Telescope Eyepiece lens recommendations

[@Navigatorbythestars]

Hello Allen, I just wanted to say that I just got through reading your book" Getting started : Visual Astronomy". And I wanted to say congratulations on such a fantastic book! My Astronomy library is well over 100 books and this book that you have written ranks way up there as one of my favorites on the subject of Astronomy and a definite "MUST HAVE" book! It is now one of my "go to" books! I love your bottom line advice and all the subjects you cover seem to be explained just a little bit better than the next guy. I would whole heartedly recommend this book to all new and experienced Amateur Astronomers. Your approach to the subject at hand that you are talking about is very refreshing and told with that easy to understand technique that comes from many years of experience that you obviously have. The reading is fast and extremely interesting ! Best regards, Peter

[@primoroy]

Search for weeks, nada. Tonight, boom, boom! Learned a lot without having the pain of wrong purchases. Thanks! 👍

[@freeman10000]

Expensive Televue eyepieces work wonders in Cheaper scopes. I often use Naglers and Delites in my 80mm achromatic Vixen and these eyepieces transform the scope.

[@AllanHall]

Particularly with refractors as the eyepiece makes up at least half of the optical path. I completely agree with you, using my Naglers with an old 90mm achromatic scope provides some nice views!

[@kendemers8821]

Very well done! I learned a lot about eye pieces from your two videos. Things have changed since I bought my first telescope, a Sears DIscoverer 3 Inch Refractor with the five .965 eye pieces that came with it. :-)

[@RichardTyll]

Hello Allan, thanks for the great videos. While I have learned a bit, being a newbie I am still a bit confused on what to buy to simply start out. I have never used or owned a telescope but, I recently bought a CELESTRON C90 (orange) 1000mm 1/11 Astro Maksutov Telescope at auction for $50. It came with a very sturdy tripod but, no eyepieces. Since I bought it, I bought one eyepiece and a hybrid 0.965 to 1.25 inch. diagonal adaptor. The eyepiece is a 1.25" 25mm Wide-angle Kellner from Celestron with a Focal Length: 20-29 mm for $15. I suppose I can practice using this one eyepiece but, I haven't a clue about filters, etc. I have come to understand this particular telescope was built with many uses in mind, spotting scope, photography & as a telescope. It may not be the best but, not having a lot of money & having an interest in astronomy I bought it to get my feet wet, so to speak. If you would, can you give me your opinion & what I might buy to improve my ability to use it properly? I live up in the mountains, 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park in Montana so, the only interference light source comes from my house. Living out here, I stare at the night sky in amazement. That is the reason I bought this telescope, so I can get a clearer, closer view of the night sky. I'm 60, been permenently disabled since 1996 and keep trying to find activities I can enjoy given my limitations. Any help you might provide would be greatly appreciated. If it turns out this model is only useful as a spotting scope, that is OK too since I can use it to watch Elk Herds, Big Horn Rams & Mountain Goats from my porch.

[@asharhusain6256]

I'm just starting out in Astronomy so kindly take my advice with a grain of salt; I looked up the specifications of your telescope and it appears that the main lens has a diameter of 90mm which is enough to see Jupiter, Saturn and some bright nebulae. The 1000mm focal length should allow a maximum magnification of 180x, however, that's probably not useable. The eyepieces that usually come with a telescope are 25mm and 10mm eyepiece. I would recommend getting an eyepiece of focal length of around 15mm which would give you a magnification of about 60x which should be plenty for most applications. Also make sure that the lens has decent eye relief (how far away you can be from the lens without having the image loose focus) especially if you wear glasses. Do some more research about the types of lenses and try to decide based on what you're trying to observe

[@mytubthree]

Also, you cannot forget about the barlow lens (usually x2 magnification). If you're going to drop a pretty penny on an eyepiece, do it toward the barlow.

[@troubydoo]

Personally, I would save yourself some heartache here. A good starter telescope that will be a workhorse for you for years to come would be a Celestron C8 SCT. On an equatorial mount. (they come with the AVX mount) That mount can then be used with a variety of different telescopes that you may wish to try out or switch to for differen things. The SCT is a great general scope. The bigger ones are that much more better. C9.25 or the C11 even will give stellar views...Sink the extra dollars...your not tied down into that beginner scope...that would be money down the drain in no time.

[@glennbrandimarte61]

Excellent video! Thank you. It's so good to see a totally unbiased review by someone who knows what they are talking about. Thanks again.

[@jaimesk1688]

There is always a personal view, but this is 'long lasting' advice!!

[@tuunaes]

Only longest focal length Naglers, 22mm and 31mm have long eye relief. Shorter focal length ones have toward short eye relief, just like rather similar style Explore Scientific 82s. That's is actually how they manage that compact size for AFOV: Eye relief longer than focal length needs retrofocal optical design, which is significant design complication adding lots of size especially for higher amount of retrofocus.

