How many eyepieces should we have?

Discuss telescope eyepieces.
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WilliamPaolini United States of America
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#41

Post by WilliamPaolini »


OzEclipse wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:53 am
WilliamPaolini wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:39 am Over my observing lifetime I've owned/borrowed almost 400 eyepieces! Today I maintain several sets, e.g., XWs, Morpheus, Take LEs, Edmund RKEs, BST Starguiders, plus a bunch of singles. IMO the sky's the limit for how many eyepieces one can have. It is a hobby so no reason to be frugal if you do not want to...so enjoy!
400 eyepieces but only 14 posts to TSS.
Hey...give me a break :lol: ...I just recently discovered this board :dance: Give me some time and I will get that post number up! Right now just moved to a new home so am still wrapped up in all the unpacking and adjusting and settling in.
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8" f/5 Newt - Lunt 152 f/7.9 - TSA 102 f/8 - Vixen 81S f/7.7 - P.S.T. - Pentax 65ED II - Nikon 12x50 AE
Pentax XWs - Baader Morpheus - Takahashi LEs - Edmund RKEs - BST Starguiders - 6ZAO-II/5XO/4Abbe
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#42

Post by StarBru »


I own 30 eyepieces and no complete sets! My older Meade Series 4000 SP's come the closest but are missing the 6.4, 32, and 56mm sizes. I do have a 32mm Celestron plossl though. I also have a MIJ 2" 50mm Orion plossl, but I can only use that in my 120mm reflector and 127mm refractor, and then rarely. None of my eyepieces cost more than $160 used, with most costing me below $50 each new or used!

The eyepieces I use the most are 8, 10, 14, 18, 20, 25, 26 and 27mm. So everytime I see a good deal on an eyepiece I don't have, I think of buying it but then I ask myself WHY?
:lol:
Bruce

Refractors: Meade AR-5 127mm f/9.3, Meade ST-80 f/5 and Meade 60mm f/12, Jason 60mm f/15 #313, Jason 60mm f/12 #306 S7, Bushnell Sky Chief III 60mm f/15.
Reflectors/Catadioptrics: Meade 10" F/4 Schmidt-Newtonian, Galileo 120mm f/8.3 Newtonian, Meade 2045D 4" f/10 SCT, Meade ETX-90EC f/13.8 & Sarblue 60mm f/12.5 Maksutov-Cassegrains.
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Misc: Celestron 20x80mm binoculars, Revolution II Imager/accessories, & lots of optical accessories/eyepieces.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#43

Post by OzEclipse »


WilliamPaolini wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:29 pm
Bigzmey wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 5:56 pm
WilliamPaolini wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:39 am Over my observing lifetime I've owned/borrowed almost 400 eyepieces! Today I maintain several sets, e.g., XWs, Morpheus, Take LEs, Edmund RKEs, BST Starguiders, plus a bunch of singles. IMO the sky's the limit for how many eyepieces one can have. It is a hobby so no reason to be frugal if you do not want to...so enjoy!
Bill, you are getting paid by astro companies to promote EP hoarding, right? ;) Still I hear you! This is a hobby and as such is about enjoyment (within you budget) not needs.
Actually, many many years ago, I had an epiphany that if I bought used, kept for a while, then sold for near or at what I bought an eyepiece at, then I could cycle through a whole bunch of different eyepieces and get experience with many optical designs and brandings at minimal cost. So that is what I did. Was a hole bunch of fun doing that over a few decades. I do not any more so much because after going thru all those eyepieces, I finally found those few brandings that "hit the spot" for my personal preferences and am uber satisfied with the experiences they provide me.
Bill,

I had a similar idea. The difference between us is that I have a Quokka...
Quok-4.jpg
No not one of those. I have a friend whom I have referred to earlier in this thread who has a LOT of premium eyepieces. He has almost full sets of LE's, Naglers, Pentax XW's, and Denkmeiers. He has some of these as bino pairs. We call him Quokka based on the fact that he is originally from Western Australia like the quokka and the acronym QoQ which stands for Quantity of Quality - his approach to eyepiece purchasing. Over past years, I could try out practically any premium eyepiece before I buy. Then I look for second hand versions, most priced between 50% and 75% of new price, a couple were even cheaper. It has taken me about 6 years to complete my premium collection but I am now done.
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Eyepieces: TV Naglers 31, 17, 12, 7; Denkmeier D21 & D14; Pentax XW10, XW5, Unitron 40mm Kellner, Meade Or 25,12
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#44

Post by John Baars »


I have a Leica zoom.
So: 18 mm, ....... --> ........9 mm, Barlow, 9 mm, ......... ---> ......, 4.5 mm. Basically an infinite number.
And a number of others.

