The Only 2 Eyepieces I Use! - Which Are They??

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[@rbmk__1000]

I'm only a little interested in astronomy but can't get enough of Ed's presentation, he truly is the standard for this kind of content. I love how Ed presents the reasoning and experience behind his opinion rather than just the opinions themselves.

[@garrettroberts7937]

Right?! I wish every news anchor and professor were more like him. This dude could make trig cool.

[@francistaylor1822]

Thats why I just subbed after watching a few of his videos. Its not just opinion, its opinion with reasoning demonstrated which is great for understanding.

[@Sr.DeathKnight]

I started this hobby following Ed's advice and will be forever grateful. It was the right advice, time tested.

[@seanflewin9803]

You fancy him

[@SparksandBubbles]

The story of the kid eating the eyepiece rubber... Priceless....

[@marcorajala6024]

BHAHAHA great one

[@k.h.1587]

Is Ed responsible for the medical bills?

[@peterfalvay]

Hello Ed, I've just recently found your channel a few weeks ago, and binge-watched probably all your videos. I just wanted to say I really appreciate all the thoughts and work you have put in the making of these highly educational and valuable videos, and for sharing all the wisdom and experience! Thank you, Sir! :)

[@Beaver-be8vk]

That was all of us when we discovered it too. Welcome 😊

[@Sr.DeathKnight]

From the nearly 10 articles that I read when I was a beginner, one stood clearly over the others, and that was Ed's. That's why I started in this on the right foot.

[@ceejay0137]

Completely agree with using cheap eyepieces for star parties. Inexperienced viewers won't appreciate the quality of an expensive eyepiece, and cleaning sticky fingermarks off the cheap ones is fine. I always take 2 or 3 and keep the spares in my jacket pocket in case a kid pokes the one on the scope.

[@k.h.1587]

Totally

[@saltytraveller]

Thank you. At 66 yeara old i finally have time to really check out astronomy. I just got my first telescope since childhood and am trying to understand eyepieces. You video is very helpful.

[@bendover7089]

Re. Star Party / Public Outreach eyepieces: I keep a selection of El Cheapo sacrificial lambs for that purpose. The stars of that set are some of the bizarre offerings from Surplus Shed. I got them after a kid holding a dripping ice cream cone said "Do I look in HERE?", and plunged a sticky fingertip against the lens of one of my Panoptics! The prices are certainly right, especially if you got 'em from the second hand market like I did. Out of curiosity, I took one of them apart. I was amazed to find that the optics consisted of the complete lens from a closed circuit TV camera, minus iris, screwed into a 2" eyepiece housing! In general, the optical qualities are MORE than adequate for introducing a Newbie to astronomy Besides Outreach use, they have another purpose... they make dandy dust plugs for my telescopes!

[@gabeeg]

Ed is right IMHO, the Tele Vue eyepieces are top of the class (there are Nikon, Noblex, Pentax, Zeiss that rate just as high or higher but they are either more expensive, limited focal lengths or just plain near impossible to get). That said, not everyone can afford Tele Vue, in the little bit cheaper category but 90%+ as good IMO are the Explore Scientific series...and I have heard great things regarding the Morpheus series from Baader, but have never looked through any. If you are on a very limited budget and do not have a very fast scope (F5 or faster) the Dual-ED eyepieces are a nice, discernible upgrade from the eyepieces that come with most scopes, these are sold by many under different names ...StarGuider Dual ED from Agena are the ones I have tried (people seem to like the very inexpensive Svbony eyepieces as well...but again I have never tried them and also it sounds like their various lines and FL's are not always consistent). In the end you get what you pay for. Buy once, cry once is very applicable to Telescopes and Eyepieces.

[@motya1978]

Hi Ed, I really like your philosophy of keeping things simple. It really adds to the depth of the viewing experience.

[@BirdFinder]

Hi Ed. Another great video. Thanks for the tips as I'm going through this process now so great timing.

[@jeremygattenby2183]

This is the exact recommendation I was hoping for and I just so happen to own an 8” Dobsonian. Thank you!

[@jeffchristian6798]

One of your best videos yet. I've been agonizing over getting a new eyepiece, so this was perfect. Extremely informative and helpful. Thank you!

[@flyboyu777]

It’s really nice to see you doing videos after all the years of reading your reviews in writing. Thanks for giving us great advice and honest reviews of of the myriad of telescopes available (and NOT available!) to us amateurs.

[@MrGeoffHilton]

Great channel Ed, you're really watchable and I feel your enthusiasm.

[@jamessydenstricker2342]

I appreciate your videos immensely! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience.