[@jaimesk1688]

About 2-3 eyepiece focal lengths: Many disagree, but guess what? They end up using only 2-3! With a good Barlow, your advice on qty. is spot-on, saves money...a few very good ones. Thanks for pointing out the Stratus! I keep forgetting it's a great option at that price-point. TV is too rich for me but a quality 68degrees at 150 is nice. A Plossl at the low-power end is nice...improves contrast within your eye and the target doesn't move too fast (if you have no clocking). I like a good Barlow, but some find there is extra fuss swapping it in. With 2-3 EPs on mission, I think you spend a lot more time looking up than looking down at your kit. You have the right priorities.

[@timallen_uk]

Nice video, I've used the Orion eyepieces (Expanse and Stratus) for years and had some spectacular views from them including all the outer planets. I recently slowly upgraded the Stratus (17, 13, 8 & 5mm) to the new Orion Lanthium-80 range (20, 14, 9 & 6mm) they give good eye relief and cost £230 GBP each which is around half price of a similar Nagler.

[@AllanHall]

I would love to try the new Orion Lanthanum EPs. If they follow suit to the Stratus line, they are probably excellent. When I made my choice to go with the Tele Vue Naglers the Lanthanum was brand new with no real reviews. At that price point I just decided to make the leap to the Naglers. Even now the Orions are $269 amzn.to/2LcNKce, while the Naglers are $329 amzn.to/2LcOeiy. Those are both 9mm EPs for comparison. At $60, I don't regret the leap. Besides, I bought one of the 31mm Naglers :-0

[@Just-a-Orion-on-the-internet.]

is a expense eyepiece good for Deep sky view

[@yaddahaysmarmalite4059]

Also, some of those Naglers are so popular it can actually be quite difficult to find a retailer with the one you want in stock. Its another reason why they hold their value.

[@jtepsr]

my eyepiece collection is 90% televue and naglers. they are expensive but are worth it. i have a 31 nagler and the views are gorgeous.

[@djsundayrides4869]

Thanks for the video Allan. I did buy the Celestron 12 mm. I wished I saw this 2 weeks ago I was watching a video and everyone was saying how great the 35 mm was so I got it. Now I wish I had bought the 12 mm instead of the 35. Well now I have 35, 25, & the 12 Thanks for your videos.

[@garyscotton]

Many thanks for your two videos on eyepieces and also your video on which telescope you should choose if you are new to astronomy

[@aozhou4535]

Thank you for writing the Long Exposure Astrophotography book! It helped a lot when I started astrophotography! And thank you for making this video! :)

[@guitardude1323]

I still have the original eyepieces that came with my gskyer telescope, a 25. 10, and 5 mm. I went with a 6.5 mm Meade eyepiece for around $60-70 because that’s as much as my refractor could handle. Now I’ve got a decent size reflector and plan to get another Meade eyepiece, either 10 or 15 mm to use with my coming 2x Barlow!

[@HermaphroGynandro]

I just ordered an 8mm Tele Vue Plössl eyepiece on ebay for $65. Even though it's not the Nagler, it should still perform very well in my Apertura 12" Dobsonian, correct? Given the brand of quality Tele Vue is known for.

[@scalemodelenthusiast1633]

Thank you for being to the point and concise.

[@jaimesk1688]

That is rare (to the point, concise).

[@chartreusewinds]

Clear and informative video, thanks Allan!

[@f32440i]

Excellent overview and presentation, liking the background setting, you could be on the set of the predator movie!

[@rcadventure44]

Great videos. Lots of useful info for a beginner. I bought a Celestron Omni 102. I'll probably try the XLLXs

[@MrWesleymoon]

My most used lens is a 82d 18mm and when I want to zoom in I use a 2" televue barlow. For the price of around 200.00 usd for the explore scientific 18mm 2in is a great deal

[@charliecarson7927]

Hey Allan I have a dobsonian skywatcher 200p scope and I was wondering because I’m new to all of this if you could recommend a good brand of eyepiece to get as from what I read online that the celestron x-cel eyepieces won’t preform to well in my scope so do you have any other recommendation. I also looked at baader Hyperion eyepieces wondering if you had any experience with them? Thanks for any help

[@AllanHall]

Saying the Celestron X-Cel eyepieces won't perform well is a relative statement. They will perform way better than a standard cheap set of plossl eyepieces. They will not perform as well as a set of TeleVue Naglers. Dobs are notorious for needing better eyepieces than the other typical telescopes in the same price range before they start to show limitations. But honestly, it is about your budget. The Hyperion eyepieces from Baader amzn.to/3lLhdMS (about $150) are excellent choices, the Orion Lanthunum eyepieces amzn.to/3bkY13B (about $280) provided really nice views when I used them with my Zhumell Z8. Of course my TeleVue Naglers amzn.to/32IWpwD (about $400) are simply amazing. Remember you only need two or three good eyepieces and they will follow you from telescope to telescope so spend as much as you can comfortably afford. But don't get stupid either, you need some experience before you will really see the difference between the Lanthunum and Nagler eyepieces.

[@cannonball5515]

Thanks for that question Charlie, it's exactly the situation I'm in right now and I've had the concerns about the Celestron eyepieces and thank you Allen for answering and your videos. Clear skies everyone.

[@davepastern]

Allan, I quite like the TMB (not the mono's) for planetary observing - sharp, good contrast and very good detail. Faired well vs my TV delos for a fraction of the price. For those on a budget, I wholly recommend the astro-tech paradigm ED eyepieces - very good performance for around USD $50 apiece. 60 degrees AFOV from memory, well made, feel good in the hands and optically very good imho.

[@gnair124]

Thanks Allan. Which eyepiece or eyepieces are good for planetary viewing? I have a 80mm skywatcher refractor.

[@AllanHall]

I really like the Celestron X-Cel LX models like amzn.to/39fcbSN for most viewing situations. When you start getting into high end telescopes then using planetary specific eyepieces make more sense, Orion makes some pretty good planetary eyepieces such as amzn.to/3eHxYUd

[@azibacchus]

Hey Allan, great video. Just bought a Celestron 130 Slt and the eyepieces that I have are 9mm and 25mm. I was able to spot Jupiter the other night with the 9mm but I would of loved to see it closer and possibly get a shot at maybe seeing the storm cloud on it. What eyepiece would you recommend?

[@AllanHall]

You can try something in the 5mm to 6mm range but this is going to really push your seeing conditions. On a cold night with really good seeing from a dark location you should have no problems as this only takes your telescope to 130x with a 5mm. I would try the amzn.to/2Fa7XhA at a minimum as a Plossl eyepiece would just have too small an eye window to use without serious difficulty. Good luck!

[@ClearAmbientSkies]

Thank you, I appreciate you for sharing this information on eyepieces.

[@3dfxvoodoocards6]

Excellent video. I have a Bresser 102/1000 mm achromat with two eyepieces (25 mm and 10 mm Plossl). I want to buy a 5 or 6 mm eyepiece to see the planets bigger in size but in the same time not to lose clarity / image quality. Would a 5 mm eyepiece at 200x magnification be too much for a telescope like mine ? Should I buy the 5 mm at 200x or the 6 mm at 166x magnification eyepiece ? Thank you!

[@tuunaes]

200x likely pushes that telescope. Little lower would be safer in that and also in seeing requirements, which start ramping up lot when moving toward 200x. Anyway if your short on budget 9mm and 6mm Svbony "Gold/Red" lines would be good for the money. Good eye relief and wide AFOV of 9mm would be big ergonomics/immersion improvement from 10mm Plössl.

[@defkid310bqad7]

Thank you for the video!. I have a orion starblaster 4.5. For clear view of planets what eye piece would you recommend?

[@georgesandoval6706]

GREAT VIDZ, Ihave a new meade 80mm first timer, we camp and are at higher elevation and needed a scope to see what were missing. so now with this I have 6.3mm 9mm 26mm and 2x barlow. from what I understand 6.3 is out of the question so would 9mm be better and with the 2x barlow or without? and what upgrades would you recommend? thx George infinity 80mm guy

[@brokenstring21]

I like this guys personality

[@book3100]

Budget-wise, Orion have a great selection of good eyepieces for beginners, as well as more expensive and advanced models. Also, TeleVue have great plossls in the $100 range. Explore Scientific are just fantastic in price and quality imo, and a wide range.

[@AllanHall]

Agree with everything except I have never been a fan of Explore Scientific. I think you can save a little money for almost as good an eyepiece from someone like Baader or Celestron, or save up a little and get much nicer stuff from Televue.

[@ishanr8697]

@@AllanHall Where I live, ES 62 degree costs around 400 and Televue Delite 62 degree costs around 1800. A 68 degree 24mm Panoptic costs about 2800 and a 24mm ES 68 degree costs around 700. Although I'd be ridiculously happy to get a TV, I think the ES is in another category: 4x to 5x price, it's not just saving up a little. I got the ES for now, I might go TV one day if I'm still doing this several years down the road.

[@jamesdown1519]

How much difference does upgrading eyepieces make from the standard included eyepieces when you purchase. I have a 5” 1250mm F10 when I try and look at Andromeda it’s just a fuzzy haze. Would these make a difference?

[@nagonzo]

Andromeda will always be a fuzzy haze. I have a 12” 1500mm telescope and it is still a fuzzy haze, just a little brighter than your 5”.

[@AllanHall]

Better eyepieces always help you see more detail, but you really wont get anything sharp out of Andromeda, but you absolutely can see more of it. How much more? That depends a lot on your seeing conditions but I can say that upgrading your eyepieces will absolutely improve your enjoyment. My favorite midrange eyepieces are the Celestron X-Cel LX amzn.to/2CzyAya

[@jayinla228]

Great video! Would a 24mm 0aniptic double as a planetary piece with a 2x barlow? Used in a 10"Dob 1250mm

[@tuunaes]

Magnification would be still very low for lunar/planetary observing. And neither would 24mm Panoptic be wide enough to work as low power wide view eyepiece for the widest objects like Pleiades. Also what Barlow you have? As extra piece of glass in light's path Barlow has some effect to image quality. With good Barlow effect is completely invisible/insignificant, but not with lower quality Barlows.

[@TransformersHoarder]

Yes with a 2.5x Powermate.

[@melangkoh4184]

Hello Allan...there is a very popular budget eyepiece-line id like you to say something about...they are called the "Goldlines" and go for about 20-60eu depending where and by what company you buy them. The have a 66degree AFOV and theres a yellow/golden line on the body. On Amazon and ebay you can get them from Svbony very often for only 20-25eu a piece. They receive pretty good ratings and im thinking of buying the 6/9/15/20 mm set.

[@rpg350]

Hi , what eyepiece you could recommend with SKYWATCHER EXPLORER 200PDS 1 for planets and Moon and 1 for deep space please money limit not important

[@SF-wi1of]

Great video but I need help! I have a Celestron 4se with the included 25mm eyepiece. All I want to do (at the moment) is to purchase an eyepiece so my young kids can see the rings of Saturn. Eye relief is of concern as the kids are having a problem centering their eye. I really want clarity and more magnification than the 25mm gives me. Celestron X-cel series, Orion has several such as the 8242 5mm wide field and the 8885 edge on and I'm certain there are many others available. I'd like to spend less than $200 and see the rings of Saturn as clearly as that money can buy....Any ideas? Thank you!

[@AllanHall]

The most I would probably go is with the amzn.to/39fcbSN . More magnification will probably just be a blurry mess unless you are out in the desert of West Texas or somewhere with almost perfect seeing conditions. It has 16mm of eye relief and a nice big window so your kids should have no problems. Remember, a smaller but sharper image is always better than a big fuzzy blob.

[@Doug5524]

Nice one Alan my first time to your site, a really good honest video looking forward to seeing more videos

[@stanleybest8833]

What would you do to erect( right side up ) terrestrial images? 1 n 1/4 ?

[@DagonFF]

I am thinking to buy 2 eyepieces from BST StarGuider. I am thinking to choose those because they have the right focal length I need for my set-up. Do you consider them comparable or worse/better than the Celestron XCEL LX? Thank you

[@AllanHall]

From what I can tell both the BST and XCel eyepieces come in almost exactly the same focal lengths so I am confused. What focal length specifically do you need that the XCel does not have?

[@DagonFF]

@@AllanHall Xcel eyepieces don't have the 15mm one

[@AllanHall]

@@DagonFF Personally I would go with the Xcel 25mm, 18mm, and 9mm as a nice set. Nothing wrong with a 15mm 60 degree but I wouldn't drop down to a lower class of eyepiece just for a specific focal length when I can get something close enough in a better eyepiece. Just my two cents worth.

[@VictorJBond]

For watch the Moon and planets what eyepiece the best on price range $150?

[@AllanHall]

That depends on the telescope, but a great start would be amzn.to/39djoCZ

[@TexaforniaBBQ]

I’m most likely asking a dumb question. But, since I’m new to owning a telescope. I’m just curious to know. Is there a telescope filter that cuts through the blue of the sky during the daytime hours that would allow me to view planets or do I specifically have to wait for the nighttime hours to do this? Please excuse my ignorance, as I am (again) new to this.

[@deepspacehunter]

In my experience the tele views are limited to certain focal legnth telescopes. If you dail yours in exactly, good for you. However plossles are much more forgiving across a much wider range of focal legnths and telescope types, albeit with less "clarity and definition" which im hard pressed to actually notice... for that reason i got rid of my tele views. They are nice BUT NOT $600 nice...

[@AllanHall]

I understand your point. Televue makes plossl eyepieces too! My experience is somewhat different in that I have never once put a Televue eyepiece in a telescope and not gotten a better view than eyepieces costing half as much or less. Now when you get to spending 75% as much, I have to be honest and say I really can’t tell a difference. As for forgiving, I can technically build a house using a standard hammer and hand saw, probably a better house since every nail and cut is painstakingly monitored, but I will take the cordless nail gun and power saw 😁 humor aside, I honestly can not think of a time I have ever plopped in one of my Naglers and thought to myself, “dang, I need to switch to a cheap plossl “. That has never once crossed my mind.

