What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

Discuss telescope eyepieces.
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helicon United States of America
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What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#1

Post by helicon »


Mine is my Explore Scientific 18mm 82 degree for deep sky in a 2" barrel. Logged a lot of galaxies with it.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#2

Post by Don Quixote »


I have a bunch.
At present, by virtue of frequency of use, are my "Docter 12.5" UWA at 84° and an old faithful "TeleVue 22 Panoptic" at 68°.
I know the 22 Pan is out of production and supposedly taken over my the 24 Pan. But...
It is probably my first choice on an evening outing. I can drill down with the Docter and if I am feeling very frisky a 2XTV Barlow on the Docter gets me all I usually can squeeze out of a given sky with my fracs.
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#3

Post by Ylem »


My knock off 24mm 68* Pan.
Mine is an Orion, think it was made by Baader.

In fact it's one of the only EPs I use anymore.
I do have a decent zoom Celestron that would come in 2nd place.

Followed by a 17mm Plossl

I'm sort of a minimalist I guess.
Clear Skies,
-Jeff :telescopewink:


Member; ASTRA-NJ



Orion 80ED
Celestron C5, 6SE, Celestar 8
Vixen Porta Mount ll
Coronado PST
A big box of Plossls
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:D



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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#4

Post by Ruud »


1. Morpheus 17.5 mm

It is followed by Delos 12 mm, Delos 8mm, Morpheus 6.5 mm and then the rest.

From eyepieces I want acuity, contrast, colour purity and minimal distortion. Eye relief and viewing comfort matter too.
7x50 Helios Apollo 8x42 Bresser Everest 73mm f/5.9 WO APO 4" f/5 TeleVue Genesis 6" f/10 Celestron 6SE 0.63x reducer 1.8, 2, 2.5 and 3x Barlows eyepieces from 4.5 to 34mm
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#5

Post by Star Dad »


1. Explore Scientific 9mm 2"
2. Antares 29mm and 39mm 2"

99% of my viewing is done with these 3. I use the 29or 39 to center target and then the 9 if more magnification is needed
"To be good is not enough when you dream of being great"

Orion 203mm/f4.9/1000mm, converted TASCO 114mm/f9/1000mm to steam punk, Meade 114mm/f9/1000, Coronado PST, Orion EQ-G, Ioptron Mini-Tower and iEQ30, Canon 70D, ASI120MM,ASI294MC, Ioptron SkyHunter
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#6

Post by KathyNS »


The 27mm Panoptic. It is close to the maximum focal length I can use in my f/4 scope, so it is my wide-angle rich-field eyepiece. It gives beautiful crisp stars to the edge (with a Paracorr). When I let newbies look through it, their reaction is "WOW!!"
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DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#7

Post by notFritzArgelander »


Can't pick just one since it is scope and object dependent. The 35mm Panoptic and 27mm or 24mm Panoptic are mine for emission nebulas.. They provide a ~5mm exit pupil in my f7 and f5 scopes respectively and are wonderful for sweeping up faint emission nebulas and dark nebula details. Galaxies get the 19mm Panoptic. All quite wonderful. But the Abbe inspired orthoscopics currently represented by the BCOs and KK Fujiyamas have been my favorites for planetary viewing for over 50 years. Delos comes close.
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: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#8

Post by Arctic »


ES68* series 20mm. Excellent for galaxies.
Gordon
Scopes: Meade LX10 8" SCT, Explore Scientific AR102 Refractor on ES Twilight 1 Mount, Oberwerks 15X70 Binos, Nikon Action Extreme 10X50 Binos.
Eyepieces: ES 68* 24mm, ES 68* 20mm, ES 82* 11mm, ES 82* 8.8mm
Observing: Messier Objects--110/110, H1 Objects-- 400/400. Hundreds of additional NGC Objects. Significant Comets: Kohoutek, West, Halley, Hyakatake, Hale-Bopp, McNair, Neowise. Transits of Mercury and Venus.
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#9

Post by 515bonner »


27mm Panoptic on the 14.5" Starmaster is my first go to. Nice field of view and tack sharp to the edges.
I then like to go to the 16mm Nagler for a closer look.
14.5" f/5.3 Starmaster with Sky Commander XP4 | 9.25" Celestron SCT | 8" f/7 Starmaster (only 5 made) with Sky Commander V3
6" f/12 Orion 150mm Mak | 4" f/9 Celestron Refractor (Vixen) | 80mm f4 unbranded refractor
iOptron CEM40 | iOptron Cube Pro
Large Assortment of Nagler and Konig Eyepieces | ZWO ASI290MC & ZWO ASI120MM-s Cameras

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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#10

Post by starfield »


26mm Nagler thru my F5 -12/5 inch dob. Love looking at the Saggitarius Star Cloud (M24) with it. The exit pupil isn't too big and works really well in my scope.

