To estimate the highest practical magnification for your telescope, you take the aperture in millimeters, mm, and multiply it by two. Celestron Omni Eyepieces: The Omni series is the most economical eyepiece offering from Celestron. This might contain more of what you need. (Compare, for instance, 20mm of each type, or 10mm of each type.) I really enjoy usingPlssls. > Click here to jump to the Best Eyepieces section. From planetary viewing to deep sky watching. Yes, Plossl eyepieces are some of the most popular with amateurs and professionals alike. I usually recommend a 32 mm Plossl type eyepiece as that provides about the widest view you can achieve with a 1.25 focuser. If well made, Plossls are bright, with good contrast, and a flat field, and excellent sharpness. Now, for my one or two low power eyepieces, I also like to know the field of view provided by that eyepiece. I have Celestron and the Baader Hyperion. The stock 9 and 15mm Omnis were very good. The price ranges we show here are the typical prices. Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article, 5 Budget Telescopes That Are Sneakily Powerful. Generally, dont mess around with solar projection unless youre okay with damaging the instrument. There are so many others at comparable or higher prices, many of which are quite good and some rather poor. Kellner vs Plossl - Comparison table. The Plossl eyepiece is a type of optical system that was invented by Ernst Abbe. You have to decide how fussy you are about the edges and what your budget can tolerate. A Kellner eyepiece has 1 double lens and 1 single lens. People may have heard, and rightly so, that Huygens or Ramsdens are crummy eyepieces and that they should get a Plossl instead, and they may believe the same applies to Kellners, but the truth is that Kellners are often good eyepieces. condition as described, a good transaction. . The components of a Plossl eyepiece are the two groups of lenses. Thanks in advance I really appreciate it! No price limit? Again, does it create a more immersive viewing experience? Under my sky it was rare that I would be able to get over 225X and still maintain a good quality image, except on the Moon. Heres the short answer Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. This has nothing to do with your scope or eyepiece. I decided to jump in with both feet and get an Orion ED80 (600mm f7.5 with a 2 focuser, So that I can move into astrophotography down the road. If you go this route, you can always add single focal length eyepieces along the way to serve specialized purposes. This eye piece provides the maximum true field of view in the 1.25 inch format. A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Kellner eyepieces use three glass elements in two groups to minimize color fringing. These are often compared to the higher priced offerings. Because the eyepiece was still similar enough to a Plossl and still kept the symmetrical design, they called it Super Plossl. Plossl vs Super Plossl Eyepieces: The Differences - Stargazing Help I started with the Celestron zoom. Today, most beginner telescopes of any quality are sold with either Kellner or Plossl eyepieces. Kellners tend to have narrower apparent fields of view (40 degrees rather than 50 or 52 degrees in a Plossl), and in short focal length telescopes (focal ratio f/5 or shorter) they can have more false color fringing, but for the most part it is hard to notice the difference between a well-made Kellner and a well-made Plossl in terms of image quality. Disclosure - If you buy something via our link, we may earn a commission with no additional expense to you. (Svbonys Plossls, for example, are optically identical to Orions Sirius Plossls). Omni Eyepieces | Celestron This is important to keep in mind because it means brands have to try really hard to one-up each other because the competition in a niche hobby such as astronomy can be fierce. If you cant use 2, that 32 mm Plossl, which has a 50 degree AFOV, will give you about as wide a field of view as you can get in a 1.25 eyepiece. Both will provide the same magnification. In comparison, Aspherical lenses generally have no color distortion but might not work out well if the telescope user needs really high magnification. Most modern telescopes use a focuser, or diagonal, that accepts 1.25 eyepieces. Very worth it for me, as I like to use bino-viewers. A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. Meade 32mm 2" 5-element Super Plossl Wide Field Eyepiece Gosky 1.25inch Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - Amazon.com I often recommend a 32 mm Plossl as a good low power wide view eyepiece for scopes with a 1.25 focuser. A very good quality eyepiece for a reasonable sum. If your scope uses eyepieces that are closer to 1, then you have an old style .965 that is now obsolete. These are two very important considerations when you are looking for eyepieces. You are asking about a very specific eyepiece in a very specific scope combined sometimes with a Barlow. As I mentioned earlier in the article, not all Plossls are created equal, which simply means that there are good Plossls and then there are bad Plossls. Good value. It should list what size eyepieces you can use. This doublet design has an apparent field of view of 50-degrees or wider but can suffer from short eye relief making them difficult to use for some . Then set your maximum based on your aperture and split it up. 