I beleive this is the same as they ones you asked about. Telescope Zoomable Eyepiece; Better or Worse Than Plossl You will get varying opinions on this but I would not worry too much about this. A 32mm plossl eyepiece and a 2x barlow lens should be enough to give you a good range of eyepieces for every use case. These "other" ones I speak of, aren't technically that, they are a 5 element eyepiece, of a different design. But in this scope, the 32 mm doesnt work well. Offered in both 2 and 1.25, these are excellent eyepieces. (Compare, for instance, 20mm of each type, or 10mm of each type.) My most used eyepiece is an 8-24 mm zoom. How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? You use the 8-24 zoom for the midrange. You are talking about the technical details of how a Barlow works, and I agree. In this article, we will only focus on the differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces. You really understood the material. In 1860, Georg Simon Plossl invented the Plossl eyepiece. Another useful aspect of a wider field of view is that, assuming the entire eyepiece is sharp enough to show good images right to the edge, you dont have to nudge the telescope to track the rotation of the Earth as often with a Plossl (50 degrees) compared to a Kellner (40 degrees). In my scopes a simple zoom eyepiece like the Celestron 24-8mm or the Baader has replaced the higher powered plossls. This number can range from 30 degrees to 120 degrees. Then set your maximum based on your aperture and split it up. Sooooo helpful! The "sharpness" you are seeing may well be better explained by the focal length of the ep than the quality of Plossls in general. If you just want eyepiece recommendations and dont care about the details, Im adding that section right below before we go into the specifications that answer the above questions and make use of the formulas. I hear that, sometimes you find one that is sweeter than others. Plossls cost a bit more than the Kellners as Plossls are expensive to manufacture because they require good optical glass and precisely matched concave and convex doublet surfaces to prevent internal reflections. Perhaps you have read about planetary eyepieces, DSO eyepieces, and other types of specific eyepieces. 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. They work great every day and get you where you want to go, but dont have what the higher priced models have. If your focuser/diagonal will accept 2 eyepieces, then I will suggest you get one or two 2 eyepieces for your low power wide view eyepieces. I guess my curiosity is mostly about the diagonal. Celestron Omni Eyepieces: The Omni series is the most economical eyepiece offering from Celestron. Since each eye has a different focal point, I suspect pulling the eyepiece out until reaching focus and then tightening the set screw. Plossls are extremely versatile and can be used for all use cases. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. One learns by observing. Many compare these favorably to eyepieces that are much higher priced. I am not aware of any such solutions for Newtonian reflectors. But, if you have a plan, you can fill in those slots, working toward a well-balanced set of magnifications. By correcting for aberrations, the field of view of these eyepieces could be much larger than the soda-straw field of view in a Ramsden or Huygens, around 40 or perhaps up to 50 degrees. 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. Higher values are slower and lower values are fasterthis is a holdover from camera lens terminology and has to do with exposure times.). The field of view of a p Plossl eyepiece is typically 60 to 120 degrees. 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 . Note that the full moon appears to be approximately .5 degrees across, so use that as a mental reference when looking at the numbers. As we go up in price range, we gain capabilities that may not be immediately obvious. What focal length eyepieces should I buy? Once I knew how much I liked the zoom I upgraded to the Baader Hyperion Zoom. They have a 50-56 degrees field of view, better eye relief, and cost more than Kellners. Many thanks. I often recommend the 2 in this series as excellent low-power wide view eyepieces, especially in scopes at focal ratios below F8. 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. Between $100 and $250, I will call it mid-range. Despite one being fundamentally superior to the other in terms of image correction, Kellners and Plossls are generally quite comparable in terms of the image you actually see. Can you suggest the total . 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. Customer reviews Average Rating (16 Reviews): Write a Review and share your opinions! I am going to use 6. Conclusion. Am I correct? AP is all about the mount and accurate tracking. So yeah, they are good.. and some are even better than others, and more collectible. This is why many telescopes come standard with at least one Plossl eyepiece. Also work very well with my binoculars that have removable focal reducers built into. Non-eyeglass wearers can usually tolerate Plossls as short as about 10-12mm before their eyelashes start brushing the ocular lens. Any 1.25 eyepiece will work with the BH Zoom 2 adapter. The combination of high-quality optics and accessible prices have made them the favorite design for amateur astronomers and even professionals. This also makes them more resistant to any form of dust getting inside the eyepiece. That can only be shown through actual testing. Planetary eyepieces: Ploessl or Orthoscopic and which brand Good value. But you need to know, first, if you will be wearing glasses when you observe. But some people demand the very best, and it is available, at a price. Fortunately, the investment can be leveraged with future scopes since eyepieces are standard sizes so they work in almost any telescope. Think of these as your Ford, Chevy, and Toyota of eyepieces. A 32mm Plssl is worth it. 1.25" Power mates with T ring adapter. Which is Stronger? The TFOV of the Hyperion will be greater than the TFOV of the Plssl, but the magnification will be about the same. 