[@ericfrizzell2450]

Great video Ed! It's always a Great day when a NEW eyepiece shows up too!!!!! Clear skys

[@ephjaymusic]

Brilliant overview! Thank you!

[@roberthorton7865]

My favorite eyepiece for my 12" F5 dob is a 31mm Nagler. It's simply fantastic, and worth every penny I paid for it.

[@mikemoran5439]

Thanks for this, Ed. I never knew about these eyepieces and I will definitely get these!

[@PresleyTV]

Of course, any Televue you recommended is backordered! Great information. Thank you.

[@ttr1360]

As usual, terrific advise Ed !

[@reeno1357]

I was wavering about buying myself a 13 mm nagler because having a wide angle at 13 milimeters while having a clear image sounds like magic to me. You made the decision a little easier for me, so thank you mate

[@theoldar]

I own both of those eyepieces, and I 100% agree with your choices!

[@jeffrystehle3960]

I love watching Ed Ting’s KZbin channel and hope that he keeps them coming:) Always something😂. A kid eating an eyepiece cup. 😮. Maybe he will be a future stargazer who can say that he once ate Ed Tings eyepiece cup. How many of us can say that?:))😂

[@g_eddie]

Thanks for being such an accessible resource for folks making their foray into astronomy. I've been enjoying using my good ol' binoculars to look at the moon and the stars; looking forward to making a telescope purchase sometime soon. Keep up the great work!

[@stevel4439]

Just made the move from a large binocular used for many years to a 12.5" Dob and loving the change.

[@bowenwinterbottom]

Thanks for the video. In the past I had an 8 inch Dob and used the 27 Panoptic & 12 Nagler T4 with Antares 1.6 Barlow. Getting back into the hobby and this time getting the 10 inch. Planning on using the same eyepieces!

[@brenthann2623]

Thanks Ed. I really enjoyed this video. Great job

[@parks51998]

Thanks Ed great review!

[@twomuchskll]

thank you ed , you are a great asset to our hobby.

[@richv7975]

I am new to astronomy and very beginner astrophotography. I found you by accident and I enjoy and am learning a lot from your videos. Thank you

[@craigglaze5980]

I'm a casual, visual backyard observer. Your videos have helped me avoid some equipment mistakes. Thanks ED

[@Dobviews]

Thank you! This answered so many questions concerning my Dob 10 250P Skywatcher! Now I feel like I can make some good first time purchases without making mistakes. Every penny must be spent wisely. ❤

[@asimian8500]

For an f/6 8" Orion Intelliscope (unfortunately no longer made), I use three eye pieces: Panoptic 24mm, Nagler 13T6, and either a Orion Expanse 9mm or the Nagler 7T6 depending on seeing conditions and for targets like globular clusters. Why the Orion Expanse 9mm? It's a 66 degree eyepiece which is affordable ($40-$50 USD), but known for its quality. I base this eyepiece set on exit pupil as many others have posted. Another more affordable set is the based on the Agena Starguider Dual ED eyepieces (60 degree field of view): 25mm, 12mm, and 8mm (about $70 USD each) and they're good and a step up from the 25mm Plossl eyepieces that come with many telescopes. I have a set of Starguider eyepieces which I use in smaller scopes like the Orion ST80.

[@PaulRunkle-vq9ht]

Great video, Ed! I’m pretty much in line with you… my two (90%) workhorse eyepieces are TV 24mm Panoptic and TV 9mm Nagler Type 6. They are both 1.25” and that just makes it easy regardless of the scope.

[@rickmintz5465]

Two years ago I took Ed's advice and bought the Panoptic 27mm for my 8" f/6 Newtonian. I am a happy camper! Thanks Ed!

[@maestherc]

Solid choices Ed, and good advice. 100% 👍

[@Foxman114]

Hello Ed. I completely agree and am in your camp. I had what I thought were higher end ED eyepieces for years and was very happy....until I bought my first Televue Delite just two years ago. The difference was literally night and day. So much more clarity, detail on planets and brighter too. Andromeda and the Orion Nebula suddenly became larger than life. Never knew what I was missing. My kit now contains just 3 Televue Delites and one 26mm 2" eyepiece which will also soon become a Televue (when I save up the money). All of my "old" eyepieces have gone into a box that is collecting dust in the corner of my room. As you said, "buy it once". Highly recommended.

[@edting]

Nice story. If you can find the discontinued 26mm Nagler Type 5, that is my favorite in that line. If you can't find one, you might have to "settle" for the 31mm Nagler.

[@frankrich2532]

Thanks Ed Been trying to decide if purchasing a Televue eyepiece was worth it. SOLD!! can't wait to view them through my various scopes. Keep the videos coming I learn so much everytime! Frank Rich

[@kenschwarz8057]

Great intro. I agree that less is more! It’s also definitely worth favoring a parfocal set so you don’t have to rack in and out the focuser (possibly disturbing balance while you’re at it) when changing magnification.

