A typical zoom eyepiece has a focal length range of 8 mm to 24 mm. Take a look at your manual or users guide. But with 2 eyepieces and a Barlow, you have the full effective range of your telescope. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. Kellner eyepieces, on the other hand, are generally pretty close to each other in terms of quality so theres little chance you will get much variance in image definition between brands. However, the BH Zoom is by far my most used eyepiece. They are not that expensive I would pay about $100 for both eye pieces. You use the 8-24 zoom for the midrange. Good evening everybody. As Im sure you know, a Barlow actually narrows the cone of light that enters the eyepiece, hence it affects the apparent focal length and thus the f/ratio of the telescope objective. For visual use, 1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and 3X Barlow lenses are common. But the conventional way of expressing it is in terms of eyepiece focal lengths. 1. Focal length telescope / focal length eyepiece = magnification or power. The Plossl eyepiece is a type of optical system that was invented by Ernst Abbe. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get a good image of any given target at that level of magnification on any given night. By the 1980s, amateur astronomy equipment suppliers were still selling new telescopes with Huygens and Ramsden eyepieces, not merely because they were cheap but because they lacked internal reflections. You can read a thorough review of Goldline eyepieces here. You can add the specialty single FL eyepieces later if you wish. OK that makes sense, many thanks. Zoom Plossl eyepieces and filters - TheSkySearchers.com If we want to get VERY specific to a combination then inherent aberrations of this scope and that eyepiece could produce a unique result. Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. In some cases, an object is so large (i.e., the Moon, the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy) that a narrow field of view can only show you part of the object, whereas a wider field of view could show the whole object at the same magnification. Most people prefer the wider TFOV. A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. I loved my Baader Mark-IV 8mm-24mm Zoom+Barlow combo in my 8" EdgeHD. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. 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? Well-made lenses are expensive though, so in general the more lenses, the higher the price of the eyepiece. One of the main drawbacks of this eyepiece, though, is the eye relief. Within the budget-friendly realm are the 6mm and 9mm Goldlines/Redlines (66-degree Ultra-Wide-Angle) for telescopes with a focal ratio of f/8 or longer, and the excellent 58-degree Planetary eyepieces, sold by a variety of sellers on Amazon and by Agena Astro, which come in a wide variety of focal lengths and are optically superb for their price. But will the Baader CO with 1.5-2-3x Barlows deliver a visibly sharper and more contrast view of the Moon and planets than the zoom lens with a 2x Barlow, to compensate for the zooms convenience that is the question! My other eyepieces, ES and Meade 82 degree, stayed in the eyepiece case most of the time. Also, note that the pricing is based on 1.25 eyepieces. Also work very well with my binoculars that have removable focal reducers built into. They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. To estimate the highest practical magnification for your telescope, you take the aperture in millimeters, mm, and multiply it by two. Whether it is cars or telescope eyepieces, there are inexpensive ones, upgraded models, and very expensive ones. Is there anyway you could include links to the eyepieces you mentioned in the last paragraph of your reply as Im totally new so worried about buying the wrong thing! What Is A Barlow Lens For A Telescope? Sony A7III vs A7RIII Astrophotography: Which One to Shoot Infinity! I often recommend it. Any 1.25 diagonal should work. In retrospect, I should have included Tele Vue. A wide range of focal lengths are available, all in 1.25-inch size. The bottom line is that it is best to have several magnification choices so you can optimize the view. My 20, 26, and 32mm Plossls will probably stay around. Pay attention to the eye relief, especially if you will be observing with glasses. NEW. Offering a wide 43 apparent field of view, this 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece provides extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. Once I knew how much I liked the zoom I upgraded to the Baader Hyperion Zoom. These companies rebranded them under their own names. However, for your extra money you get the finest manufacture, the best polish and coatings available. We will now discuss the specifications of eye relief and apparent field of view. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. If you are buying your first telescope, and you are choosing between the telescope that includes a Kellner or a telescope that comes with a Plossl, with all the other specs being similar, pick the telescope thats offering you the Plossl, even if its slightly more expensive. The magnification range that is appropriate to your scope. The Orthoscopic Plossl eyepiece is for those who are interested in performing close-up work on specimens up to three inches away from them and still get high magnification. This type of eyepiece provides you with wide-field views without any distortion due to its use as an achromatic lens system which reduces chromatic aberrations by combining two lenses made from different types of glass materials together on each surface. I had a newer - purchased in 2016 Meade 32mm (white lettering) that was no better than the older 32mm 4000. It is as simple as that. Later in the article, I will also give my top recommendations for both the best Kellner as well as the best Plossl eyepieces. Magnification or power = focal length telescope / focal length eyepiece, Focal ratio = focal length telescope / aperture telescope, maximum practical aperture = aperture X 2, Edges of the optics are blackened for increased contrast, which prevents internal reflections, Anti-reflection, fully multi-coated optics provide enhanced light transmission for bright and clear images. If you stumble the first few uses, dont be discouraged. A zoom eyepiece works like the zoom lens on a camera. And of course, NEVER look through a telescope pointed at the sun that does not have a safe solar filter covering the front. Are there any good low-cost 2 EPS out there? eyepiece for Xmas scope - Beginners Forum (No Astrophotography The field of view of a p Plossl eyepiece is typically 60 to 120 degrees. It offers good color correction and high-contrast images. But the one I am recommending here is the Tele Vue Nagler series. Then there is a pair of 32mm and 20mm TV Plossls which make my binoviewers work well with a Daystar Quark H-alpha solar filter. What focal length eyepieces should I buy? Or, you can have three properly sized eyepieces and use a Barlow lens to achieve three more magnifications, which is usually a less expensive way to go. It is pretty much worth it for everyone that has a telescope with a 1.25 inch focuser to have a 32mm Plssl. We will use 10 mm as the eyepiece focal length, but we will look at three different 10 mm eyepieces, each with a different apparent field of view, AFOV. Eye Relief: This refers to how close your eye has to be to the lens in order to see the full field of view. As is outstanding in the workmanship, a Plossl type eyepiece is a moderately wide field eyepiece involving two colorless doublets in which the crown components generally face each other. It all comes down to cost-benefit. It is all about your budget, your goals, and your objectives, as outlined in the article. Since it's such a popular eyepiece and allows for quality, planet-viewing, that makes it a great instrument for attracting newcomers to the hobby, especially children. This can be especially helpful in telescopes of focal ratios below F8. Brilliant article and I thank you for it, I was literally really confused prior to reading it. The Plossl eyepiece has 4 lenses, consisting of 2 identical double lenses. If I had to give them all up and keep only one eyepiece, It would be the BH Zoom. However, sometimes i am at the end of the range of the binocular focus adjustment. One learns by observing. In this case, I am going to define this by the focuser and eyepiece size. Yes, Plossl eyepieces are some of the most popular with amateurs and professionals alike. Youll find yourself adjusting these type of factors less than. Be aware of the focal ratio of your scope. There are some very good choices in this range. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. They are usable, but your eye will be extremely close to the top lens glass. While I also have the Baader Hyperion Zoom, mentioned later, I continue to make use of the Celestron, especially in my smaller scopes. Perhaps you should seek out help from your local astronomy club. Astrophotography with Nikon D3200: Can It Be Better? We are a team of active amateur astronomers, here to help you with all your astronomy and science related needs this is anything, from reviewing the latest telescopes to be released to talking about gravity and neurons. Orion Sirius Plossl 10mm telescope eyepiece 1.25" $17.01 That's hard to beat IMO. Recall that your lowestpower eyepiece's exit pupil should not exceed 6mm. That said, I should also tell you that not all Plossls are created equal. Other than the limited AFOV, which you are apparently fine with, and limited eye relief in the shorter focal lengths there is certainly no reason not to choose Plssls. Because the eyepiece was still similar enough to a Plossl and still kept the symmetrical design, they called it Super Plossl. I think I will go for the BHZ because, as you say, I will be able to use it now and into the future. I continue to be very pleased with the ES82 eyepieces. From planetary viewing to deep sky watching. At 32mm, a Plssl will give you as wide a field of view as any 1.25mm eyepiece can. These are matters of individual preference and budget. These eyepieces are technically called Symmetrics, since Plossls can have different focal lengths for each doublet, but they are always marketed as Plossl. These eyepiecesproduce a 'standard apparent feld of view' of between 50 and 56 with most set at around 52. I want to help you select the best eyepieces for your budget and your telescope. Its made up of four lenses in two groups. I often had to drop back to about 180X because of poor seeing and transparency. Every review suggests replacing the 10mm Kellner eyepiece (and possibly 25mm Kellner) that comes with it. Number of Lenses. LCAS - The Good Old Plossl Eyepiece Besides fov, How would you compare the optical quality of the Celestron to the Baader? We have compared Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article. These are two very important considerations when you are looking for eyepieces. Very worth it for me, as I like to use bino-viewers. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. Thanks in advance I really appreciate it! Plossl eyepieces have a wider field of view that can go from 50 to 56 degrees. Worth it is a tough question to answer. Kellner Vs Plossl | What's The Difference? - Starry Nova We can see that 2 eyepieces have an advantage over 1.25 eyepieces when designers are making wide-view eyepieces. So I sincerely hope that this article helps you understand the similarities and differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces so that you can an informed decision and choose the best one for yourself. Some will offer longer eye relief which can be important to eyeglass wearers. Each eyepiece gives you a unique magnification based on the formula listed at the start: Why do you need more than two eyepieces? If you want to buy him $200 eyepieces so he can grow into them, that works. If there is a local club, I would suggest you visit and consider joining. The design uses a planoconvex, two cemented-element eye lens and a large convex field lens. It comes with two Barlow lenses, one Newtonian eyepiece, and three Plossl eyepieces in the set. How important a consideration is this when deciding on an eyepiece? Now we have a maximum established. Something in the 30 to 38 mm range with a 65 to 70 degree AFOV. By having a range of magnifications, you can optimize the image, which means you need more eyepieces. I just ordered Hyperion 13mm and 21mm but I really like how sharp and crisp view is in plossl 40mm. Plossls provide very good eye relief for eyeglass wearers in focal lengths of about 25mm and longer. That is a really interesting picture. Choosing the best eyepiece for you - Astronomy Now Super Plossls offer a smaller field of view, which makes them good for close-up views and examining small objects. I am considering buying another eyepiece, maybe 6mm, and a Barlow, maybe 2x, to give me a wider and higher range of magnification. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. The 4000 SWA's were way overpriced for their performance IMHO. There is one aspect in which a Kellner can actually outperform a Plossl: eye relief. This will become more apparent the wider the AFOV is of the eyepiece, in my experience. If you do not have your Hyperions yet I recommend you wait until you have these and try them out before you buy the Plossls. It appears to be a custom-made 90 degree binocular built from two 90 degree diagonals and binocular-size objectives attached in place of the usual OTA. So you would have to test the set to see the actual result. Or take one of your eyepieces and measure across the bottom of the barrel. The ES 82s are my favorite eyepieces, especially in the 1.25 format. Videos for related products. So, basically a Plossl eyepiece is a type of eyepiece that enables the viewer to see a wider field of view than would normally be the case, but at the cost of him/her having to physically put his eye very close to the lens of the eyepiece. very happy. Both will provide the same magnification. Many thanks. Now put the zoom on a 3X barlow and you have: Using the zoom approach with a Barlow your eyepiece set would consisit of a 32 mm low power eyepiece. When I started, I purchased less expensive eyepieces to learn about them and how I would use them. Every new skill takes time. Some people have more than 6 and some have as few as 3. If you are looking at eyepieces that are wider than 55 degrees AFOV, you will again need to consider looking at the better corrected, and typically more expensive, eyepieces. 