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. 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. 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. Im also uncertain about what to expect from an additional investment? My Barlow is a 2X with a removeable Barlow element that can be screwed right onto an eyepiece giving a 1.5X effect. 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. . 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. The Celestron Omni Plossl eyepiece range offers a nice entry-level range into the higher quality 4-element Plossl design. They also improve a bit when it comes to eye relief. They have a 60deg apparent field, long eye relief, adjustable eye shield and extremely well corrected. Interesting points Philip. No surprise there. 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 youre still wondering between a Kellner vs Plossl, my advice to you would be invest a little extra cash and go for a good quality Plossl. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. Focal length telescope / focal length eyepiece = magnification or power. Most people prefer the wider TFOV. 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. You have selected a very good starting telescope that will serve you for many years to come. When you are shopping, if you need long eye relief, make sure you are selecting the correct ones. This design features 4 lenses that are paired in two close-set doublets for the eye lens and the field lens. Meanwhile, Plossl eyepieces are much more common and easy to find. Your email address will not be published. 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. 130 mm scope will have a max of 260X for planning purposes. 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. If you are completely new to stargazing, Kellner eyepieces are absolutely fine. Are Plossl eyepieces any good? Orion SkyQuest XT8 Intelliscope Review Disclosure - If you buy something via our link, we may earn a commission with no additional expense to you. And of course, NEVER look through a telescope pointed at the sun that does not have a safe solar filter covering the front. 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. The 5-lens-element pseudo-Masuyamas that telesonic mentioned are/were fine eyepieces. Many thanks, Sophie. 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. If we combine a Barlow with an 8-24 mm zoom eyepiece, we have an amazing range. A couple of them felt fancier, but the jump in performance was either insignificant or non-existent. Be aware of the focal ratio of your scope. Today, most beginner telescopes of any quality are sold with either Kellner or Plossl eyepieces. Orion 12 mm Sirius Super Wide Angle Correct Image Eyepiece has a rubber eyecup that holds in light, which enables you to enjoy this powerful telescope eyepiece at night without glare or reflections from any external sources. In the case of the Celestron, you get all the focal lengths from 24 to 8mm in one eyepiece that costs $100. We will now discuss the specifications of eye relief and apparent field of view. Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. They have a pop-up eye guard and they are threaded to accept filters. Hayppy that now I have more facts to put in my decision. PS. Pay attention to the eye relief, especially if you will be observing with glasses. 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. In your case, I would do this for the 30 and the 20. You can add the specialty single FL eyepieces later if you wish. Of course, the entire eyepiece must be manufactured and finished correctly to realize the design's full potential. Stargazinghelp.com is a knowledge hub for professional and amateur astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. Kellner vs Plossl Eyepieces (Pros And Cons) - Scope The Galaxy Good evening everybody. 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. I would recommend the Orion Q70 series over that. 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.amazon.com/Orion-8829-Wide-Field-Telescope-Eyepiece/dp/B000M89H7C/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Orion+Q70&qid=1606584502&sr=8-2, The Explore Scientific 68 degree series would be better but at a much higher price. There is no shortage of accessories for the Nexstar series. Was compairing the Apertura standard 15mm Plossl with their 15mm super wide angle eyepiece (70 afov). Good quality plossl eyepieces - Discussions - Stargazers Lounge When selecting the best eyepiece for you, consider: Eyepieces are standardized so whatever investment you make today, the eyepieces will continue to serve you in any future scopes you may own. I am very near-sighted, barely see the big E on the vision chart without glasses. Do you think it would be sensible for me to look at getting a higher magnification specific eyepiece? Telescope Eyepieces | Orion Telescopes: Shop Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. 