Help Select Next EP!

I have a gap between my 13mm Hyperion and 8mm Stratus which can only be filled by barlowing my 17mm Hyperion with a 1.5 2" Proxima. My preference would be to insert an EP in the slot and am considering T6 Naglers and Radians. My current scope is a 12" F4.9. Which focal lengths might you recommend and are there any other EPs out there in the comparable price range that I should take into account?

The 10 mm Radian is made for your needs. I enjoy these eyepieces for FOV and eye relief (translate that to comfort). They also give very sharp views. The 10 mm will provide 150x with your Hardin and will fit nicely between the 115.4x and 187.5x you already have. Be careful though, you may like it so much you will have to trade in your 5 and 7 mm planetaries like I did. Another more expensive alternative is the Pentax 10.5 mm. Check Floyd's excellent review for a comparison.

Clear Skies 8)

If you want to keep it in the family, you could get a 14mm extension ring for your 13mm Hyperion and that would get you square in the middle at 10.5mm FL. Or you could by both another 13mm Hyperion and 14mm ring so you don't have to do the swapping.

Alternatively you could get the 11mm T6. However now you are introducing a different design, and hence perception, in the mix as you move from longer to shorter FLs. I am finding that the T6s perform a notch better than the Hyperions. The wider afov, better edge correction, smaller form factor, less sensitive eye placement, and warmer coatings are consistently making my perception of the T6 in use as more comfortable to use and better performing overall. Even with the tighter eye relief I am finding the T6 more comfortable but that's because I rarely put my eye close enough to get all the 82 deg so I tend to stay backed off a bit so only getting about 70 deg which is just fine given the added comfort. Anyway, at 2.2x the street price for the T6 new, I guess this should be expected that overall it would perform better.

What you do is add an extension ring on the 13mm Hyperion to change the focal length. Alpine Astronomical can sell you the ring.

Buy the Hyperions and stay away fron the Stratus on future purchases as they are more versatile and have better coatings.

I am not certain of the "relative" pricing where you live so this might be a budget blower but I would highly recommend the Pentax 10 mm XW...

When I bought mine (I live in Australia) they were cheaper than the comparable Televue eyepieces.

The performance in my 12.5 inch f5 has been WOW! I had an 11mm T6 for a long while and figured I would never part with it but after using them side by side for a while found that I preferred and used the Pentax more often...so I traded away the 11 mm T6

Enjoy the search and try as many as you can before you buy.

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Pentax 10.5 XL. These are extremely expensive eyepieces. They are typically found on the 'mart for $190 to $210. Mine, however, cost $3,000 (well, mid to high 2's, I guess I bought some used).

See you think you just want a nice 10mm, and then you begin to get the Pentax feel, and then you think, well maybe I'll swap out my 8mm whatever for a 7mm XL, and then you think, well maybe I should try and XW, and then you think, well jeeze the 10XW is pretty good, maybe the XW30 is good too, and then....you look in your box and it's all Pentax, and you're out $3k.

So DON'T buy Pentax!

regards
Greg N