Posts Made By: Kirk Severson

I am looking to augment my EP collection for my 8" LX200 and ETX 90. The set of Meade Super Plossls I have is: 6.4, 9.7, 12.4, 15, 20 and 26mm. I also have a 2x Barlow and a field reducer (.63). At 26mm the magnification is still quite high in either scope.

I'd like to maintain interoperability of the eyepieces. I don't think the ETX could handle a 2" EP and I don't have 2" diagonals for the LX200, so, I should stick to 1 1/4" barrels. Since both of these scopes are slow, I'm considering going forward with purchasing one of the older EP designs that were built for use in such scopes.

Here are a few concerns of mine:

Eye Relief:
I am an eye glasses wearer. Although I do have astigmatism, I can go without glasses at the eyepiece. However, for pointing the scope I need the glasses. This is the one argument I buy for getting contact lenses.)

I have found the Meade Super Plossls to have poor eye relief. Does this get any better with EPs in the 30-40mm range?

Contrast and Field of View:
I do most of my observing from my deck, which is in a light polluted area. While I do look at the planets as they make themselves available, I intend to use my optics to chase after Star Clusters, Galaxies and other faint fuzzies I can see from my yard and then occasionally observe in dark skies. I also plan to do much manual star hopping. The ETX which does not have GOTO will be my travel scope; I need to be able to scan with it.

Cost:
If an older and less expensive eyepiece design can fit my needs, why pay for an engineer to drum up something new?

So far, Kellner or Rank-Kellners are looking like a good match for my needs. Any suggestions?

Also, can I use the field reducer to help my cause?

I am looking for a pair of binos for both astronomy and birding. I've been using 8x22s and 10x50s for both. I get much better light throughput on the 8x22 finderscope for my LX200 than on the 10/50s. I can't vouch for the quality of my friend's 10x50s, so it may be as much the quality of the binos as the magnification that causes the disparity.

The binocs are likely to be used for boating, birding and astronomy. Unfortunately, it is rare to find anywhere that will let you get out and star test binocs (especially tough in the summer).

Light polluted astro-viewing site:
I'd like to be able to see some structure so I can verify I have found the DSO I'm looking for and figure out the star hops to get there, then go to a telescope for a closer look.

Other considerations:
Eyeglasses wearer -- good eye relief
adjustable (non-fold) eyecups
Good color (birding and astro)
Weight is an issue, but not big if they are well-balanced.