[@petset77]

I'm pretty new to amateur astronomy, but what I do when changing to a higher powered but 1.25" (vs 2") eyepiece is just have it fixed in the adapter before dusk. No fumbling in the dark, but changing focus is still necessary. Just my experience, and thanks for your input. Clear skies!

[@ogtrev2686]

Straight up Respect to the Host and Channel ✌️✌️ 2nd week on my Telescope. It's Amazing out there

[@gregoryshimkaveg2102]

About two years ago, I got my first scope, a 102 mm Mak, with a 1300 mm FL. It came with one eyepiece, a decent but not great 25 mm Plossl. So I found this video reviewer, Ed Ting, who told me to get a better eyepiece at the same FL. But he also said, if anything else, to consider going to a longer FL, thus picking up more angle and brightness. So I got a 32 mm TeleVue Plossl, and you guessed it, I use it almost exclusively. Such a solidly built optic with a great feel, nicely coated lenses with zero reflections visible, a very comfortable eye relief, and not too expensive (a little under $150 then), and miraculously it was in stock during the pandemic shutdown and supply shortages. You are spot-on about TeleVue's quality, and yeah, I get nervous when I let kids look through (the first thing they do is grab the eyepiece).

[@Cajundaddydave]

Good discussion Ed and I tend to use just 2 EP for a typical night of viewing as well. My scopes included a C8 for general observing, C90 travel scope, and a low power AT72ED mostly for imaging. Due to the longer native focal lengths I use a simple 32mm Plossl for wide field and a 12.5 Plossl for high Magnification. On very rare nights of excellent seeing I might use a 10mm to push these folded scopes close to their limit on Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn but most nights favor the 12.5. For outreach especially involving kids I may bring an 8x24 Zoom and just leave it in the scope so hopefully nothing disappears or becomes damaged during a swap. So far that has been my experience but kids really want to touch the instrument. Cheers!

[@kevchard5214]

Ed I took you advice from the beginning. I have a 10" dobs and 3 Teleview eyepieces. actually the exact ones you showed. You are correct the difference between what came with my scope and the teleview are night and day. Thanks

[@edf2953]

It’s always a good day when Ed posts a new video. Today is no exception. This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on eyepieces. I need to compare Eds recommended eyepieces to my personal collection and seriously think about making some modifications to my collection. Thanks Ed for sharing your knowledge with the community. Very much appreciated. Hope all is well. Ed.

[@petset77]

Excellent presentation yet again. I took your advice and got an XT8 in November. It came with a 2" 28mm and 1.25" something. The 28mm is okay. I don't use it often however. What I use for wide views is an Orion Q70 38mm. Cheap enough at under $100 on sale, and it offers a crystal clear wider field of view. For more magnification, I use a cheap SVBony 1.25" super wide (they call it an Ultra wide) 68 degree 9mm. It gives pretty amazing and clear views for a thirty something dollar item, and it brought M104 right to my eye the other night (I couldn't make out the dust ring, but that might have been seeing). Eye relief is vastly superior to any Plossl near the range. I initially "upgraded" to a set of Plossl eyepieces with some colored filters, but really don't care for shorter Plossls at all, mostly because of the eye relief and tiny eye opening. I used any under 12.5mm only once each, and consider the protective caps more valuable. I'm retired and on a fixed budget, so TeleVue is out of my range at this point. My next purchase will be a 12" Dob, instead of eyepieces.That's just me. Viewing in Bortle 2-3 skies is right outside of my door, so transport isn't an issue. I can swing the $1300 right now, but don't want to pay interest on a card or take funds from my retirement accounts. The XT8 is a great tool for now as I learn to navigate the sky. Thanks again, and clear skies.

[@freeman10000]

Couldn't agree with you more Ed. Televue eypieces are the ones I use myself most of the time. The 27mm Panoptic and 13mm Nagler are simply superb eyepieces.

[@sophietarafiona]

Very nice video on this hot subject for most. Thanks !

[@pjcd7016]

You're a wealth of information, ( it goes in one ear and out the other ). I have a hard time retaining all your great advice. I just started the hobby with a Schmidt-Cassegrain NexStar 6 SE. I purchased a set of 2" eyepieces and like them much better then what came with the telescope. I'm saving my pennies for a Tele Vue 27mm Panoptic. I look forward to your videos.

