are plossl eyepieces good

Note that as we get into the higher magnifications, the millimeter jumps between eyepiece focal lengths gets smaller. The way a Plossl eyepiece works is by using the convex lens and concave lenses to create an image that has both total magnification of what youre viewing, as well as erect images. (Svbonys Plossls, for example, are optically identical to Orions Sirius Plossls). But some people demand the very best, and it is available, at a price. Thanks. They are all made by the same OEM manufacturer. They can be recognized by a thin gold line just below the eye cup. I have had a good experience with the SVBony brand and the Agena Astro brand. Read the full Earning Disclosure here. philhas Members 61 459 Location: North East England The original Meade 5-piece Super Plossl hasnt been in production for decades and at this point is more of a collectors item than a high-performance eyepiece. Plossls are extremely versatile and can be used for all use cases. I generally use my 40 to search for DSOs so Ill probably replace that one at some point too. The biggest advantage is much better ER in a large ocular. Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w capsule. I also really liked my E-Lux 32mm, a Kellner. In addition, the eyepiece would be a Huygens or Ramsden design, where two lenses made of the same type of glass could be combined to yield minimal false color fringing, as long as the focal length of the telescope remained fairly long. They have a narrow AFOV but have a reputation for being very sharp.. If you just want eyepiece recommendations and dont care about the details, Im adding that section right below before we go into the specifications that answer the above questions and make use of the formulas. Come join the newest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors. I have the 38 mm and recommend it often. Depending on how fussy you are about having a completely clean image across the visual field, if you have a lower focal ratio scope you will want to look for eyepieces with a reputation for being better corrected in low focal ratio scopes. Offering a wide 52 apparent field of view, these 10mm, 17mm, and 25mm Orion Sirius Plossl Telescope Eyepieces provide extremely sharp images of impressively high contrast. So its best for use during duller times when there isnt much brightness visible. Thanks all. That is a wonderful expression. Here's the short answer - Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. And since this article is intended as an aid to beginners rather than a rigorous optics lesson, I think the context I provided works well enough. It comes with two Barlow lenses, one Newtonian eyepiece, and three Plossl eyepieces in the set. We have compared Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article. The Big Bang Optics was started because of our love for astronomy and to help others like us find the best telescope and accessories. But I have one little niggle. I just added the 4.7 mm. Goldline series of eyepieces provides the best value in this price range, better than Plossls. 2x Barlow In comparison, Aspherical lenses generally have no color distortion but might not work out well if the telescope user needs really high magnification. I also struggled to see features on both (gas bands on Jupiter and clear rings on saturn). If you are upgrading, avoid ones that say correct image as these add a prism system into the diagonal which can reduce the light transmission. Your email address will not be published. Most of Celestrons entry-level telescopes are sold with Kellners (and other cheap but reasonable-quality designs like RKEs or Konigs), whereas their more expensive SCTs tend to come with a single 25mm Plossl. In this case, I am going to define this by the focuser and eyepiece size. These eyepiecesproduce a 'standard apparent feld of view' of between 50 and 56 with most set at around 52. I need some eyepieces with long FL for low magnifications. Best Telescopes For 10 Year Old Kids: Reviews and Buying Guide, The Complete Guide to the Planets You Can See With a Telescope, The Best Barlow Lenses: Reviews and Buying Guide. I would wait till you get the scope and use the included eyepieces. However the package includes a 1.25 to 2 adapter so if you have a 2 focuser you can treat this like a 2 eyepiece leaving the adapter normally included with the scope for use with other 1.25 eyepieces. Do I need an adapter if my scope has a Plossl lens? A wide range of focal lengths are available, all in 1.25-inch size. I have an SCT and my eyepiece case only hasPlssls (and one Ortho) in it. Does this sound like something you would recommend based on the telescope I have? And the zoom provides every magnification in that range without having to change eyepieces. The basic design hasnt changed much, but the real costs of manufacturing have dropped. You will see these under many brands, including Orion, Celestron, GSO, and others. But these are only intended to get you started. 