If you do not have your Hyperions yet I recommend you wait until you have these and try them out before you buy the Plossls. Now we just divide it up and fill in some sample focal lengths. As we continue, what would you recommend adding first? 2. I must say Im quite confused about eyepieces. At that price point, it couldnt compete with other 5-element devices like Erfle and Nagler eyepieces that had better performance. Do you think it would be sensible for me to look at getting a higher magnification specific eyepiece? Hi Ed, Their eye relief is limited to about 70-80% of their focal length. For it's cost, a 32mm Plssl eyepiece is hard to beat. 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. I have seen wider-field Plossls. They can also be found as Orion Expanse sporting a blue line rather than gold. 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. 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. Field of view, is about finding, framing, drift time, and context. 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. philhas Members 61 459 Location: North East England . What happens if you use an eyepiece that has a the wrong exit pupil? Some optics brands have taken the next step and launched some eyepieces they have labeled as Super Plossl. Heres the short answer Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. Learn more about our story and the team behind the scene. Plossls and Kellners, like other simple eyepiece designs, have moderate fields of view and tend to have short eye relief as you scale them down to shorter focal lengths. 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. In that respect, they are similar to the Explore Scientific 82 degree mentioned earlier. They are a good brand with high-quality eyepieces, you just dont need to spend the extra money for almost no gain in performance. A Plossl eyepiece is one of the most decent general-purpose eyepieces that are available on the market. This can be very helpful for star hopping. This is the link to the one I plan to buy as I know some others come with add ons: https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/baader-hyperion-mark-iv-8-24mm-universal-zoom-eyepiece.html, Thats great you had an XT8i that makes me feel confident I got a good telescope . 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orion+Q70&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, Understanding Telescope Eyepieces- There are recommendations, based on budget, Other than the limited AFOV, which you are apparently fine with, and limited eye relief in the shorter focal lengths there is certainly no reason not to choose Plssls. No results, please adjust your filters. If you wear glasses when observing, you probably want 15mm or more of eye relief, which the 20mm Plssl provides, but the shorter fl ones dont. However, the BH Zoom is by far my most used eyepiece. Perhaps another review would be helpful. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. 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. If you want to observe the fine details of a specimen, Plossl eyepiece has a higher magnification than an ocular with lower lenses. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. Note that the price categories are approximate, as prices can vary between retailers. There are certainly much better options out there but at a significant cost. PS. 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. I have seen elsewhere discussions about the exit pupil of eyepieces. 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. Have Any Astronauts Been Lost in Space Forever. These are exceptional eyepieces, and only available on the used market nowadays. My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. I can say that most of my plossls have been replaced by other eyepieces for various reasons. These are the workhorse eyepieces of today. For what it is worth, a slow scope like your CPC9.25 (f/10?) I have an F4 Newtonian reflector and if I use an eyepiece of longer than 25 mm, an exit pupil of 6.25, I start to get a dark area in the center of the field of view which is a shadow of the secondary mirror. 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. My Barlow is a 2X with a removeable Barlow element that can be screwed right onto an eyepiece giving a 1.5X effect. Kellner eyepieces have 3 lenses cemented together and have a 35-50 degree field of view. Eye Relief: This refers to how close your eye has to be to the lens in order to see the full field of view. These tend to run toward the more expensive price range. Plossl eyepiece is one of the reasonable options when it comes to telescope eyepieces for stargazing or astronomy. You will see these under many brands, including Orion, Celestron, GSO, and others. There are so many others at comparable or higher prices, many of which are quite good and some rather poor. This is why many telescopes come standard with at least one Plossl eyepiece. Comparing to Plossl eyepieces, Super Plossl is somewhat better for astronomy. 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. So save yourself this future unnecessary expense and just buy a Plossl. These sport a 60-degree apparent field of view, about a 20% wider apparent field of view than Plossl eyepieces. This gives us more flexibility at the low end of the magnification range. Get to know more about us here. It was named after Peter Barlow who invented it in the 1800s, so it is usually capitalized. The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably. Plossls are available from many suppliers in a wide range of focal lengths in 1.25 and 2 sizes. They are most useful in medium and longer focal lengths for terrestrial, planetary, and lunar viewing. They also offer a generous 16 mm of eye relief which is most important in the shorter focal lengths. Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. I think I will go for the BHZ because, as you say, I will be able to use it now and into the future. Just start with 32 mm for your low-power eyepiece. You can build a full set of these with good results, but be aware of eye relief, especially if you wear glasses. Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. A Barlow lens can save you money and add flexibility. How Good Are Super Plossl Eyepieces for Astronomy? Overall, I would highly recommend the goldline eyepieces. Hi, I have recently bought a Orion XT8 and am trying to work out which eyepieces to add to what is provided with the scope. As we go along, I will refer back to these, so dont worry if you cant answer the questions or understand the formulas now. Very often, those eyepieces will be in the outdated 0.965 format rather than the modern 1.25 or 2 diameter barrel format. short answer: yes. I expect such eyepieces are available but I have never seen or used one. A key thing to remember is that eyepieces are universal. Or, you can have three properly sized eyepieces and use a Barlow lens to achieve three more magnifications, which is usually a less expensive way to go. Many thanks, Sophie. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-eyepieces/. When a beginner is choosing eyepieces on a budget, there are a number of possible designs they may choose between. Later in the article, I will also give my top recommendations for both the best Kellner as well as the best Plossl eyepieces. 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. Fully coated with magnesium fluoride on every air-to-glass surface for excellent light transmission and high contrast views. Plossl eyepieces are often included in better telescope packages as the starter eyepieces. Glad you found it helpful. I wont go into all the types of aberrations that can be there. Looking forward to first use. Like going from a 32 TV to a 65? 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. Orion Sirius Plossl 1.25" eyepieces are ideal for all types of telescopes: reflector, refractor, and catadioptrics such as Maksutov-Cassegrains. i dont have 1 of everything, and i bought the best i could afford on a low budget; meade and orion. Sony A7III vs A7RIII Astrophotography: Which One to Shoot Infinity! A good modern eyepiece like a BST starguider 12,8 and 5mm are excellent eyepieces. 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. Where a difference can show up is that a lower number focal ratio scope will make it harder for an eyepiece to provide a uniformly good, in-focus image all the way across the field of view due to the steeper angle that the light arrives at the edges of the eyepiece with a low focal ratio scope, as compared to a high focal ratio scope. Meade went back to the drawing board and they removed the fifth element, keeping the original Plossl design, however, they kept the Super Plossl brand and added some premium materials. However, because they have more glass elements than other designs, like Kellners, their manufacturing becomes extremely important to get high-quality optics. A large field lens makes the ocular easy to look into. Aspheric and Plossl Plossl are both lens designs that can be used in most telescopes. But what are the other differences? That's hard to beat IMO. Achromatic vs Apochromatic refracting telescopes. This will give you a lower power and a medium to high power eyepiece, depending on the focal length of your scope. I also have an older smoothtop 20mm Meade 4000 that is also 5 element, and it is a fine eyepiece too, compared to another 20mm of the same vintage. If that is the case, it will give me another reasonably good, inexpensive zoom to recommend to beginners. 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. This may be enough for many eyeglass wearers. Perhaps you have read about planetary eyepieces, DSO eyepieces, and other types of specific 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. Worth is a subjective evaluation, so here is my subjective input: 1. 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 . The 4000 SWA's were way overpriced for their performance IMHO. The computerized pad and motor work on AA batteries which can last you a few hours. Edge sharpness is just satisfactory, nothing to boast about, as is the apparent field of view. Age is not part of the equation. 