EP Question...

I need some opinions and information regarding eyepieces. My details are:

1. 14.5" dob with Zambuto mirror, tracking (which lets me really study stuff in the center of the FOV).
2. I mostly do medium-high mag viewing, such that the range of 18mm down to 4mm covers me pretty well. For wide-field, a 35mm Panoptic works really well for my uses, but I'd be interested in options that are less expensive and as good or better.
3. I wear glasses, and I have a slight astigmatism that means that I usually have to view through them.
4. I've owned and used a set of Radians in the 18mm to 4mm range for several years (I sold them a while back). I also owned a Pentax 7mm that I bought a few years back. I liked the Radians a lot.
5. I'd give up a little FOV for extra sharpness, contrast and/or cost.

My questions are:

1. Are Radians still the best way for me to go?
2. Pentax has a new EP series out, but they're expensive. I figure they may be a slight bit nicer than Radians - true?
3. Is there a low-cost EP option out there (with adequate eye relief) that would give me great results (at least as good as Radians)?

I don't want to bugger up a great scope with so-so EP's - I'm want truly excellent views. And I want the EPs to work really well for lunar, planetary, and DSOs.

Thanks for your opinions!

Doug

I have radian 4mm and 6mm and a 5mm TMB ... in my six inch scope (1080 mm focal length.

The TMB gives the best view but very short eye relief and small TFOV.

The 6mm radian gives a nice sharp view too.

howard

Since eye relief is important to you, why not go with a Barlow or Powermate to get higher power? That way you can avoid short focal length eyepieces which usually do not offer much eye relief.

Russ Schnitzer

I am terribly nearsighted, have significant astigmatism and to make matters worse, presbyopia has set in. In other words, it's eyeglasses or nothing. I must say that there is no substitute for a quality EP. Most things in this world are priced on "perceived value". The better something works, the more you can charge for it. Radians are nice, a Nagler Type 4 is better. Both are designed for those of us who need eyeglasses and aren't big fans of barlows. Trouble is, Radians and T4s have barlows (powermates) built into them. I'd love to be able to afford everything, I would buy a 5X Powermate, couple it to my UO 40mm MK-70 then compare it to a 8mm Radian, then sell the loser. I guess this sort of questioning is why there are so many EPs for sale every day!