5-Minute Read, How To Increase The Magnification Of A Telescope; 5-Minute Read. In some cases, the eyepieces are waterproof to protect them from internal contamination caused by heavy dew conditions. As long as you take good care of them, Plossls can last you a lifetime, and you will be able to use them with your next telescope if you upgrade at some point. If you are completely new to stargazing, Kellner eyepieces are absolutely fine. Well-made lenses are expensive though, so in general the more lenses, the higher the price of the eyepiece. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Plossl eyepiece is a type of optical system that was invented by Ernst Abbe. The Plossl is a good all-around eyepiece design, is well suited for generic use and is relatively inexpensive to make. That said, I should also tell you that not all Plossls are created equal. But you may only be able to achieve that rarely. Plus the FOV expands as you zoom to the higher powers. She has been looking at the sky for years and hopes to introduce more people to the wonderful hobby that is astronomy. They also improve a bit when it comes to eye relief. We can see that 2 eyepieces have an advantage over 1.25 eyepieces when designers are making wide-view eyepieces. Number of Lenses. Plossl eyepieces are great. Also worth mentioning i wear glasses which I will wear while observing. What focal length eyepieces should I buy? Note that the Explore Scientific 68 and 82 degree eyepieces are also available in 2 size for your low power wide view requirements. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. The availability of good quality relatively wide field-of-view inexpensive eyepieces has kind of put them in the second tier of eyepieces, but they still hold their own in the longer focal lengths and excel if one does not demand a wide field-of-view. I possess an embarrassing array of fine eyepieces with names like Ethos and Nagler and Delos. One last thing, as a kid I used my telescope to watch squirrels and birds (which was interesting because the image was flipped around :-) so, you might consider getting an eyepiece that flips things the right way around so that navigating terrestrial nature is easier to manage. It includes two high-magnification Plossl eyepieces and five lower magnification zoom oculars with an adjustable focus in the kit. Plossls tend to come with large, ground-standing Dobsonians, whereas youre more likely to find a Kellner sold with a tabletop Dobsonian. A Barlow lens is an optical device that goes between the eyepiece and the focuser. 600 mm / 200X = 3 mm This will be the focal length of our highest power eyepiece. Aspheric eyepiece is a variation of Plossl design, it has an anti-reflection coating on the front glass surface to ensure maximum light transmission and will also provide your instrument with better quality images if you need higher magnification levels. I had a bino pair of TV 20mm Plossls, very fine for high power planetary observation with my long focus 8" Mak, then I also bought the older TV 21mm Plossl, after trying the 21mm I sold the more recent 20mm. Celestron 2026 Erecting Prism Barlow Lens Set is well suited as an astronomical viewing lens kit or for enjoying terrestrial sights like nature walks, sporting events, and more! There is no shortage of accessories for the Nexstar series. You can do the calculation which will show that the 70 will have a significantly wider field of view as compared to the 52. What I can say is that, in general, eyepiece characteristics are inherent to the eyepiece. Major telescope brands such as Celestron supplies Kellner eyepieces with their r least expensive telescopes and still may. Looking forward to first use. But the longer FL units are certainly useful. That's hard to beat IMO. The Japan made 16mm Meade 3000 was a very nice medium power plossl and the 40mm in that series was surprisingly nice as well. Not everything in the sky benefits from high magnification. . I was looking on a OPT website and they have celestron 32mm and 15mm plossl. The image will be reversed left to right so you will need to get used to that. Tele Vue has eyepieces that approach $1000. We are a team of active amateur astronomers, here to help you with all your astronomy and science related needs this is anything, from reviewing the latest telescopes to be released to talking about gravity and neurons. In the box you'll receive 5 1.25 eyepieces at following sizes, a 32 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 17 mm Plossl Eyepiece , 13 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 8 mm Plossl Eyepiece, 6 mm Plossl Eyepiece, a 2X Barlow Lens 1.25. This general purpose design gives good colour correction and an adequate feld of view at reasonable cost and they are often bundled with new telescopes. As the clear cut worlds best eyepiece