This design has some advantages over other designs, such as the Kellner eyepiece or Orthoscopic eyepieces. These lenses are connected together. Prices can run from $20 to $200 so the field is pretty broad. Apparent Field of View: This is a measure of how wide a view the eyepiece will provide as compared to alternate eyepieces. For astronomical observations, such as viewing craters on the moons surface from Earth, high-magnification models are preferred because they offer more detail. Fully coated with magnesium fluoride on every air-to-glass surface for excellent light transmission and high contrast views. What apparent field of view and eye relief do I want? I just ordered Hyperion 13mm and 21mm but I really like how sharp and crisp view is in plossl 40mm. Note that we also gained a 16 mm magnification at no additional cost. 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. The original design for Plossl eyepieces has existed since 1860. About Us | Privacy Policy | ContactLittle Astronomy 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. Explore Scientific recently extended this offering by adding a series of 82 degree eyepieces labeled LER, or Long Eye Relief. Good quality. It also produces an erect image, meaning you see what youre viewing rather than seeing everything upside down or sideways as some types do. Non-eyeglass wearers can usually tolerate Plossls as short as about 10-12mm before their eyelashes start brushing the ocular lens. Be aware of the focal ratio of your scope. Besides fov, How would you compare the optical quality of the Celestron to the Baader? I dont dabble in AP. Thanks for your comment. If you are investing for the future, get the BH zoom. I had a newer - purchased in 2016 Meade 32mm (white lettering) that was no better than the older 32mm 4000. These and the essentially identical AT Paradigm are universally praised as good quality eyepieces with a wider 60-degree apparent field of view. I would wait till you get the scope and use the included eyepieces. Good 32mm Plssls run around $30-$40. Nice, thank you again for the additional inputs. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-barlow-lens-and-how-to/, Celestron 8-24 Zoom Review Do you need a 10 mm planetary and a 10 mm DSO eyepiece? Suggesting an F6 scope becomes an F18 would also imply things like reduced CA in a refractor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Today, most beginner telescopes of any quality are sold with either Kellner or Plossl eyepieces. And the zoom provides every magnification in that range without having to change eyepieces. These are the best in optical performance and build quality. Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. Plossl eyepieces have a wide FOV and are known for their clarity and sharpness. Ive read, and re-read, and re-re-read this page. But your point is well taken. In some cases, the eyepieces are waterproof to protect them from internal contamination caused by heavy dew conditions. Great article on eyepieces but I am still undecided exactly what eyepiece & Barlow to buy and from where since some buying sites dont provide all the info you cite in your article. They are also really sharp. A Televue Plssl may be better than a generic one, but the difference is probably not worth the additional cost. Lets illustrate with an example using a 1200 mm FL telescope. Perhaps another review would be helpful. Well, I'll just say it. Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article, 5 Budget Telescopes That Are Sneakily Powerful. I still use my 30mm Celestron Ultima fairly often with some of my telescopes. Depending on how fussy you are about having a completely clean image across the visual field, if you have a lower focal ratio scope you will want to look for eyepieces with a reputation for being better corrected in low focal ratio scopes. Plossl telescope eyepieces are the most popular type of eyepiece on the market. Between $100 and $250, I will call it mid-range. Plossls tend to come with large, ground-standing Dobsonians, whereas youre more likely to find a Kellner sold with a tabletop Dobsonian. Kellners can be as little as half the price of a Plossl in the same focal length, but they are generally very comparable, especially in recent years as telescope prices have fluctuated in response to changing supply chains and demand. For that purpose it is probably easier to find one to borrow. I have used these in my F6 and F5 Dobs and find them a good value for the price. As for Barlow Lenses, take a look at this article. Optics manufacturers began selling and popularizing Plossl eyepieces, albeit with a generally simplified design where each achromatic doublet had the same focal length. If one Super Plossl specifies it uses a 5 lens design, then you can definitely consider it a true Super Plossl that might offer better performance, but no brand has released any of those for decades. If you want a very good eyepiece with a bit wider field of view but are on a budget, these are very good choices. As I discussed earlier, the zoom lets you explore your target over a wide range of magnifications without having to change eyepieces. It had one of the best fields, edge to edge, in my SCT that I've ever seen. In 1849, Carl Kellner invented the Kellner eyepiece, which is essentially a Ramsden eyepiece where one lens has been replaced with an achromatic doublet made of two different types of glass. The field of view of a p Plossl eyepiece is typically 60 to 120 degrees. For shorter focal lengths, the StarGuider BST series eyepieces have greater eye-relief, so are better suited. Free shipping for many products! A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Understanding and using a Barlow Lens 2. The TFOV of the Hyperion will be greater than the TFOV of the Plssl, but the magnification will be about the same. 6.7 = 268 = .3 The ES 82s are my favorite eyepieces, especially in the 1.25 format. Explore Scientific 68 34 mm or ES 82 30 mm would also be good choices at a significantly higher price but with better edge correction. However, I have eyepieces with much smaller exit pupils and they work fine. When I was getting my start in the hobby, I bought an ultra-cheap ($15?) Plossl eyepieces are great. You can email me also. Note that the full moon appears to be approximately .5 degrees across, so use that as a mental reference when looking at the numbers. That is a really interesting picture. Can you give me any specific recommendations on what to buy and from where? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. 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. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. https://telescopicwatch.com/?s=barlow, Best of luck with your new telescope. Again, for no other reason than to compare it to the 17mm Hyperion and draw your own conclusions about Plssls. 11 = 163 = .5 Ah I see what you are saying, I had wondered whether this might have had an impact as Ive seen it mentioned before but dont fully understand it so will do some research, thank you . My Barlow is a 2X with a removeable Barlow element that can be screwed right onto an eyepiece giving a 1.5X effect. For planetary viewing, comfort is essential in helping to increase viewing time . The sharp/crisp view you get from your 40mm Plossl comes down to the relatively low magnification it provides. The Plossl's are very easy to modify, allowing me to use the bino-viewer on, all my refracting telescopes without having to cut down the tube length, p.s. Yes, the wider field of view of a Plossl is very helpful, but 40 degrees of Kellners isnt a soda straw (unless you are used to looking through very wide field eyepiece. You are looking through a LOT of atmosphere which distorts the image. The result in magnification is the same and the eye relief associated with the eyepiece is retained or, in some cases, actually lengthened a bit. Unless you are a professional astronomer or extremely demanding, you can select your eyepieces based on magnification, the apparent field of view, eye relief, and price. Eye relief is the distance from the eye lens to your eyeball, and the higher the better (within reason). Videos for related products. By having a range of magnifications, you can optimize the image, which means you need more eyepieces. However, your budget must guide your purchases. But what are the differences between these two and how do you know which one to choose? Poorly chosen eyepiece might give you poor experience and sometimes even make stargazing difficult. So, even if you have a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, you should get a good experience from this eyepiece. This is your Lexus, Acura, and Infinity types that offer more features, better build, and a bit more polish. If that surface is wobbly the scope will be almost useless. Orion SkyQuest XT8 Intelliscope Review very happy. Modified vs Unmodified DSLR Astrophotography: The Ultimate Showdown! They provide a range of magnifications with one eyepiece. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. I hope I can say that someday. The price ranges we show here are the typical prices. Then you can judge for yourself if it is worth it. After these, we have mostly proprietary designs from various eyepiece companies. These come in focal lengths from 2.3 mm to 25 mm. However, Orion has managed to make one that is quite compatible with most styles of telescope. Choose three focal lengths. But the conventional way of expressing it is in terms of eyepiece focal lengths. You have a very wide choice of brands and styles to choose from. Worth it is a tough question to answer. The three-lens eyepiece that came out of this was much better at controlling false color fringing and other distortions, even in telescopes with short focal lengths. Do you have any additional comments to help me? When I had a 6mm Kellner, I found the eye relief annoyingly short, sure, but when compared to the 6mm Plossl that often comes with eyepiece kits, it was luxurious. This is why we recommend you try to locate the object first at low power, then use a higher magnification if you likethe wider field of view on the sky provides more context in terms of asterisms and reference stars and makes it more likely that youll catch the object you are looking for. It also gives the widest possible exit pupil in my dob and SCT, very handy when using nebula filters. - 32mm plossl. Newer multi-coatings are better, I suppose, but newer does not always mean better in the ocular game. Because the eyepiece was still similar enough to a Plossl and still kept the symmetrical design, they called it Super Plossl. Centuries of improvements led to achromatic refractors, where the primary lens is made up of two lenses of different types of glass, which reduces false color fringing and allows the telescope to be made considerably more compact. Also, children do not often have highly developed motor skillsso I would avoid the frustration of switching out eyepieces, and consider a zoom lens. This makes them a bit more complex and expensive than other designs, but also gives them a wider field of view, reasonable eye relief, and reduces optic aberrations. Higher priced eyepieces usually include more elements in the optical path that are there to help reduce or eliminate aberrations that can be seen around the edges of lower cost eyepieces. Yes, Plossl eyepieces are some of the most popular with amateurs and professionals alike. condition as described, a good transaction. I often recommend the 2 in this series as excellent low-power wide view eyepieces, especially