[@tuunaes]

There's nothing in TeleVue eyepieces making them optically not good for some telescopes and nothing in Plössls making them any universally good eyepieces. It's Plössls with their narrow AFOV which makes them worser for manual telescopes because of targets being harder to find and keep in view than in modern wide AFOV eyepieces. Also Plössls can't even give wide view in standard ~1200mm focal length Dobsons. (25mm Plössl of Celestron/Orion/Skywatcher is bad fit for them) And if anything it's telescope's focal ratio which decides how good some eyepiece design is by fast telescope demanding better correction of aberrations of the eyepiece to give sharp wide view. While Plössl was basically designed for like f/10 telescopes... Further because of design's limitations all shorter focal length Plössls have shit for ergonomics with their very short/no real eye relief... Which is very bad thing for trying to attract new people to hobby! Now there's no need to get TeleVues to get good eyepieces. But Plössls are definitely something I wouldn't recommend overall because of their limitations.

[@warrenmcmurry8199]

Very accurate information enjoyed the video. Do have the Nagler 4.8, great but really need excellent condition because of its power limit for my XT8. Baader 10mm gives a rich view on average sky conditions. Smidgen more with a rare 8mm Clave, delightful views. Excellent, actually called a true plossel glass is upper grade. Recently ordered a Pentax 7mm yet to arrive, Nagler price tag, can't Wait! Watch for the rare steady sky, happened in a group viewing, awesome, blew Nagler with a Barlow 500X on elusive Mars, Wow!

[@gmalekhine1395]

Great video! Thank you

[@fishing1335]

Love your videos!

[@DGarcia879]

I have a Jason 408 mercury telescope which included the eyepieces(F-4mm and F22mm) that were included and I'm tired of them. Which are the best eyepieces I need for that telescope?

[@movietime111]

thanks for great introduction! any suggestions for lenses to use with 8" dobsonian to see Mars

[@atefgilly6962]

Hello! Can i use celestron X-Cel LX Series Eyepiece - 1.25-Inch (7mm. 77x) or (5mm. 108x) for high magnification on my Celestron Regal M2 100ED Spotting Scope? please tell me your opinion.

[@AllanHall]

Let me start by saying I do not own and do not use spotting scopes. That being said, a spotting scope is just a telescope that is intended to be used in daylight on land instead of always being pointed at the sky. The good news is that your scope is specifically designed to use other 1.25" eyepieces that they call "astronomical", so my gut tells me that yes, those eyepieces will work. Now comes the fun part. Can you get that much useful magnification out of it in the real world? Best guess is maybe. I would highly recommend you borrow a higher power eyepiece around the 5mm to 7mm range you mentioned and see if the images are acceptable. You could also purchase the X-Cel from somewhere you can return it. I would say go for the 7mm to start with and if the image is still razor sharp, think about the 5mm.

[@atefgilly6962]

​@@AllanHall Thank you.

[@atefgilly6962]

@@AllanHall kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnnPo6aeZt2jiaM i found it yesterday.

[@k.h.1587]

Orion status vs baader Hyperion. Which one is better? Psychology. They are the same, other than the fine tuning rings feature.

[@ademferman2992]

Hı Alan I bought Celestron130 EQ please tell me which eyepiece good for that am beginner

[@Ness41only]

What are your thoughts on the 1.25 eyepiece and accessory kit?

[@AllanHall]

@@Ness41only if you get a REALLY good deal on one, ok. Most of one will never be used. You are better off spending your money one a couple of higher quality eyepieces. I’ll take two really good eyepieces over a kit like those any day.

[@Ness41only]

Paid lil over 300. Wish I knew before I got it 😢. I will look for the ones you spoke about. Thank you for getting back to me on this. Did you ever find a motor for it? This kit came with an A/C adapter but not sure what it’s for so assuming maybe the motor?

[@victorsolis5511]

I have a zhummel z130...are all eyepieces universal? Trying to see planets clearer like saturn and jupiter.

[@MarcoRizzinelli]

HI WHAT ABOUT EXPLORER SCIENTIFIC?

[@MarcoRizzinelli]

*Explore 82°

[@AllanHall]

I find that you can typically get more bang for your buck than with ES, and my experience with their sales and support staff has been terrible.

[@tuunaes]

@@MarcoRizzinelli Overall ES82s are basically 90(+) % of TeleVue Nagler quality. Though because of very similar to Nagler design eye reliefs are similarly compromised in non long focal length ones. Baader Morpheus be wide AFOV eyepiece line with even closer to Nagler quality and better eye relief if compatibity with glasses is needed.

[@emlmusic]

Any thoughts about zoom eyepieces?

[@ironmatt3224]

Have you upgraded any of your non Tele Vue eyepieces over the past 5 years?

[@bacassa]

i want to one shot buying a telescope so go with the 2 inch everything, 2 inch barlow, 2 inch eyepiece also or does it matter if you go from 1.25 to 2 inch?

[@AllanHall]

You will never "one shot" buying a telescope, no one does :-) Sticking with 2" is always better from many different standpoints although if you are using, say a 60 degree eyepiece below 25mm, there really isn't an optical reason to go 2".

[@bacassa]

@@AllanHall ok cool TYVM!!!

[@peternolan1028]

What are the pros and cons of zoom lens? Like the CELESTRON Optics Accessories 8 to 24mm 1.25 Zoom Eyepiece,

[@AllanHall]

Pros are that you have one eyepiece instead of say three (most people really don't need more than three). The cons are that in the same quality range, zooms almost always provide inferior views than separate eyepieces.

[@ishanr8697]

Well, I'm going from some rubbish stock eyepices that came with my scope to "level 1": plossl. I live in one of the brightest regions on the planet (Shanghai) so I'm not expecting much. Wish me luck!

[@bjorn2fly]

luck you will need :-)

[@ishanr8697]

Ended up changing my mind and went for level 2.5: Explore Scientific. Got 82 degree 6.7 mm and 14 mm plus 68 degree 24 mm. Added a 5x Powermate for planetary imaging, but turns out that using the 24 mm and 14 mm with the 5x gives me a 4.8 mm and 2.8 mm equivalent too. Pretty cool for close-up lunar and pllanetary viewing!

[@bjorn2fly]

@@ishanr8697 I went with a 8,8mm 82 degrees, will get it in 2 weeks, so will update you when i get it

[@ishanr8697]

@@bjorn2fly My 6.7 and 24 are really nice, got a bad copy of 14 mm I think. Hope you get a nice 8.8!

[@peterb4021]

Hi Alan, Great video. Can I ask, what is your view on using an eyepiece that zooms (e.g. 25-8) vs using a fixed focal length eyepiece?

[@joshuafreedman7703]

Peter B I am NOT Allen; I am a part-time hobby-ist observational backyard astronomer, and my personal recommendation, as far as variable focal length zooming eyepieces goes, is that, if you own one, you very urgently need to treat that zooming eyepiece very carefully to a treatment utilizing a goodly amount of pure TNT, or dynamite, or to take a very high-powered rifle of considerable caliber and fire a bullet through the eyepiece along the long axis of the barrel from as close of a point-blank range as is possible!! Only ever use fixed focal length eyepieces!

[@bradclark2922]

@@joshuafreedman7703 LOL!!!!!!

[@bjorn2fly]

@@joshuafreedman7703 lol

[@bjorn2fly]

@@joshuafreedman7703 very true

[@XTadeobuscusX]

I have a skyquest xt8. What kind of barlow lens and low power eye peices would you recommend that is good and inexpensive

[@moniack]

I have the Celestron zoom which is nice since I can easily zoom in to look at something closer and then zoom out to nudge the telescope. I'm considering upgrading to the Baader zoom, but with the light pollution I'm not sure it's really worth it. With a GSO Barlow and the Celestron I've seen cloud bands on Jupiter and just make out the great red spot.

[@AllanHall]

Good and inexpensive don't really go that well together. Just like you are not likely to find a cheap Ferrari out there :-) That being said I have had some good luck with the Orion Stratus/Baader Hyperion eyepieces and the Meade 5000 series. I don't usually like to use Barlows but if you must, Meade makes a pretty budget good one as does Orion.

[@kwesimctaire3783]

Good morning I'm a beginner and I have bought the Gskyer what would you recommend because the default ones are poor, what would you recommend?

[@AllanHall]

That depends on how nice you want to go. A great article is astronomyonline.info/best-telescope-eyepieces/

[@terrencegilmartin7400]

One thing that is not mentioned in any particular eyepiece breakdown I have watched tonight, is wear they are made. I know everything is made in China!!! The truth is that you can get an older eyepiece from Japan, Amazon, Ebay or etc. As long as it was made in Japan. That's the good quality that you want.

[@AllanHall]

While it is true that many eyepieces made in Japan are of excellent quality, not all Japanese eyepieces are superior to all Chinese eyepieces. I certainly would be interested in eyepieces made in Japan, I would not pay for it solely based on where it was made.

[@GaryCameron]

The Naglers are made in Taiwan, not mainland China. I just bought a range of them!

[@lancecheslock6756]

Please clarify ... your comparison between eyepieces talks about size, weight, eye-positioning factors, ability to hold them in your hand, and field of view. You say very little about differences in optical quality, clarity and contrast. Do the more expensive eyepieces provide any measurable difference in optical clarity? If so, please articulate.

[@Nautilusgen]

I have a orion 6 inches f 750mm telescope, and i want to buy a tele vue delite 4 or 5 mm . Is it too much for my telescope? would you recommend another eyepiece? And for a 4.5 f900 inches telescope which could be a good option? (I also have one of this kind) thanks..

[@AllanHall]

While a 4mm or 5mm is within the technical specifications of your telescope the real question is can you use that much magnification with your seeing conditions. The way I would find out is to go to a local astronomy club and participate in a viewing session with some of their members and see if something with that amount of magnification (around 150-180x) provides good views. If so, then the delite would be an excellent choice!

[@nikt7883]

Hi, there ethos clones for about 200-300 bucks made in china. Have you tested them?

