Not sure what I want yet. I think I'm going to start with a Barlow, and plan on stopping by a shop the next time I'm in Denver and see what they say.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Not sure what I want yet. I think I'm going to start with a Barlow, and plan on stopping by a shop the next time I'm in Denver and see what they say.

I've recommended to others here by email in the past that getting a relatively inexpensive zoom that has decent reviews is a good way to have a variety of powers from which to decide about additional eps.

A pacific rim outfit Svbony has a number of different zooms that many feel are great bang for the buck. I picked up their 8-21mm zoom to see for myself and ended up keeping it despite the narrow FOV and shorter than I like eye relief. They have other ranges in their zoom offerings too as shown below. Many consider Svbony on par or better than similar offerings from Orion and Celestron at a lesser price. They're all made overseas. A zoom may very well be your best option given what you've shared here. A barlow simply magnifies what your current mediocre plossls give and for the cost doesn't provide much flexibility compared to adding a zoom to your ep collection.

https://www.svbony.com/sv135-1-25inch-zoom-eyepiece-/ 7-21mm $50
https://www.svbony.com/svbony-...oom-eyepiece-8-24mm/ 8-24mm $60
https://www.svbony.com/svbony-sv170-10-30mm-eyepiece/ 10-30mm $50
https://www.svbony.com/svbony-...-black-1-25-/#W9150B 9-27mm $90

The Baader 8-24mm Hyperion is the top zoom choice but it also commands a higher price. At $310 is much more expensive then those above and is certainly not multiples better.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bald1,

Okay. I'll give a zoom a try. I was considering one of those Orion kits with multiple eyepieces and filters, but it looks like the zoom you recommend is all that and more at half the price. Cloudy Nights also recommends collimating the scope as well. So, it looks like the little laser thingy needs to be bought too. I did the eyeball test and I might be a little off. Nothing huge.

Edit to add. Bought the Svbony SV135 7 to 21mm zoom. SV137 2x Barlow, and the laser collimating tool. More than just a few on Cloudy Nights recommend running a zoom with a Barlow. We'll see. This should keep me busy for a bit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goose5,

goose5,
Yup. Those will keep you pleasantly occupied for some time. ENJOY!
And, of course, "Clear Skies" to you!

Thanks for all the help everyone. Many posts here have been quite educational.

For those others considering a zoom, this is a nice thread to start your data gathering with:
https://www.cloudynights.com/t...-lens/#entry12144137

Popped in the 10mm tonight. Got a clear view of Saturn. Separation between ring and planet body. Thrilled beyond repair. I now know why I left the 25mm in the scope. Its a hell of a lot easier to find things with that lens.

quote:

Originally posted by goose5:
Popped in the 10mm tonight. Got a clear view of Saturn. Separation between ring and planet body. Thrilled beyond repair. I now know why I left the 25mm in the scope. Its a hell of a lot easier to find things with that lens.

You might look at improving your finder scope or whatever device is attached to your Orion reflector.

Good on you goose, happy viewing.

Unfortunately Gary wrote me back with some pretty bad news about availability, no more research grade pieces, ever.

I wanted that 7mm konig really bad. EP availability is nuts in general, just like a lot of other stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by DoctorSolo:
Unfortunately Gary wrote me back with some pretty bad news about availability, no more research grade pieces, ever.

Well that sucks!

I have a couple of duplicate Tak ED LE eyepieces if someone is in a bind, I will see what I could spare.

All these eyepieces- Suffering from optical GAS (gear acquisition syndrome)

Eyepieces are like guns--you can never have enough.

I just deleted a long post. I will sum it up, telescopes are cool and I like them. My kids don't need the money.