in scopes at focal ratios below F8. A wide-angle view of 66 degrees makes it perfect for viewing large objects and even entire constellations while still being able to focus on smaller details with ease. They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. Once we are done, they will make sense. If you look up transparency and seeing in the context of telescopes you can learn more about how atmospheric conditions will affect what magnifications you will choose on any given night. Meanwhile, Plossl eyepieces are much more common and easy to find. Am I correct? Over time, you may wish to add a specialty eyepiece here or there, but I would not make that a priority until you have filled out your magnification range. . https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/. As said, they are cheap to compare. Using this approach, you would buy a 2X Barlow and hold off on the 4 mm and 3 mm to see if you can reach these magnifications often enough to justify buying an eyepiece. While it covers the same range as the Celestron zoom, it offers better optics, better mechanical operation, and a wider field of view. I recommend it often to beginners on a tight budget. I believe the 5000 UWA's are good as well. One of the main drawbacks of this eyepiece, though, is the eye relief. They also improve a bit when it comes to eye relief. If there is a local club, I would suggest you visit and consider joining. As new anti-reflection coatings were developed, it became possible to actually make use of complex lens arrangements (not just in relatively simple 4-element systems but also in convoluted, extreme wide-field eyepieces such as the TeleVue Nagler). Im also uncertain about what to expect from an additional investment? In retrospect, I should have included Tele Vue. In terms of eyepieces, my best advice is provided in the article. For your application and the eyepieces you have or are going to get, you really dont need anything else. A 2 barrel on the eyepiece will allow the manufacturer to create an eyepiece that provides a wider field of view. The only one not in the article is the Orion Q70 which is available in 38 mm, 32 mm and 26 mm. The one exception I would keep in mind would be when working with Newtonian reflector telescopes below F5. Typically a Barlow does not add or subtract from this, but there again we have bad Barlows and Good Barlows. I found an ES 70 degree AFOV 35mm eyepiece and am wondering whether I should get this or the Orion 38 70. 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. 4. 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. As of the past couple years, it seems possible that the choice between Kellners and Plossls has been made for usyou either get what you get with your beginner telescope, or you will have to find a Plossl. You are asking about a very specific eyepiece in a very specific scope combined sometimes with a Barlow. I havent addressed .965 eyepieces in the recommendations. Most people prefer the wider TFOV. Field of view, is about finding, framing, drift time, and context. Since each eye has a different focal point, I suspect pulling the eyepiece out until reaching focus and then tightening the set screw. I would expect it to be similar to the Celestron in image quality. These are matters of individual preference and budget. The longer FL Plossls (>15mm) have some distinct advantages over more complex designs without the major disadvantage of Plossls which is short ER. It uses two symmetrical pairs of glass elements (one convex and one concave) to pass the light. Finally, a wider field of view just makes it easier to find stuff. In general terms, the higher the AFOV number, the more the eyepiece will cost. So save yourself this future unnecessary expense and just buy a Plossl. 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! You really understood the material. For modern eyepieces, the differences between Plossl and Super Plossl is going to depend on the manufacturer. While eyepieces with relatively complex, proprietary, or bespoke designs are becoming more commonly available in the beginner price bracket, there is often good reason to choose a much simpler design. The longer FL Plossls (>15mm) have some distinct advantages over more complex designs without the major disadvantage of Plossls which is short ER. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? Typically, these will be 25 mm and 10 mm or something close to that. 20 = 90 = .8 I took notes and now can shop with confidence I have had a good experience with the SVBony brand and the Agena Astro brand. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Since 2011, we've published astronomy related content and reviews to help guide the community better. Do you think it would be sensible for me to look at getting a higher magnification specific eyepiece? Ever since, I have been attempting to cram in every fact about the Universe, I can find into my head. For example, if you put a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow, it will triple the magnification you get from that eyepiece. These companies rebranded them under their own names. The Japan made 16mm Meade 3000 was a very nice medium power plossl and the 40mm in that series was surprisingly nice as well. Lets give an example. Most telescopes come with one or two eyepieces, which gives you one or two magnification options. I have CPC 925 and I currently own Hyperion 10mm, Hyperion 17mm and Celestron plossl 40mm. You have selected a very good starting telescope that will serve you for many years to come. Combining a cheap eyepiece with a cheap barlow isn't a elegant solution. As for tabletop scopes, dont forget that you need a table, stool, or bench to place them. EP-mm = magnification = afov Thinking in a super ploss 32mm and maybe