"Good" 20-25mm 1.25" EP?

The only EPs I currently own are 5 that came in a set from Celestron (4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, 32mm) and are joe schmoe Plossls. They are fine, but...

When I finally get my first "real" scope, could anyone throw out some comments on the best 20-25mm EP that can be had for under $100? I see so many brands and descriptions, I don't know the dif. between any of them. I know a 22mm Nagler sure would be nice, but I can't be spending that kind of money. I think it's probably a good idea to have a higher quality mid-power EP for many uses, but I am lost.

-Ken

Ken, I'm completely, and totally sold on the *older* Japanese made Meade Series 4000 Super Plossls. Specifically, I really, really like the 26mm & 32mm. The 15mm and the 12.4mm aren't bad, either. Though, if you really want a better FOV, but at the expense of some contrast and edge performance, you might want to check out the Univ. Optics Konig II 16mm as an alternative to the 15mm Series 4000.

I started off with a series of Televue Plossls, because I'd been told that they were best. But, after comparing them to the *older* Japanese Meade Series 4000 Super Plossls, I sold off all of the TVs.

There was a Japan made Meade 26mm here on Amart yesterday for $35. I haven't checked today. It's a steal. Usually, those are good bargains in the $50-$60 range.

Mike Swaim

You might find a used TeleVue 24mm WideField
for around $100. Mighty fine eyepiece.
65 degree field of view. Edge sharpness was
not as good as their current 22mm or 24mm
Panoptic, especially in scopes less than about
F6. But still very fine classic.

Both the 18mm and 25mm University Optics orthos are outstanding eyepieces. Filed is just a little narrower than a plossl, not much. the edge correction is so good you could view objects right up to the edge with no difference in image quality.

edz

Ken,
I have only been at this hobby for 6 years and I have not spent a great deal of time comparing many EPs. So far, I found I like the Tak ED and the Televue Plossls. The Tak units are more expensive, so I will focus on the TV optics.
I have been replacing my standard Meade 4000 Plossl EPs with Televue Plossls. I have the 26mm 4000 Meade EPs that came standard with my 5" in Mak and and my 7" Mak and I have one of the Meade $99.00 EP kits from the purchase of a new Meade scope.
Each time I look through my TV EPs they look to me to provide sharper and crisper images then the Meade Plossls. So far I have an 8mm, 11mm, 15mm, 25mm, and 32mm Televue Plossls. I love them all. A few weeks ago I actually saw the stars here in Wisconsin so I took my 7" Mak out. The sky was clear and fairly steady. With the 25mm TV EP I could easily see E and F in the Trapizum. This works out to 107x with my big Mak. I am not sure if this is a good test of my scope and EP, but I was pleased.

My Tak EP is the 5mm ED that I used on my old Takahashi Apo refractor. The 5mm is too short for my long focal ratio Maks, so it does not see much use these days.

Good luck, Paul G.

Hello Ken & all,

I am in favor of the Celestron Ultima series of eyepieces that can be purchased used here on ASTROMART for $60-70. The Ultimas are a big step up from the eyepieces in the kit. One other suggestion is the Vixen LV Lanthanum series that can be obtained here used in the $70-80 dollar range. Some day I'll own a Radian or two, but that would clearly be outside your price range of < $100.

One thing to keep in mind is that I'm using these eyepieces in an 8 inch, f/10 SCT and a 4 inch f/10 refractor, so in a faster scope, your experience could be different. What scope are you using ?

As far as the eyepieces from the kit, I have found the 32mm with a good 2x or 3x barlow to be a very satisfying combination at a very resonable price. When I say good, I mean the Ultima 2x or a UO Klee 2.8x not the 2x from the kit. I have to wear eyeglasses to correct for astigmatism, so my need for generous eye relief is key factor in selecting eyepieces for me. If I could use the 4000 series Meade 26mm, I would since I've heard really good things about them from my observing buddy who uses one regularly.

Cheers,

Ed

P.S. I wonder if we're related ???