Hi Rich: --- Richard Tenney <retenney@yahoo.com> wrote:
Sometime before the Mars opposition in August I want to pick up a decent higher power eyepiece; I'm thinking the choice is between an Ortho and a Ploessl, probably in the 6-8 mm range. Any of you out there have strong feelings/recommendations on this? I would like to keep it under $100.
A well-made Plossl is capable of excellent performance, with a wider field than an Ortho. The diffraction-limited area will probably be smaller than an Ortho, however.
How much difference is there between TeleVue (which has an 8mm) and say the new "premium" (NOT the Sirius) ploessls that Orion is selling, besides price? Is a Takahashi priced at $190 (7.5mm) really that much better than those $65 antares models where contrast and eye relief are concerned?
IMO, Televue makes the best Plossl. I haven't used Takahashi. I have compared the TV Plossls side-by-side with Orion and Celestron Plossls. TV consistently supported the highest magnifications (Barlowed).
Any difference between the Orthos Celestron sells and what University Optics sells?
20 years ago, they were all made by the same Japanese factory. A variation on the Bear/Obie/Galileo thing. I'm not sure where the current crop of OEM Orthos is coming from, but I suspect China. Anybody? I have heard that TV eyepieces are made by Unitron but have not verified this. Here's a guideline for Ortho vs. high-quality Plossl: Are you going to be tracking, or Dobbing? If tracking, go Ortho, since you won't need the wider-field of the Plossl. If hand-guiding, a wider field makes things a bit easier. C. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com