A Plossl eyepiece has a lens thats plano-convex, which means it is flat on one side and convex on the other. Your email address will not be published. Even though there are more sophisticated types of EPs, Plossls hit the right spot between high-quality optics and price. I had one and sold it. In the beginning, you are not going to know what the atmospheric conditions might be in your area. Yes, Plossl eyepieces are some of the most popular with amateurs and professionals alike. I do not miss beating my eyelashes against a 9.7mm Meade Plossl that I used to own. 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. Note that the price categories are approximate, as prices can vary between retailers. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. You can enjoy wide-angle views without giving up any of the clarity or sharpness when using Plossl eyepiece while Kellner will give you more magnified views but at less than half the brightness levels in comparison to other lens designs on this list if light pollution was involved. They are all 4-element Plossl eyepieces, and most have a 52-degree field of view that is common to the Plossl design. Suggesting an F6 scope becomes an F18 would also imply things like reduced CA in a refractor. 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. But for AP you should really start your planning with the mount. If you want to buy him $200 eyepieces so he can grow into them, that works. A very good quality eyepiece for a reasonable sum. The generic GSO Plssl from many manufacturers, including Astronomics (Astro Tech) and Agnena Astro, is as good as the Celestron and a few bucks cheaper. I have seen wider-field Plossls. (Svbonys Plossls, for example, are optically identical to Orions Sirius Plossls). Eyepieces under $100 each are generally considered budget or low-cost eyepieces. A 6mm Plossl has a tiny eye lens. If you are just testing the waters or on a tight budget, get the Celestron, which is still pretty good. This is not a hard and fast rule, just a cautionary note. Here we get into the BMW, Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari of eyepieces. Perhaps you should seek out help from your local astronomy club. 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. Despite this, I also have some Plossls which are indispensable. 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. Outstanding job Jack. 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. Generally, Plssl eyepieces are best suited to Newtonian and fast telescopes. Sorry but I am not offering a configuration and pricing service. Focus on the magnifications rather than the mm of the eyepieces. Under my sky it was rare that I would be able to get over 225X and still maintain a good quality image, except on the Moon. 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 . Every review suggests replacing the 10mm Kellner eyepiece (and possibly 25mm Kellner) that comes with it. This means you will be able to see a greater expanse for the objects in space but with fewer magnification levels than Kellner or Plossl lenses. And, the quality of the eyepiece clearly comes into play here. I like my 38/70. If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. 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. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. Required fields are marked *. So perhaps you do your line up like this. They are just OK, but I dont recommend them, especially in a low focal ratio scope. The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably. https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-review/. To get the best performance, you have to be willing to pay the price. 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. The third choice of eyepieces is the Orion 12 mm Sirius Super Wide Angle Correct Image Eyepiece. Looking from different sorts I found the Baader Aspheric 31mm and 36mm.these two eyepieces allow me to switch between 2" and 1.25"just by changing the barrel. But what are the other differences? Im fairly picky so would extend budget for better eyepieces if its worth it. It is all about your budget, your goals, and your objectives, as outlined in the article. I must say Im quite confused about eyepieces. However, your budget must guide your purchases. You are talking about the technical details of how a Barlow works, and I agree. Get to know more about us here. To achieve a maximum of 200X (2X the aperture of 100 mm), we solve for the focal length. The Big Bang Optics is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. If you read the article you know how to calculate the magnification and field of view. Le migliori offerte per Celestron 1,25 pollici Omni Plossl telescopio astronomico britannico 32 mm J8R6 sono su eBay Confronta prezzi e caratteristiche di prodotti nuovi e usati Molti articoli con consegna gratis! Or is this overkill and am I better off saving money and going forward something like the Celestron Zoom? Thanks for a very helpful guide. AP is all about the mount and accurate tracking. 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. Offered in both 2 and 1.25, these are excellent eyepieces. For our experience level, would you recommend changing anything right now? 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. The BH zoom is optically a 1.25 eyepiece. How you divide up your magnification range is up to you. In my opinion, there are no wrong exit pupils. Read the full Earning Disclosure here. So, basically a Plossl eyepiece is a type of eyepiece that enables the viewer to see a wider field of view than would normally be the case, but at the cost of him/her having to physically put his eye very close to the lens of the eyepiece. No other type can compare with it when it comes to that quality. Offering a wide 43 apparent field of view, this 40mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepiece provides extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. Since each eye has a different focal point, I suspect pulling the eyepiece out until reaching focus and then tightening the set screw. They work great every day and get you where you want to go, but dont have what the higher priced models have. Gold Line eyepieces also offer better eye relief than Plossl eyepieces, especially at the shorter focal lengths. This design has some advantages over other designs, such as the Kellner eyepiece or Orthoscopic eyepieces. 50 150X, no Barlow Achromatic vs Apochromatic refracting telescopes. Question: would an 18mm Baader Classic Ortho mostly used for Moon and planets loose sharpness and contrast if used with a short F5 telescope like the Celestron Astro-Fi 130? Eyepiece Field of View Simulator astronomy.tools Field of View Simulator Change Telescope Reset Change Target Add Equipment 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. 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 have a pop-up eye guard and they are threaded to accept filters. Also, note that the pricing is based on 1.25 eyepieces. If you are a glasses wearer and plan to keep your glasses on while you are observing, then you will likely want eyepieces with at least 17 mm of eye relief, and some glasses wearers prefer at least 20 mm. Using this 40 mm Plossl eyepiece is an excellent way to get a wide field of view with your telescope. What Is A Barlow Lens For A Telescope? 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. I just ordered Hyperion 13mm and 21mm but I really like how sharp and crisp view is in plossl 40mm. I have had a good experience with the SVBony brand and the Agena Astro brand. It also gives the widest possible exit pupil in my dob and SCT, very handy when using nebula filters. Hi Ed, Plossl eyepieces are great. These are matters of individual preference and budget. Are Plossl eyepieces any good? A 32mm Plssl is worth it. I have seen some gatekeeping in this hobby about Kellners, and Im not sure I understand it. 2x Barlow Many thanks. Plossl eyepieces have a wide FOV and are known for their clarity and sharpness. Excellent article, thank you very much for taking the time to publish it. If you are investing for the future, get the BH zoom. Kellner eyepieces were first designed by Carl Kellner in 1849. Astrophotography with Nikon D3200: Can It Be Better? a Celestron 8-24 Zoom with a 2x Barlow The Big Bang Optics was started because of our love for astronomy and to help others like us find the best telescope and accessories. I also have a 25mm plossl and am happy with that. Combining a cheap eyepiece with a cheap barlow isn't a elegant solution. (Compare, for instance, 20mm of each type, or 10mm of each type.) Ideally, you want a minimum of three eyepieces for (1) low power (2) peak visual acuity and (3) high-power viewing. The ocular for your highest visual acuity - for viewing deep-sky objects and the like - should have an exit pupil around . It may very well last you a lifetime and in the long term, you will definitely consider it to be a worthwhile investment. Even if we were next-door neighbors this would take weeks of discussion and planning. They are most useful in medium and longer focal lengths for terrestrial, planetary, and lunar viewing. These have the advantage that the front section with the optics can be unthreaded and threaded on to the filter threads of a 1.25 inch eyepiece. An Austrian inventor Georg Simon Plossl came up with the Plossl eyepiece design in 1860. Why two sizes? You mentioned regarding ORTHO eyepieces: Excellent specialty eyepieces, usually for planets. Super Plossls offer a smaller field of view, which makes them good for close-up views and examining small objects. 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. Hayppy that now I have more facts to put in my decision. 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 . Brilliant article and I thank you for it, I was literally really confused prior to reading it. It offers good color correction and high-contrast images. This general purpose design gives good colour correction and an adequate feld of view at reasonable cost and they are often bundled with new telescopes. My most used eyepiece is an 8-24 mm zoom. Second? 4mm Eyepiece vs 20mm Eyepiece. 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? Being a total novice, I love the StarSense app and technology. However, there can be a problem bringing the eyepiece into focus. Disclosure - If you buy something via our link, we may earn a commission with no additional expense to you. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. With your glasses on, you simply cant get your eye close enough to an eyepiece that only has 10 mm of eye relief. It costs three to four times as much as the Celestron Zoom, but if you have the budget, this is the one to get. I beleive this is the same as they ones you asked about. And certainly, if you are getting into AP you are going to need that big budget. Every new skill takes time. Looking forward to first use. You can buy a range of these from Modern Astronomy. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. Ive read, and re-read, and re-re-read this page. So, even if you have a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, you should get a good experience from this eyepiece. With an f/10 telescope, Plossls are as sharp as any other kind of eyepiece of the same focal length. 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. Plossls are the clear winner here in most cases, unless you have one of the wider-field 50-degree Kellners. Kellner and Plossl- both are two different types of eyepieces for telescopes. I have just one Meade product currently and that is a series 4000 1.25 inch UHC type filter which I use for outreach. You can use the same eyepiece on planets and deep-sky objects (DSOs). Fully coated optics provide crisp and bright views of the cosmos. These are things you will want to know and use. Good quality. You can still get eyepieces, but there are few choices. These are considered to be the least expensive eyepieces for serious astronomy and are offered in focal lengths from about 6mm to 40mm. They are a good brand with high-quality eyepieces, you just dont need to spend the extra money for almost no gain in performance. They have a 50-56 degrees field of view, better eye relief, and cost more than Kellners. EP-mm = magnification = afov I have the 38 mm and recommend it often. 32 mm = 18.75X 16 mm = 37.5X (32 mm eyepiece with a 2X barlow), 12 mm = 50X (If you have a 25 mm that came with your scope, use Barlow for 12.5 mm), 4 mm = 150X (8 mm eyepiece with a 2X Barlow), 3 mm = 200X (6 mm eyepiece with a 2X Barlow), 24 mm = 25X (the low power end of the zoom), 8 mm = 75X (24 mm zoom setting in a 3X Barlow), 2.66 mm = 225X (8 mm zoom setting in a 3X Barlow), True field of view or FOV = Apparent field of view (AFOV) eyepiece / magnification. 5-Minute Read, How To Increase The Magnification Of A Telescope; 5-Minute Read. 1:10 . 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. I do not miss beating my eyelashes against a 9.7mm Meade Plossl that I used to own. With a 130mm-F5 I would use a Plossl 32mm for its low-mag-wide-view. A 15mm Plssl might be worth it, if you dont wear glasses. https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/explore-scientific-70-eyepieces.html. I am considering buying another eyepiece, maybe 6mm, and a Barlow, maybe 2x, to give me a wider and higher range of magnification. Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w capsule. If the above guide has helped you understand the terms and workings of eyepieces, scroll up and make a selection from our recommendation list. that I could slide into my telescope and look at. Those that still come with Huygens and Ramsdens are generally cheap and low quality, since practically the only reason to use those designs in modern times is that they are extremely cheap to manufacture. Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher.