are plossl eyepieces good

From planetary viewing to deep sky watching. In this article, we will only focus on the differences between Plossl and Kellner eyepieces. I also struggled to see features on both (gas bands on Jupiter and clear rings on saturn). Do you think it would be sensible for me to look at getting a higher magnification specific eyepiece? Etc.? I havent been into the hobby for long but my experience is in line with whats been said. 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. But for AP you should really start your planning with the mount. Then you can judge for yourself if it is worth it. i still use the binos. To achieve a maximum of 200X (2X the aperture of 100 mm), we solve for the focal length. Super Plossls offer a smaller field of view, which makes them good for close-up views and examining small objects. The components of a Plossl eyepiece are the two groups of lenses. Well, I'll just say it. At one time Plssls were premium eyepieces. a breath of fresh air! A Barlow lens is an optical device that goes between the eyepiece and the focuser. There is the 56mm Meade Plossl which magically turns my short FL refractors into their own finder scopes. And, the quality of the eyepiece clearly comes into play here. There is always more to learn but it helps if you go in with a good base understanding, and that was my goal. Elena is a Canadian journalist and researcher. But I have one little niggle. For visual use, 1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and 3X Barlow lenses are common. I am very interested in viewing Nebulae do you think this set up will work well for that or do I need other eyepieces or filters? https://www.amazon.com/Explore-Scientific-68%C2%B0-40mm-Eyepiece/dp/B007LMG3F6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=explore+scientific+68&qid=1606584676&sr=8-1, Thanks for your reply, I think I will go for the Orion Q70 . They have a pop-up eye guard and they are threaded to accept filters. Kellner vs Plossl Eyepieces (Pros And Cons) - Scope The Galaxy To determine a magnification range, we will start with the aperture of the telescope, the size of the front lens, or the mirror in the back. Stargazing Help is a participant in Amazon Associates program. In my opinion, there are no wrong exit pupils. Soft rubber eye guard that's custom fitted . I was just wondering if plossls are still worth it or should get a better eyepiece in a 30mm range. Kellner vs Plossl Eyepiece - What is the Difference? Choosing the most appropriate can completely change your experience in using telescopes. I have just one Meade product currently and that is a series 4000 1.25 inch UHC type filter which I use for outreach. The stock 9 and 15mm Omnis were very good. I have seen wider-field Plossls. Is it just about finding and framing, or do wide fov EPs create a more immersive experience? I am a BIG fan of zoom eyepieces, especially if you dont have many. Some reviews also suggest replacing the diagonal. The downside to this type of lens is that they can cause chromatic aberration which creates colored spots around bright objects such as planets or stars due to the different wavelengths not going through equally. A Kellner eyepiece has 3 lenses, while a Plossl has 4. We will now discuss the specifications of eye relief and apparent field of view. This wider field of view will make it easier to find your targets, allow you to view larger deep-sky objects, and provide a more immersive experience for everything that you view. In my opinion, you do not. Most likely it will be used as a loaner eyepiece to go with one of my two loaner telescopes. Outstanding job Jack. If we combine a Barlow with an 8-24 mm zoom eyepiece, we have an amazing range. They deliver sharp images in almost all telescopes. This is perfect for a 25mm Plossl (an extremely common standard) and downright luxurious with a 32mm Plossl, but when you get below about 12.5mm or 10mm, it can begin to get difficult to use. Thanks for a very helpful guide. 50 150X, no Barlow A decent barlow might cost as much or even more. These come in focal lengths from 2.3 mm to 25 mm. I started with the Celestron zoom. Aspheric and Plossl Plossl are both lens designs that can be used in most telescopes. In the beginning, you are not going to know what the atmospheric conditions might be in your area. For modern eyepieces, the differences between Plossl and Super Plossl is going to depend on the manufacturer. For astronomical observations, such as viewing craters on the moons surface from Earth, high-magnification models are preferred because they offer more detail. But these are only intended to get you started. Worth it is a tough question to answer. Remember that visual and AP have very different requirements, so plan on at least two different optical tubes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stargazing Help came into existence when some young minds got mesmerized by outer space while camping. Not everything in the sky benefits from high magnification. 