2019-2023 Little Astronomy. A 10mm or shorter Plssl is probably not worth it unless you want to see how you personally cope with short eye relief. These eyepieces have about 35 to 50 degrees apparent fields of view and reasonable eye relief, though quite short for high magnifications. When you are shopping, if you need long eye relief, make sure you are selecting the correct ones. I beleive this is the same as they ones you asked about. Nice, thank you again for the additional inputs. The Expanse is a lens that provides an extra sharp image, and it also has a wider field of view compared to the Plossl eyepiece. If I had to give them all up and keep only one eyepiece, It would be the BH Zoom. This saves money and helps you shop in an organized manner. Understanding and using a Barlow Lens Plossls are extremely versatile and can be used for all use cases. I have to say that your questions are answered in the article. Plus the FOV expands as you zoom to the higher powers. This can be especially helpful in telescopes of focal ratios below F8. You mentioned regarding ORTHO eyepieces: Excellent specialty eyepieces, usually for planets. The Plossl has good color correction plus is free of the ghost images that plague the Kellner. PayPal, cash, bank transfer are all acceptable. I like my 38/70. This is just a planning target. I recently purchased the SVBony 7-21 zoom from Amazon. They can be recognized by a thin gold line just below the eye cup. One of the main drawbacks of this eyepiece, though, is the eye relief. 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. Most people will be fairly comfortable with eye relief of 12 mm or higher. 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. Explore Scientific recently extended this offering by adding a series of 82 degree eyepieces labeled LER, or Long Eye Relief. I really like the simplicity and compactness of these simpler designs (ie: Plssls, Orthos, Kellners, etc). Note that we also gained a 16 mm magnification at no additional cost. These and the essentially identical AT Paradigm are universally praised as good quality eyepieces with a wider 60-degree apparent field of view. Lets take a look. i still use the binos. Many compare these favorably to eyepieces that are much higher priced. Kellner eyepieces, on the other hand, are generally pretty close to each other in terms of quality so theres little chance you will get much variance in image definition between brands. Also, note that the pricing is based on 1.25 eyepieces. You can find the eyepieces I use and recommend in this article. The ES 82s are my favorite eyepieces, especially in the 1.25 format. (Compare, for instance, 20mm of each type, or 10mm of each type.) The Regular Plossl eyepiece is made to be a basic type of scope for viewing objects that are nearbysay within two feet or so from where youre looking through it. 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. Other eyepieces of more advanced design can have better eye relief and field of view. 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. Plossl telescope eyepieces are the most popular type of eyepiece on the market. Tip Its almost always cheaper to buy directly from Agena Astro. However, some lateral color error is apparent when looking at bright subjects, such as Jupiter or Venus, against a dark sky. Plossl eyepieces are great. The one exception I would keep in mind would be when working with Newtonian reflector telescopes below F5. And new proprietary designs come out from time to time. Very nice article. Do you need a 10 mm planetary and a 10 mm DSO eyepiece? I guess my curiosity is mostly about the diagonal. It costs three to four times as much as the Celestron Zoom, but if you have the budget, this is the one to get. All of the Omni eyepieces have a 1.25" barrel size with the exception of the super low power 56 mm, which has a barrel size of 2". 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. Ive added comments on where you may find and use them. 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. A Kellner eyepiece has 1 double lens and 1 single lens. It also produces an erect image, meaning you see what youre viewing rather than seeing everything upside down or sideways as some types do. The category is over $300 and some of these are way over $300. The Big Bang Optics also participates in affiliate programs with Clickbank and other sites. Let us know in the comments if there is anything else you want to ask or share your thoughts on this post, always looking forward to feedback from others who will benefit from it as well! The availability of good quality relatively wide field-of-view inexpensive eyepieces has kind of put them in the second tier of eyepieces, but they still hold their own in the longer focal lengths and excel if one does not demand a wide field-of-view. 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. Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. Newer multi-coatings are better, I suppose, but newer does not always mean better in the ocular game. At least you'll have one budget eyepiece that will give you a larger part of the sky at low magnification. Over time, you will likely spend more on eyepieces than on the telescope. It's no surprise that the eyepieces in our Sirius Plossl line are our best-selling telescope eyepieces. You are talking about the technical details of how a Barlow works, and I agree. So perhaps you do your line up like this. They have a narrow AFOV but have a reputation for being very sharp.. I wants to install one in house(fixed place) another I need movable. Depending on your budget, if you only have limited funds and are just starting to fill out your eyepiece collection I would go with the zoom, then zoom with Barlow. Do I need an adapter if my scope has a Plossl lens? Offering a wide 43 apparent field of view, this 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece provides extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. I am not aware of an ES branded 70 degree series in the USA, but they do have a Bresser branded 70-degree series. still, i somehow managed to avoid the eyepiece pitfalls when buying used off ebay.
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