I'm fixing a hole...

I've got a 30mm KK widescan II inbound and next in the lineup is a 14mm UWA. I'm thinking about putting a Panoptic in the hole. I'm thinking 24mm (max field in my 8" Starhopper) or 22mm (I read lots of good things about this one.) Which would you pick and why?

I know beforehand a lot of folks will disagree with me, but....
I tried the 24 and 22 side by side and preferred the 22. Performance, as nearly as I could tell, was identical but two factors influenced my decision:
1) Viewing in cyclops mode, I had no concern for the barrel size, as many of my binoviewing friends do, therefore...
2)I chose the 22 for it's larger eye lens. For me, I find that-all other factors being equal-I tend to prefer eyepieces with larger eye lenses. They seem to enhance my enjoyment of wide field views. mi dos centavos, hope it helps.
Larry Seguin
Taos, New Mexico

Hi Mark,
If you have balance issues then the 24mm is a good choice. I bought one recently and I like it a lot. The exit lens is not a large as the 22mm, that is true and large lenses are nice I find, but size can be a good thing for a smaller scope. 6 of one and 1/2 dozen of the other. Which ever you choose you will like, so find the best deal on both and make your choice.

I have the 24 Pan, and wouldn't trade it for anything, but...if you want to keep using 2 inch eyepieces while progressing from the 30mm to the new eyepiece to the 14mm UWA, then get the 22mm. I don't think the 22mm Pan weighs more than the 14mm UWA, so if the Meade balances in your scopes then the size/weight of the 22 Pan shouldn't be a concern.

The 24 Pan is a nice maximum-possible-field eyepiece for 1.25" focuser mode, but there won't be a dramatic increase in field anyway compared to the 22mm, so with your eyepiece line-up I think the 22 Pan might make more sense.

Wise words, indeed and I thank one and all for their input.
I regularly use the 14 UWA on my Starhopper 1.25" focuser without balance problems (it's the old Discovery-type with the sliding dovetail hubs). Funny thing is my 12" DSH - only a couple of my ep's come to focus without an extension tube or using the 1.25" adapters for the UWA's. So it's a toss-up about using the dual barrel (tho' I kinda like clamping those babies on my Starhopper).
Wee or not-so wee? Think I'll head over to the local shoppe and "weigh" the attributes. Maybe I can try both and return the loser...

I just had this same dilemna, plugging a hole between my 14mm UWA and 30mm Superview for a 8" F/6 dob. One of my first thoughts was the 19 Pan, but it has almost the same TFOV as my 14mm UWA. This is the trap of wide field EP's. Once you have one you just can't go back. So I narrowed my choices to the 24 Pan, 22 T4 and 20 T5. Talking with friends convinced me to go with the 20 T5. The 20 T5 and 24 Pan have almost the same TFOV, likewise with the 22 T4 and the 27 Pan. You get higher mags with the Nags, but you pay for it.