1. Customer reviews Average Rating (16 Reviews): Write a Review and share your opinions! When I was getting my start in the hobby, I bought an ultra-cheap ($15?) It comes with two Barlow lenses, one Newtonian eyepiece, and three Plossl eyepieces in the set. These are matters of individual preference and budget. And remember, when all else fails, read the instructions. At least you'll have one budget eyepiece that will give you a larger part of the sky at low magnification. The focal length range for 1.25 Plossls is about 6mm to 45mm. It's no surprise that the eyepieces in our Sirius Plossl line are our best-selling telescope eyepieces. Thanks in advance I really appreciate it! Thinking in a super ploss 32mm and maybe something between 9mm and 15mm . The one exception I would keep in mind would be when working with Newtonian reflector telescopes below F5. I think Id really enjoy a zoom for all the reasons you mention, But Im having a difficult time assessing how much weight to put on the field of view of given eyepieces. Are Plossl eyepieces any good? - KnowledgeBurrow.com Our previous exchange convinced me to start out with an 80mm refractor. Like going from a 32 TV to a 65? Was compairing the Apertura standard 15mm Plossl with their 15mm super wide angle eyepiece (70 afov). They are all made by the same OEM manufacturer. I am looking for as much as best I can buy. A 10mm or shorter Plssl is probably not worth it unless you want to see how you personally cope with short eye relief. You are looking through a LOT of atmosphere which distorts the image. Plossls are available from many suppliers in a wide range of focal lengths in 1.25 and 2 sizes. I have not had an opportunity to test it yet but the general discussions have favorable. So plan this into such a purchase. What apparent field of view and eye relief do I want? No surprise there. Their eye relief is limited to about 70-80% of their focal length. This is the link to the eyepiece I am looking at potentially buying, would you recommend this over the Orion one or vice versa do you think? With an f/10 telescope, Plossls are as sharp as any other kind of eyepiece of the same focal length. These eyepiecesproduce a 'standard apparent feld of view' of between 50 and 56 with most set at around 52. So we say that an F5 scope benefits from better corrected eyepieces more than the F10 scope. This type of design provides for both total magnifications as well as an erect image with little distortion. Gold Line eyepieces also offer better eye relief than Plossl eyepieces, especially at the shorter focal lengths. IF you like your Hyperions , you could get a 2 inch visual back and 2 inch diagonal / or 2 inch SCT diagonal and add the 31 or 36 Baader eyepieces in 2 inch . Even though the design has existed for more than a century, it has stood the test of and is still today the standard against which other eyepiece designs are measured. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Orion+Q70&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, Understanding Telescope Eyepieces- There are recommendations, based on budget, Hayppy that now I have more facts to put in my decision. These are two very important considerations when you are looking for eyepieces. Kellner eyepieces, on the other hand, are generally pretty close to each other in terms of quality so theres little chance you will get much variance in image definition between brands. My understanding of eyepieces was very limited until I read this article, you explain things in a clear and understandable way which made my understanding so much clearer. 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. 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. As we go up in price range, we gain capabilities that may not be immediately obvious. I use some plssl eyepieces, since I still have quite a few in my kit, and yes, the others are correct. the shorter the focal length eyepiece = the shorter the eye relief. We will talk more about the field of view later, but note that if you can use 2 eyepieces, you will typically only have one or two for very low power wide field views. If you are just testing the waters or on a tight budget, get the Celestron, which is still pretty good. A Plssl is probably as good as any 32mm eyepiece in a 1.25 inch focuser. Celestron Eyepieces | Celestron Telescope Eyepieces - High Point Scientific Can You See The ISS With A Telescope? Lets give an example. The Plossl is a good all-around eyepiece design, is well suited for generic use and is relatively inexpensive to make. You can find the eyepieces I use and recommend in this article. 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. 100-300X, 2X Barlow. I also like to have my face physically in contact with the eyepiece (or the eyepiece cup) so the tight eye relief of the shorter focal lengths actually works really well for me. You also get 7 1.25 filters which include the following, #80A Blue Filter, #58 Green Filter, #56 Light Green Filter, #25 Red Filter, #21 . My most used eyepiece is an 8-24 mm zoom. 