I like to call it the Holy Hand Grenade... let's see who remembers the reference....
26Nagler.jpg
Scopes: Esprit 100, 12.5" Telekit Dob
Camera: 294 MC Pro, 224 mc, 2600mm
Guiding: ZWO 290 mini on 120mm guide scope
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#11

Post by Thefatkitty »


starfield wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 6:14 pm 26mm Nagler thru my F5 -12/5 inch dob. Love looking at the Saggitarius Star Cloud (M24) with it. The exit pupil isn't too big and works really well in my scope.

I like to call it the Holy Hand Grenade... let's see who remembers the reference....
Ahh, Monty Python... :D
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#12

Post by helicon »


starfield wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 6:14 pm 26mm Nagler thru my F5 -12/5 inch dob. Love looking at the Saggitarius Star Cloud (M24) with it. The exit pupil isn't too big and works really well in my scope.

I like to call it the Holy Hand Grenade... let's see who remembers the reference.... 26Nagler.jpg
Once the number three, being the number of the counting, be reached, then lobbest thou the Holy Hand Grenade in the direction of thine foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#13

Post by smeyer8015 »


Celestron Classic 8, Old Sears 60mm f/15 refractor, Old Edmund Scientific 6 inch F/8 newt, GSO 2" Diag, ES 30mm/70, ES 25mm/70, Orion 32 Super Plossl, Mead 24mm MA,
X-Cel LX 18mm, Luminos 15mm, F/6.3 reducer, Luminos 2.5x barlow, Telrad, Celestron 9x50 RACI, DIY Baader Solar Filter, Celestron Skymaster 20x80, Bresser EXOS-2 Goto, Revolution Imager R1

No trees were killed in the sending of this post. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#14

Post by Refractordude »


The Tele Vue 2" Nagler Type 5 has given me the best view of the heavens. I do not own the eyepiece, but had the great pleasure of looking through one at a star party. The best eyepiece that I own is the Svbony 20mm Yellow Line. It is slightly brighter and sharper than my GSO 20mm Superview.



https://agenaastro.com/televue-2-nagler ... ype-5.html
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#15

Post by helicon »


Refractordude wrote: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:41 pm The Tele Vue 2" Nagler Type 5 has given me the best view of the heavens. I do not own the eyepiece, but had the great pleasure of looking through one at a star party. The best eyepiece that I own is the Svbony 20mm Yellow Line. It is slightly brighter and sharper than my GSO 20mm Superview.



https://agenaastro.com/televue-2-nagler ... ype-5.html
I've heard about the quality of Naglers for years but have never bought any. I should rectify that.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#16

Post by Ruud »


Refractordude wrote: Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:41 pm The Tele Vue 2" Nagler Type 5 has given me the best view of the heavens. I do not own the eyepiece, but had the great pleasure of looking through one at a star party. The best eyepiece that I own is the Svbony 20mm Yellow Line. It is slightly brighter and sharper than my GSO 20mm Superview.



https://agenaastro.com/televue-2-nagler ... ype-5.html
  
Jeez, Naglers are expensive! Fortunately you can build a nice collection of eyepieces if you keep a close eye on the used market. Meade series 5000 SWAs, for instance, are top class 68° eyepieces. Used eyepieces tend to keep their value, and you can almost always resell them for the same money you paid for them.

This line of eyepieces, btw, is widely considered good value. If you could find one second hand it should cost around $40 and certainly be worth the investment.
7x50 Helios Apollo 8x42 Bresser Everest 73mm f/5.9 WO APO 4" f/5 TeleVue Genesis 6" f/10 Celestron 6SE 0.63x reducer 1.8, 2, 2.5 and 3x Barlows eyepieces from 4.5 to 34mm
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#17

Post by j.gardavsky »


I don't have a specifically favourite eyepiece, as I have parted with those not favourite ones.
At the moment, I have exactly 50 favourite eyepieces "on service" to my telescope.