[@AllanHall]

There are a lot of Chinese knockoff eyepieces out there, can you be a bit more specific on which ones you are talking about? Of the one I got the chance to use, and the bunch of other Televue model knockoffs I have used, they are pretty good for the price, but are absolutely not the same thing. The Televue EPs all seem to be a bit sharper at the edges and tend to offer more contrast. Personally if I had 200-300 to spend on an eyepiece I would rather have an 82 degree Nagler than a 100 degree knockoff of an Ethos, which incidentally is exactly what I did buy :-)

[@nikt7883]

@@AllanHall Alot of people seem to like the APM eyepieces, but not every opinion is as valuable as yours I guess. I bought one, but I am havent had other expensive ones before.

[@AllanHall]

APM has a pretty good reputation for refractors, don’t know much about their eyepieces although I have heard some pretty favorable things. My gut says they are probably worth what you pay for them and are probably pretty good, still don’t think I would give up my Naglers for them.

[@GaryCameron]

Televue goes up to 41mm. I have a 41mm panoptic.

[@AllanHall]

Televue does, but not in the Nagler series that I was referencing

[@astronomynotebook]

Must also match the eyepiece with the F ratio of the telescope…the faster telescope requires more higher precise construction in terms of lenses.

[@Ness41only]

Thank you again. ❤❤

[@kennethwilson8633]

Good for you glad you bought the best early took me a few try’s…slow learner…

[@kamalalzayer3430]

Hi , enjoyed your Video , but you mentioned nothing about eye pieces from Explore scientific & if they are really inferior to TV . I v heard that with E. scientific they are equal with TV & saving money .

[@AllanHall]

You are correct. There are a ton of eyepieces I do not mention, no one would watch a video that was long enough to cover every eyepiece manufacturer out there, sorry. I need to preface this next part with two things; first that everyone's eyes are different so what looks the same to you might not to someone else, and second that your mileage may vary. I did not include ES eyepieces because I do not recommend them. Not that they are bad, but for a lot less money you can get Meade 5000 series UWA eyepieces which to me are 99% as good, or you can spend a little more and get Televue eyepieces which are much better. I always have to add into that the fact that I personally have had bad interactions with ES customer support so I prefer to spend my money on a company with better service. You may never need to talk to them so that may not be an issue for you. I have owned half a dozen of both ES and TV eyepieces (all 82 degree models) and for my money, TV is the way to go if you can afford it.

[@wizardz7938]

I am new to this eye piece game. how do someone know which MM to buy? Like I want to purchase it once and not have to worry about making a wrong purchase on size what would be good for a Celestron Evolution HD 8 inch?

[@AllanHall]

The problem here is there is no "right" eyepiece. A great eyepiece for splitting a star is a horrible eyepiece for viewing the moon. Your best option is to go to astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ and select your telescope, an eyepiece you are considering (at least one that matches the number of mm and the field of view such as 50 degrees) and then pick some objects you want to be able to see. This will show you a good approximation of what that objects would look like in your telescope with that eyepiece. Clear skies!

[@thor2792]

You want to have a spead of magnification, for example 50x, 100x 150x 200x. Find the mm that gives you these magnifications.

[@JamesAdams-ev6fc]

Nice review. I have had very good 'luck' with the Baader Hyperion Aspheric 31 mm eyepiece. Wonderful views, comfortable, sharp to the edge in my 60 mm APO doublet refractor. I also have the Baader 17.5 mm Morpheus eyepiece, same recommendation.

[@AllanHall]

Yup, Baader makes some of the best bang-for-the-buck stuff out there.

[@JamesAdams-ev6fc]

@@AllanHall It is puzzling to me why Baader does not receive more recognition. All of their other gear is also above average.

[@franciscovalenzuela3733]

I have a Nexstar 130 slt telescope. Diameter 130mm with focal length of 650mm. Do you think with a 5mm Xcel lx lens and a 2x barlow lens, I'll be able to look at planets?

[@AllanHall]

Yes and maybe. A 5mm eyepiece in your telescope will work fine when you have very good seeing. Add a 2x barlow and you would probably wind up with a very blurry, but good sized image. One of the most frequent mistakes I see is people trying to put too much magnification on their telescope and they get very disappointed with the results. Start with something very generic like a 10mm eyepiece, then move to a 5mm. If the image stays sharp but gets bigger, then you can try a little more power. If the image gets blurry and bigger, you do not have good enough seeing conditions and/or you have exceeded the realistic magnification of your telescope.

[@EleanorPeterson]

Yep. It still surprises me that people will proudly spend as much as they can on a mighty tube assembly and as little as possible on eyepieces. That's a bit like buying a high-performance sports car and fitting it with wooden tyres. 🙂

[@MarkMphonoman]

I like Plossls. 👍

[@epic_playz4283]

10:10 you forgot the orion stratuses!

