Seth-- You've had a lot of opinions so far, and it's difficult to disagree with much of what's been said (although my 13mm Nagler gives splendid views through my F/10 C8). Most of my viewing is with a 10" F/4.5 dob, and I can tell you the wide field of a Nagler is quite helpful if you're tracking by hand. As far as an intermediate between a plossl and a Nagler, there are actually quite a few choices these days. A number of eyepieces offer 68-70 degree fields. The University Optics Konigs are in that category, I believe. Orion has a few, as well. Harry Siebert ( http://www.siebertoptics.com/ ) makes a few (I spent a little time with one of his 9mms and it wasn't bad. Butt-ugly, though). I own a 19mm Celestron Axiom. It was a favorite until I got the 13mm Nagler. One thing that's true for the Axiom--and possibly true for many mid-priced widefields--is that they can be mighty soft at the edge of the field. That's not so bad if you're using much of the field to frame your object of interest. The Meade widefields that Don Colton likes are excellent eyepieces at a little bit higher price. Meade actually refreshed that line recently. But you know, plossls aren't bad. The basic optics are well-known, and a moderately-priced plossl can stand up very nicely to a more- expensive widefield for detailed viewing. Oh, one other line you might look as is the Celestron Ultima line. They've been described as sort-of plossl, sort-of Erfle. I've got a 35mm (too much for any of my scopes), a 24mm and a 7.5mm. The smaller pair are both very nice. Televue plossls are also nicely-priced. Oh, and so far as Naglers being heavy, that's certainly true for most of the 2" monsters. But the Type-6 Naglers are mainly 1 1/4 and they're a LOT lighter. Michael
Michael & Kim,
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
I understand about exit pupils and the math behind focal lengths and such, but what I don't understand are the relative advantages of the various eyepiece designs on the market. Nagler vs. Plossl, that sort of thing.
I agree that only a few eyepieces are needed. I've done more star parties than I can count with just one 17 mm Plossl and one 40 mm Plossl. Adding the 30 mm Ultrascopic was (pardon the pun) a real eye-opener.
Naglers are impressively wide-angle, pricey, and heavy. Is there anything else that performs almost as well but doesn't cost a fortune? If not, then I just want to know that.
Plossls are light, small, and cheap. What's intermediate between these and a high-end Nagler or Radian? Is there such a critter?
Is an Orion Lanthanum an acceptable substitute for a Nagler, or will nothing less than the real McCoy suffice?
I appreciate your opinions & recommendations.
Seth
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