Binoview or single ep's?

After being out of the hobby for almost two years, I'm now starting to get back into it. I'm piecing together my own 10" dob and was planning on getting some high quality ep's. I love the 17mm Nagler Type 4 and the high powered Pentax ep's. So those are on my buy list. I also would like to get a very nice low power ep, like the 31mm Nagler or one of the new Pentax 30mm or 40mm ep's(70 degree FOV). However, after reading some comments about binoviewers, I have become confused on what to do.

Which route should I take? I have never looked through a binoviewer. Current binoviewer owners, do you only use your binoviewer now or do you still use your single ep's?? If I go with the binoviewer I would get the Denkmeier Two(which runs about $1,100).

I'm curious about which low and medium power ep's are most recommended for binoviewers. Can you give me a couple of your favorite combinations? Is it possible to use the 17mm Nagler Type 4, or is it too big? Can you use 2" ep's in a binoviewer?

Hello Chris

I almost always use my binoviewer now. My 17mm Naglar collects dust while my 19mm Panoptics catch most of the photons. But that is just me, and my primary scope is an 11" SCT. I not only enjoy the view better but I find binovieweing more relaxing than cyclops mode.

You have to try binoviewing and decide for yourself though. Not everybody finds it the way to go.

Good luck.

Pat G.

Chris I have been using a binoviewer for three years now and only use a single eyepiece when I need the wider field of view to find something.The Denkmeier 2 plus 2in.OCS
weighs in at 2.24lbs.before any eyepieces are added.You might check for balance issues by adding about 2.8lbs.of weight near the focuser on the optical tube and determine how much weight may be required at the bottom to counter balance the load. You have chosen a fine unit to start with.
Hope you join us in the two eyed world of astronomy.
Clear Skies,Scotty

We haven't scared you off binoviewing have we? As you can see, several of us agree that binoviewing is great. But ask us what equipment is best then you have to stand back and watch the fur fly. You really need to try it for yourself. And as suggested you need to test over a couple nights. One thing I should mention, you will want a chair to use while viewing. You will spend more time on each target.

Pat G.