In practice I have one in the telescope and four in my pockets. That's all I need. An infinite number plus four. :D
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#45

Post by 25585 »


An interesting journey. Mine was/is a quest, but similar. There is not much more that can be done optically, I have concluded, that is commercially viable anyway, only degrees of refinement and specialisation. Human eyesight, even under perfect skies, is the limiting factor, we are not a nocturnal species with natural night vision.

But we do have binocular vision, and if any development is made for visual astronomy, I hope its in that field, for binoviewers and eyepieces, also telescopes.

Electronic aid is a-ways off yet, but seeing how digital cameras evolved, we are almost there.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#46

Post by John Fitzgerald »


I think I am done buying eyepieces unless a 6mm Radian pops up at a decent price. The 6mm Delos is too heavy.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#47

Post by 25585 »


John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:29 pm I think I am done buying eyepieces unless a 6mm Radian pops up at a decent price. The 6mm Delos is too heavy.
6.5mm Morpheus is much much, very much nicer.

I had a 6mm Radian once, big big, very big disappointment. It met a horrible fate :flame:
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Eyepieces from: Aero, Antares, APM, Baader, Brandon, Bresser, Celestron, Datysun, Docter, Explore Scientific, GSO, I R Poyser, Meade, Nikon, Orion, Pentax, Rodenstock, Siberia, Sky-Watcher, Taiso, Takahashi, TAL, Tele Vue, TS, Vernonscope, Vixen, Zeiss.

Scopes from: Altair, Bresser, Lumicon, Orion Optics UK, Sky-Watcher, Takahashi, Tele Vue, TS, Vixen.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#48

Post by Lady Fraktor »


There is also the option of the Siebert Optics 5.9mm Starsplitter 3
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
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Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#49

Post by John Fitzgerald »


25585 wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:50 pm
John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:29 pm I think I am done buying eyepieces unless a 6mm Radian pops up at a decent price. The 6mm Delos is too heavy.
6.5mm Morpheus is much much, very much nicer.

I had a 6mm Radian once, big big, very big disappointment. It met a horrible fate :flame:
I WOULD APPRECIATE NEVER HEARING ABOUT THAT AGAIN. You are probably close to getting yourself banned from the other forum for bragging about happily destroying every Radian you get. Lots of us like them and think they are fine eyepieces.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#50

Post by notFritzArgelander »


John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:05 pm
25585 wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:50 pm
John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:29 pm I think I am done buying eyepieces unless a 6mm Radian pops up at a decent price. The 6mm Delos is too heavy.
6.5mm Morpheus is much much, very much nicer.

I had a 6mm Radian once, big big, very big disappointment. It met a horrible fate :flame:
I WOULD APPRECIATE NEVER HEARING ABOUT THAT AGAIN. You are probably close to getting yourself banned from the other forum for bragging about happily destroying every Radian you get. Lots of us like them and think they are fine eyepieces.
Although I currently don't have any Radians, I used to have them all and they were very fine eyepieces. I eventually replaced them with Delos but I still have fond memories of the Radians.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#51

Post by Bigzmey »


notFritzArgelander wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:30 pm
John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:05 pm
25585 wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:50 pm

6.5mm Morpheus is much much, very much nicer.

I had a 6mm Radian once, big big, very big disappointment. It met a horrible fate :flame:
I WOULD APPRECIATE NEVER HEARING ABOUT THAT AGAIN. You are probably close to getting yourself banned from the other forum for bragging about happily destroying every Radian you get. Lots of us like them and think they are fine eyepieces.
Although I currently don't have any Radians, I used to have them all and they were very fine eyepieces. I eventually replaced them with Delos but I still have fond memories of the Radians.
Agreed. I had a few at one time and they were good performers on Moon, planets and doubles. The only weak point I could recall were loose eyeguards. I had to use rubber bands to keep them up. In 60 deg format I prefer DeLites over Radians, but I would still take Radians over Meade HD60, Celestron X-Cel, DualEDs, etc. Don't have much experience with ES62 to comment.
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
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EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
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Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#52

Post by 25585 »


John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:05 pm
25585 wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:50 pm
John Fitzgerald wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:29 pm I think I am done buying eyepieces unless a 6mm Radian pops up at a decent price. The 6mm Delos is too heavy.
6.5mm Morpheus is much much, very much nicer.

I had a 6mm Radian once, big big, very big disappointment. It met a horrible fate :flame:
I WOULD APPRECIATE NEVER HEARING ABOUT THAT AGAIN. You are probably close to getting yourself banned from the other forum for bragging about happily destroying every Radian you get. Lots of us like them and think they are fine eyepieces.
Heaven forbid such a draconian action is taken by that other forum! :? After I had unsuccessfully finished trying to get the Radians to improve for me, involving disassembly, they were unsaleable, so befell their fate.