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. thanks Ed. It also produces an erect image, meaning you see what youre viewing rather than seeing everything upside down or sideways as some types do. Youll find yourself adjusting these type of factors less than. This SVBONY eyepiece review should get you up to speed with the budget stargazing options. It is pretty much worth it for everyone that has a telescope with a 1.25 inch focuser to have a 32mm Plssl. Perhaps you should seek out help from your local astronomy club. 600 mm / 200X = 3 mm This will be the focal length of our highest power eyepiece. In my scopes a simple zoom eyepiece like the Celestron 24-8mm or the Baader has replaced the higher powered plossls. Just search on Astronomy Club and you will probably find one in your area. 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. Cheap to try, and if you don't like it, easy enough to sell also. Many Kellners are made with field stops opened up to 50 degrees, in which case it can truly compare to a Plossl in any telescope with a focal ratio of f/6 or slower. If we want to get VERY specific to a combination then inherent aberrations of this scope and that eyepiece could produce a unique result. In High School, they told me that F=MA In college I learned that F=dp/dt But F=MA works well enough for most situations and that is how I think of it. You will see these under many brands, including Orion, Celestron, GSO, and others. And I am a visually observing focused person. As we go along, I will refer back to these, so dont worry if you cant answer the questions or understand the formulas now. There are some very good choices in this range. 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. We also joined our local Astronomy Club and look forward to joining others under the night sky when the opportunity presents itself again. 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. Goldline Eyepieces - The Definitive Guide - Telescopic Watch Kellner Vs Plossl | What's The Difference? - Starry Nova I agree. 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. Note that we also gained a 16 mm magnification at no additional cost. Also work very well with my binoculars that have removable focal reducers built into. They include links to them where they can be ordered. I have several 10mm eyepieces in my eyepiece boxalmost all of them are eyepieces that came with some telescope I boughtand I will almost always choose to use one of the Kellners over one of the Plossls, because the Kellners have a longer eye relief, which is comparable to the focal length. The 66-degree AFOV of the Gold Line series provides a 32% wider field than Plossl eyepieces. The Big Bang Optics participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. That is a really interesting picture. 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. It doesnt matter what type of telescope you have, as long as your scope takes these standard sizes. Plossl eyepieces have a wide FOV and are known for their clarity and sharpness. It costs a lot to get that last 10% of performance. PS. Plossls are extremely versatile and can be used for all use cases. So speaking of the Barlow as if it modifies the FL of the eyepiece, while technically not correct, does provide an easier model to understand the net effect. The BHZ 2 Adapter has threads on it so you can attach filters to it allowing you to use 2 filters with the zoom. Have Any Astronauts Been Lost in Space Forever. It allows each eyepiece to provide two magnifications. Any exit pupil between 7 mm and .5 mm is just fine. However, Orion has managed to make one that is quite compatible with most styles of telescope. I have owned wider eyepieces, but ultimately I just prefer the Plssls (must be a mental defect). This is my all-time favorite eyepiece and the one I use more than all the others put together. I consider the Plossl to be the minimum standard for a good eyepiece. Free shipping for many products! This was my first zoom eyepiece and the one that caused me to fall in love with zoom. Interesting points Philip. 