[@glasmandan]

I use a 22mm Nagler type 4 almost exclusively. I use it on everything from my 72mm 420mm refractor and 6" Newtonian, to my C8 and 10" dobsonian. It's just a pleasure to look through. The other eyepieces I enjoy are my set of Meade 5000 HD-60 series eyepieces which range from 4.5 to 25mm. They're quite versatile for the price I paid for the set ($350). The ones that get occasional use are the 12 and 18mm pieces. On rare occasion I will pull out the 6.5mm for lower power scopes when the seeing is good. The others largely go unused. In the end, I generally agree with Ed. I only use a few eyepieces. I have gotten rid of pretty much everything else and I don't miss them.

[@fredaw61]

My favorite eyepieces are my 13mm Nagler, and my Svbony 26mm SWA 2” and lastly my Explore Scientific 34mm that my wife bought me for Christmas. I also own a Celestron X-Cell 9mm, but I find I struggle to keep my eye centered and my view gets cut off. I use these in my 8” Orion SkyQuest 1200mm focal length telescope. I wish I would have held out for a 10” Dobsonian, but the 8” was all I could afford used at the time. Now cash is even tighter and my dream of a 10” or 12” is on hold indefinitely. It’s more important to fix the broken things in my house first. Lol My grandson got to look through my telescope just two days ago and was blown away by the Bee Hive Cluster. I thought he would have been more into the moon, but he really loved the Bee Hive. This is why I hope to win the 10” dob giveaway so I can donate the 8” dob to a local children’s program in my area. To see that excitement in their little eyes is so worth it.

[@ellise.2574]

Thanks for a very good post on eyepieces. I have a good selection of TV eyepieces I use on my fast Dobs. On my slower telescopes, and for planetary views, I like to use my University Orthoscopics.

[@missouriskies]

Similar situation here with me, an amateur astronomer for 40+ years. I've had many eyepieces but quickly realized that most didn't get used and were just trophy pieces and not utilitarion. My set includes All TeleVue: 13 Nagler Type 5: Great all around for highest usedful power in my Missouri atmosphere. Paired with a 2X barlow when possible. 24mm Panoptic: Great for globulars and galaxies in many scopes. 32mm Plossl: First eyepiece to use for everything. 35mm Panoptic: For when super wide and bright is necessary (Veil). Not always used due to weight Great video, Ed!

[@edanderson4263]

Ed, I always enjoy your videos, reviews and advice. I may not always agree with your recommendations but I can certainly see the logic in what you suggest. No one will go wrong following your advice. When I started in this hobby 8 years ago, I was told the same thing you said. There is Tele Vue and there is everything else.In my hobbies I rarely buy the top of the line of anything because I know that it costs a LOT to get that extra 5% of whatever it is that makes one product better than another. So I standardized on Explore Scientific 82 degree eyepieces. I have compared them to comparable Naglers. There is a difference but not enough for me to pay the significant premium for the TV. I have them from 14 mm to to 4.7 mm. But my most used 1.24" is my Baader Hyperion 8-24 zoom.

[@mattpickering9753]

My two personal go-tos are a TeleVue 24mm Panoptic and a 9mm Nagler. The view of M13 through the 9mm in my 10" Dob is breathtaking. I use that view as a star party showpiece object. Yes, I do bring the good stuff with me but I actually carry them on my person if I step away from the scope. I have star party eyepieces I leave in the scope. My public set of eyepieces, beyond cheap 25mm and 10mm Plossls is a set of Astro-Tech ED Paradigms. They fit into a nice small case and they work well in my 400mm to 1200mm focal length scopes I tend to bring out for such things. I have a TeleVue 55mm Plossl for two purposes. One, it is a conversation piece. It is a monster eyepiece comparable to the 31mm Nagler "grenade". The second is actually for purpose. It is for very long focal length telescopes. One of my bucket list items is to take it to Mount Wilson and use it in their 100 inch scope when I rent it for a evening. It has already been to Lowell Observatory and spent time in a 24 inch Planewave available for evening rentals there. They wouldn't let me put it in the Clark refractor but, true to form, they had a TeleVue eyepiece in it!

[@garylawson5381]

Thank you for sharing this instructive video. I just subscribed to your channel after watching a couple of your videos. I have a few years experience with telescopes. My current telescope is the Orion 10" Newtonian on a German equatorial mount I purchased in 2000. Unfortunately because of unforseen events in life I haven't viewed through it since 2007. I hope to change that before I get too old. I'm almost 63. After purchasing my telescope I purchased much higher quality oculars, or eyepieces. I have advised people for years that even if you purchase a low price telescope that disappoints your expectations to not give up. Spend a little more and replace the low quality oculars with high quality oculars. Your video is an inspiration for me to get back into astronomy. To say I have missed it is an understatement.

