are plossl eyepieces good are plossl eyepieces good

Comparing to Plossl eyepieces, Super Plossl is somewhat better for astronomy. OK that makes sense, many thanks. It's no surprise that the eyepieces in our Sirius Plossl line are our best-selling telescope eyepieces. I had a newer - purchased in 2016 Meade 32mm (white lettering) that was no better than the older 32mm 4000. The views through it are very impressive, and it always amazes me when I get that one out. Omni 15mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. . At shorter focal lengths they have less eye relief, and at all focal lengths they have a narrower field of view, than newer types. In this article, we will only focus on the differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces. Well, I'll just say it. However, some eyepieces have an eye relief as short as 5 mm. Now here is something that some of us classic scope nuts know - there are plossls, and there are plossls. A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Some people have more than 6 and some have as few as 3. 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 very interested in viewing Nebulae do you think this set up will work well for that or do I need other eyepieces or filters? The 66-degree AFOV of the Gold Line series provides a 32% wider field than Plossl eyepieces. Be aware of the focal ratio of your scope. I have used these in my F6 and F5 Dobs and find them a good value for the price. A Plossl eyepiece has a field of view thats very wide, so if youre looking at the full moon or some other object in space with it, chances are youll see the entire thing. I need some eyepieces with long FL for low magnifications. We have compared Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article. Lets illustrate with an example using a 1200 mm FL telescope. However, Orion has managed to make one that is quite compatible with most styles of telescope. Many brands of eyepieces are available, including SVBony UltraWide, Astromania UltraWide Angle, Agena Astro StarGuider Enhanced UltraWide Angle and others. i did buy an astro-tech 3.2 paradigm ed from a cloudynights.com forum member. A key thing to remember is that eyepieces are universal. Take a look at your manual or users guide. Even though the design has existed for more than a century, it has stood the test of and is still today the standard against which other eyepiece designs are measured. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w capsule at the best online prices at eBay! However, if you want to optimize your viewing experience, youll need to invest in a better-quality eyepiece. I have seen some gatekeeping in this hobby about Kellners, and Im not sure I understand it. Plossl eyepieces are perfect for astronomical viewing because the field of view is wider. The 4000 SWA's were way overpriced for their performance IMHO. 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 you have a longer focal length telescope, your shortest focal length eyepiece will be a higher number than what I have shown here. Other brands have joined and have used the Super Plossl label, but they all keep the original 4-piece design. Between $100 and $250, I will call it mid-range. Some accept 2 and have an adapter that allows you to also use 1.25. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. In the world of eyepieces, when you want the very best, turn to Tele Vue, but be prepared to pay a truly premium price. You can use the same eyepiece on planets and deep-sky objects (DSOs). I saw Jupiter today and its 4 moons but when I looked at saturn I struggled to get a really clear image and it was very small. Today, most beginner telescopes of any quality are sold with either Kellner or Plossl eyepieces. However, sometimes i am at the end of the range of the binocular focus adjustment. You will get varying opinions on this but I would not worry too much about this. The magnification and field of view is the same as a 10 mm eyepiece (AFoV being unchanged) in a 600 mm telescope but the eye relief is that of a 30 mm eyepiece. Understanding and using a Barlow Lens 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. 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. Note that the full moon appears to be approximately .5 degrees across, so use that as a mental reference when looking at the numbers. And new proprietary designs come out from time to time. All the rest will likely be 1.25. or a Baader Classic Ortho 18mm with both a 1.5/2x Barlow and 3x Barlow. You can add the specialty single FL eyepieces later if you wish. We have a range of 32 mm to 3 mm. The telescope comes with a 2x Barlow so I was thinking of getting one of the zooms you recommended. Recall that your lowestpower eyepiece's exit pupil should not exceed 6mm. Be sure to read the following as you consider your eyepiece purchases. I havent addressed .965 eyepieces in the recommendations. If you are on a strict budget, this is a good choice as a zoom eyepiece. Youd have to look into more complex designs which include a barlow lens, or simply use a longer focal length eyepiece with a quality barlow. Whether it is cars or telescope eyepieces, there are inexpensive ones, upgraded models, and very expensive ones. but the meat of the article is about understanding the considerations and specifications to know when selecting eyepieces. Plossls are the clear winner here in most cases, unless you have one of the wider-field 50-degree Kellners. Finally, a wider field of view just makes it easier to find stuff. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Meade 32mm 2" 5-element Super Plossl Wide Field Eyepiece at the best online prices at eBay! The basic design hasnt changed much, but the real costs of manufacturing have dropped. You have selected a very good starting telescope that will serve you for many years to come. Note to spectacle wearers: Plssl eyepieces with 15mm and longer focal lengths are good choices for spectacle wearers. These are two very important considerations when you are looking for eyepieces. I have to say that your questions are answered in the article. Here we focus on becoming a knowledge hub for astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. They are most useful in medium and longer focal lengths for terrestrial, planetary, and lunar viewing. Many thanks. They are 82-degree AFOV eyepieces. 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. Inexpensive Plossls that are manufactured using low-quality lenses are susceptible to internal reflections when viewing bright objects at high magnification. To say it a different way, in general, an F5 scope will place more demands on the eyepiece around the edge of the field of view than an F10 scope. These come in focal lengths from 2.3 mm to 25 mm. In our example, we targeted 200X as the top magnification. Hayppy that now I have more facts to put in my decision. These companies rebranded them under their own names. Differences and Similarities. This SVBONY eyepiece review should get you up to speed with the budget stargazing options. These are the best in optical performance and build quality. Do you think the Baader Hyperion Zoom would work OK with the Skywatcher 150p? Comparing to Plossl, the Expanse eyepiece is a lot more expensive. I would recommend the Orion Q70 series over that. To estimate the highest practical magnification for your telescope, you take the aperture in millimeters, mm, and multiply it by two. Imagine you are looking at the moon with each of these eyepieces and consider what you would see. This is your Lexus, Acura, and Infinity types that offer more features, better build, and a bit more polish. This will give you a maximum target for planning purposes. Dont worry about the math, as its simple stuff you can do with any calculator, on paper, or perhaps in your head. An exit pupil larger than 6 mm may start to show a shadow of the secondary mirror. They provide a range of magnifications with one eyepiece. A 32mm Plssl is worth it. Generally, Plssl eyepieces are best suited to Newtonian and fast telescopes. My friend has one and he really likes it, and it is his third telescope. If you want a very good eyepiece with a bit wider field of view but are on a budget, these are very good choices. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orion+Q70&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, Understanding Telescope Eyepieces- There are recommendations, based on budget, However, i can read very well without my glasses with almost microscopic vision and can use my binoculars without glasses. If you were considering a Meade Super Plossl, in that case just get the regular one also by Meade. Note that we also gained a 16 mm magnification at no additional cost. The only difference is that they have a different design as well as a shape with their lenses, which affects the magnification of your telescope view. Also, as the apparent field of view gets wider, the image will require more correction. Some reviews also suggest replacing the diagonal. Etc.? Best Telescopes For 10 Year Old Kids: Reviews and Buying Guide, The Complete Guide to the Planets You Can See With a Telescope, The Best Barlow Lenses: Reviews and Buying Guide. Thanks for a very helpful guide. You can email me also. Thus the 30 mm eyepiece in a 600 mm telescope produces 600/30 = 20X magnification while with the Barlow, we have 1800/30 = 60X. A Televue Plssl may be better than a generic one, but the difference is probably not worth the additional cost. Each eyepiece gives you a unique magnification based on the formula listed at the start: Why do you need more than two eyepieces? Even when I upgraded to a 6mm Goldline, I kept the Kellner around because of pretty annoying kidney-bean blackout issues on the Moon with that eyepiece. You can read a thorough review of Goldline eyepieces here. . Theres a reason Plossls are usually kept at 52 degrees. 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.). How do you focus - I would have expected helical focusers in the eyepiece holders but don't see any? 11 = 163 = .5 The design uses a planoconvex, two cemented-element eye lens and a large convex field lens. But what are the other differences? AP is all about the mount and accurate tracking. In this case, I am going to define this by the focuser and eyepiece size. . Press Esc to cancel. Another really helpful article, Ed. So yeah, they are good.. and some are even better than others, and more collectible. 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. How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? They have decent eye relief and little curvature of field. Looking forward to first use. This four-element Plssl design is the most popular eyepiece optical design that gives you excellent image quality, good eye relief, and a 50 to 56 degrees apparent field of view. Quality this good usually costs a lot more. A 2 barrel on the eyepiece will allow the manufacturer to create an eyepiece that provides a wider field of view. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. Are plossl eyepieces still worth it? If that surface is wobbly the scope will be almost useless. Thanks so much. As I discussed earlier, the zoom lets you explore your target over a wide range of magnifications without having to change eyepieces. 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. My most used eyepiece is an 8-24 mm zoom. With modern multi-coated optics that thwart internal reflections, Plossls and Kellners have little difference in glare or transmission/opacity. That is the critical factor. That is up to you and your budget. 