Panoptics - Worth the price for a beginner?

Is it worth the extra money to purchase the Televue Panoptics versus a less expensive widefield eyepiece (e.g., Orion Optiluxe) for someone who is a beginner at using a scope? Is the potential of a Panoptic eyepiece lost on a beginner, and should I start with something “simplier”?

From my reading it would appear that the 35mm is an appropriate match to my scope?

I have an Orion XT-10, f4.7 (second scope). I’ve been at this for about 8 mo, learning as I go. I’ve been doing it long enough to know that I’ll stick with this for good (not a passing interest). While I can afford a Panoptics (wife may not agree), there are some things that are “lost” on beginners.

Thanks, Raleigh

Its more a matter of " do you think they are worth it to you?" I do not now or have I ever owned a Panoptic, Radian or Nagler EP. Not that I wouldn't like to, just that I place many things above them on my priority list. I know that they would help in observing, but there are about 20 or so other things I would rather spend my Astro budget on. Were I to suddenly find that I was the lost nephew of Bill Gates and had money to burn, then of course I would purchase a few of them. For me its just a matter of getting the most for my astro buck.

I have many eyepieces as well as several telescopes. I find that the eyepiece I most often place in my telescope at least once during a viewing session is the Televue Panoptic 19mm. I don't wear glasses while viewing and this eyepiece provides a decent fov for my f/10 telescopes while causing no noticeable problems in my f/5 telescopes. For future reference: recommended w/ the Televue binoviewer if one is so inclined.
No doubt about it- Mr. Nagler delivers as promised.

" have an Orion XT-10, f4.7 (second scope). I’ve been at this for about 8 mo, learning as I go. I’ve been doing it long enough to know that I’ll stick with this for good (not a passing interest). "

Based on this sentence, then YES, it's worth it. I don't think the difference is all that subtle between the Panoptics and cheap widefields with an f4.7 scope, and if you're in this for the long haul, remember that telescopes may come and go abut a good eyepiece is forever. Divide the cost of the eyepiece over the next 20 years of use...good eyepieces are a good investment.

Still, if the money is a hardship, the premium eyepieces are not necessary, but in your case if you could swing it, I'd definitely go for it.

Sidenote:
(For me, I like to keep my exit pupils a little smaller than the usual maximum recommendation of 7mm, so in your case I might recommend the 27mm instead of the 35mm, but that's a personal thing. At very large exit pupils my own eye starts adding some weird effects, and that's not uncommon.)

If you can sell your non-Panoptics later, it is better to start with them - just to be able to fully appreciate how good the Panoptics are!

Dmitri

I'm a semi-newbie. My first ep purchase was the Panoptic 24. It is still the eye piece I start with both on my 2800mm SCT and my 568mm refractor. Many nights, it is the only ep I use. I have four naglers, a 2.5x Power mate and a new Orion stratus. The Panoptic is still my favorite piece. My 2 cents.

Jim

>>>Is it worth the extra money to purchase the Televue Panoptics versus a less expensive widefield eyepiece (e.g., Orion Optiluxe) for someone who is a beginner at using a scope? Is the potential of a Panoptic eyepiece lost on a beginner, and should I start with something “simplier”?
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Eyepiece choices are personal. Some observers never miss owning a Panoptic or Nagler, some can't live without em.

What a Panoptic buys is a wider field of view than a Plossl that is pretty sharp to edge. However I think that in a F4.7 scope, one is approaching Nagler/Paracorr country if you want truly sharp edge views.

In the short run, good eyepieces seem expensive. But if they are taken care of and one sticks with it, they are a lifetime investment.

So, are they worth it? It is up to you to decide. The views are nice I only buy astro stuff with free cash, no added credit card debt. I would rather enjoy the view of a Plossl with a clear mind than spend $300 I didn't have on a fancy eyepiece.

Bottomline: In a well cooled, well collimated F5 scope, a Panoptic will provide a better 68degree Field of view than a $50 or $100 "widefield" eyepiece.

I will put in my two cents here, counter to the prevailing trend. Although my experience is short, and I haven't taken any polls, I would guess that there might be one or two people out there that have damaged an eyepiece.

Handling and care of eyepieces is not rocket science, but there is a learning curve or else we would never see those posts asking how to best clean them and there would be no need to advertise the condition of the ep in an Astromart ads - they would all be pristine.

My advice: there are some pretty good eyepieces available out for very little money, for less than the price of a Pan, you can get a complete set of plossls and a decent barlow.

Buy 'em, use 'em. If, after a year, they are all still prisine, you didn't need this advice, sell them for what you can get and put the money toward higher quality, but, if there are some that aren't so pristine - well they were cheap ones, get rid of them and buy some higher quality.

Jim