Posts Made By: walt durling

I recently purchased an Antares 2x UB2S barlow. The box it came in says "Made in Canada." The barlow itself says "Made in Japan." Frankly, I don't care where it's made because the few reviews on this Barlow are quite good. What I'm concerned about is that the barlow is not the UB2S, which is the higher quality barlow from Antares - they make a cheaper one.

So, if anyone has an answer for me, I'd appreciate it.

I'm a relative novice and recently purchased an Orion 10" Dob. It shipped with a 10mm and 25mm plossl. In an effort to modestly boost my EP line with two higher quality EPs ( Pentax and Televues are too hefty for my wallet), I first purchased a quality barlow (Antares UB2S 2x), and a 7mm TO/TMB for planetary viewing.

I now want an EP for DSOs. And herein lies my ignorance. I've read in various forums that having a low power EP should be in everyone's arsenal. I have deduced that that means an EP from 24-30mm and higher, more or less. Now, if a wider AFOV is desired for DSO viewing, all else being equal, wouldn't it be "better" to have a moderate power EP rather than a higher power EP? For instance, I've been looking closely at the Baader Hyperion line, which boast a 68 degree AFOV across the line (I think the 21mm is somewhat less for whatever reason). But why wouldn't I want to purchase, say, the 17mm rather than the 24mm? I'd get the higher magnification but the same generous AFOV.

I'm not as interested in opinions about Baader or any other EP maker as I am concering the pros and cons of eyepeices for deep space viewing. Any thoughts from the experienced would be appreciated. walt