f5 scope-1.25" wide field eyepieces

I just acquired a vintage Celestron/Vixen 5" f/5 newt. This only takes 1.25" eyepieces. I'm looking for an eyepiece in the 25-35mm range with a relatively wide FOV. Also I'll put an arbitrary budget of $100, so no Nalgers or Panoptics. Any ideas pop out? 8O

Just about any 30-32mm plossl will give you the widest field possible in a 1.25" eyepiece. Look for a 32mm with an AFOV of 50° or a 30mm with a 52° AFOV. I especially like the 32mm Televue plossl which sells new for $110 or the 30m Tak LE which is a bit higher. For $69, you can get a 32mm Meade Series 4000 Super Plossl. Any of these will give you the widest field possible with your 1.25" focuser.

Randy

I have the identical scope (my favorite portable one) and use a 30mm Celestron Ultima - a fabulous performer in this scope at around $65 used on Astromart. It gives you 25x and an actual field of view of 2 degrees in this scope, and also barlows beautifully with minimal vignetting. I have also tried the 35mm Ultima but found the eye relief a little too long and the FOV not appreciably larger than the 30mm.

If you are looking for a wider field of view, you are going to be rather challenged because virtually all 60 and 70 degree FOV eyepieces that are in this price range (Swans, Epics used Axioms and the like) are not sharp in the outer 20-30% of the FOV in an f/5 scope. However, early reports on AM indicate that Orion's new Stratus eyepieces perform quite well. If you are willing to spend a $20 more, these might be a good solution.

Try the Paul Rini 30mm Modified Plossl. 60 degree FOV, which is about all you can get in a 1.25 EP at 30mm. Good eye relief and contrast. And the price cannot be beat (around 30 bucks, shipped). He uses Edmund surplus optics and it's first rate. If there's any down side I'd say it could use a rubber eyecup - helps keep my eye positioned easier. I was using it last night with my UHC filter for an incredible view of the Veil with the same scope you have.

http://proptics2.com/125a_eps.html

CS,

Tom

I've been enjoying the recommendations and discussion. Thanks, and don't feel the need to stop.
Steven