Eyepiece Discussion Anyone?!

liamtech

Hi all!

Just thought i would throw up a thread about eyepieces - iv built up quite a collection of glass over the last few years - ranging from Bargains imported from Aliexpress - to EP's picked up with scopes -

I guess im just looking to throw it out there, and see if anyone is up for discussing their best (and worst) EPS - what makes them good, or bad - we could also discuss whether they are good for all types of scopes be they fast or slow

Generally iv done a lot of research on the EPs i have, and ones i am looking at for future purchases. There are some FANTASTIC pieces available for reasonable prices, and bargains to be had occasionally on Ebay. There are many threads elsewhere on the Web RE Eyepieces but it could be fun to have one on Boards, where we can compare notes, and highlight bargains for anyone interested.

Plus, on cloudy nights for example, EP discussion sometimes devolves into a Nagler Centric discussion, where every EP that is brought up for discussion, is compared to a TV Nagler, and quickly discarded as inferior!

• JOKE~: how do you know someone has a Tele Vue Nagler Eyepiece?
• Answer: They will tell you - MANY TIMES

Anyway here is my offering for discussion with anyone who fancies a chat! I have a few more bargain EPs which i could review if people get involved!

Celestron Ultima 30mm Flat Field - Vintage Edition

In the spirit of having a natter, i thought i would get the ball rolling with one of my first big wins from a year ago. Managed to get a Celestron Ultima 30mm - Vintage 5 element eyepiece from the late 1980s - optics are from a company called Takahashi, and its a Celestron branded Takahashi LE. These Eyepieces were once available with new scopes and the build, and optical quality were immense in those days. I managed to date mine to the late 1980s, due to the color, and 'JAPAN' being engraved on the barrel - A real find, i bought it on Ebay on a fairly generic auction, where it was simply classed as an EYEPIECE - Really Valued part of my collection - Probably could not have afforded it had it been recognized and listed for what it is - If you get options on one of these second hand, for a reasonable price, my advice is take it! Its fantastic quality and puts most of my similar focal length EP's to shame. Crisp, sharp edge to edge - lovely stuff

Contemporary Bargain@ SVBony (et al) Ultra Wide Eyepiece Set (6mm, 9mm, 15mm, 20mm)

In terms of more modern Bargain Eyepieces i acquired, the SVBony Red Line set (also available as seemingly identical Gold Line). Currently available, as a set for around 140euro; - 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, 20mm. They sport aprox 68Degree APOV give or take, and are almost par-focal - rather then give a full review, here is a link where you can read a guide about them -

https://telescopicwatch.com/goldline-eyepieces/

What I will say is this: The reviewer takes strong issue with the 15mm and discusses it as being the runt of the litter. While i would agree it is a tad weaker than the other three - i think he goes a bit strong in denouncing it. Its a decent EP which is on par with my 15mm Plossl - The reviewer does however highlight that its still worth buying the set as you get 4 EPS for a really decent price.

Optically these EPs are identical to a number of Branded pieces available from several distributors - iv compiled my own list of confirmed copies

• Omegon Ultra Wide Angle eyepiece 20mm
• TS-Optics Ultra Wide Angle Eyepiece 20 mm 1,25" - 66° field of view
• Orion Expanse Wide-Field 1.25" Eyepieces

And probably many more, i suspect these are the same EP simply re-branded -

Anyway, hope some of you fancy a chat RE Eyepieces - i have a few more i can go through if anyone is interested

Clear Skies!