manufacturer, their name should at least be mentioned in an article like this. The 50 apparent field of view is plenty for me. I dont dabble in AP. Again, for no other reason than to compare it to the 17mm Hyperion and draw your own conclusions about Plssls. Explore Scientific recently extended this offering by adding a series of 82 degree eyepieces labeled LER, or Long Eye Relief. I think you will love it! There is no guarantee that you will be able to get a good image of any given target at that level of magnification on any given night. The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably. Below .5 mm exit pupil, floaters in the eye become more apparent and can be bothersome. In some cases, an object is so large (i.e., the Moon, the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda Galaxy) that a narrow field of view can only show you part of the object, whereas a wider field of view could show the whole object at the same magnification. I do not miss beating my eyelashes against a 9.7mm Meade Plossl that I used to own. I have used both Kellner & Plossl eyepieces and a few others, and I can tell you that they all are quite different from each other in terms of the quality of the image that they produce. Note that we also gained a 16 mm magnification at no additional cost. If you are going to wear your glasses when you observe, you want at least 18 mm of eye relief and 20 mm is better. If you were considering a Super Plossl made by an entry-level brand, just use those extra funds to instead get a regular Plossl made by a more reputable manufacturer. The Hyperions work well in SCTs and you can't beat that large eyelens and eye relief ,JMO. They are a good brand with high-quality eyepieces, you just dont need to spend the extra money for almost no gain in performance. Eye relief of less than 10mm gets really uncomfortableyou tend to rub your eyepieces against the eyepiece or lens, and you have to hold your eye at just the right distance to keep from touching the lens. Is there much of a difference between the celestron and haader? Your email address will not be published. Good 32mm Plssls run around $30-$40. I possess an embarrassing array of fine eyepieces with names like Ethos and Nagler and Delos. There is no problem using a Celestron eyepiece in a Meade telescope, for example. These are considered to be the least expensive eyepieces for serious astronomy and are offered in focal lengths from about 6mm to 40mm. Now, for my one or two low power eyepieces, I also like to know the field of view provided by that eyepiece. Plossl eyepieces are very good and fairly inexpensive, typically between $25 and $50 each. By having a range of magnifications, you can optimize the image, which means you need more eyepieces. As Im sure you know, a Barlow actually narrows the cone of light that enters the eyepiece, hence it affects the apparent focal length and thus the f/ratio of the telescope objective. Kellners can be as little as half the price of a Plossl in the same focal length, but they are generally very comparable, especially in recent years as telescope prices have fluctuated in response to changing supply chains and demand. It also produces an erect image, meaning you see what youre viewing rather than seeing everything upside down or sideways as some types do. And I am a visually observing focused person. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. Are Plossl eyepieces good? However, some lateral color error is apparent when looking at bright subjects, such as Jupiter or Venus, against a dark sky. With a refractor, SCT or MCT, it is usually better to get a correct image diagonal than a correcting eyepiece. I have since moved up to a 12 Dob but I use the same eyepieces and the BH Zoom continues to be my most used. Worth it is a tough question to answer. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. Note to spectacle wearers: Plossl eyepieces with 15mm and longer focal lengths are good choices for spectacle wearers but for shorter focal lengths the Celestron XCel LX series have greater eye-relief so are better suited. Again, this is more noticeable in lower focal ratio scopes. From planetary viewing to deep sky watching. We also joined our local Astronomy Club and look forward to joining others under the night sky when the opportunity presents itself again. They are not that expensive I would pay about $100 for both eye pieces. For what it's worth: I believe the Omni 1.25 inch 2x Barlow is one of the Shorty Barlows manufactured by GSO. Gold line eyepieces are available in 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, and 20mm focal lengths. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. This is where the second formula comes into play. Take a look at your manual or users guide. And I continue to read excellent reports on the AT Paradigm and similar under different labels. Remember that visual and AP have very different requirements, so plan on at least two different optical tubes. Eyepieces are a religion. So, even if you have a Maksutov-Cassegrain scope, you should get a good experience from this eyepiece. Many thanks. Edited April 23, 2010 by russ teh_orph Members 28 198 Author The Expanse is a lens that provides an extra sharp image, and it also has a wider field of view compared to the Plossl eyepiece. In retrospect, I should have included Tele Vue. Can you suggest the total . I must say Im quite confused about eyepieces. See if you will observe with or without your glasses. If youre still wondering between a Kellner vs Plossl, my advice to you would be invest a little extra cash and go for a good quality Plossl. In stargazing, eyepieces are as important as telescopes are. Looking from different sorts I found the Baader Aspheric 31mm and 36mm.these two eyepieces allow me to switch between 2" and 1.25"just by changing the barrel. I have used these in my F6 and F5 Dobs and find them a good value for the price. In my scopes a simple zoom eyepiece like the Celestron 24-8mm or the Baader has replaced the higher powered plossls. This is why many telescopes come standard with at least one Plossl eyepiece. I cant answer that specifically as I have no experience with that eyepiece in that scope. The result in magnification is the same and the eye relief associated with the eyepiece is retained or, in some cases, actually lengthened a bit. Let us know in the comments if there is anything else you want to ask or share your thoughts on this post, always looking forward to feedback from others who will benefit from it as well! This can be debated 100 ways, but that is my advice. It was grueling, because I couldnt even get the entire field of viewI had to keep my eye hovering above the exit pupil. There are many more designs that are associated with specific brands, but the ones above are designs that are produced by many companies in one form or another. My friend has one and he really likes it, and it is his third telescope. there are of course options to plossls which are about the same prices as GSOs such as the BST Discoveries and TMB type eyepieces (new from Skies the Limit on Ebay) which have a wider field and better eye relief than plossls and are probably as good as most things non-premium. Super Plossls offer a smaller field of view, which makes them good for close-up views and examining small objects. There is the 56mm Meade Plossl which magically turns my short FL refractors into their own finder scopes. no caps come in bolt case. I have a custom-built 32mm Plossl that has been opened up as wide as possible to 60 or 70 degrees, for use as a 2 eyepiece, although in my 10 Dobsonian at f/5 the edge distortions prevent it from seeing much use. If I had to give them all up and keep only one eyepiece, It would be the BH Zoom. But what are the other differences? ORION SIRIUS PLOSSL 10mm telescope eyepiece 1.25" - $17.01. Here are a few types of eyepieces you may read about and their typical AFOV. 32mm (20x & 40x). FOR SALE! Hayppy that now I have more facts to put in my decision. Those are significantly more expensive than the 1.25 focal lengths. If you do upgrade, youll probably want to go for a different eyepiece design than a Plosslsomething with a sharper image or a wider field of view or a longer eye relief (or all three.). These Astromania Plossl eyepieces provide a good way to do exactly that without breaking the bank, and this is what I love about them: they're an affordable way to significantly upgrade your telescopes. Because some objects look better at low power, some at medium power, some at high power, and some at very high power. As I mentioned earlier in the article, not all Plossls are created equal, which simply means that there are good Plossls and then there are bad Plossls. Many compare these favorably to eyepieces that are much higher priced. It should list what size eyepieces you can use. Brilliant article and I thank you for it, I was literally really confused prior to reading it. This type of design provides for both total magnifications as well as an erect image with little distortion. One of the TMB Planetary eyepieces are extremely nice for 50. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our team of experts has reviewed and ranked 180+ telescopes based on price and quality. A Barlow lens can save you money and add flexibility. If we want to get VERY specific to a combination then inherent aberrations of this scope and that eyepiece could produce a unique result. If we look at the range I provided above, we see that we could replace several eyepieces with one zoom. 8.8 = 240 = .34 Even though there are more sophisticated types of EPs, Plossls hit the right spot between high-quality optics and price. The ES is actually slightly cheaper than the Orion but my understanding from your reviews and replies is that ES might actually be the better eyepiece have I got that right? There are certainly much better options out there but at a significant cost. Kellner vs Plossl - Comparison table. Or, if you are buying from an online like Amazon, then look at the eyepieces I recommend and see if any suit your needs. Be sure to read the following as you consider your eyepiece purchases. Explore Scientific, like many eyepiece providers, have higher-priced and budget lines. The Plossl has good color correction plus is free of the ghost images that plague the Kellner. While many people will stay with and add Plossls to their eyepiece set, I would recommend not going below 10 mm focal length as the eye relief gets quite short. Just search on Astronomy Club and you will probably find one in your area. very happy. I havent been into the hobby for long but my experience is in line with whats been said. The quality of a Plossl eyepiece completely depends on the brand and model, so be very careful in our selection. Here we have very good eyepieces with some extra features. Question: would it perform well with 1.5/2x and 3x Barlows? If we combine a Barlow with an 8-24 mm zoom eyepiece, we have an amazing range. If you were considering a Meade Super Plossl, in that case just get the regular one also by Meade. Prices can run from $20 to $200 so the field is pretty broad. If money is not a concern, you cant go wrong with Tele Vue eyepieces, any Tele Vue eyepieces. All the rest will likely be 1.25. I once had to use a 6mm Plossl to attempt to perform a star-test collimation for a telescope at the observatory. I dont think so. A typical zoom eyepiece has a focal length range of 8 mm to 24 mm. They have a 60deg apparent field, long eye relief, adjustable eye shield and extremely well corrected. A common problem are eyepiece kits, which are big boxes that some telescope suppliers will sell you with half a dozen eyepieces, most of which include annoyingly short focal length Plossl eyepieces. I have to say that your questions are answered in the article. Even when I upgraded to a 6mm Goldline, I kept the Kellner around because of pretty annoying kidney-bean blackout issues on the Moon with that eyepiece. As you saw in the article, they eyepieces that would be best for you, or your child, is based on your budget and what your goals are. My own lineup (with a C8) is 32mm Plossl, 18.2mm DeLite, and 10.5mm Pentax (the last one not chosen to match, but rather because it belonged to a deceased friend). That is up to you and your budget. Eyepiece Field of View Simulator astronomy.tools Field of View Simulator Change Telescope Reset Change Target Add Equipment I still have it and still use it from time to time. I agree. I often had to drop back to about 180X because of poor seeing and transparency. Today, most beginner telescopes of any quality are sold with either Kellner or Plossl eyepieces. At 32mm, a Plssl will give you as wide a field of view as any 1.25mm eyepiece can. We have a range of 32 mm to 3 mm. I am very near-sighted, barely see the big E on the vision chart without glasses. It may very well last you a lifetime and in the long term, you will definitely consider it to be a worthwhile investment. Sometimes you want to see a wider field of view to locate an astronomical object like a nebula by using nearby stars. The larger barrel allows them to create an eyepiece with a higher AFOV. Achromatic vs Apochromatic refracting telescopes. If you are new around here and you want to get started with the hobby, check out our astronomy for beginners guide or the recommended gear page. Then there is a pair of 32mm and 20mm TV Plossls which make my binoviewers work well with a Daystar Quark H-alpha solar filter. Good value. https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/explore-scientific-70-eyepieces.html. I havent addressed .965 eyepieces in the recommendations. I often recommend the use of a barlow to achieve the higher range of magnifications. If you are on a strict budget, this is a good choice as a zoom eyepiece. Stargazinghelp.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com. Kellners are often sold with cheaper, even more entry-level telescopes than Plossls. A zoom eyepiece works like the zoom lens on a camera. 