are plossl eyepieces good
Brilliant article and I thank you for it, I was literally really confused prior to reading it. This number can range from 30 degrees to 120 degrees. Divide that by the magnification of that eyepiece in that scope. In the case of the Celestron, you get all the focal lengths from 24 to 8mm in one eyepiece that costs $100. This is my all-time favorite eyepiece and the one I use more than all the others put together. I also really liked my E-Lux 32mm, a Kellner. I am very near-sighted, barely see the big E on the vision chart without glasses. Most telescopes come with one or two eyepieces. I have an F4 Newtonian reflector and if I use an eyepiece of longer than 25 mm, an exit pupil of 6.25, I start to get a dark area in the center of the field of view which is a shadow of the secondary mirror. So if you need to go to Arcturus and then go 2 degrees to the right to find your target, you can use the FOV of the eyepiece to estimate 2 degrees. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. Like going from a 32 TV to a 65? Celestron - 1.25" Eyepiece and Filter Accessory Kit - 14 Piece Telescope Accessory Set - Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - Barlow Lens - Colored Filters - Moon Filter - Sturdy Metal Carry Case. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? Even if we were next-door neighbors this would take weeks of discussion and planning. You could say Super Plossls are not much more than a marketing tactic these days. It includes two high-magnification Plossl eyepieces and five lower magnification zoom oculars with an adjustable focus in the kit. https://telescopicwatch.com/?s=barlow, Best of luck with your new telescope. 17mm Plossl, unbranded, used, no caps, in bolt case; previous owner said it was a very good EP; $18 25mm Plossl, Orion Sirius, fully MgF2 coated on every air-to-glass surface; used; $23 (these are a step up from . I think Id really enjoy a zoom for all the reasons you mention, But Im having a difficult time assessing how much weight to put on the field of view of given eyepieces. But you may only be able to achieve that rarely. In this article, we will only focus on the differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces. All the rest will likely be 1.25. . If you are going to wear your glasses when you observe, you want at least 18 mm of eye relief and 20 mm is better. Required fields are marked *. Each eyepiece gives you a unique magnification based on the formula listed at the start: Why do you need more than two eyepieces? These are highly sought after ep's, and hold their value well. Eye relief of less than 10mm gets really uncomfortableyou tend to rub your eyepieces against the eyepiece or lens, and you have to hold your eye at just the right distance to keep from touching the lens. 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. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-mounts-for-astrophotography/, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-astrophotography-telescopes/, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-barlow-lens-and-how-to/, https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-review/, https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8879-1-25-Inch-Enhanced-Telescope/dp/B000BMPBLK/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3KKUJRXYYN7DI&dchild=1&keywords=telescope+diagonal+1.25&qid=1610887695&sprefix=telescope+diagonal%2Caps%2C512&sr=8-8, https://telescopicwatch.com/orion-skyquest-xt8-intelliscope-review/, https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/baader-hyperion-mark-iv-8-24mm-universal-zoom-eyepiece.html, https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orion+Q70&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/, https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8829-Wide-Field-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B000M89H7C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Orion+Q70&qid=1606584502&sr=8-2, https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Scientific-68%C2%B0-40mm-Eyepiece/dp/B007LMG3F6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=explore+scientific+68&qid=1606584676&sr=8-1. Which is Stronger? However, if you want to optimize your viewing experience, youll need to invest in a better-quality eyepiece. These are often compared to the higher priced offerings. They have a 60deg apparent field, long eye relief, adjustable eye shield and extremely well corrected. They are just OK, but I dont recommend them, especially in a low focal ratio scope. 4. https://telescopicwatch.com/orion-skyquest-xt8-intelliscope-review/. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. The Astrovid 40X60mm Zoom Telescope Camera Lens Kit is a great choice for those looking to get a variety of lenses, at different magnifications. Meade went back to the drawing board and they removed the fifth element, keeping the original Plossl design, however, they kept the Super Plossl brand and added some premium materials. Below 20 however, the eye relief makes it difficult for me and my glasses so Ive been replacing my 5-15 EPs with 82 degree EPs with more relief. While eyepieces with relatively complex, proprietary, or bespoke designs are becoming more commonly available in the beginner price bracket, there is often good reason to choose a much simpler design. The TFOV of the Hyperion will be greater than the TFOV of the Plssl, but the magnification will be about the same. I recommend it often to beginners on a tight budget. We may earn commissions by recommending products on this website. If you are just testing the waters or on a tight budget, get the Celestron, which is still pretty good. Now looking for a couple of decent eyepieces. I do not miss beating my eyelashes against a 9.7mm Meade Plossl that I used to own. This will become more apparent the wider the AFOV is of the eyepiece, in my experience. Do you have any additional comments to help me? The original design for Plossl eyepieces has existed since 1860. A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Nice, thank you again for the additional inputs. This design has some advantages over other designs, such as the Kellner eyepiece or Orthoscopic eyepieces. But what are the differences between these two and how do you know which one to choose? 