It was all a long time ago....
Unashamed Linda Ronstadt ♡ fan! :dance: :Clap:

Eyepieces from: Aero, Antares, APM, Baader, Brandon, Bresser, Celestron, Datysun, Docter, Explore Scientific, GSO, I R Poyser, Meade, Nikon, Orion, Pentax, Rodenstock, Siberia, Sky-Watcher, Taiso, Takahashi, TAL, Tele Vue, TS, Vernonscope, Vixen, Zeiss.

Scopes from: Altair, Bresser, Lumicon, Orion Optics UK, Sky-Watcher, Takahashi, Tele Vue, TS, Vixen.
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#53

Post by WilliamPaolini »


It is perfectly OK in my opinion to "not" like an eyepiece line. So no harm and no foul IMO that 25585 gets a bad taste in his mouth when thinking about Radians. I also had the entire line. They had their good points, and also a number of bad points for me. They had a warmer tone to them which made them generally nice for accentuating the contrast of planetary atmosphere features. Their off-axis was very well controlled for all issues excepting lateral color, which they showed rather a lot of by my estimation. I really liked the 18mm and it was my favorite of the bunch. The major weak point of the line for me was the Instadjust mechanism which was loose causing the height to change when handing the eyepiece or making contact with the top while observing. I took them apart and tightened the spring, but they would always loosen quickly. Overall a poor design for that feature, which TV eventually remedied with the Delos and Delites. I also found the exit pupil exceedingly difficult to maintain and was prone to kidney beaning (SAEP) and blackouts, which the eye guard adjustment did not remedy for me. In the end I found them to be the hardest eyepiece for me to maintain the view without blackouts, which caused a lot of eye strain for me when in use. After the Radians I switched to the Pentax XWs which in comparison felt like a Spa for my eyes and a great relief. The XWs are the longest maintained eyepiece line I have owned. In the end eyepieces are like gloves, some fit for some folks (like), and do not fit for other folks (hate). It is never a matter of optical absolutes and IMO always a matter of personal tastes and preferences and how all the attributes of an eyepiece come together (i.e., gestalt) that dictates if the particular eyepiece will or will not work for an observer. So fine for 25585 to hate them and others to like or love them as there will always be diversity of reactions simply because we are human and all different in how we view things and what we like and do not like. Each person is of course right for themselves and knowing and understanding the reasons for their opinion on things in the hobby is always valued and important because it is not the gear that is important, but the observer that is really most valued in the process. So everyone has their own unique opinions on gear, and for all others the adage YMMV obviously must be remembered.
-Bill

U.S.A.F. Veteran - Visual Amateur Astronomer since 1966 - Fully Retired since 2019
8" f/5 Newt - Lunt 152 f/7.9 - TSA 102 f/8 - Vixen 81S f/7.7 - P.S.T. - Pentax 65ED II - Nikon 12x50 AE
Pentax XWs - Baader Morpheus - Takahashi LEs - Edmund RKEs - BST Starguiders - 6ZAO-II/5XO/4Abbe
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#54

Post by Lady Fraktor »


I agree Bill, my experiences with the Radian line was quite similar to yours.
As I stated in that thread on CN, I sold the Radians and replaced them with the Vixen LVW.
Being frustrated by a eyepiece is not a good way to have a relaxing time at the telescope.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#55

Post by Bigzmey »


WilliamPaolini wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:11 pm I also found the exit pupil exceedingly difficult to maintain and was prone to kidney beaning (SAEP) and blackouts, which the eye guard adjustment did not remedy for me. In the end I found them to be the hardest eyepiece for me to maintain the view without blackouts, which caused a lot of eye strain for me when in use.
Hi Bill, you just did not know how to properly maintain the distance. ;) For me it was very natural with Radians, they are such a great EPs! But not Morpheus which are very poorly made IMO and need to be destroyed on spot. ;)
Scopes: Stellarvue: SV102ED; Celestron: 9.25" EdgeHD, 8" SCT, 150ST, Onyx 80ED; iOptron: Hankmeister 6" Mak; SW: 7" Mak; Meade: 80ST.
Mounts: SW: SkyTee2, AzGTi; iOptron: AZMP; ES: Twilight I; Bresser: EXOS2; UA: MicroStar.
Binos: APM: 100-90 APO; Canon: IS 15x50; Orion: Binoviewer, LG II 15x70, WV 10x50, Nikon: AE 16x50, 10x50, 8x40.
EPs: Pentax: XWs & XFs; TeleVue: Delites, Panoptic & Plossls; ES: 68, 62; Vixen: SLVs; Baader: BCOs, Aspherics, Mark IV.
Diagonals: Baader: BBHS mirror, Zeiss Spec T2 prism, Clicklock dielectric; TeleVue: Evebrite dielectric; AltairAstro: 2" prism.
Filters: Lumicon: DeepSky, UHC, OIII, H-beta; Baader: Moon & SkyGlow, Contrast Booster, UHC-S, 6-color set; Astronomik: UHC.

Observing: DSOs: 3106 (Completed: Messier, Herschel 1, 2, 3. In progress: H2,500: 2180, S110: 77). Doubles: 2382, Comets: 34, Asteroids: 255
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#56

Post by WilliamPaolini »


Bigzmey wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:35 pm
WilliamPaolini wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:11 pm I also found the exit pupil exceedingly difficult to maintain and was prone to kidney beaning (SAEP) and blackouts, which the eye guard adjustment did not remedy for me. In the end I found them to be the hardest eyepiece for me to maintain the view without blackouts, which caused a lot of eye strain for me when in use.
Hi Bill, you just did not know how to properly maintain the distance. ;) For me it was very natural with Radians, they are such a great EPs! But not Morpheus which are very poorly made IMO and need to be destroyed on spot. ;)

:lol: :lol:
-Bill

U.S.A.F. Veteran - Visual Amateur Astronomer since 1966 - Fully Retired since 2019
8" f/5 Newt - Lunt 152 f/7.9 - TSA 102 f/8 - Vixen 81S f/7.7 - P.S.T. - Pentax 65ED II - Nikon 12x50 AE
Pentax XWs - Baader Morpheus - Takahashi LEs - Edmund RKEs - BST Starguiders - 6ZAO-II/5XO/4Abbe
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#57

Post by 25585 »


The irony was Radians were meant to be better than my 13mm Type 1 Nagler, but were worse & 20° less AFOV! The Nagler was love-hate, and sadly sold, Radians were hate-hate, though I tried to improve them, not had "Radian rage " for any other type.

When trying Delos, they were like 70° Radians, but Delites are not Radian-like apart from AFOV (62°). Delites are like 62° Morpheus for ease of use.
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Eyepieces from: Aero, Antares, APM, Baader, Brandon, Bresser, Celestron, Datysun, Docter, Explore Scientific, GSO, I R Poyser, Meade, Nikon, Orion, Pentax, Rodenstock, Siberia, Sky-Watcher, Taiso, Takahashi, TAL, Tele Vue, TS, Vernonscope, Vixen, Zeiss.

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WilliamPaolini United States of America
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#58

Post by WilliamPaolini »


Lady Fraktor wrote: Fri Jun 25, 2021 4:02 pm Being frustrated by a eyepiece is not a good way to have a relaxing time at the telescope.

I think what you said more or less sums up my approach to amateur astronomy...relaxing! I go to the telescope to have a relaxing and peaceful time, not not to be challenged and certainly not to be frustrated. Probably why I have kept my mounting simple alt-az because then no worries about alignment, batteries, cords, motors, balancing, GPS signals, etc. Just me, the scope, the sky, and a handful of eyepieces for variety (eyepieces are the "spice" of observing IMO). So having a cadre of eyepieces that provide a different experience to me is a must. So for me how many eyepieces I should have is dictated by the types of experiences they can deliver, and therefore I always like to have some wide fields, some diminutive effortless handling 50 degree class eyepieces, some single coated eyepieces for their unique presentation, and a few "ornamental" eyepieces that have an unusual aspect to their operation like the 28 RKE with its "floating" presentation of the view.
-Bill

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Pentax XWs - Baader Morpheus - Takahashi LEs - Edmund RKEs - BST Starguiders - 6ZAO-II/5XO/4Abbe
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Bigzmey United States of America
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#59

Post by Bigzmey »


25585 wrote: Mon Jun 28, 2021 2:56 am The irony was Radians were meant to be better than my 13mm Type 1 Nagler, but were worse & 20° less AFOV! The Nagler was love-hate, and sadly sold, Radians were hate-hate, though I tried to improve them, not had "Radian rage " for any other type.

When trying Delos, they were like 70° Radians, but Delites are not Radian-like apart from AFOV (62°). Delites are like 62° Morpheus for ease of use.
Sorry, this just does not make any sense. Delites come from the same company as Radians, they meant to be Radians' replacement. They have identical bodies and the same feel. Optically, Delites superior to Radians (which you would expect from upgrade) but Radians are good to.

Delos are like Radians? Only that they both EPs and came from the same company. :lol:
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Lady Fraktor Slovakia
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Re: How many eyepieces should we have?

#60

Post by Lady Fraktor »


The 28mm RKE is a fun eyepiece, I have recommended it quite a few time due to its party trick.
I do like to try different designs to see what they deliver for views.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
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Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
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