6mm Kellner eyepiece that I enjoyed a lot. Again, I only do this for my low power wide views. Or is this overkill and am I better off saving money and going forward something like the Celestron Zoom? Celestron - 1.25" Eyepiece and Filter Accessory Kit - 14 Piece Telescope Accessory Set - Plossl Telescope Eyepiece - Barlow Lens - Colored Filters - Moon Filter - Sturdy Metal Carry Case. You are asking about a very specific eyepiece in a very specific scope combined sometimes with a Barlow. dnrmilspec is right. That is a really interesting picture. These are two very important considerations when you are looking for eyepieces. With a 130mm-F5 I would use a Plossl 32mm for its low-mag-wide-view. https://telescopicwatch.com/celestron-8-24mm-zoom-eyepiece-review/. Customer reviews Average Rating (16 Reviews): Write a Review and share your opinions! Ever since, I have been attempting to cram in every fact about the Universe, I can find into my head. The generic GSO Plssl from many manufacturers, including Astronomics (Astro Tech) and Agnena Astro, is as good as the Celestron and a few bucks cheaper. Most likely it will be used as a loaner eyepiece to go with one of my two loaner telescopes. Despite this, I also have some Plossls which are indispensable. Plossl eyepieces are typically used for observing and viewing things at long distances, but they can also be useful when using a telescope to provide both magnifying power and erecting the images. Omni 12mm Eyepiece - 1.25" Learn More. You can enjoy wide-angle views without giving up any of the clarity or sharpness when using Plossl eyepiece while Kellner will give you more magnified views but at less than half the brightness levels in comparison to other lens designs on this list if light pollution was involved. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. This was my first zoom eyepiece and the one that caused me to fall in love with zoom. Is it just about finding and framing, or do wide fov EPs create a more immersive experience? There are three types of Plossl eyepiece: the regular, Super, and Orthoscopic. 11 = 163 = .5 Perhaps you should seek out help from your local astronomy club. This would definitely matter to observers who wear eyglasses when viewing. Do you think the Baader Hyperion Zoom would work OK with the Skywatcher 150p? Such eyepieces are able to offer great performance, i.e., satisfactory degrees of deviations, to about a 50.degree field. 17mm Plossl, unbranded, used, no caps, in bolt case; previous owner said it was a very good EP; $18 25mm Plossl, Orion Sirius, fully MgF2 coated on every air-to-glass surface; used; $23 (these are a step up from . If you just want a quick answer, skip to the conclusion at the end of the article. Jupiter and Saturn are low in the sky now. short answer: yes. I took notes and now can shop with confidence How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? Celestron Omni Eyepieces: The Omni series is the most economical eyepiece offering from Celestron. This may be enough for many eyeglass wearers. Those that still come with Huygens and Ramsdens are generally cheap and low quality, since practically the only reason to use those designs in modern times is that they are extremely cheap to manufacture. The stock 9 and 15mm Omnis were very good. As for Barlow Lenses, take a look at this article. It also gives the widest possible exit pupil in my dob and SCT, very handy when using nebula filters. Apparent Field of View: This is a measure of how wide a view the eyepiece will provide as compared to alternate eyepieces. With a 8" dobsonian, a 6mm is very versatile. Understanding and using a Barlow Lens The longer FL Plossls (>15mm) have some distinct advantages over more complex designs without the major disadvantage of Plossls which is short ER. They are usable, but your eye will be extremely close to the top lens glass. https://telescopicwatch.com/best-telescope-mounts-for-astrophotography/, Then you look at the optical tubes. Plossls are the clear winner here in most cases, unless you have one of the wider-field 50-degree Kellners. Plssl's were top of the line at one time, and are still being sold today, so that says something too. If you do not have your Hyperions yet I recommend you wait until you have these and try them out before you buy the Plossls. It offers good color correction and high-contrast images. I already got the 10mm super wide because of the added eye relief but at 15mm both have the same eye relief. Yes, the wider field of view of a Plossl is very helpful, but 40 degrees of Kellners isnt a soda straw (unless you are used to looking through very wide field eyepiece. The Hexagon Zoom Eyepiece is made from durable plastic material that resists scratching and it has an eye relief distance of 15mm. They are also good for those who have astigmatism because they are designed to be more forgiving with eye placement. Just give yourself some time to learn the app and to understand the scope. Meade went back to the drawing board and they removed the fifth element, keeping the original Plossl design, however, they kept the Super Plossl brand and added some premium materials. Videos for related products. A rubber safety cap protects the lens when not in use while also providing additional grip on this 35 mm Plossl eyepiece. The more light that is gathered, the more magnification that can be applied to the image, up to the limits that are imposed by the atmosphere. These and the essentially identical AT Paradigm are universally praised as good quality eyepieces with a wider 60-degree apparent field of view.

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