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. Choosing the most appropriate can completely change your experience in using telescopes. We are a reader-supported organization. This is the link to the eyepiece I am looking at potentially buying, would you recommend this over the Orion one or vice versa do you think? This has nothing to do with your scope or eyepiece. Do I need an adapter if my scope has a Plossl lens? Despite the narrow field of view and short eye relief, it showed shockingly good views of Saturn, Jupiter, and even the Moon. Most of Celestrons entry-level telescopes are sold with Kellners (and other cheap but reasonable-quality designs like RKEs or Konigs), whereas their more expensive SCTs tend to come with a single 25mm Plossl. Major telescope brands such as Celestron supplies Kellner eyepieces with their r least expensive telescopes and still may. 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. For super Plossl eyepiece, the field of view is typically 40 to 60 degrees. 4mm Eyepiece vs 20mm Eyepiece. 2x Barlow https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/. 17mm Plossl, unbranded, used, no caps, in bolt case; previous owner said it was a very good EP; $18 25mm Plossl, Orion Sirius, fully MgF2 coated on every air-to-glass surface; used; $23 (these are a step up from . To achieve these benefits, they may use special glass and more costly manufacturing. They are a good brand with high-quality eyepieces, you just dont need to spend the extra money for almost no gain in performance. It allows each eyepiece to provide two magnifications. 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. The 5-lens-element pseudo-Masuyamas that telesonic mentioned are/were fine eyepieces. Here we get into the BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari of eyepieces. If you stumble the first few uses, dont be discouraged. This can be debated 100 ways, but that is my advice. 1:10 . It sounds cool, they must be better than regular Plossls with that name, right? The sharp/crisp view you get from your 40mm Plossl comes down to the relatively low magnification it provides. Plossl eyepieces are very good and fairly inexpensive, typically between $25 and $50 each. Like going from a 32 TV to a 65? A zoom eyepiece works like the zoom lens on a camera. I dont own nor have I used it, but Orion has a very good reputation. A super Plossl eyepiece is a top-performing eyepiece that can be used for a variety of tasks, from viewing objects in the distance to looking at microscopic things. Plossls provide very good eye relief for eyeglass wearers in focal lengths of about 25mm and longer. They are all 4-element Plossl eyepieces, and most have a 52-degree field of view that is common to the Plossl design. The biggest advantage is much better ER in a large ocular. As a result, this can cause aberrations in the image as you move from the center of the view toward the edges. What diameter eyepieces will my telescope accept? If you feel the need to buy something now, consider this Orion diagonal. Read the full Earning Disclosure here. In general terms, the higher the AFOV number, the more the eyepiece will cost. If you are just testing the waters or on a tight budget, get the Celestron, which is still pretty good. This 10 mm Orion Sirius Plossl Eyepiece is a great, moderately high power ocular for observing small planetary nebulas and globular star clusters, as well as for planetary probing when seeing conditions don't permit higher magnifications. 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 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. that I could slide into my telescope and look at. At one time Plssls were premium eyepieces. Sorry but I am not offering a configuration and pricing service. Good value. Higher than 3X is usually reserved for astrophotography. The quality of a Plossl eyepiece completely depends on the brand and model, so be very careful in our selection. It all comes down to cost-benefit. At that price point, it couldnt compete with other 5-element devices like Erfle and Nagler eyepieces that had better performance. The length of eye relief on a Plossl eyepiece ranges from 12 millimeters (less common) all the way up to 45 millimeters with added benefits being that you dont have any issues seeing into your view. 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. Also, atmospheric conditions can limit how much magnification you can use on a given night. Orion Sirius Plossl 10mm telescope eyepiece 1.25" in very good to excellent 185794462395 An Austrian inventor Georg Simon Plossl came up with the Plossl eyepiece design in 1860. However, you may see them at higher prices for the short term. I often had to drop back to about 180X because of poor seeing and transparency. The 21mm is simply amazing, I can't believe that TV decided to discontinue this little gem, it is better than the newer version in every category including eye comfort, the overall shape along with fit and finish is one of the best from TV. I had a TV 20mm Plossl once. There are three types of Plossl eyepiece: the regular, Super, and Orthoscopic. In High School, they told me that F=MA In college I learned that F=dp/dt But F=MA works well enough for most situations and that is how I think of it. At this point, a Plossl and a Kellner are so close in price and performance that you may as well get the Plossl. 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. Any 1.25 eyepiece will work with the BH Zoom 2 adapter. 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. That said, I should also tell you that not all Plossls are created equal. And, in general terms, the higher the AFOV, the harder it is to make an eyepiece that will present a good image all across the field of view, which also drives up the cost. A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. It has made learning the Constellations and star-hopping more fun and engaging for my whole family exactly what I was hoping for. Most people will be fairly comfortable with eye relief of 12 mm or higher. 