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Eyepieces and Barlows (which to choose)


red dwalf

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i`d like to start a discussion, or arguement maybe,

we`ve all seen the new guys and gals and some seasoned astronomers come onto forums and ask "which eyepieces and which barlows are best" impossiable question to answer, but maybe we could compile a list in price brackets maybe, of the gear we use or have used and what we thought of them and rank them in order of price and quality. i know some eyepieces suit certain scopes but might be helpfull to someone and of course some differance of opinions !

i`ll start with my old set of Revelations.

Revelation eyepiece set.

Price :- £125

Build Quailty :- 7 out of 10 ( 32mm eyepiece is very good )

Visual Quality :- 7 out of 10 (difficult having only used these and Baader hyperions)

Value for Money :- 10 out of 10 ( amazing value ) filters, and a 2x barlow included with a ali case.

Comments :- all in all i found these a well built and good quality starter set for anyone looking to buy a bargain set of eyepieces on a modest budget, i`ve allways found Revelation gear to be of good quality and well priced.

i`m in no way an expert and if you disagree please post your comments.

should be fun !

Edited by red dwalf
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For the budget end of the market, I don't think you can go wrong with the BST Explorer ones, these are the same as the old Paradigm eyepieces, and in my humble opinion give great value for money.

I have two, a 12mm and 18mm and if you bump into me you are welcome to try them out. Unless I come across Hyperions for the right money, I won't be changing them.

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I'm a newbie to astronomy so can't compare my eye pieces to any other make but I have 17, 13 and 8mm Hyperions, 23mm Celestron Axiom and am awaiting delivery of a 38mm Panaview. The Axiom and the Hyperions are crystal clear all the way to the edge and have give stunning views of the moon and Jupiter in far less than good seeing conditions.

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I've got the older Revelation eyepiece set which I purchased second hand, and I get some lovely views through them.

I can't compare them to anything else as I've never had anything else, but I am not disappointed with them, they're both good build quality and pleasing to use.

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I've been in this hobby quite a few years and have used alot of different eyepieces. I used to have nearly a complete set of Hyperions and they are lovely eyepieces, very well built with the ability to fit a T thread to one end.

On slow scopes like my TAL 100r they were fantastic but on faster scopes such as my old 16" dob which was F4.5 they showed terrible coma on at least the outer 20%.

The TAL eyepieces are great especially the old purple tinted 25mm Plossl, this is one awesome eyepiece and I regret selling tis one.

I have since swapped them with a set of William Optics Uwan's and these are simply in another league compared to the Baaders. Pin sharp stars right to the edge.

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They are great especially the 28mm one, it's larger then a can of coke and the colour and sharpness it renders is exceptional on par with a Nagler.

img0989kp.jpg

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I so seriously want one.

My 32mm is currently my favourite eyepiece, it's a 1.25" revelation.

I'll let you borrow it Craig, but don't bring it back covered in drool :lol:

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Blimey it's HUGE! The 1st pic, they look normal size but against that pepsi can...woah! I didn't realise they were that big lol.

I used to have nearly a complete set of Hyperions and they are lovely eyepieces, very well built with the ability to fit a T thread to one end.

On slow scopes like my TAL 100r they were fantastic but on faster scopes such as my old 16" dob which was F4.5 they showed terrible coma on at least the outer 20%.

So out of curiosity, Baader is NOT the choice for my F5 scope? I was thinking of buying the zoom piece. My scope is much smaller than your monster lol...will it work ok?

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I have never used the zoom Baader but have read plenty of reviews on it and have never read a bad one. It seems to be loved by many observers and alot of them have placed it a close second to the TV zooms.

Eyepieces are a very personal thing, I hated seeing coma in my eyepiece, in your F5 you might find it's OK. My advice would be to buy one, go for either the 17 or 21 as this will show more defects then say an 8mm.

If you are happy with it then the Baaders make excellent eyepieces.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Bryndalf

Man alive! That is hefty...

I agree with rob, the revelation set is great for the price.

How about we get a list together broken down by scope and price? This would really help me and prob others who havent used many diff ones. Personally I would like a good wide view eye peice that would go on my 200p for around £150... Any suggestions

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I would definitely benefit front the expertise of you more experienced guys. I know that televue eyepieces are awesome. Kim showed me his eyepiece collection which is very droolworthy!

I would like it also if a list of eyepiece sets for the more budget restrained was compiled. I was looking at the celestron eyepiece and filter set in their own Alu case are they any good?

Felix

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well Felix the celestron sets aren`t bad for the money, but the revelation sets are cheaper and alittle better in my opinon, look at Flo`s website the celestron sets sell for £145 while the revelation sell for £125, the celestron set includes a 6mm eyepiece which is border line usable in this country while the revelation starts at 9mm, i had the older set of revelations and the 32mm eyepiece is a very good wide field eyepiece.

if your looking for a set my recommendation for the limited budget is a revelation set, work well with a fast scope like your "F5" unlike some eyepieces which are better suited for slower scopes like my F10 sct.

if you can get to a meet you can try out different eyepieces, we all have different scopes and eyepieces, budgets and so on, so there`s a massive choice out there.

Edited by red dwalf
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Felix - I have the Celestron set and you'd be welcome to borrow it for a month or two. If you like it make me an offer - if you don't then just let me have it back in original condition. For what it's worth though I rate the Revelation set as better and more flexible. :)

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Thanks reddwalf-appreciate the advice.

Kim, thanks for the offer, that is very kind of you. I may well take you up on that :). Is always good if one can try before buying.

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don`t get me wrong i`m not poo pooing the Celestron set, still good value for money and i think that they come from the same stable, and second hand prices on either set would be a bargain.

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No I didn't think you were doing that, don't worry. I asked for opinions which is what I wanted-so all good.

I think anything will be a slight improvement on what is sent with scope as standard. I just want a selection to use until I save enough to buy televue EP's :) so it'll be a long time before that happens!! Ha ha!

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I think anything will be a slight improvement on what is sent with scope as standard.

Yes, absolutely. I used the stock eyepieces once (and only once).

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