Barlow lens

[Martin]

I have a 10" Skyliner Dob ,would i be best to stay with a 2X barlow or are the 3 & 5X barlows worth a go

My current EP's

10 & 25 Kit EP's

Ultrawide 6mm EP

Or would i be better to invest in other EP's

i also have a synscan 102 goto scope

all advice appreciated

[Daz Type-R]

This opens up a whole can of worms.

Some people say barlows are great and work a treat. Other people don't like barlows and would rather buy double the ep's then own a barlow.

I have a standard 2x barlow that I don't use, you are more than welcome to borrow it.

Just drop me a pm with your address and if you are not too far I could pop it in (or you can collect from me), failing that, I can put it in the post.

[Brantuk]

The more glass you put in the light train the more it degrades the view in allmost all cases. I find that if you're picky with barlows and get a good one then it's not quite so noticeable. On a tight budget the Tal 2x is performs well and is great value for money. If you can go for something a bit better the Orion Shorty Plus and/or the Celestron Ultima (same eye piece effectively) have been a very good standard for years. The Antares 1.6x 2" is also very very good at a modest price, but the ultimate is the TV Powermate - all it does is magnify and you just don't know it's there - it's a pretty penny though. .