[@MikeLikesChannel]

All I ever use is a Baader 8-24mm zoom. Works great.

[@frankloehner7970]

Hi Ed, as always another great episode of your show. One thing to note though, especially for beginners: If you are wearing eyeglasses due to astigmatism, those short Naglers and Ploessls may not work well for you! Maybe some suggestion for long eye relief eyepiece would be welcome as well. I know this very well as I am one of those people myself! I have a whole set of Vixen LVs for that purpose. I did not get on with the ultrawides... Cheers!

[@patrickmuller3248]

Nice video. I tend to agree: You don't need a lot of eyepieces, TeleVue is the gold standard, and viewing the sky through a 82°+ makes you addicted and you never wanna go back! I got a 12" Dob and I mainly use the Nagler 7mm for planets and the moon when the conditions allow it, a 12mm Nagler for most smaller deesky objects and a 34mm Explore Scientific Maxvision 2", 68°. The latter is a little cheaper but still a great piece of gear. I might wanna add something in between the 34 and 12, but so far those eyepieces were just a great choice.

[@desmondellis657]

I agree, Tele Vue are the best. Great videos, Ed. Keep up the great work!

[@runeveryday1069]

little 60mm refractor on a Stellarvue M2 altaz mount and I find small lite eyepieces help dial in the balance and in turn make scanning with the scope intuitive. My heavier Pentax ( which are impressive) overwhelm my diagonal.

[@titobattaglia7932]

I started out on simple Baader Classics (32mm Plössl and Classic Ortho 18, 10, 6) and still use those. They're simple, light and offer very good views. But sooner or later I'll try out TV, and probably get hooked…

[@Dirk1Steele]

I am very similar. WIth my 130mn f/9.2 triplet, my two most used are the 21mm Ethos and 10mm Delos.

[@petebek71]

Great video Ed. I’m in Australia. My main eyepiece is a Badger HyperionMK4 Zoom. I love it. I use it in my Ed120 and edge Hd and my Nadirus Dob. 24mm-8mm gives a wide range of magnification. But it has its sweet spot @ the 16 or 12 mm. I hate changing out eyepieces during the night. So I love this baader. Yes one day I will by a televue. 😮

[@patthewoodboy]

thank you

[@nammingarv1930]

You are right on the money I think. I have a 30 mm 2" barrel Apertura combined with an Apertura 2x barlow. The barlow gives me the extra magnification I like sometimes, plus the barlow gives the focal range I need to couple my Nikon DSLR to the 8 inch Dobsonian.

[@Zeron18]

Thanks for the information. I started out with a svbony zoom 8-21mm for a while. I went to cloudy nights to ask for suggestions after looking at this video. I settled for a 20mm XWA and a 10mm Delos for a zhumell z12. I find myself using the 20mm far more than others. For planetary observation, I switch over to the 10mm Delos. The eyepieces that came with the telescope were forgotten or now collecting dust.

[@mnpd3]

I'm in my 70's and been doing this since I was 12. I remember when the rage in eyepieces was the Orthoscopic and I'd never heard of a Plossl. I've never used the premium eyepieces, but now you make me want to get a TeleVue or Naglar. Personally, I've never seen any difference in eyepieces of different brands and always thought they were made by the same maker. Over the years I gained a collection of the Paul Rini surplus glass eyepieces, and if you can get by without field stops they work as well as anything I've seen.

[@deltacx1059]

For my homemade 131mm refractor at 700mm seems to work quite well with a 10mm and a 40mm eyepiece, I know they are wildly different but it does function well.

[@jdw715]

I have Pentax XLs and XWs. Eye relief!

[@charlenelee916]

I bought a cheap beginner set, and it was on sale, too. Haven't found one I like yet...but then haven't been able to use them much because either weather wasn't cooperating, wind, rain, clouds, haze, etc. I do appreciate your experience in such matters, and wrote a few of them down. Thank you for the advice.

[@charlenelee916]

Update: I just checked my set of eyepieces and they are in the ballpark of your recommendations. All I need is a clear sky with no wind! 🌧☁🌌

[@jefftrvecvlt1819]

My fav is very similar to yours! 28mm explore scientific 68deg FOV.

[@barthvapour]

"These are the only two eyepieces I use. But it doesn't matter, because most of you won't be able to afford them."