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. 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. Disclosure - If you buy something via our link, we may earn a commission with no additional expense to you. It is all about your budget, your goals, and your objectives, as outlined in the article. I really like the simplicity and compactness of these simpler designs (ie: Plssls, Orthos, Kellners, etc). They are all made by the same OEM manufacturer. I am not aware of an ES branded 70 degree series in the USA, but they do have a Bresser branded 70-degree series. When I was getting my start in the hobby, I bought an ultra-cheap ($15?) The ocular for your highest visual acuity - for viewing deep-sky objects and the like - should have an exit pupil around . So save yourself this future unnecessary expense and just buy a Plossl. This also makes them more resistant to any form of dust getting inside the eyepiece. I also really liked my E-Lux 32mm, a Kellner. 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. I am not aware of any such solutions for Newtonian reflectors. A Kellner eyepiece has 1 double lens and 1 single lens. Plossl eyepieces are often included in better telescope packages as the starter eyepieces. I hear that, sometimes you find one that is sweeter than others. Here's the short answer - Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. 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? However, I have eyepieces with much smaller exit pupils and they work fine. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. Perhaps you have read about planetary eyepieces, DSO eyepieces, and other types of specific eyepieces. Read our full affiliate disclosure here. With a 130mm-F5 I would use a Plossl 32mm for its low-mag-wide-view. A large field lens makes the ocular easy to look into. But, if you have a plan, you can fill in those slots, working toward a well-balanced set of magnifications. If you don't like the reflections, there really aren't many other budget options at its focal length beside a Plossl which will be super uncomfortable to use, or spending over $100 for something like a Meade UWA. But these are only intended to get you started. So its best for use during duller times when there isnt much brightness visible. These Astromania Plossl eyepieces provide a good way to do exactly that without breaking the bank, and this is what I love about them: they're an affordable way to significantly upgrade your telescopes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The price can run to over $1000 per eyepiece. 100-300X, 2X Barlow. The Big Bang Optics participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. There are some very good choices in this range. Poorly chosen eyepiece might give you poor experience and sometimes even make stargazing difficult. The reason a plano-convex lens is good for using with a telescope is that it provides for both magnifying and erecting the images. eyepiece shows signs of use with caps and bolt case, 32 mm Plossl very good cond. In your case, I would do this for the 30 and the 20. Or, if you are buying from an online like Amazon, then look at the eyepieces I recommend and see if any suit your needs. For planetary viewing, comfort is essential in helping to increase viewing time . did i pass? My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. The BH zoom is optically a 1.25 eyepiece. Pentax 10.5mm Eye Piece Excellent Condition (#314374986239) r***d (1910 . These sport a 60-degree apparent field of view, about a 20% wider apparent field of view than Plossl eyepieces. 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? Note that the Explore Scientific 68 and 82 degree eyepieces are also available in 2 size for your low power wide view requirements. Such eyepieces are able to offer great performance, i.e., satisfactory degrees of deviations, to about a 50.degree field. If you read the article you know how to calculate the magnification and field of view. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. 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. Most likely it will be used as a loaner eyepiece to go with one of my two loaner telescopes. 32 mm = 18.75X12 mm = 50X8 mm = 75X6 mm = 100X4 mm = 150X3 mm = 200X. Their eye relief is limited to about 70-80% of their focal length. Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. In stargazing, eyepieces are as important as telescopes are. So speaking of the Barlow as if it modifies the FL of the eyepiece, while technically not correct, does provide an easier model to understand the net effect. Eye relief of less than 10mm gets really uncomfortableyou tend to rub your eyepieces against the eyepiece or lens, and you have to hold your eye at just the right distance to keep from touching the lens. Celestron 2026 Erecting Prism Barlow Lens Set is well suited as an astronomical viewing lens kit or for enjoying terrestrial sights like nature walks, sporting events, and more! 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. Even if we were next-door neighbors this would take weeks of discussion and planning. Goldline series of eyepieces provides the best value in this price range, better than Plossls. Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. Every new skill takes time. Plossls are extremely versatile and can be used for all use cases. dnrmilspec is right. If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. We may earn commissions by recommending products on this website. A rubber safety cap protects the lens when not in use while also providing additional grip on this 35 mm Plossl eyepiece. No other type can compare with it when it comes to that quality. I must also warn you that some of these bad Plossls may actually turn out to be worse than any run-of-the-mill Kellner. 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.