[@MrSparkums]

Orion Stratus discontinued.. : (

[@georgesandoval6706]

Im in the san Francisco bay area and open to meet with other "scopers"

[@SGTcrackey666]

Dont get the baader hyperion eyepeice guys if you have a fast telescope, i made this mistake and now im trying my best to sell them and get most of my money back

[@AllanHall]

What exactly was your issue with them? I used several Orion eyepieces that are almost identical to the Baader Hyperion eyepieces and they worked pretty well. No, they do not hold a candle to my Televue Naglers, but few eyepieces do, I still found them reasonably good in my dob, far superior to plossl eyepieces!

[@SGTcrackey666]

@@AllanHall use them in a f7 f8 f9 etc but f5 or faster the performance suffers poor peformance at the edgds and black outs.. explore scientific line i much prefer

[@Astronomater]

nice presentation. just found your channel!

[@k.h.1587]

Nagler not quite up there with Nikon. I think I have to bow out now. Ok nagler goes down to 2.5mm. And 16 is 1.25. Writing as I am watching and I really gotta bail now. Misinfo bothers me. Pozzuls lol

[@randyx007]

You just said my $2,000 telescope is cheap because I can't use a 2" eyepiece with it haha. I must need to upgrade! :)

[@AllanHall]

Actually I didn’t. Around 7:40 I said a 2” eyepiece may be a problem especially if you have a less expensive telescope. There certainly are nice and expensive telescopes that can only use smaller eyepieces, particularly older ones. Not being able to use 2” eyepieces doesn’t detract from the quality of your scope, but it absolutely is a consideration when choosing eyepieces.

[@randyx007]

@@AllanHall I am just playing around :) was a good video. I am new to astronomy. Have a C-11 and am researching new eye pieces. Informative video!

[@AllanHall]

Randyx007 regardless of eyepiece size you should really enjoy that C11 👍

[@tommywalker742]

Thanks!

[@danielbrowniel]

Televue can make 600$ scope feel like a 3400$ scope.

[@paultaylor6772]

I have a SW120 ed ds pro and use the 26mm nagler 17mm ethos 10mm ethos and 4.7mm ethos.amazing eyepieces

[@AllanHall]

The Ethos line is a little wide for my taste but the views are stunning. While I still wince thinking of what I paid for my Naglers that pain goes away when I use them so I completely understand.

[@Chipsdevil]

very informative!

[@bsam2244]

"Puzzle" is really "Proessl" (german name) misheard

[@paganphil100]

@bsam2244:Plossl.

[@k.h.1587]

Pozzuls, wasn't that a cartoon that came on after fraggle rock? Yes I am an asshole

[@Mike-lh4wn]

While most eyepiece videos are helpful in a lot of ways, it really doesnt explain why a $500 eyepiece is any better than a $60 eyepiece. Apart from the viewing angle and stuff, does it make a largely noticeable difference in what I am actually looking at? Better resolution and contrast that a newer guy like myself would notice?

[@AllanHall]

It is highly unlikely that a newcomer would see much difference (apart from the viewing angle and stuff as you say). When I was new I saw a huge difference between actually using a $60 eyepiece and a $150, but barely anything between a $150 and a $400. These improvements included better eye relief and wider angles, but also included better contrast, less reflections, better grip materials so I didn’t drop them, nicer eye cups that felt better when I used them, etc etc. the real advantage to buying a $400 eyepiece is that it works exceptionally well in any type of scope at virtually a type of target. There is no more “if I just had a better eyepiece I could see xxxx better”, you have it, you’re done. Three to five really nice eyepieces will last a lifetime in any scope for any use. Trust me, it stinks to have the ‘perfect’ set of eyepieces and then get a really nice scope and realize your eyepieces aren’t all that great. On the flip side, if you never buy a fast dob or an APO refractor you may never have a use for an eyepiece that costs more than $150. Up to you. Best advice I can give is to go to an astronomy club star party and try a few really nice eyepieces to see what you think. Maybe you fall in love with the Ethos line and take out a second mortgage on your house, maybe you find you are perfectly happy with your Celestron X-Cel set, who knows :-)

[@Mike-lh4wn]

@@AllanHall Thanks for responding. I'm working my way through some of your books. I currently have the plossl that came with my XT8 dob, and bought a Celestron zoom lens which seems decent enough for looking at all the clouds here. : ) I think I will have to start asking more questions at my club. I've been going there and using their scopes for a little while now, but haven't bothered looking at the brand/specs for the eyepieces that I've been using there. Maybe I'll bring my eyepieces along and do some side-by-side comparisons. But I'll first have to check whether they are even using higher quality EP's than what I'm already using at home.

[@LaplacianDalembertian]

With good eyepiece, you don't touch the main focuser on telescope, which means you can block your tube after using it. Advantages: you don't break your axial tune.

[@montecami]

Ciao dove osso acquistare ? Ad un prezzo buono? Ti do la mia email [e-mail]

[@michaelwalsh1078]

Sorry,,,,I pressed dislike by mistake...I just finished night shift....your video is great !!!!!!!! Tony in Cork,Ireland.