If you want to observe the fine details of a specimen, Plossl eyepiece has a higher magnification than an ocular with lower lenses. Below .5 mm exit pupil, floaters in the eye become more apparent and can be bothersome. I have used these in my F6 and F5 Dobs and find them a good value for the price. Can you give me any specific recommendations on what to buy and from where? The Hyperions work well in SCTs and you can't beat that large eyelens and eye relief ,JMO. In this article, were going to talk about what is a Plossl eyepiece, what are its components, how do they work, how many types are there and how youd buy a good Plossl eyepiece. It also produces an erect image, meaning you see what youre viewing rather than seeing everything upside down or sideways as some types do. The 66-degree AFOV of the Gold Line series provides a 32% wider field than Plossl eyepieces. Kellners tend to have narrower apparent fields of view (40 degrees rather than 50 or 52 degrees in a Plossl), and in short focal length telescopes (focal ratio f/5 or shorter) they can have more false color fringing, but for the most part it is hard to notice the difference between a well-made Kellner and a well-made Plossl in terms of image quality. https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-review/. Then you can judge for yourself if it is worth it. Scott. I want to help you select the best eyepieces for your budget and your telescope. SV207 30mm Super Plossl Eyepiece. Lets take a look. The generic GSO Plssl from many manufacturers, including Astronomics (Astro Tech) and Agnena Astro, is as good as the Celestron and a few bucks cheaper. My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. Take a look at your manual or users guide. We can see that 2 eyepieces have an advantage over 1.25 eyepieces when designers are making wide-view eyepieces. You also get 7 1.25 filters which include the following, #80A Blue Filter, #58 Green Filter, #56 Light Green Filter, #25 Red Filter, #21 . This general purpose design gives good colour correction and an adequate feld of view at reasonable cost and they are often bundled with new telescopes. No other type can compare with it when it comes to that quality. And I am a visually observing focused person. The tradeoff was that each lens surface added another internal reflection, reducing contrast and adding glare. For what it's worth: I believe the Omni 1.25 inch 2x Barlow is one of the Shorty Barlows manufactured by GSO. In essence the design differences between Kellner and Plossl comes down to the number of lenses within the eyepiece barrel. I had a bino pair of TV 20mm Plossls, very fine for high power planetary observation with my long focus 8" Mak, then I also bought the older TV 21mm Plossl, after trying the 21mm I sold the more recent 20mm. People may have heard, and rightly so, that Huygens or Ramsdens are crummy eyepieces and that they should get a Plossl instead, and they may believe the same applies to Kellners, but the truth is that Kellners are often good eyepieces. What diameter eyepieces will my telescope accept? They offer a 52-degree apparent field with clean, high-contrast images. In comparison, Aspherical lenses generally have no color distortion but might not work out well if the telescope user needs really high magnification. Note that the Explore Scientific 68 and 82 degree eyepieces are also available in 2 size for your low power wide view requirements. Brilliant article and I thank you for it, I was literally really confused prior to reading it. The Plossl is a good all-around eyepiece design, is well suited for generic use and is relatively inexpensive to make. Meade 32mm 2" 5-element Super Plossl Wide Field Eyepiece For super Plossl eyepiece, the field of view is typically 40 to 60 degrees. Top 10 Best Best Plossl Eyepieces 2023 - Complete Buying Guide All the rest will likely be 1.25. A couple of them felt fancier, but the jump in performance was either insignificant or non-existent. Omni 56mm Eyepiece - 2" Learn More. Explore Scientific 68 34 mm or ES 82 30 mm would also be good choices at a significantly higher price but with better edge correction. How important a consideration is this when deciding on an eyepiece? This is where the second formula comes into play. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. I have to say that your questions are answered in the article. Depending on how fussy you are about having a completely clean image across the visual field, if you have a lower focal ratio scope you will want to look for eyepieces with a reputation for being better corrected in low focal ratio scopes. Gosky Plossl 40 mm Telescope Eyepiece - 1.25inch This is probably the worst eyepiece I can recommend. The field of view of a p Plossl eyepiece is typically 60 to 120 degrees. After these, we have mostly proprietary designs from various eyepiece companies. When you are shopping, if you need long eye relief, make sure you are selecting the correct ones. Your email address will not be published. I agree with your comment on zooms for kids. We also joined our local Astronomy Club and look forward to joining others under the night sky when the opportunity presents itself again. Despite one being fundamentally superior to the other in terms of image correction, Kellners and Plossls are generally quite comparable in terms of the image you actually see. Other brands have joined and have used the Super Plossl label, but they all keep the original 4-piece design. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-barlow-lens-and-how-to/, Celestron 8-24 Zoom Review They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. And remember, when all else fails, read the instructions. Once I knew how much I liked the zoom I upgraded to the Baader Hyperion Zoom. It will also make your life easier if youre out observing on windy days that would otherwise blow off the front cover of your telescope. To determine a magnification range, we will start with the aperture of the telescope, the size of the front lens, or the mirror in the back. Plossl eyepieces have wider fields of view than Kellners. At shorter focal lengths they have less eye relief, and at all focal lengths they have a narrower field of view, than newer types. Over time, you will likely spend more on eyepieces than on the telescope. Kellner vs Plossl - Comparison table. Any 1.25 diagonal should work. Buy Astromania 1.25" 4mm Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - 4-Element Plossl Design . Edge sharpness is just satisfactory, nothing to boast about, as is the apparent field of view. The Big Bang Optics was started because of our love for astronomy and to help others like us find the best telescope and accessories. . Many brands of eyepieces are available, including SVBony UltraWide, Astromania UltraWide Angle, Agena Astro StarGuider Enhanced UltraWide Angle and others. I think some of these kits even include 4mm eyepieces, and thats ridiculous! Note that as we get into the higher magnifications, the millimeter jumps between eyepiece focal lengths gets smaller. Or is this overkill and am I better off saving money and going forward something like the Celestron Zoom? What's the difference between two Plssl eyepieces? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. NEW. For planetary viewing, comfort is essential in helping to increase viewing time . . It costs a lot to get that last 10% of performance. The 5-lens-element pseudo-Masuyamas that telesonic mentioned are/were fine eyepieces. These tend to run toward the more expensive price range. By having a range of magnifications, you can optimize the image, which means you need more eyepieces. Kellners can be as little as half the price of a Plossl in the same focal length, but they are generally very comparable, especially in recent years as telescope prices have fluctuated in response to changing supply chains and demand. Celestron 2026 Erecting Prism Barlow Lens Set is another great choice for those looking to get a variety of magnifications. The design uses a planoconvex, two cemented-element eye lens and a large convex field lens. There are many more designs that are associated with specific brands, but the ones above are designs that are produced by many companies in one form or another. However, sometimes i am at the end of the range of the binocular focus adjustment. Telescope Eyepieces Guide - High Point Scientific A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. But you may only be able to achieve that rarely. Unless you are a professional astronomer or extremely demanding, you can select your eyepieces based on magnification, the apparent field of view, eye relief, and price. With a 130mm-F5 I would use a Plossl 32mm for its low-mag-wide-view. Regular Plossl eyepieces with maybe just a slightly better coating or build quality. The Baader offers wider fov, but at quite the price premium. Perhaps you should seek out help from your local astronomy club. You can use the same eyepiece on planets and deep-sky objects (DSOs). This will give you a maximum target for planning purposes. For your application and the eyepieces you have or are going to get, you really dont need anything else. My Meade 4000 56 and 60 degree Meade Plossls are pretty sharp to my eyes and do pretty well for me. Hi, I have recently bought a Orion XT8 and am trying to work out which eyepieces to add to what is provided with the scope. But for AP you should really start your planning with the mount. Comparing to Plossl, the Expanse eyepiece is a lot more expensive. It was grueling, because I couldnt even get the entire field of viewI had to keep my eye hovering above the exit pupil. 4mm Eyepiece vs 20mm Eyepiece. I also just bought the Celestron Starsense 102mm refractor (650mm focal length, f/6.5) as a first scope for me and my kids. But those EPs mentioned were all great too! While many people will stay with and add Plossls to their eyepiece set, I would recommend not going below 10 mm focal length as the eye relief gets quite short. The Plossl's are very easy to modify, allowing me to use the bino-viewer on, all my refracting telescopes without having to cut down the tube length, p.s. Be sure to read the following as you consider your eyepiece purchases. This is why many telescopes come standard with at least one Plossl eyepiece. In stargazing, eyepieces are as important as telescopes are. Astromania 1.25" 4mm Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - amazon.com One more thing if you havent purchased a telescope yet, I would recommend a tabletop version, since they are easier for kids to move than the fiddley ones with spindly legs and complicated dials. The category is over $300 and some of these are way over $300. Here we get into the BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari of eyepieces. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. In my scopes a simple zoom eyepiece like the Celestron 24-8mm or the Baader has replaced the higher powered plossls. I hope I can say that someday. https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/explore-scientific-70-eyepieces.html. that I could slide into my telescope and look at. Its quite long but that is what we are aiming for and hopefully, it was useful to you. As you learn more about astronomy and you gain more experience with time, you may want to move to Plossls or even higher-quality eyepieces. By default, expect a 40-degree field of view in a Kellner and a 50-52 degree field of view in a Plossl. Plossl vs Kellner Eyepieces: The Ultimate Comparison the reality is that today's eyepieces are all quite good, particulalarly in an f/10 telescope. If your telescopes focal length is different, just change the focal length in the formula. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w capsule at the best online prices at eBay! Omni 15mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. All registered. Then there is a pair of 32mm and 20mm TV Plossls which make my binoviewers work well with a Daystar Quark H-alpha solar filter. Finally, a wider field of view just makes it easier to find stuff. We enjoy binoculars for the moon, but having never looked through another telescope, my kids and I do not know what internal reflection, ghosting, vignettes, or diffraction spikes look like! However, for your extra money you get the finest manufacture, the best polish and coatings available. A Barlow lens will not reduce the CA in a low FR achromat refractor so to speak of it changing the focal ratio would, I think, introduce confusion in most situations. If you want a very good eyepiece with a bit wider field of view but are on a budget, these are very good choices. The larger barrel allows them to create an eyepiece with a higher AFOV. Some accept 2 and have an adapter that allows you to also use 1.25. They are a good brand with high-quality eyepieces, you just dont need to spend the extra money for almost no gain in performance. Kellner eyepieces were first designed by Carl Kellner in 1849. Why not go back to the people who sold you the scope and get their help. These are highly sought after ep's, and hold their value well. For shorter focal lengths, the StarGuider BST series eyepieces have greater eye-relief, so are better suited. . Both will provide the same magnification. These are just a few examples of eyepieces that I have used, and some that I own. The BH zoom is optically a 1.25 eyepiece. But for the targets requiring higher mag Im still undecided between: We have compared Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article. However, if you want to optimize your viewing experience, youll need to invest in a better-quality eyepiece. I dont think so. Warranty Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. But the difference in price to get to the next level is high, and the performance difference may be small. A wide range of focal lengths are available, all in 1.25-inch size. How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? If you feel the need to buy something now, consider this Orion diagonal. Conclusion. These have the advantage that the front section with the optics can be unthreaded and threaded on to the filter threads of a 1.25 inch eyepiece. Those are significantly more expensive than the 1.25 focal lengths. Yes, eyepieces is a large and complex topic. condition as described, a good transaction. This type of design also helps provide for eye relief; its a better experience if your eyes. To get the best performance, you have to be willing to pay the price. I would suggest you also get a 2 low power wide view. They have a 50-56 degrees field of view, better eye relief, and cost more than Kellners. For visual use, 1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and 3X Barlow lenses are common. Plossl eyepieces have 4 lenses that are paired in two doublets. This means you will be able to see a greater expanse for the objects in space but with fewer magnification levels than Kellner or Plossl lenses. If you stumble the first few uses, dont be discouraged. A Kellner eyepiece has 1 double lens and 1 single lens. Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. You will see these under many brands, including Orion, Celestron, GSO, and others. Non-eyeglass wearers can usually tolerate Plossls as short as about 10-12mm before their eyelashes start brushing the ocular lens. If you have a longer focal length telescope, your shortest focal length eyepiece will be a higher number than what I have shown here. Goldline Eyepieces - The Definitive Guide - Telescopic Watch The original design for Plossl eyepieces has existed since 1860. Other eyepieces of more advanced design can have better eye relief and field of view. I dont dabble in AP. The Celestron Omni Plossl eyepiece range offers a nice entry-level range into the higher quality 4-element Plossl design. Do you think it would be sensible for me to look at getting a higher magnification specific eyepiece? Most modern telescopes use a focuser, or diagonal, that accepts 1.25 eyepieces. We often end up spending more on eyepieces than we did on the telescope. For the $66/$42 of these kits, you can get one or two decent eyepieces (depending on where you buy). This eyepiece was even better at correcting false color fringing, but because of internal reflections, the glare was even worse. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? However, there can be a problem bringing the eyepiece into focus. Orion Sirius Plossl eyepieces are ideal for any type of telescope; refractor, reflector, or catadioptic. In retrospect, I should have included Tele Vue. Most people prefer the wider TFOV. Again, does it create a more immersive viewing experience? Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. Think of these as your Ford, Chevy, and Toyota of eyepieces. In the box you'll receive 5 1.25 eyepieces at following sizes, a 32 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 17 mm Plossl Eyepiece , 13 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 8 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 6 mm Plossl Eyepiece, a 2X Barlow Lens 1.25. And, the quality of the eyepiece clearly comes into play here. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. The Big Bang Optics is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.