JG
6" F/5 Sky-Watcher achro, 2" BBHS Star Diagonal, 2" zenith prism, 1.25" Takahashi prism
Leica 82mm APO Televid
Eyepieces: Docter UWA; Leica B WW and WW Asph. Zoom; Leica HC Plan S and L, monocentric; Pentax SMC XW, O-, XO; Tak MC O, Carl Zeiss B WW, and Pl, E-Pl, S-Pl, W-Pl;
Swarovski SW; Baader Symmetric Diascope Edition; Nikon NAV SW, ; TMB supermonocentric; Rodenstock; Vixen HR; TV Delos
Filters: Astrodon, Astronomik, Baader, Balzers, Zeiss West and East, Lumicon
Binoculars (7x42 up to 15x85): Docter Nobilem, Leica Ultravid, Nikon Astroluxe, Swarovski EL Swarovision; BA8 (Kunming Optical)
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#18

Post by DeanD »


j.gardavsky wrote: Tue Apr 21, 2020 6:22 pm I don't have a specifically favourite eyepiece, as I have parted with those not favourite ones.
At the moment, I have exactly 50 favourite eyepieces "on service" to my telescope.

JG
That sock drawer must be getting pretty crowded JG! ;)
Telescopes: 12" f5 dob, Celestron CPC800, 150mmf5 Celestron achro, Tak TSA102, TV76, ETX125...
Binos: Steiner Wildlife XP 10x26, Swarovski 8x30 Habicht, Zeiss SFL 8x40, Vanguard Endeavour 10.5x45, Fuji FMTR-SX 10x50, Tak 22x60, Orion Resolux 15x70
Eyepieces: way too many (is that possible?), but I do like my TV 32mm plossl, 13mm Nagler T6, 27mm Panoptic and 3-6mm Nagler zoom, plus Fujiyama 18mm and 25mm orthos and Tak 7.5mm LE
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#19

Post by DeanD »


I think I agree with JG and not_Fritz: no real favourite, and "horses for courses"...

Having said that, my normal "go-to" eyepiece is the 13mm Nagler 6. The Panoptic 27 is great as a wide-field, low power option, and for high power I almost always end up with my Nagler 3-6: which is 4 eyepieces in one.

However, if I want a pristine view that just seems cleaner and sharper the Fujiyama 25mm ortho is really hard to beat.

Fortunately we have a good trade in used eyepieces here in Oz - some people seem to just keep on selling them; I don't know where they get them from, but they never seem to have any marks consistent with use... I have picked up quite a few over the years, including the Nagler zoom, Panoptic, Fujiyama 18 and 25, and Tak LE 7.5 at around 60% or less of new price.

Happy viewing and keep safe,

Dean

(PS: I just realised that most of the above are noted in my signature anyway... )
Telescopes: 12" f5 dob, Celestron CPC800, 150mmf5 Celestron achro, Tak TSA102, TV76, ETX125...
Binos: Steiner Wildlife XP 10x26, Swarovski 8x30 Habicht, Zeiss SFL 8x40, Vanguard Endeavour 10.5x45, Fuji FMTR-SX 10x50, Tak 22x60, Orion Resolux 15x70
Eyepieces: way too many (is that possible?), but I do like my TV 32mm plossl, 13mm Nagler T6, 27mm Panoptic and 3-6mm Nagler zoom, plus Fujiyama 18mm and 25mm orthos and Tak 7.5mm LE
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Re: What's Your favorite Eyepiece?

#20

Post by pakarinen »


I don't have a whole stable of EPs, but my 3 most-used ones are:

AT Paradigm 25mm
Orion Expanse 15mm
Vixen SLV 10mm

The Expanse was my favorite, but I'm using the Vixen more now, maybe b/c I put a Crayford on my 80mm and it's a breeze to focus compared to the stock R&P. The AT 25mm is great for using as a virtual finder or really wide field. As was said above, "Horses for courses."
=============================================================================
I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do.
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
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