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I'm starting to get ready to the darker nights, and I think it's time for higher power eyepiece.
My scope is 12"/1200 mm F/4 and I'm looking for something around 250x - 300x.
I've been thinking about
- ES 4.7mm 82°
- De Lite 4 mm 62°
- Delos 4.5 mm 72°
Which one would you recommend? Or maybe something else?
I think I could also use a good 2x Barlow. Which one would you recommend?
Is Artesky Premium APO Barlow 2" good enough?
Or maybe rather TeleVue 2x 1.25" Barlow lens?
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
From my perspective: Considering the magnification factor, which I would normally employ with planetary or small/bright target viewing, the AFOV usually becomes less important. I myself would probably lean toward the Delite. Its smaller and lighter form lends well to higher mag work. And they are very comfortable to use.
I actually prefer the Powermates versus Barlows. The 1.25" 2.5X Televue Powermate outperforms a 2x Barlow almost always for me. (or even the 2" 2X Powermate) It will preserve the native eye relief of the EP, without introducing any potential aberrations of the light cone.
SpyderwerX wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:00 pm
From my perspective: Considering the magnification factor, which I would normally employ with planetary or small/bright target viewing, the AFOV usually becomes less important. I myself would probably lean toward the Delite. Its smaller and lighter form lends well to higher mag work. And they are very comfortable to use.
I actually prefer the Powermates versus Barlows. The 1.25" 2.5X Televue Powermate outperforms a 2x Barlow almost always for me. (or even the 2" 2X Powermate) It will preserve the native eye relief of the EP, without introducing any potential aberrations of the light cone.
I like these ideas. Also, you may wish to consider not bothering with the coma corrector at high power.
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
I wonder how Morpheus handles F/4? At least I recall that Hyperions were recommended for F/6 or higher.
Later that mention of F-number seem to have disappeared.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
I recommend the TV Delite series. The Delos has essentially the same, but slightly wider, view. The Delite is, IMO, easier to look through, and is lighter and slimmer. The Delos is about 100 dollars more, also. I vote for the 4 or 5mm Delite. I have the 5 myself, and it's great.
Double and multiple star observer. Over 3,500 unique pairs logged.
Refractordude wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 4:36 pm
Forgot where I snipped this from.
Hm...... I've never used Delites enough to have an opinion. But for planetary performance, not worrying about eye relief, from what's on the market now I'd go BCO. I tested the predecessors (the UO Orthos/ Baader Genuine Orthos) on planets at f4 and they outperformed the Delos. I had the AT 8" f4 at one time. At f5 in the Z12 both the BCOs and KK Fujiyamas do better contrast views than the Delos.
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
Hi turboscrew. I am with SpyderwerX (Frankie) on the TV 2.5x Powermate. The Barlow section is 2 elements to achieve the negative focal length, and another doublet for collimation, which is like what the old film enlargers and wall projectors used. It produces an extremely clean magnified image at the eyepiece. I hope this helps turboscrew and the best of wishes on your future purchases.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
turboscrew wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:12 am
I'm starting to get ready to the darker nights, and I think it's time for higher power eyepiece.
My scope is 12"/1200 mm F/4 and I'm looking for something around 250x - 300x.
I've been thinking about
- ES 4.7mm 82°
- De Lite 4 mm 62°
- Delos 4.5 mm 72°
Which one would you recommend? Or maybe something else?
I think I could also use a good 2x Barlow. Which one would you recommend?
Is Artesky Premium APO Barlow 2" good enough?
Or maybe rather TeleVue 2x 1.25" Barlow lens?
I’d strongly recommend simply getting the TeleVue 2.5X Powermate, which will very cleanly convert your existing longer FL eyepieces to shorter FL.
You’ll gain versatility and save considerable money in not having to buy so many additional eyepieces.
The Powermates will not cause any vignetting, even with super-wide AFOV eyepieces, and will not disturb the exit pupil behavior of your eyepieces as even very good conventional Barlows often can.
STARGAZING SINCE 1986
TELESCOPES: GSO 150mm f/6 Newtonian with 2” linear bearing focuser; TeleVue TV85 85mm f/7 apo refractor MOUNTINGS: Berlebach Uni Tripod with Stellarvue M2C alt/az mount head/pillar EYEPIECE SETS: Masuyama 85-Deg AFOV; TeleVue Plossl’s; KK Fujiyama Abbe Ortho's; Edmund RKE’s; Starbase Kellner's (by Takahashi) BARLOWS: Nikon EiC16 1.6X; TeleVue 2X & 3X; GSO ED 2” TELECENTRIC AMPLIFIERS: TeleVue Powermates 2.5X, 4X, 5X FILTERS, 2”: Baader Contrast Booster; Baader 570nm Orange Longpass; TeleVue Bandmate Type II Nebustar DIAGONALS: APM 2” Standard Prism (BK7); APM 2” Amici Prism (BK7) BINOCULARS: Fujinon 7X50 FMT-SX Polaris
Refractordude wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 4:36 pm
Forgot where I snipped this from.
