"Expensive" EPs worth it?

I have a Hardin 10" Deep Space Hunter (f/5) that came with an Astrola 9mm EP. I've read about the Televue Nagler T6 and their "Space walk" views. I have not had a chance to try one of these types of expensive EPs, but I am thinking about getting a 9m or 7mm. Are they REALLY worth the price? Are the views REALLY that impressive as compared to my cheaper EP? Have any of you ever bought one only to think it wasn't worth the expense? Is it really like comparing a Ford Pinto to a Rolls, or is it more like a Cadillac or something less?

Considering that the price of the Ethos is twice that of a Nagler T6, is it worth it to skip the Nagler T6 and get an Ethos?

Or is it even prudent to get such an expensive EP for a cheap telescope?

Mark, I'll suggest that you find someone near you that owns some of these oculars so you can look through one. You'll certainly be impressed with the wide view of the Naglers. Then you can decide if you think they are worth the extra expense.

Mark:

You ask some good questions... This is my thinking/experience:

I have a collection of scopes including one essentially identical to your 10 Hardin.

Naglers are nice, they do provide widefield views that are sharp from the center to the edge even in a fast scope like yours. Add a Paracorr and the views are pretty amazing, "refractor-like", pin-point stars and all that.

But these days, most eyepieces give quite pleasing views. I have a set of Nagler's and Panoptics plus another set of BO/TMB Planetary eyepieces supplemented by 15mm and 24mm TV Widefields. Both sets get a lot of use.

My suggestion is that the step-up from the Astrola 9mm to the BO/TMB planetary is a big one, the eye relief is more accommodating, the field somewhat wider and better corrected. If money is tight, these are wonderful eyepieces.

Sometime down the road, you might want to build a collection of expensive eyepieces but before you do that you would probably want to take a look see.

jon

It is first important to spend within your budget, second to get the best you can afford. There are differences in the viewing experience even between two premium eyepieces. Personally I traded up from a 12mm Radian, 19mm Panoptic to 13T6, 17T4. The differences using the same telescopes are real and for me worth the price. Remember you will only spend once for fine eyepieces, but if you choose wisely you will enjoy them for many years.

Mark
Check with www.fortworthastro.com for help in your area. They should be able to assist you and likely let you try appropriate EPs in your scope. If not, come to South Carolina, we will be more than happy to let you try a long list of Naglers.

Jud Mitchell

I like your car analogy. Probably Naglers are
like the Cadillac, and Ethos is like Rolls.
But keep in mind they will all get you to the
same place at about the same speed. For daily
commuting I prefer a set of UO Orthos I got used
of Astromart. For weekends and special
occasions and trips to dark skies, its nice to
rev-up the Naglers and Ethos and take them for
a spin.

I'd suggest to get a 13mm Nagler Type 6
(or 11mm or maybe 9mm) and try it for a while.
I think you'd get the most mileage from a
medium power like that. The view is wide
enough for most nebulae, and you can
barlow it if want higher power. I would
probably NOT get a 7mm if I was to get only one.
It will be too much power for many objects and
days with poor seeing.

In your situation, I would pass on the Ethos.
The Nagler will give you 95% of the wide-field
experience, but at much lower cost. The Nagler type 6
are also very small and light, and will not cause
balance problems, etc.

If you get one used from Astromart, and decide its
not your cup of tea, you can easily re-sell it
at little or no loss. Of if you later want
to upgrade to Ethos, it will be easy to sell the
Nagler.

I think these eyepieces WILL give you
a greater appreciation for what your scope can do.
I once put some Naglers on my little Jason-Empire
60mm, and it was quite a wonderful telescope
with a Nagler on the back end. It may seem odd,
but as Al Nagler says "the eyepiece is half your
telescope." There is some truth to this. Both
ends of the scope are important. Improving either
end will improve the overall experience. There
is no reason NOT to put an expensive eyepiece on
a cheap telescope.

Don't assume that because an eyepiece is expensive, that it will be your cup of tea. There is nothing wrong with working your way up the ladder. Read reviews. Among the expensive eyepieces, there are focal lengths in Naglers and Panoptics that I would argue are better than others. My first expensive eyepiece was a 22Pan which I still have. I read about eyepieces for months before I decided on it. My next one was a 12T4, again, after a ton of reading. My line up is now a 35Pan(ok) 22Pan(great) 12t4(Great) 6 and 5mm Radians(okay). The Radians are proof that you can spend too much on an eyepiece for it's performance. I have been through maybe 60 different eyepieces(thanks Herb!) and the ones I have now are very good, but I see the Radians going away soon to be replaced by a Pentax XO($300) OR 6,5,4, Orthos($50ea). In my experience, I don't care what an eyepiece costs so long as the experience is worth it. I no longer have a 16t5 or 16t2, 9t1 or 9t6, TMB planetaries, star-splitters, other orthos, TV plossls and some more all for one reason or another, mostly comfort. For your scope I would advise you to look into the 17mm-12mm range, you'll get the most use there, DSO-ville. Good Luck!

Hey Mark,
A few random thoughts to consider:
*Only you can decide for yourself how important a premium eyepiece may be, and that's always a matter of trial and error. You're gonna have to get out there and play a little!
*If you're new to this, it's a good idea to stay with a basic working set of orthos or plossls for a while. See if you cozy up to this astronomy thing, or if it's just a flash in the pan before you spend real bucks.
*While you're getting used to things in astronomy, find out what parameters are important to YOU. For some folks, eyerelief is everything and they'll spend what it takes to get it. Others may not care, or may want eyerelief ANDf field of view in a well corredted eyepiece. Now you're talking bucks.
*Know yer budget and stick to it. Include the wife in all decision making.
*Know that many are perfectly happy with a good basic set of eyepieces, and you may be too. Nothing wrong with that.
*Read LOTS of reviews, and you'll find yourself gravitating to a set of eyepieces that provide the features that are important to you. Weeds out a lot of others.
*Attend star parties, join astronomy clubs, make friends with astronomers, and ask nicely if you can try their equipment in your scope. Eyepieces behave differently in different scopes.
*Nothing wrong with your scope either, a Hardin will provide fine views. I've got an Orion 8" that I use a lot, and good eyepieces provide fine views through it. So do plossls and orthos.
*You can always decide on one premium eyepiece, buy it used here on Astromart, and sell it for what it cost if it doesn't mean that much to ya. Cheap way in. For your scope, something around 12-13 mm would be nice.
*Use your scope. better to use what you've got and enjoy it, rather than to constantly obsess over what you don't have, and forget to HAVE FUN!

Mark,

Is all you have the 9mm Astrola Plossl?? If so, then definitely get some more eyepieces to take advantage of your 10" scope! But like has already been said, experiment around some to see what you like and don't. Try to hook up with a club. If you want a good wider FOV and more eye relief EP than the one you have now, for $36 get the 9mm one of these - http://www.owlastronomy.com/exwide.htm. Works quite well. 6mm not bad either although some people seem to have some light control problems with the 6. I have tw of these 6mms and both fine. Don't try the 15mm or the 20mm though in your scope...your focal ratio way too fast for the 15 and 20mm ones of these.

Thank you for all the excellent replies.

I have decided to purchase a used Pentax XL 10.5mm.

I will let you know what I think of it.