[@harmonwalker3876]

First of all hello and I hope you're doing well. I have no clue about anything astronomy or telescopes. Your video just popped up on a search engine. I want to compliment you on your communicating with the people. I only had to stop a couple times and look up some of the words on a Google search. You really did well and communicated very well. Thank you for your time. And for your patience of the little ones eating your lense cups. I could deal with that. But I definitely could not deal with a thief. It's amazing your donating your time which is so valuable, for people to learn. Best of times to you on those you love

[@michaeldery7141]

Hi Ed, I am still pretty new to astronomy, but I bought a Celestron Starsense Explorer 10 inch dobsonian telescope with the Televue 27mm Panoptic eyepiece that you showed in this video and love them both. It is very easy to find targets in the night sky with the StarSense and the views through this eyepiece are wonderful. I bought this eyepiece on your recommendation on an earlier video that you made talking about it. Thanks for recommending it.

[@higgs1913]

Does it really make sense to spend 1/3 of your budget on a single eyepiece?

[@codymoe4986]

@@higgs1913 Does it really make sense to question his equipment purchase? It what way, did it affect you? P.S. It didn't...start your petty argument elsewhere...

[@AstroLaVista]

Hi Ed, wow Kid's really are the essence of chaos aren't they! Taking an 8" f/6 Dob as an example I would recommend a 6mm giving 200x, as its a good compromise between image scale and what the seeing conditions can handle, also whilst not dropping below a 1mm exit pupil which can evoke eye floaters. If they already have a 25mm I would recommend a 12-15mm giving a 2mm exit pupil for good contrast on DSO's, but upgrading the 25mm is also a good shout IMO. If they need glasses for astigmatism I recommend an eyepiece with 20mm eye relief. It's all personal as you say, and we can only do our best to advice. Thanks for the interesting video as always.

[@beenaplumber8379]

If you used a 40mm eyepiece or longer, do you think you'd be ok without a finder scope on that Dob? Does it work that way? Would the image be brighter with a longer eyepiece? I'm trying to plan my 1st scope. So far I've had fun finding objects on my camera with a cheap zoom lens. I want to point and hunt.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks.

[@sabyasachibanerjee124]

Love your distilled version of the advice. You have all the options in the world. But which one do You use? "Ting's choice" of course

[@martinlagrange8821]

For myself, I make use of an f/14 100mm EQ Mak, and a 10" f/5 Newtonian dob. And, the two best I use are a 40mm & 20mm Plossl. The planetary scope can make use of a 12.5mm on clock drive, and one can also daringly use a 4.5mm on the 10" - however, I've found the 40mm and 20mm (with occasional use of a 12.5mm) seem to be the best and most used eyepieces for me.

[@ronboe6325]

Many years ago when I first got into the hobby I got to try out a 19mm Panoptic and it blew me away (NexStar 11). At least on the first couple nights. After that....meh. Naglers never did capture my attention like most of my buddies. You mentioned the 19mm panoptic a video or two ago and decided to finally buy one (I need another eye piece like a need another motorcycle but life is shorter now :^) ). A few years go by and I discovered Pentax and just loved the adjustable eye cup design (optics were nothing to complain about either) so of all the eye pieces I have they get the most use. For some reason I like the older Celestron orange labeled eye pieces - I suppose they just work well in my scopes. I have a couple full sets of "cheaper" eye pieces that work well in slow scopes, not so much in fast refractors. Kinda too good for public outreach but they do get pressed into work for that as they are "cheap" to replace. Which has not happened yet. People have asked me the same question; I tell 'em to get to a star party and check things out with their eyes. What happens if they are not impressed with the $500 eye pieces but click with the $100 one?

[@curronhill2744]

I use 24mm panoptic as well as 15, 9, & 5mm delites with my 127mm apo refractor

[@astralfields1696]

I have the SVBony 6,9,15,20 set under the brand of AngelEyes.. they are great. Then of course the SVBony zoom 7-21mm is pretty good for reaching optimum magnification on various DSOs. My favorite are probably the 2" 32mm and 40mm, AngelEyes brand.. 70 degree view. Maybe I will also get the 26mm to complete the set.

[@Beanerds]

Great advice Ed . My 4 most used eyepieces in my Refactors 660mm - 1000mm fl are 12mm TV Radian , 19mm TV Panoptic , 22mm TV Panoptic and 32mm TV Plossl , yes TelVue eyepieces are so good . Thank you .

[@HereComesTheStormTrooper]

I own a 10 inches dobsonian that I use under a slight polluated urban sky. My top picks are from the Explore Scientific brand : 30mm 82°, 12mm 92°. Honorable mentions to the 17mm 92° (for some designated targets), and 4.5mm 82° LER (for planetary, when the sky allows it) They are quite cheaper than Televue's, but not quite neutral, but since I wear glasses, I enjoy how comfortable they are. Yet, again, very personal feeling.

[@billducas]

Hi Ed. This was the video I've been waiting for. I have my collection of Plossl eyepieces, but once I got my first Televue eyepiece, I now have 12 Televue eyepieces. Delites, Delos, and one Nagler. There definitely is a difference. I was hoping to see you at N.E.A.F. a few weeks ago. Maybe next year. We traveled from California.