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. I cannot thank you enough! (Focal ratio is a term that refers to the telescopes focal length divided by its aperture. A super Plossl eyepiece is a top-performing eyepiece that can be used for a variety of tasks, from viewing objects in the distance to looking at microscopic things. I havent addressed .965 eyepieces in the recommendations. TeleVue Naglers, Plossl and Powermates | Astromart Non-eyeglass wearers can usually tolerate Plossls as short as about 10-12mm before their eyelashes start brushing the ocular lens. Again, it only costs $30 to $40 to find out, so the education is not that expensive. Every review suggests replacing the 10mm Kellner eyepiece (and possibly 25mm Kellner) that comes with it. If your focuser/diagonal will accept 2 eyepieces, then I will suggest you get one or two 2 eyepieces for your low power wide view eyepieces. That's how cost-efficient the entire package is! Plossl against Kellner eyepieces in a previous article, 5 Budget Telescopes That Are Sneakily Powerful. This was very useful, I got a meade infinity 90mm ( after read the review here -. Plossl eyepieces have wider fields of view than Kellners. . I think I will go for the BHZ because, as you say, I will be able to use it now and into the future. Meade telescope maksutov eyepiece ETX-105EC Super Plossl 6.4mm 1.25" w 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. However, sometimes i am at the end of the range of the binocular focus adjustment. How will my telescopes focal ratio affect my purchases? Lets take a look. The Big Bang Optics was started because of our love for astronomy and to help others like us find the best telescope and accessories. One learns by observing. . Excellent article, thank you very much for taking the time to publish it. This might contain more of what you need. Between Kellners and Plossls, this means a 32mm Plossl, which maximizes the field of view in the 1.25 barrel diameter format, will show more stars than either a 32mm Kellner with the same magnification but a smaller true field of view, or a 40mm Kellner (or 40mm 1.25 Plossl, which has a 40 degree apparent field of view) with a lower magnification and the same true field of view. The atmosphere is typically the limiting factor as we get to higher magnifications. This is important to keep in mind because it means brands have to try really hard to one-up each other because the competition in a niche hobby such as astronomy can be fierce. A Plossl eyepiece lens provides more eye relief than anything else out there! The BH zoom is optically a 1.25 eyepiece. What diameter eyepieces will my telescope accept? We often end up spending more on eyepieces than we did on the telescope. I am not aware of an ES branded 70 degree series in the USA, but they do have a Bresser branded 70-degree series. In comparison, Aspherical lenses generally have no color distortion but might not work out well if the telescope user needs really high magnification. As we continue, what would you recommend adding first? These lenses are connected together. Ive read reviews about my scope. The magnification range that is appropriate to your scope. Sony A7III vs A7RIII Astrophotography: Which One to Shoot Infinity! Here we focus on becoming a knowledge hub for astronomy and astrophotography enthusiasts. That is why I suggest, if you can use 2 eyepieces, you will want one or two low power wide view 2 eyepieces. 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. Fully coated with magnesium fluoride on every air-to-glass surface for excellent light transmission and high contrast views. 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! It all comes down to cost-benefit. If that is the case, it will give me another reasonably good, inexpensive zoom to recommend to beginners. The Big Bang Optics 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 advertising and linking to Amazon.com. . These are things you will want to know and use. They have good center sharpness but exhibit some field curvature and astigmatism. Do you need a 10 mm planetary and a 10 mm DSO eyepiece? You could say Super Plossls are not much more than a marketing tactic these days. It appears to be a custom-made 90 degree binocular built from two 90 degree diagonals and binocular-size objectives attached in place of the usual OTA. 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. This can be debated 100 ways, but that is my advice. Pentax 10.5mm Eye Piece Excellent Condition (#314374986239) r***d (1910 . The eye relief is the distance between your eyes and the eyepiece where you are able to view the whole image comfortably. Some include: Parks Gold Series, Celestron Ultima's, Meade Series 4000 Super Plssls (depending on year / origin / style) and a few others that I don't remember. FOR SALE! When you are shopping, if you need long eye relief, make sure you are selecting the correct ones. Disclosure - If you buy something via our link, we may earn a commission with no additional expense to you. Plossl vs Kellner Eyepieces: Which Is The Best? - The Big Bang Optics One of the TMB Planetary eyepieces are extremely nice for 50. For what it's worth: I believe the Omni 1.25 inch 2x Barlow is one of the Shorty Barlows manufactured by GSO. I possess an embarrassing array of fine eyepieces with names like Ethos and Nagler and Delos. The ocular for your highest visual acuity - for viewing deep-sky objects and the like - should have an exit pupil around . However, you may see them at higher prices for the short term. I would expect it to be similar to the Celestron in image quality. did i pass? Lets