Hm...... I've never used Delites enough to have an opinion. But for planetary performance, not worrying about eye relief, from what's on the market now I'd go BCO. I tested the predecessors (the UO Orthos/ Baader Genuine Orthos) on planets at f4 and they outperformed the Delos. I had the AT 8" f4 at one time. At f5 in the Z12 both the BCOs and KK Fujiyamas do better contrast views than the Delos.
My 6 mm is BCO, but I'd like to try a bit wider view - just for comfort.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
turboscrew wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:12 am
I'm starting to get ready to the darker nights, and I think it's time for higher power eyepiece.
My scope is 12"/1200 mm F/4 and I'm looking for something around 250x - 300x.
I've been thinking about
- ES 4.7mm 82°
- De Lite 4 mm 62°
- Delos 4.5 mm 72°
Which one would you recommend? Or maybe something else?
I think I could also use a good 2x Barlow. Which one would you recommend?
Is Artesky Premium APO Barlow 2" good enough?
Or maybe rather TeleVue 2x 1.25" Barlow lens?
I’d strongly recommend simply getting the TeleVue 2.5X Powermate, which will very cleanly convert your existing longer FL eyepieces to shorter FL.
You’ll gain versatility and save considerable money in not having to buy so many additional eyepieces.
The Powermates will not cause any vignetting, even with super-wide AFOV eyepieces, and will not disturb the exit pupil behavior of your eyepieces as even very good conventional Barlows often can.
I guess I'll get a Powermate 1.25" when they'll available again.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
I believe everyone should have a good quality barlow or focal extender (powemate) in their EP case. It is such a useful tool. Saying that one still need to have a good EP to barlow. Barlowing 15mm Plossl or 6mm BCO will get you nice high power views but the eye relief and FOV will still be tight.
I had quite a few barlows over the years. My favorites are Baader Q barlow and Televue 2x and 3x. At the end I sold TV barlows and have two Baader Q barlows now, not because I did not like the views, but because TV barlows were colliding with prisms in my diagonals due to the length.
For the EPs you will see 'for' and 'against' opinions for ES 82, Delos, Morpheus and Naglers, but Delites seems to be universally loved. In my personal experience I have tried and moved away from ES 82, Morpheus and Delos, but Delites are keepers.
I wonder how Morpheus handles F/4? At least I recall that Hyperions were recommended for F/6 or higher.
Later that mention of F-number seem to have disappeared.
F/4 is right on the cutting edge for the Morpheus eyepieces.
They work great at f/5 and poorly at f/3.45, in my experience.
Ernest's measurements at f/4 show mediocre performance at f/4: http://astro-talks.ru/forum/viewtopic.p ... 483#p41976
I think I'd recommend them at f/4.5 and longer for those seeking eyepieces sharp at the edge.
If you don't care about star quality in the outer 50%, then any f/ratio is fine.
Astronomer since 1963
Currently using a 12.5" dob and a 4" apo refractor
turboscrew wrote: ↑Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:12 am
I'm starting to get ready to the darker nights, and I think it's time for higher power eyepiece.
My scope is 12"/1200 mm F/4 and I'm looking for something around 250x - 300x.
I've been thinking about
- ES 4.7mm 82°
- De Lite 4 mm 62°
- Delos 4.5 mm 72°
Which one would you recommend? Or maybe something else?
I think I could also use a good 2x Barlow. Which one would you recommend?
Is Artesky Premium APO Barlow 2" good enough?
Or maybe rather TeleVue 2x 1.25" Barlow lens?
I’d strongly recommend simply getting the TeleVue 2.5X Powermate, which will very cleanly convert your existing longer FL eyepieces to shorter FL.
You’ll gain versatility and save considerable money in not having to buy so many additional eyepieces.
The Powermates will not cause any vignetting, even with super-wide AFOV eyepieces, and will not disturb the exit pupil behavior of your eyepieces as even very good conventional Barlows often can.
I guess I'll get a Powermate 1.25" when they'll available again.
I’d strongly recommend simply getting the TeleVue 2.5X Powermate, which will very cleanly convert your existing longer FL eyepieces to shorter FL.
You’ll gain versatility and save considerable money in not having to buy so many additional eyepieces.
The Powermates will not cause any vignetting, even with super-wide AFOV eyepieces, and will not disturb the exit pupil behavior of your eyepieces as even very good conventional Barlows often can.
I guess I'll get a Powermate 1.25" when they'll available again.
Yes, but after Brexit, the customs things is a mess. I ordered some radius blocks and such @ about £230. I got to pay 444 eur altogether before they were in my hands.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
SpyderwerX wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:24 am
Would Telescope Express be a more "currency friendly" option? I've also heard others speaking of the conversion troubles due the Brexit conspiracy.
Yes. "Delivery acc. to manufacturer: 30.07.2021 (13 days)". Much better than "sometime in the future".
And it's not just the currency, but I had to pay the British VAT, customs and EU VAT.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
I seem to have been "too clever". Now I have hard time to figure out which comes first: Powermate or 5 mm.
- Juha
Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5
I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.