[@Astronurd]

There's better out there and cheaper as well.

[@k.h.1587]

​​@@Astronurdcheaper maybe, better no. With a few exceptions where the cheaper option matches the televue in a focal length or 2, such as 14mm es100 and meade 5.5uwa, as well as the 28 uwan/PWA. I also found the 20mm XWA/HDC 100deg offered by several brands to be remarkably close to the 21 ethos where the 20mm es100 fell short. The only cases where cheaper eyepieces outperform naglers is really old ones, type1 and 2, that had shorter eye relief with decades aged, very old technology coatings, that can be beaten by modern Chinese clones of nagler type 5 and 6, which is what the es82 is.

[@LuMoer]

Giving it a try and upgrading my 26mm 1.25" Tele vue to replace my stock eye piece

[@giovanecosta27]

I've recently got a 20mm "100° AFOV" eyepiece (Sky Rover, APM, W.O., etc.), and now I don't want anything with a narrower field. It's not perfect, but it costed less than a quarter of the price of a televue ethos, so I think it's good enough for me.

[@ADF_Cable]

Just started watching.... Gotta be the 24mm panoptic plus one!

[@marccrawford2764]

With my 10" and 15" dibs, both F5, I love the Pan Optic series from TV. Also, the ES 82° series work well too. U have to be looking for the coma to see it.. my most used is a 22mm Pan(discontinued) picked it up on Cloudy nights for $200. Its my go to EP

[@golookup]

For newer observers, I'd recommend the less expensive (but quality) alternatives. That 10% improvement that a Televue offers over some competitors is notices only when you're deep into the hobby, like any hobby. It takes a while to become a connoisseur, and, because it's such a personal taste issue, it's good to own a bunch of eyepieces over time. Because they're comparatively easy to buy and sell, they can work their way up to the Big Investment items. I won't notice any flaws in my ES 100s until I start spending a lot of time with Ethos's - which I won't do (call it "Vice Management" (same reason I'm choosing not to develop a taste for Scotch)). Great video, of course. Keep them coming!

[@Astronurd]

10% 😂 more like 2% at best compared to a cheaper good quality eyepiece.

[@davidvandusen6556]

like which ones?@@Astronurd

[@arrond316]

Thank you sir

[@gihanilangakoon]

Excellent presentation, and very good recommendations. Could you do a practical presentation on using eyepiece viewing

[@gerryroush8391]

I like a 20-25mm Plössl and a 9-10mm Plössl They seem to work well with anything 😊🔭

[@gregerianne3880]

Great thoughts about eyepieces, Ed! I learned the "Tele Vue vs. everything else" lesson the (VERY) hard way. I bought some great TV eyepieces over the years to use with my 6" dob and I thought the eyepieces weren't a big deal since I just couldn't see much with the 6" dob. It was the dob and not the eyepieces, of course. Long story short, I sold most of my TV eyepieces and I now regret it immensely, having used other brands that, well, just aren't Tele Vue. Never thought I'd 'feel' such a difference looking through less expensive eyepieces vs. my TVs. Anyway, thanks so much for the great overview! Terrific stuff. You gave the absolute best advice for eyepieces - buy them once.

[@vbikcl]

For what it's worth, there are definitely good non-TV eyepieces out there. Explore Scientific 92s are incredible and not just second fiddle copies of Tele Vue eyepieces, Pentax XWs are wonderfully comfortable with excellent performance, Nikon NAV-SWs are similar, Nikon NAV-HWs are better than Ethos, and Baader Morpheus are very close to Delos in performance as long as focal ratio stays above 4.5, but have wider fields and feel more immersive. BUT, nobody offers the combination of choices and quality that Tele Vue does. Nobody is even close. From Plossls, to DeLites, to Panoptics, to Delos, to Naglers to Ethos. So many choices, and no compromise on quality.

[@gregerianne3880]

@@vbikcl Thanks, Jon. Haven't tried Nikon yet, but I have a Baader Morpheus 4.5 and it's okay, but I think it's too much power for the seeing conditions I have here in VT. I'm surprised there's something better than an Ethos! Not sure why, but I've never considered Nikon eyepieces. Like TV eyepieces, I see they're expensive puppies, too! I'll have to do a little more research. Thanks again for the info.

[@anirudhnair558]

I love your videos so much

[@Beaver-be8vk]

I like to see the field stop. So I have Panoptics and Delos. 68 and 72 degrees is perfect.

[@exif6839]

My mostly used eyepieces on my TV NP101: Nagler 31 and 22, Fujiyama HD Ortho 18mm and 7mm for Planets in combination with TV 2x Powermate.