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. Gosky Plossl 40 mm Telescope Eyepiece - 1.25inch This is probably the worst eyepiece I can recommend. Overall, I would highly recommend the goldline eyepieces. Suggesting an F6 scope becomes an F18 would also imply things like reduced CA in a refractor. If there is a local club, I would suggest you visit and consider joining. What is a Plssl eyepiece? | BBC Sky at Night Magazine For super Plossl eyepiece, the field of view is typically 40 to 60 degrees. I like my 38/70. What happens if you use an eyepiece that has a the wrong exit pupil? 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. 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. Recall that your lowestpower eyepiece's exit pupil should not exceed 6mm. I foolishly destroyed it while experimenting with solar projection, because I hadnt realized the metal-and-glass construction was aided by a plastic retaining ring on the field stop, and I hadnt realized you do not need to change the eyepiece focal length when doing solar projection. The basic design hasnt changed much, but the real costs of manufacturing have dropped. thanks for all your help. Plossl vs Kellner Eyepieces: The Ultimate Comparison Even though both eyepieces are very common in beginner telescopes, it has become harder to find Kellner eyepieces on their own in the last two years, whether they come from a brand name or the original equipment manufacturer or a reseller. 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. The Plossl eyepiece has 4 lenses, consisting of 2 identical double lenses. The telescope comes with a 2x Barlow so I was thinking of getting one of the zooms you recommended. And new proprietary designs come out from time to time. No other type can compare with it when it comes to that quality. EP-mm = magnification = afov 11 = 163 = .5 But dont fear that you will waste your investment as eyepieces are standard sizes. Low focal ratio scopes deliver the light rays to the eyepiece at an ever-increasing angle as the focal ratio number goes down. My own lineup (with a C8) is 32mm Plossl, 18.2mm DeLite, and 10.5mm Pentax (the last one not chosen to match, but rather because it belonged to a deceased friend). 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. With a refractor, SCT or MCT, it is usually better to get a correct image diagonal than a correcting eyepiece. Also work very well with my binoculars that have removable focal reducers built into. 6.5-ish mm (100x & 200x) You are talking about the technical details of how a Barlow works, and I agree. This design features 4 lenses that are paired in two close-set doublets for the eye lens and the field lens. If your focuser/diagonal only accepts 1.25 eyepieces, I would recommend you use a 32mm as your longest focal length, lowest power eyepiece. If that is the case, it will give me another reasonably good, inexpensive zoom to recommend to beginners. With modern multi-coated optics that thwart internal reflections, Plossls and Kellners have little difference in glare or transmission/opacity. So yeah, they are good.. and some are even better than others, and more collectible. The Big Bang Optics is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 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. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-barlow-lens-and-how-to/, Celestron 8-24 Zoom Review But the difference in price to get to the next level is high, and the performance difference may be small. My friend has one and he really likes it, and it is his third telescope. the reality is that today's eyepieces are all quite good, particulalarly in an f/10 telescope. A standard Plossl eyepiece is typically between 20mm to 25mm but can range anywhere from 15mm up to about 40mm in diameter. It uses two symmetrical pairs of glass elements (one convex and one concave) to pass the light. I often recommend it. That's how cost-efficient the entire package is! Offering a wide 52 apparent field of view, these 10mm, 17mm, and 25mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepieces provide extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. When discussing eyepieces, you will hear people comment on how well the eyepiece is corrected. Required fields are marked *. You probably dont need to worry about upgrading them as soon as you get your telescope, unless you can see an optical problem in the one youre using or you find the short eye relief for the short-focus eyepiece uncomfortable. Think of these as your Ford, Chevy, and Toyota of eyepieces. I also have a 25mm plossl and am happy with that. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click through and make a purchase. 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? We also joined our local Astronomy Club and look forward to joining others under the night sky when the opportunity presents itself again. I have a custom-built 32mm Plossl that has been opened up as wide as possible to 60 or 70 degrees, for use as a 2 eyepiece, although in my 10 Dobsonian at f/5 the edge distortions prevent it from seeing much use. Plossl eyepieces have 4 lenses that are paired in two doublets. If you do upgrade, youll probably want to go for a different eyepiece design than a Plosslsomething with a sharper image or a wider field of view or a longer eye relief (or all three.). Better edge correction with a short-focus telescope is one of the things you pay extra money for, and sophisticated eyepiece designs have as many as eight elements. That is a wonderful expression. The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably. Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. I would expect it to be similar to the Celestron in image quality. Or, if you are buying from an online like Amazon, then look at the eyepieces I recommend and see if any suit your needs. Goldline series of eyepieces provides the best value in this price range, better than Plossls. Learn more about our story and the team behind the scene. I think you will change your mind. Fully coated with magnesium fluoride on every air-to-glass surface for excellent light transmission and high contrast views. Though not the Meade. Tele Vue has eyepieces that approach $1000. Etc.? https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-mounts-for-astrophotography/, Then you look at the optical tubes. What follows are specific eyepieces that I have tried, own, or have read so many good reports about that I feel very comfortable recommending them. It is pretty much worth it for everyone that has a telescope with a 1.25 inch focuser to have a 32mm Plssl. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? I do not miss beating my eyelashes against a 9.7mm Meade Plossl that I used to own. Whether it is cars or telescope eyepieces, there are inexpensive ones, upgraded models, and very expensive ones. There are many more designs that are associated with specific brands, but the ones above are designs that are produced by many companies in one form or another. 32 mm = 18.75X12 mm = 50X8 mm = 75X6 mm = 100X4 mm = 150X3 mm = 200X. I would suggest you also get a 2 low power wide view. I hope I can say that someday. I think you will love it! A wide range of focal lengths are available, all in 1.25-inch size. My understanding of eyepieces was very limited until I read this article, you explain things in a clear and understandable way which made my understanding so much clearer. Or, you may find that you like the 8 mm and 6 mm used with the Barlow and can avoid the expense of two eyepieces. Hi - I bought these from another AM'er 1 year or so back, thinking I will get into visual astro, But never found the inclination, So here it is for sale 9mm Nagler type 6 mint with box and caps,16mm Nagler type 5,optics are exc. 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. I want these as possible as wide, magnification and astrophotography purpose. The original Meade 5-piece Super Plossl hasnt been in production for decades and at this point is more of a collectors item than a high-performance eyepiece. There are inexpensive adapters that will let you use standard 1.25 eyepieces in a .965 focuser/diagonal. Plssl's were top of the line at one time, and are still being sold today, so that says something too. I have since moved up to a 12 Dob but I use the same eyepieces and the BH Zoom continues to be my most used. As a kid, I loved looking at the moon (which can be seen any time of day, regardless of ones bedtime) so make sure that the field of view is wide enough to see the whole shebang. Here we have very good eyepieces with some extra features. Apparent Field of View: This is a measure of how wide a view the eyepiece will provide as compared to alternate eyepieces. Astromania 1.25" 4mm Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - amazon.com So you would have to test the set to see the actual result. Scott. You see the object in a wider expanse of space with more stars. You also get 7 1.25 filters which include the following, #80A Blue Filter, #58 Green Filter, #56 Light Green Filter, #25 Red Filter, #21 . All the rest will likely be 1.25. It had one of the best fields, edge to edge, in my SCT that I've ever seen. What diameter eyepieces will my telescope accept? Plssl eyepieces are good all-around performers, producing sharp images at the center of the field, but they have only four lens elements. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. This Super Plossl design was better than regular Plossl eyepieces, but not by much. Not all are Plossls, but excellent eps at f/10. 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. These will normally be higher priced and may be outside the price range we show here. 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. Many brands of eyepieces are available, including SVBony UltraWide, Astromania UltraWide Angle, Agena Astro StarGuider Enhanced UltraWide Angle and others. Plossl eyepieces are often included in better telescope packages as the starter eyepieces. 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. And of course, NEVER look through a telescope pointed at the sun that does not have a safe solar filter covering the front. Another way to look at it is that a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow works like a 10 mm eyepiece. Well, I'll just say it. Features : 5 superior-grade Plossl eyepieces: 1.25-in, 4-element design with a 52 AFOV (32mm has 44)4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 32mm . The Japan made 16mm Meade 3000 was a very nice medium power plossl and the 40mm in that series was surprisingly nice as well. A Barlow lens can save you money and add flexibility. Good 32mm Plssls run around $30-$40. That is a really interesting picture. If you want to observe the fine details of a specimen, Plossl eyepiece has a higher magnification than an ocular with lower lenses. Sony A7III vs A7RIII Astrophotography: Which One to Shoot Infinity! Since there are so many different types of eyepieces available on the market, choosing the right one for your situation can prove to be a harrowing task. Lets look at the minimum. I loved my Baader Mark-IV 8mm-24mm Zoom+Barlow combo in my 8" EdgeHD. This SVBONY eyepiece review should get you up to speed with the budget stargazing options. Again, it only costs $30 to $40 to find out, so the education is not that expensive. Oh the pain of uh having access to really cool eyepieces.). I need your advice on it. OHHH, now i get it! Theres a reason Plossls are usually kept at 52 degrees. Tele Vue offers several series with apparent fields of view from 50 degrees to 120 degrees. And, the quality of the eyepiece clearly comes into play here. Do I need an adapter if my scope has a Plossl lens? The longer FL Plossls (>15mm) have some distinct advantages over more complex designs without the major disadvantage of Plossls which is short ER. I really like the simplicity and compactness of these simpler designs (ie: Plssls, Orthos, Kellners, etc). However, for your extra money you get the finest manufacture, the best polish and coatings available. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. It will also make your life easier if youre out observing on windy days that would otherwise blow off the front cover of your telescope. The sharp/crisp view you get from your 40mm Plossl comes down to the relatively low magnification it provides. Gold line eyepieces are available in 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 20mm focal lengths. I consider the Plossl to be the minimum standard for a good eyepiece. In the early days of telescopic astronomy, refractor telescopes were designed with a single lens at the front and a single lens at the back. They have decent eye relief and little curvature of field. It was named after Peter Barlow who invented it in the 1800s, so it is usually capitalized. is pretty forgiving of eyepiece faults and a wide variety of eyepiece designs will work just fine in it. As long as you take good care of them, Plossls can last you a lifetime, and you will be able to use them with your next telescope if you upgrade at some point. A Plossl eyepiece lens provides more eye relief than anything else out there! Once I knew how much I liked the zoom I upgraded to the Baader Hyperion Zoom. Lets just say that once you get below F5, it is really hard for the eyepiece to deliver a clean image to the edge. Look at the apparent field of view specs and understand what this means for the field of view. Besides fov, How would you compare the optical quality of the Celestron to the Baader? no caps come in bolt case. With your glasses on, you simply cant get your eye close enough to an eyepiece that only has 10 mm of eye relief. These and the essentially identical AT Paradigm are universally praised as good quality eyepieces with a wider 60-degree apparent field of view. Focal length telescope / focal length eyepiece = magnification or power. Now we have a maximum established. The ES 82s are my favorite eyepieces, especially in the 1.25 format. Ive added comments on where you may find and use them. What apparent field of view and eye relief do I want? I still have it and still use it from time to time. However, some eyepieces have an eye relief as short as 5 mm. Not really. 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). 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. Does having a 70 vs 52 fov make a noticeable difference for double the price? I often had to drop back to about 180X because of poor seeing and transparency. . Again, for no other reason than to compare it to the 17mm Hyperion and draw your own conclusions about Plssls. Super Plossls offer a smaller field of view, which makes them good for close-up views and examining small objects. As the clear cut worlds best eyepiece manufacturer, their name should at least be mentioned in an article like this. Have Any Astronauts Been Lost in Space Forever. They are also really sharp. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. Kellner eyepieces have 3 lenses cemented together and have a 35-50 degree field of view. This means less time trying to figure out which way your images should be oriented before examining them. Between Kellners and Plossls, this means a 32mm Plossl, which maximizes the field of view in the 1.25 barrel diameter format, will show more stars than either a 32mm Kellner with the same magnification but a smaller true field of view, or a 40mm Kellner (or 40mm 1.25 Plossl, which has a 40 degree apparent field of view) with a lower magnification and the same true field of view. If you had to choose 1 low-power 2 EP for chasing deep sky objects (again, at 600mm f7.5), what size piece would you go for? No results, please adjust your filters. What should one opt for a 2 EP over a 1.25? I also just bought the Celestron Starsense 102mm refractor (650mm focal length, f/6.5) as a first scope for me and my kids. Plossl eyepieces are perfect for astronomical viewing because the field of view is wider. One of the