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. Typically a Barlow does not add or subtract from this, but there again we have bad Barlows and Good Barlows. Now here is something that some of us classic scope nuts know - there are plossls, and there are plossls. . As I mentioned earlier in the article, not all Plossls are created equal, which simply means that there are good Plossls and then there are bad Plossls. Lets illustrate with an example using a 1200 mm FL telescope. Age is not part of the equation. I think I will go for the BHZ because, as you say, I will be able to use it now and into the future. If you are investing for the future, get the BH zoom. In that respect, they are similar to the Explore Scientific 82 degree mentioned earlier. To achieve a maximum of 200X (2X the aperture of 100 mm), we solve for the focal length. Those that still come with Huygens and Ramsdens are generally cheap and low quality, since practically the only reason to use those designs in modern times is that they are extremely cheap to manufacture. Excellent, thank you for the breakdown, very much appreciated. Why two sizes? Again thank you very much for all the information in the page, excellent notes. However, sometimes i am at the end of the range of the binocular focus adjustment. Thanks. They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. Not everything in the sky benefits from high magnification. Because some objects look better at low power, some at medium power, some at high power, and some at very high power. EP-mm = magnification = afov If you are upgrading, avoid ones that say correct image as these add a prism system into the diagonal which can reduce the light transmission. How important a consideration is this when deciding on an eyepiece? Every new skill takes time. Features : 5 superior-grade Plossl eyepieces: 1.25-in, 4-element design with a 52 AFOV (32mm has 44)4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 32mm . Note to spectacle wearers: Plossl eyepieces with 15mm and longer focal lengths are good choices for spectacle wearers but for shorter focal lengths the Celestron XCel LX series have greater eye-relief so are better suited. The more light that is gathered, the more magnification that can be applied to the image, up to the limits that are imposed by the atmosphere. Both solutions offer somewhat similar mag-fov-er-price. Even when I upgraded to a 6mm Goldline, I kept the Kellner around because of pretty annoying kidney-bean blackout issues on the Moon with that eyepiece. In terms of eyepieces, my best advice is provided in the article. The Plossl is a good all-around eyepiece design, is well suited for generic use and is relatively inexpensive to make. Plssl eyepieces are affordable and they're outstanding additions to amateur telescopes. Yes, eyepieces is a large and complex topic. As we go up in price range, we gain capabilities that may not be immediately obvious. The difference in TFOV will be significant at this focal length. Ive read reviews about my scope. Plossl eyepieces are great. The design uses a planoconvex, two cemented-element eye lens and a large convex field lens. 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. 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. You are asking about a very specific eyepiece in a very specific scope combined sometimes with a Barlow. As new anti-reflection coatings were developed, it became possible to actually make use of complex lens arrangements (not just in relatively simple 4-element systems but also in convoluted, extreme wide-field eyepieces such as the TeleVue Nagler). I beleive this is the same as they ones you asked about. This can be very helpful for star hopping. Kellner and Plossl- both are two different types of eyepieces for telescopes. Note that many cheap eyepieces promise a wide AFOV but deliver a view with a lot of distortion or aberration as you move away from the center of the field of view. The tradeoff was that each lens surface added another internal reflection, reducing contrast and adding glare. I cant answer that specifically as I have no experience with that eyepiece in that scope. No results, please adjust your filters. They also offer more eye relief than Plossls at the shorter focal lengths. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-mounts-for-astrophotography/, Then you look at the optical tubes. For astronomical observations, such as viewing craters on the moons surface from Earth, high-magnification models are preferred because they offer more detail. Yes, the wider field of view of a Plossl is very helpful, but 40 degrees of Kellners isnt a soda straw (unless you are used to looking through very wide field eyepiece. Note that as we get into the higher magnifications, the millimeter jumps between eyepiece focal lengths gets smaller. Some people have more than 6 and some have as few as 3. 70 mm scope will have a max of 140X for planning purposes. The ES is actually slightly cheaper than the Orion but my understanding from your reviews and replies is that ES might actually be the better eyepiece have I got that right? Both will provide the same magnification. Plossls provide very good eye relief for eyeglass wearers in focal lengths of about 25mm and longer. there are of course options to plossls which are about the same prices as GSOs such as the BST Discoveries and TMB type eyepieces (new from Skies the Limit on Ebay) which have a wider field and better eye relief than plossls and are probably as good as most things non-premium. As for tabletop scopes, dont forget that you need a table, stool, or bench to place them. Depending on your budget, if you only have limited funds and are just starting to fill out your eyepiece collection I would go with the zoom, then zoom with Barlow.