1200 mm FL scope / 10 mm FL eyepiece = 120X, 40 degree AFOV / 120X = .33 degrees (less than 1 full moon wide), 60 degree AFOV / 120X = .5 degree FOV (about one full moon with no space around it), 82 degree AFOV / 120X = .68 degree FOV (about one full moon with a star field around it to frame it). Plssl's were top of the line at one time, and are still being sold today, so that says something too. This was very useful, I got a meade infinity 90mm ( after read the review here -. 100-300X, 2X Barlow. And new proprietary designs come out from time to time. There are inexpensive adapters that will let you use standard 1.25 eyepieces in a .965 focuser/diagonal. I couldnt find any suggestions on your site about diagonal recommendations. If you were considering a Meade Super Plossl, in that case just get the regular one also by Meade. 6.7 = 268 = .3 Lower power almost always looks better than higher power. Most people will be fairly comfortable with eye relief of 12 mm or higher. 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. Choosing the best eyepiece for you - Astronomy Now They have decent eye relief and little curvature of field. 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. 6.5-ish mm (100x & 200x) If you are very demanding and must have the very best, this is where you want to be. It was named after Peter Barlow who invented it in the 1800s, so it is usually capitalized. 30 = 60 = 1.3 Simple Plosels work well and unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket, I would start with simple affordable eyepieces. Nothing will stop you from trying to go higher, but in all likelihood, the image will be poor and not worth the cost of eyepieces to achieve it. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/. Have Any Astronauts Been Lost in Space Forever. Compared with a zoomable telescope eyepiece, they are pretty much the same in terms of the quality of the image. 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. Skywatcher SP Plossl lenses - Discussions - Stargazers Lounge If the above guide has helped you understand the terms and workings of eyepieces, scroll up and make a selection from our recommendation list. Kellner eyepieces work perfectly with small and medium-sized telescopes. Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. Soft rubber eye guard that's custom fitted . You have to decide how fussy you are about the edges and what your budget can tolerate. It also gives the widest possible exit pupil in my dob and SCT, very handy when using nebula filters. This can be very helpful for star hopping. A standard Plossl eyepiece is typically between 20mm to 25mm but can range anywhere from 15mm up to about 40mm in diameter. I wants to install one in house(fixed place) another I need movable. No results, please adjust your filters. I still use my 30mm Celestron Ultima fairly often with some of my telescopes. Press Esc to cancel. It also gives the widest possible exit pupil in my dob and SCT, very handy when using nebula filters. These come in focal lengths from 2.3 mm to 25 mm. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. We often end up spending more on eyepieces than we did on the telescope. If you wish to find a short-focal length eyepiece with a longer, more comfortable eye relief, you could use a long-focus eyepiece with a separate, high-quality barlow lens (an achromatic or apochromatic fully multi-coated barlow would be necessary), or you could purchase one of the several designs incorporating a smyth/barlow lens into the eyepiece design. This gives us more flexibility at the low end of the magnification range. We can see that 2 eyepieces have an advantage over 1.25 eyepieces when designers are making wide-view eyepieces. Explore Scientific, like many eyepiece providers, have higher-priced and budget lines. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. 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. Another way to look at it is that a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow works like a 10 mm eyepiece. Remember that visual and AP have very different requirements, so plan on at least two different optical tubes. Just start with 32 mm for your low-power eyepiece. Orion Q70 38 mm works well. 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. However, your budget must guide your purchases. Despite this, I also have some Plossls which are indispensable. Free shipping for many products! This is your Lexus, Acura, and Infinity types that offer more features, better build, and a bit more polish. They are all made by the same OEM manufacturer. 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. 