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2" or 1.25" eyepieces


Guest nickyb

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Guest nickyb

Hi,


 


Does anyone on the forum have experience in using both 2 and 1.25-inch eyepieces? Reason I ask is that I will be getting a 115mm Altair refractor in the future and understand this can take both sizes.


 


Would I be correct in the fact that the fov will be better, maybe contrast too with regard to the bigger diameter version?


 


Thanks!


 


Nick


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You are correct that a 2" will give you a better view, there are 30-40mm 1.25" eyepieces, but these have narrower fields of view generally.


A 2" eyepiece has a nice big bit of glass to look through, so is more comfortable when looking for fainter objects for a long time. It might be wise to check the weight of some of the 2" ones, as they can weigh as much as a kilo, this might affect the balance and tracking. It certainly does in a Dob, they just nose dive without a counter weight.


 


Here's a good guide that's well worth a read.


http://www.swindonstargazers.com/beginners/eyepieces.htm


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There's a lot of combos out there - some eyepieces are dual 1.25" and 2" - some 1.25" ones can be turned into a 2" with a special threaded collar (or nosepiece). The 115EDT with a 2" diagonal, 13mm Ethos, and a 2" Powermate puts an extra 3.5lbs on the back of the scope - but the views are cracking. Which mount will you be using Nick? :)


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Guest nickyb

You are correct that a 2" will give you a better view, there are 30-40mm 1.25" eyepieces, but these have narrower fields of view generally.

A 2" eyepiece has a nice big bit of glass to look through, so is more comfortable when looking for fainter objects for a long time. It might be wise to check the weight of some of the 2" ones, as they can weigh as much as a kilo, this might affect the balance and tracking. It certainly does in a Dob, they just nose dive without a counter weight.

 

Here's a good guide that's well worth a read.

http://www.swindonstargazers.com/beginners/eyepieces.htm

thanks Baz..

 

Yes, I saw an image of a baauer skopos 2" and it was huge, almost like a telephoto lens for a camera.

 

I guess many forum members have a mixture of both 2" and 1.25", the 2" for the 'spacecraft window' views..

 

Nick

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It depends, as the 2" eps usually cost more, also, with the likes of TeleVue doing their 100 degree Ethos range (1.25") and Explorer Scientific range banging out 82 degree eps, then you don't always need a 2" EP for that wide FOV effect.

But generally speaking, 2" ep's are better.

Edited by Daz Type-R
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I have a 26mm, and 38mm Skywatcher Panaview, not too much money and they do me fine.


 


I think the best way of seeing if an eyepiece is any good for you is to have a look through one. I don't know if you have any societies or clubs down your way, but that would be my advice.


An eyepiece which might suit another person, may not be any good for you, and buying one which you really want will save you money in the long run.


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Guest nickyb

I have a 26mm, and 38mm Skywatcher Panaview, not too much money and they do me fine.

 

I think the best way of seeing if an eyepiece is any good for you is to have a look through one. I don't know if you have any societies or clubs down your way, but that would be my advice.

An eyepiece which might suit another person, may not be any good for you, and buying one which you really want will save you money in the long run.

sound advice Baz, thanks.

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Guest nickyb

There's a lot of combos out there - some eyepieces are dual 1.25" and 2" - some 1.25" ones can be turned into a 2" with a special threaded collar (or nosepiece). The 115EDT with a 2" diagonal, 13mm Ethos, and a 2" Powermate puts an extra 3.5lbs on the back of the scope - but the views are cracking. Which mount will you be using Nick? :)

Hi Brantuk, Am sving up for decent scope and mount at the moment, just put a deposit on an Altair 115mm F7 ED from the nice people at Tring Astro, the new one coming out with an upgraded focuser, but not out for a few months yet...so still time to save the pennies.

 

I was originally looking at a mount from Skywatcher the EQ-6 Pro, however I've seen good reviews on a lighter version from iOptron, iEQ45 which seems to be okay for this size scope, plus accessories. Its more than the EQ-6 Pro, but I like the sound of a few kilo's lighter and I guess the 130,000 database should keep me busy for a few nights!

 

We've quite a large garden and it backs onto fields in the village, so I guess I could always turn it into something more permanent when funds allow.

 

Nick

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Hi Brantuk, Am sving up for decent scope and mount at the moment, just put a deposit on an Altair 115mm F7 ED from the nice people at Tring Astro, the new one coming out with an upgraded focuser, but not out for a few months yet...so still time to save the pennies.

I was originally looking at a mount from Skywatcher the EQ-6 Pro, however I've seen good reviews on a lighter version from iOptron, iEQ45 which seems to be okay for this size scope, plus accessories. Its more than the EQ-6 Pro, but I like the sound of a few kilo's lighter and I guess the 130,000 database should keep me busy for a few nights!

We've quite a large garden and it backs onto fields in the village, so I guess I could always turn it into something more permanent when funds allow.

Nick

I wouldn't get too hung up on the 130000 object database as whilst that is how many are in the database it doesn't mean that you will be able to see every single one. The limiting factors for that would be your scope and sky conditions. IMO the NEQ 6 can't be beaten for the price, especially if you mod it to have belt drives.

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Guest nickyb

I wouldn't get too hung up on the 130000 object database as whilst tat is how many are in he database it does mean that you will be able to see every single one. The limiting factors for that would be your scope and sky conditions. IMO the NEQ 6 can't be beaten for the price, especially if you nod it to have belt drives.

Thanks, I do like the NEQ6 and its cheaper than the iOptron by about £300. As others have mentioned, I know the database is huge but

probably won't see too much of that, depends on my limiting magnitude.

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Guest nickyb

..I'm leaning more to the NEQ6 mount, any other forum members think its better (or worse!) than the iEQ45?


 


At around £300 cheaper, means I can get a few more eyepieces.


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I've no experience of the Ioptron mounts - Nick at Altair will tell you all about them - but the NEQ6 Pro is hard to beat for it's price range - probably the best sub £1K mount around for accuracy and functionality. I upgraded to the AZEQ6GT which I'm hoping will deliver similar performance but better engineering and facilities. Not had the 115EDT on it yet though - too busy playing with the Lightbridge lol. :)


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Hi Nick

I've had two or three years of using both 1.25 & 2" eyepieces.

You've made a nice choice with your scope I feel. But I'm guessing somewhere down the line you'll be looking at doing some imaging with it ?

I personally would stick with no more than 3 high quality 1.25" eyepieces & then throw a nice 8-24mm zoom into the mix.

I'll echo the thoughts of others and recommend the EQ-6. You won't go too far wrong and there's plenty of second hand bargains out there.

I have a 2"er : a 31mm Televue. At the time it was a toss-up between that and the 35mm Panoptic..

I only use it with my refractor : it's too big & bulky for my C8 really.

I don't regret buying it, but I feel due to my awful light pollution, it will never realise its potential.

It also gets dewed up easily. Due to its bulk (a bag of sugar weight-wise) eyepieces like this ask serious questions of your focuser, and call for a good, strong diagonal.

If I were you, if you want low power I'd look no further than a 24mm Panoptic. This will give the widest view possible (I think) of any 1.25" eyepiece. You then have loads of options for mid / high power in the 1.25" format.

And at some point (like me) you may want to get into bino-viewing, which is pure 1.25" territory. That's another story though !!

I wish you the best of luck with your refractor. Enjoy the views and clear sky's.

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