[@LiveSteamMad]

The Panoptic is a scaled design, so if you like one of the focal lengths, you will probably like all the others. The 2" barrel just allows the use of a longer focal length whilst being able to see more sky, otherwise the 1.25" barrel would, as you say, vignette the view. I tried the local club's 35mm Panoptic in my C11 and hated it, it turned the Moon into a strong egg shape even 60 per cent of the way out from the centre of the field of view, and I asked a club member to test for that back to back with his own 35mm Pan, as I suspected that someone had disassembled the club's 35mm Pan and put it back together wrong, but they performed the same. However, strangely, when I tested another club member's 41mm Panoptic recently at a Starcamp in his 16" F5, the Moon was awesome looking at the centre of the FOV and I really loved the comfortable view, so I may end up getting one to go with my 40mm Pentax XW lol. What can I say, I am an eyepiece junky. I have actually held off buying any of the Panoptics for one more reason, the design is very old and I was feeling that TeleVue will probably revisit and upgrade the design soon?

[@k.h.1587]

Execpt that the eye relief is also scaled, the 19 is tight, and the 15 was so tight it was discontinued

[@k.h.1587]

The reason for the distortion is because that was needed in order to get pinpoint stars to the edge. Naglers have a bit as well but not as much as the panoptic. With the 40XW, there is field curvature requiring a slight refocus to be sharp at the edge or the center. So beware In that regard

[@RobertKarlBerta]

Ed....Nice article. One thing many people miss.... if your scope came with a factory diagonal such as the ones on SCTs.... a better first investment would be a much better diagonal from TV, Astro Physics, BAADER, etc. A stock diagonal is just a choke on the performance of a higher end eyepiece. Of course that isn't an issue with a DOB (no diagonal used) but is on a SCT or medium to low end refractor.

[@Paultricounty]

Great Video Ed Back in the late 90’s I was gifted a small Meade ETX and it came with the Meade 4000 series (made in Japan). I did side by side comparisons with Televue and didn’t see much of a difference, so I stayed with Meade’s with the Plossls, and the Naglar counter part the UWA 14 with 82° FOV. I since have had bought two 19 Panoptics and the 32 plossl. Very addictive hobby. The last few years I’ve moved the addiction to binoculars.

[@k.h.1587]

Yeah the older japanese plossls are great. The best ones are the smoothside, as they are the early 5 element design. 5 element versions also exist with rubber grips and cups, they have japan engraved on the black body. The 4 element ones have japan engraved on the silver barrel. The series 4000 UWA 84 degrees are exceptional, though older ones are a little on the dim side, but so are older naglers from the same time period. Some of the later rubber versions of the 4k UWA have better coatings, and no optical design changes from the early versions, unlike the plossls. I only like the older SWA from that series, mainly the 40mm, as a max field superwide for SCTs and f10 refractors, because being just copies of the televue widefield, they aren't good in fast scopes. I am on my second round of collecting those plossls, having the whole set again, including the 56mm smoothie, but my 40, 15 and 9.7 are 4 elements this time, and my 32mm being a rubber 5 element version, I find it a little narrower than the smoothie 32 I used to have, which actually had wider lenses and a wider body. This 32mm is narrower than the others other than the 40 of course, and even a chinese 32mm is wider. It is odd that they made such a narrow bodied 32mm. I also have a 32mm televue smoothside plossl and a 35mm ultima, which is a sweet eyepiece, splitting the difference between soda straw 40s and standard 32s, at 49deg. I'm rocking rubber 4k UWAs this time around, 6.7, 8.8 and 14. And the 5k 4.7

[@gregwing6409]

Hi Ed... thanks for taking up this challenge. I used a 27 mm my 10in f4.7 Dob for years... agreed great ep. But, now for me the Pentax 30mm XW is preferred. Cheers -Greg W

[@k.h.1587]

I would probably take a 30xw over a 27 pan as well, but in the case of the 40mm XW, there is field curvature, so a 41 pan or 40 es68/5k SWA is the way I would go, after owning both the 40xw and 40SWA (and older 4k SWA) at the same time. The high value of the 40xw, and minimal on axis improvement over the japanese 4k swa, and the refocusing required to bring the edge in focus, had me decide to part with the XW when I needed money. IIRC the 30 didn't have thar issue. But I never owned one, just the 20 and the 40, although a friend really liked his 30

[@Oldwolf63]

As a Solar System imager , and being short sighted i really enjoyed the video, as i only occasionally do visual with a 16" Dob, so i guess for me its the 11 Naglar on a 2" barrel as most of the time i look at the Moon.