6.7 = 268 = .3 Ive read reviews about my scope. Any exit pupil between 7 mm and .5 mm is just fine. 6.5-ish mm (100x & 200x) You have selected a very good starting telescope that will serve you for many years to come. Aspheric eyepiece is a variation of Plossl design, it has an anti-reflection coating on the front glass surface to ensure maximum light transmission and will also provide your instrument with better quality images if you need higher magnification levels. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. Now, for my one or two low power eyepieces, I also like to know the field of view provided by that eyepiece. Astromania 1.25" 4mm Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - amazon.com As we go up in price range, we gain capabilities that may not be immediately obvious. In the 1990s Meade instruments came up with a new design for the Meade 4000 line similar to Plossl that added a fifth glass element on top of the two pairs (4 total). All are good eyepieces and diagonals, and would be excellent for star party use. It uses two symmetrical pairs of glass elements (one convex and one concave) to pass the light. These will eventually be used in an 8in dob whenever it arrives. Best eyepieces for telescopes 2023 | Space The Big Bang Optics is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Plssl eyepieces are good all-around performers, producing sharp images at the center of the field, but they have only four lens elements. https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/explore-scientific-70-eyepieces.html. The availability of good quality relatively wide field-of-view inexpensive eyepieces has kind of put them in the second tier of eyepieces, but they still hold their own in the longer focal lengths and excel if one does not demand a wide field-of-view. As we go along, I will refer back to these, so dont worry if you cant answer the questions or understand the formulas now. Can you give me any specific recommendations on what to buy and from where? When you add eyepieces to your collection, you will want to consider what field of view you want and how much you are willing to pay for it. These low-quality Plossls lack an internally blackened lens barrel with thread baffles and blackened lens edges and sophisticated anti-reflection multi-coatings, all of which are a necessity to produce an excellent image. Consider something between 35 and 40 mm in focal length with an AFOV of 65 degrees or wider for your lowest power eyepiece for your telescope. Good quality plossl eyepieces - Discussions - Stargazers Lounge I had one and sold it. 50 150X, no Barlow If you plan to go longer than that you can get an AC adapter or a power tank. If you have a longer focal length telescope, your shortest focal length eyepiece will be a higher number than what I have shown here. Celestron's 4-element Plossl eyepiece features include blackened lens edges to minimize internal reflection and maximize contrast, fully multi-coated optics for maximum light transmission. I had a bino pair of TV 20mm Plossls, very fine for high power planetary observation with my long focus 8" Mak, then I also bought the older TV 21mm Plossl, after trying the 21mm I sold the more recent 20mm. You will see these under many brands, including Orion, Celestron, GSO, and others. I have used both Kellner & Plossl eyepieces and a few others, and I can tell you that they all are quite different from each other in terms of the quality of the image that they produce. Many Kellners are made with field stops opened up to 50 degrees, in which case it can truly compare to a Plossl in any telescope with a focal ratio of f/6 or slower. They have a pop-up eye guard and they are threaded to accept filters. There is no shortage of accessories for the Nexstar series. Ive added comments on where you may find and use them. I use some plssl eyepieces, since I still have quite a few in my kit, and yes, the others are correct. the shorter the focal length eyepiece = the shorter the eye relief. Other eyepieces of more advanced design can have better eye relief and field of view. Eye relief is the distance from the eye lens to your eyeball, and the higher the better (within reason). Hi Ed, that is really helpful sorry if this is a daft question but is the baader hyperion 2 or 1.25 or can it be both? Here we have very good eyepieces with some extra features. Know what diameter eyepieces your scope takes. Choosing the most appropriate can completely change your experience in using telescopes.