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. > Click here to jump to the Best Eyepieces section. Omni 6mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. For that purpose it is probably easier to find one to borrow. The biggest advantage is much better ER in a large ocular. Oh the pain of uh having access to really cool eyepieces.). Orion Sirius Plossl eyepieces are ideal for any type of telescope; refractor, reflector, or catadioptic. The Big Bang Optics also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank and other sites. Excellent, thank you for the breakdown, very much appreciated. You could base this on 3, 4, 5, 6 or more focal lengths/magnifications. They also have good eye relief, making them comfortable to use for extended periods. A Plossl eyepiece lens provides more eye relief than anything else out there! ES 82 degree series plus 1 meade uwa @20 mm with 1800 focal length optical tube lowest mag 51 x / highest mag 300. short answer: yes. Using your example: We will use a 100 mm telescope with a 600 mm focal length and Another way to look at it is that a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow works like a 10 mm eyepiece.. I agree with your comment on zooms for kids. Well-made lenses are expensive though, so in general the more lenses, the higher the price of the eyepiece. The Hexagon Zoom Eyepiece is made from durable plastic material that resists scratching and it has an eye relief distance of 15mm. For shorter focal lengths, the StarGuider BST series eyepieces have greater eye-relief, so are better suited. It's no surprise that the eyepieces in our Sirius Plossl line are our best-selling telescope eyepieces. 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. Now you can get good eyepieces for under or around $50. I recommend it often to beginners on a tight budget. Wide view and well-corrected view, even in F5 scopes. Offering a wide 43 apparent field of view, this 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece provides extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. 6mm Kellner eyepiece that I enjoyed a lot. An exit pupil larger than 6 mm may start to show a shadow of the secondary mirror. My love affair with space began in a field in India at the age of 7, when I looked up at the Milky Way for the first time. 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. Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w There are three types of Plossl eyepiece: the regular, Super, and Orthoscopic. Plossl vs Kellner Eyepieces. - Little Astronomy Here are a few types of eyepieces you may read about and their typical AFOV. Etc.? The price can run to over $1000 per eyepiece. i dont have 1 of everything, and i bought the best i could afford on a low budget; meade and orion. 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. The first group is made up of a convex lens and concave lens, while the second one has four small cylindrical lenses that work together to magnify what you see through them for your viewing pleasure. 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece | Orion Telescopes But what are the differences between these two and how do you know which one to choose? 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. Even though there are more sophisticated types of EPs, Plossls hit the right spot between high-quality optics and price. The Big Bang Optics is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. This saves money and helps you shop in an organized manner. A Plossl eyepiece is one of the most decent general-purpose eyepieces that are available on the market. It comes with two Barlow lenses, one Newtonian eyepiece, and three Plossl eyepieces in the set. I have the 38 mm and recommend it often. These companies rebranded them under their own names. For astronomical observations, such as viewing craters on the moons surface from Earth, high-magnification models are preferred because they offer more detail. Do you need to have the best to enjoy astronomy? I cannot thank you enough! Because of this setup, you might also hear a Plossl eyepiece referred to as a symmetrical eyepiece. Not really. A Barlow lens is an optical device that goes between the eyepiece and the focuser. I also just bought the Celestron Starsense 102mm refractor (650mm focal length, f/6.5) as a first scope for me and my kids. They are just OK, but I dont recommend them, especially in a low focal ratio scope. Apparent Field of View: This is a measure of how wide a view the eyepiece will provide as compared to alternate eyepieces. Comparing to Plossl eyepieces, Super Plossl is somewhat better for astronomy. A Kellner eyepiece has 1 double lens and 1 single lens. What is a Plssl eyepiece? | BBC Sky at Night Magazine SVBONY Eyepiece Review: Take Your Stargazing Up a Notch Comparing Orion Telescope & Binoculars options, it appears that a Kellner can be found for almost half the price of a Plossl of the same focal length, although there are also equally cheap Plossls available from various sellers on Amazon that are highly comparable. Higher than 3X is usually reserved for astrophotography. Lets give an example. For the price, I think the eyepiece is still a good pick. I generally use my 40 to search for DSOs so Ill probably replace that one at some point too. Outstanding job Jack. If you go this route, you can always add single focal length eyepieces along the way to serve specialized purposes. So you ended up with: Second? These are the best in optical performance and build quality. 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 . There are so many others at comparable or higher prices, many of which are quite good and some rather poor. My other eyepieces, ES and Meade 82 degree, stayed in the eyepiece case most of the time. My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. Just give yourself some time to learn the app and to understand the scope. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. Low focal ratio scopes deliver the light rays to the eyepiece at an ever-increasing angle as the focal ratio number goes down.