TMB Planetary eyepieces are extremely nice for 50. There is the 56mm Meade Plossl which magically turns my short FL refractors into their own finder scopes. Ive read reviews about my scope. that I could slide into my telescope and look at. Something in the 30 to 38 mm range with a 65 to 70 degree AFOV. Some reviews also suggest replacing the diagonal. In the world of eyepieces, when you want the very best, turn to Tele Vue, but be prepared to pay a truly premium price. But some people demand the very best, and it is available, at a price. These are highly sought after ep's, and hold their value well. High-quality Plssl eyepieces provide high contrast and sharpness across the entire field of view. Orion Q70 38 mm works well. 14 = 128 = .6 Note to spectacle wearers: Plossl eyepieces with 15mm and longer focal lengths are good choices for spectacle wearers but for shorter focal lengths the Celestron XCel LX series have greater eye-relief so are better suited. Many thanks, Sophie. And that is pretty much what Super Plossl are today. This determines how much light the telescope will gather. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-mounts-for-astrophotography/, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-astrophotography-telescopes/, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-barlow-lens-and-how-to/, https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-review/, https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8879-1-25-Inch-Enhanced-Telescope/dp/B000BMPBLK/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3KKUJRXYYN7DI&dchild=1&keywords=telescope+diagonal+1.25&qid=1610887695&sprefix=telescope+diagonal%2Caps%2C512&sr=8-8, https://telescopicwatch.com/orion-skyquest-xt8-intelliscope-review/, https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/baader-hyperion-mark-iv-8-24mm-universal-zoom-eyepiece.html, https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orion+Q70&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/, https://www.amazon.com/Orion-8829-Wide-Field-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B000M89H7C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Orion+Q70&qid=1606584502&sr=8-2, https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Scientific-68%C2%B0-40mm-Eyepiece/dp/B007LMG3F6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=explore+scientific+68&qid=1606584676&sr=8-1. If you are investing for the future, get the BH zoom. They also improve a bit when it comes to eye relief. Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. 1:10 . Meade 4000 Super Plossl - any good? - Discussions - Eyepieces A common problem are eyepiece kits, which are big boxes that some telescope suppliers will sell you with half a dozen eyepieces, most of which include annoyingly short focal length Plossl eyepieces. 75-225X, 1.5X Barlow With the XT8i I usually used the zoom configured with a 1.5X Barlow giving me a 75X to 225X which I found to be nearly perfect for that scope. i didnt have all this simply-put information when i bought my orion st-80 as my christmas present to myself in 2020. i started out with several pair of binoculars i bought used off ebay, then bought the scope. Its quite long but that is what we are aiming for and hopefully, it was useful to you. This wider field of view will make it easier to find your targets, allow you to view larger deep-sky objects, and provide a more immersive experience for everything that you view. (often referred to as Pseudo Masuyama). The reason a plano-convex lens is good for using with a telescope is that it provides for both magnifying and erecting the images. In the box you'll receive 5 1.25 eyepieces at following sizes, a 32 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 17 mm Plossl Eyepiece , 13 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 8 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 6 mm Plossl Eyepiece, a 2X Barlow Lens 1.25. I've got a one-off plossl like that in my kit that I'll probably never sell, (aside from my 5 element ones) and it's one that is rarely seen. short answer: yes. If you were considering a Meade Super Plossl, in that case just get the regular one also by Meade. We may earn commissions by recommending products on this website. Is there much of a difference between the celestron and haader? Note that many cheap eyepieces promise a wide AFOV but deliver a view with a lot of distortion or aberration as you move away from the center of the field of view. Stargazinghelp.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. So if you need to go to Arcturus and then go 2 degrees to the right to find your target, you can use the FOV of the eyepiece to estimate 2 degrees. Worth it is a tough question to answer. PS. Any 1.25 diagonal should work. For one thing, a wider field of view is almost always more pleasant. Finally, the worldwide pandemic has led to shortages and price jumps on many items. These are effectively simple designs like Plossls, Kellners, Konigs, and RKEs, with long focal lengths, that have a lens included to increase their focal length. It is pretty much worth it for everyone that has a telescope with a 1.25 inch focuser to have a 32mm Plssl. This is where the cheap eyepiece will frequently fail to deliver a good image, around the edges.

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are plossl eyepieces good