do wonder if it might fit even better into an "EPs as we get richer" category.
Do you happen to have any suggestions for the less-$$-committed types?

EP selection goes like this
Optical quality - $
Field of View - $
Long Eye Relief - $
Optical quality with wide field of view and long eye relief - $$$

If you prepared to compromise there are good quality EPs for reasonable prices. Take this set for example

https://agenaastro.com/eyepieces/1-25-e ... lossl.html

These are 4 of great optical quality EPs plus good barlow for $250 brand new. In this case you forgo wide field of view and log ER.