Antares Super Plossls

I just bought my first good scope, a Celestar 8 Deluxe, and am considering eyepieces. How do the Antares Super Plossls compare to Celestron's Nextstar eyepieces. I know Televiews are excelent but are out of my budget, any other suggestions?

The Antares Super Plossls, I believe, are the same design as Celestron Ultimas and Orion Ultrascopics, and in fact are from the same manufacturer. These are not really Plossls, but a 5-element design that performs similarly to a good Plossl. I think the consensus is that the Ultimas/Ultrascopics are in the same league as the Televue Plossls, and if they aren't as good they're really, really darn close.

My Ultrascopics (I have the 35mm and 15mm) are probably my most used eyepieces.

I have Orion Ultrascopics and Antares Ultima eyepieces, and they are identical. It is true that these and the Celestrons are made in the same Japanese factory, and the design is the same on the Orions and Antares, but NOT the same as the Celestrons. Slight differences; the Celestrons are different fl's, 50* AFOV instead of 52* for the other two, and less eye relief with the Celestrons. I have tried the Ultrascopics (Orion and Antares) side by side with the famous TV plossls, and the TV's don't measure up to the Ultrascopics at all in any f/ratio from f/5 to f/12 (AP 6", f/12 APO). Maybe shouldn't put it here, but a VERY LARGE retailer advised me to get the Antares over the TV's, for several reasons. For a Plossl, the Antares can't be beat.

S. Sherrod

To my knowledge (and from reading many AM posts on this subject), the Celestron Ultimas, Orion Ultrascopics, Antares Ultimas and Parks Gold series are all the same eyepieces manufactured in the same factory to the same specs. The only significant differences are cosmetic (focal length and the Celestrons add a rubber grip ring). Even the barlows are the same. Best of all, the Antares are the least expensive of the lot.

I've found performance identical in all and that they are parfocal among the different brands, so you can mix them to get the proper focal lengths for your needs. I have augmented my Ultima set with a 10mm Antares and it is one of my favorite eyepieces. The 25mm Antares makes a good substitute for the discontinued 24mm Ultima.

I've played with a wide variety of plossls and, in my experience, I have found these to be the finest available. They will beat any four element plossl in sharpness and contrast with the exception of the TV's, which they match in sharpness and beat a little in contrast.

A disclaimer - some folks like the TV's better (they are exceptional too), some folks like the Ultimas/Ultras better. Doesn't matter - you can't go wrong with either and you'll have the best possible general use eyepieces for a lifetime of use.