just say that once you get below F5, it is really hard for the eyepiece to deliver a clean image to the edge. Their 50 to 52 degree AFOV is wide enough for general observing. Heres the short answer Plossl eyepieces are generally better than Kellner eyepieces, but they also tend to be more expensive. As you learn more about astronomy and you gain more experience with time, you may want to move to Plossls or even higher-quality eyepieces. This will become more apparent the wider the AFOV is of the eyepiece, in my experience. OHHH, now i get it! Plossl eyepieces are perfect for astronomical viewing because the field of view is wider. But those EPs mentioned were all great too! In simple terms, high focal ratio scopes, say those over F6, tend to be less demanding on eyepieces than those below F6. There are so many others at comparable or higher prices, many of which are quite good and some rather poor. They have decent eye relief and little curvature of field. Using your example: We will use a 100 mm telescope with a 600 mm focal length and Another way to look at it is that a 30 mm eyepiece in a 3X Barlow works like a 10 mm eyepiece.. That said, I should also tell you that not all Plossls are created equal. 20 = 90 = .8 And I continue to read excellent reports on the AT Paradigm and similar under different labels. Even though the design has existed for more than a century, it has stood the test of and is still today the standard against which other eyepiece designs are measured. that I could slide into my telescope and look at. The field of view of a p Plossl eyepiece is typically 60 to 120 degrees. At this point, a Plossl and a Kellner are so close in price and performance that you may as well get the Plossl. I couldnt find any suggestions on your site about diagonal recommendations. My Baader Hyperion Zoom is my most used and favorite eyepiece. i dont have 1 of everything, and i bought the best i could afford on a low budget; meade and orion. Overall, I would highly recommend the goldline eyepieces. See if you will observe with or without your glasses. In this article, were going to talk about what is a Plossl eyepiece, what are its components, how do they work, how many types are there and how youd buy a good Plossl eyepiece. This would definitely matter to observers who wear eyglasses when viewing. (Svbonys Plossls, for example, are optically identical to Orions Sirius Plossls). Comparing to Plossl, the Expanse eyepiece is a lot more expensive. Omni Eyepieces | Celestron Inexpensive Plossls that are manufactured using low-quality lenses are susceptible to internal reflections when viewing bright objects at high magnification. 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. Super Plossl eyepieces are generally a little smaller than this at around 16-20 mm in size, which is why theyre sometimes referred to as wide-angle or low power plossls. Explore Scientific recently extended this offering by adding a series of 82 degree eyepieces labeled LER, or Long Eye Relief. Thanks all. At that price point, it couldnt compete with other 5-element devices like Erfle and Nagler eyepieces that had better performance. Orion 12 mm Sirius Super Wide Angle Correct Image Eyepiece has a rubber eyecup that holds in light, which enables you to enjoy this powerful telescope eyepiece at night without glare or reflections from any external sources. If you would prefer to buy him $60 eyepieces or even $30 eyepieces because he is only 7 and he can upgrade later, that is also OK. Some experience with Baader Aspheric 31mm/36mm? - Eyepieces - Cloudy Nights 2x Barlow Know what diameter eyepieces your scope takes. Plossl eyepieces have an eye relief equal to about 80% of their focal length. Celestron's 4-element Plossl eyepiece features include blackened lens edges to minimize internal reflection and maximize contrast, fully multi-coated optics for maximum light transmission. The Plossl optical design is very good for long and medium focal length eyepieces, delivering a sharp, flat field and an apochromatic image. 5 Best Telescope Eyepieces in 2023 [+Beginner's Guide] The price ranges we show here are the typical prices. I also just bought the Celestron Starsense 102mm refractor (650mm focal length, f/6.5) as a first scope for me and my kids. If you wear glasses when observing, you probably want 15mm or more of eye relief, which the 20mm Plssl provides, but the shorter fl ones dont. 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. This is perfect for a 25mm Plossl (an extremely common standard) and downright luxurious with a 32mm Plossl, but when you get below about 12.5mm or 10mm, it can begin to get difficult to use. Edited April 23, 2010 by russ teh_orph Members 28 198 Author If you just want a quick answer, skip to the conclusion at the end of the article. With regards to budget, whatever works well and is on par with the quality & capability of the telescope. Vixen NPL Eyepieces | First Light Optics