something between 9mm and 15mm . I think Id really enjoy a zoom for all the reasons you mention, But Im having a difficult time assessing how much weight to put on the field of view of given eyepieces. If you do choose to go with a Plossl eyepiece, I highly recommend spending some extra cash to get yourself a decent good quality branded Plossl eyepiece rather than going for a cheap, generic eyepiece which is a Plossl only for the namesake. If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. Us big kids like zooms too. If the above guide has helped you understand the terms and workings of eyepieces, scroll up and make a selection from our recommendation list. If you are upgrading, avoid ones that say correct image as these add a prism system into the diagonal which can reduce the light transmission. They can be recognized by a thin gold line just below the eye cup. Can You See The ISS With A Telescope? Both solutions offer somewhat similar mag-fov-er-price. So you ended up with: 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. Each eyepiece gives you a unique magnification based on the formula listed at the start: Why do you need more than two eyepieces? Thanks, Angelo M. You picked a great first scope. See if you will observe with or without your glasses. What I can say is that, in general, eyepiece characteristics are inherent to the eyepiece. Again thank you very much for all the information in the page, excellent notes. Here we get into the BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari of eyepieces. There is the 56mm Meade Plossl which magically turns my short FL refractors into their own finder scopes. A wide range of focal lengths are available, all in 1.25-inch size. 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 . PS. 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. If I had to give them all up and keep only one eyepiece, It would be the BH Zoom. Do you need to have the best to enjoy astronomy? Hi Ed, IF you like your Hyperions , you could get a 2 inch visual back and 2 inch diagonal / or 2 inch SCT diagonal and add the 31 or 36 Baader eyepieces in 2 inch . It offers good color correction and high-contrast images. What diameter eyepieces will my telescope accept? Their eye relief is limited to about 70-80% of their focal length. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I have to say that your questions are answered in the article. I dont know if they make anything like this anymore, but as a kid, I had plastic slides with images on them (the Milky Way, Horse Head Nebula, etc.) The Plossl eyepiece has 4 lenses, consisting of 2 identical double lenses. This is a fairly inexpensive zoom that I wanted to try. 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. The view being presented to your eye in a low power eyepiece minimizes everything from optical aberrations in the telescope, to distortions from thermals or atmospheric conditions. There was an old Meade Super-Plossl design that used an additional lens element and could reach a wider field of view. There are so many others at comparable or higher prices, many of which are quite good and some rather poor. If you read the article you know how to calculate the magnification and field of view. Edge sharpness is just satisfactory, nothing to boast about, as is the apparent field of view. Although Kellner eyepieces will help you learn a lot in the beginning but soon will realize that youre missing out on something, and eventually you will be tempted to spend money on another good quality eyepiece. No other type can compare with it when it comes to that quality. They offer a 52-degree apparent field with clean, high-contrast images. And I am a visually observing focused person. I see that there are some optical limits to how wide an FOV a 1.25 EP can manage at bigger (like 32mm) focal lengths. I am not aware of any such solutions for Newtonian reflectors. Or take one of your eyepieces and measure across the bottom of the barrel. 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. However, the BH Zoom is by far my most used eyepiece. or a Baader Classic Ortho 18mm with both a 1.5/2x Barlow and 3x Barlow. 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! A Plossl eyepiece has a lens thats plano-convex, which means it is flat on one side and convex on the other. For me personally, even though I don't use glasses to observe, I still don't want to dig out the view through a plossl or ortho eyepiece which tend to have short eye relief. We enjoy binoculars for the moon, but having never looked through another telescope, my kids and I do not know what internal reflection, ghosting, vignettes, or diffraction spikes look like! Pentax K-70 Astrophotography: The Ultimate Camera on a Budget! Despite this, I also have some Plossls which are indispensable. Goldline series of eyepieces provides the best value in this price range, better than Plossls. And of course, NEVER look through a telescope pointed at the sun that does not have a safe solar filter covering the front. We have a range of 32 mm to 3 mm. This means less time trying to figure out which way your images should be oriented before examining them. When you are shopping, if you need long eye relief, make sure you are selecting the correct ones. All the rest will likely be 1.25. And, the quality of the eyepiece clearly comes into play here. It comes with 1.25 Plossls 25mm (26x) and 10mm (66x) eyepieces. It doesnt matter what type of telescope you have, as long as your scope takes these standard sizes. If you were considering a Super Plossl made by an entry-level brand, just use those extra funds to instead get a regular Plossl made by a more reputable manufacturer. . This might contain more of what you need. The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably.