Eyepiece recommendations?

I have a new binoviewer, and am awaiting second 10mm and 7mm TMB monocentrics, which will give me two pairs for close up planetary and lunar work.

I want to ask for recommendations or comments on the following lower cost options for viewing open clusters.

Should I get a second TV 20mm plossl? Or a pair of Stellarvue 20mm 68-degree EP? Or is there another EP pairing that someone can recommend?

Thanks,
Dave

Hey Dave.
I guess a pair of the ever popular 24mm Panoptics is out of the question?
My second choice would be 19mm Panoptics.
The 20mm Plossl's would be fine too. I had a pair of 26's for a while.
Linton

Dave Badrick said:
I have a new binoviewer, and am awaiting second 10mm and 7mm TMB monocentrics, which will give me two pairs for close up planetary and lunar work.

I personally prefer longer eyerelief eyepieces in a bino.
Let us know how the monos work out.

Should I get a second TV 20mm plossl?

Yes, that would be a good choice. Maybe also try placing a Barlow
ahead of the bino for lunar & planetary viewing.

Pay attention to the clear aperture of your binoviewers. If you have a full clear aperture of 26-27mm then you can use any low power eyepiece you want without vignetting. If your CA is around 21mm, then you are limited if you want to avoid vignetting. Some low cost options that I have used and can recommend are:

Plossls, 20 and 25mm (32mm if you have 26mm CA)
Smart Astronomy EF19mm (EF27 for the 26mm CA models)
Stellarvue 23mm FMC
Orion Epics or Celestron Xcell.
Meade 20mm 5000series plossl.

If you can swing it, a pair of 18mm Televue Radians would give you more true field of view than the 20mm plossls with more magnification, plenty of eye relief and excellent image. And I too can always recommend the Panoptics.

David E

Dave,
There are lots of good ep's out there, and you've already heard a lot of good recommendations. If cost is a consideration for you, here's another thought. It's hard to beat a good set of plossls for their combination of sharp views and low cost. It's true that the afov is only 50* or so, but with a bv that will seem larger. Antares makes a set of plossls called "Elite" that I have found to be as good as TV's or the Ultima's, for about 25% less new. Available used they really are a good deal. And you can always upgrade later as funds become available. I'm using Antares 25, 20, and 15 mm ep's on my bv with a Siebert oca, and I've had some of the best views of the planets anyone could ask for. Hope that's helpful.
Larry

Think the Televue 20 plossls are an excellent value for a binoviewer. Clear, sharp, contrasty and good eye relief. Coupled with a Powermate can give a nice range of magnification. Good place to start until you can no longer resist the Pans. cd

When I first got into binoveiwers, I had an older 21mm TV Plossl. So I looked around and found another one to match it. TV maintains nice standards over long periods of time. The first 21mm had green lettering at the top and the second one had its lettering half way down the barrel but they are still exactly par focal.

They were one of my favorite pair until I got my 18mm Radians and 19mm Panoptics.

Don Durbin