In my dobs i like 80 to 100 degree eyepieces. In the SCT 70 to 80 degree and the frac 55 to 60 degree. My eyepieces are a mixed mess of Orion branded Long Pernge, Explore Scientific , Astro Tech and 2 Meade eyepieces
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I bought the Meade sets with my scopes . Added a 3x Barlow , a focal length that didn’t come with the set and a bunch of filters . Thats my story and I’m stickin’ to it . They’ve served me well .
Its is whatever works for ya isnt it. I have 2 and 3x Barlows, but i rarely have the need to use them. I am an eyepiece junkie. Each scope has its own set of eyepieces. The 16 has a 2 inch 2x barlow, the 10 inch has a 1.25 inch 2x and the frac has a 1.25 inch 2 and 3x.
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That’s funny . I also have separate sets of eyepieces for each of my Meade scopes .
They’re basically the same Meade set sans a 3x Barlow added to the set for my 8 inch f4 . I use it a lot due to the scopes super short focal length . Then I have different filters for each .
Even though the eyepieces are identical , it allows me to have the plastic barrels they go in labeled with the magnification they yield in the designated scope . It makes things so much easier . Plus I take both scopes out together quite often and may need the same eyepiece in both depending on what I’m viewing . Then I’ve got some cool .965 size Antares Plossls for my vintage Tasco 4 inch Newtonian and another set of 1.25 inch OWL Plossls for my vintage 2.5 inch Tasco refractor that I converted with a .965 to 1.25 inch diagonal . And then I have a small set of vintage Tasco Kellner and Huygens for my little Table top Tasco 2 inch refractor . I picked up a set of Lunar and Planetary filters in .965 that Orion produced long ago . Nice little set with a variable Moon filter . Hard to find stuff even years ago when I got them . I got the very last set that Orion had . It’s nice to have some of this stuff that’s unobtainable any more . So every set has the magnification labeled on each ocular . It make things easier for sure .
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Yeah i am like you in some cases. There are nights when i have a 20mm in the 16 and a 20mm in the 10 inch dob. Its just handy. Tucked away in my SCT case i have two Orion branded Long Perng LHD eyepieces at 14 and 20mm, both are 2 inch. They are positively awesome in any scope i have put them in.
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I believe Long Perng made the Meade Plossls .
I know the early ones were made in USA but then production went to Japan , then Taiwan and finally China .
@Starrancher isn’t Long Perng still in Tawain?
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As far as I know . My Meade Plossls were probably made in 2006 or 2007 . They were Taiwan made , which was superior to what China was producing by far at the time . It was either Long Perng or GSO that made them . I believe both were in Taiwan .
@Starrancher so I had to investigate. Both companies say Taiwan on their websites, but I would have sworn that GSO was made in mainland China.
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Yeah , they’re both Taiwanese . Better optics than China . GSOs are great eyepieces for the money too . Maybe it was GSO that made the Meade’s . Who knows , Meade could have used both companies . Both made good stuff . I could never tell the difference in image quality between my Meade Super Plossls and a Televue Plossl .
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Oh man ! You too ? When did you get yours ?
So back to filters. I added a 2 inch DGM NPB filter to the collection. I kept reading nothing but positive reviews so i grabbed one. Its a narrow band filter. I have only really looked at M42 with it and it definitely lit up the nebula. I still need to do a comparison between it and all my other filters but so far so good
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Yeah , the Narrow Band is the best one to get .
What are those costing nowadays ?
This one was 180, so not as much as a Lumicon but more then the Orion version which it will probably end up replacing. It seems that it’s kind of a hybrid. Its a narrow band that lets a bit of a Oiii line through…I think. It may end up as a in between filter. So far thebpotential is there, i just need to play with it for a bit and see where its happy place is
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My first Nebula Specific filter was a Badder NM7ha, in 1.25".
My friend who recommended an HA7nm for my Astrophotography told me it would bring out the Red in many DSO.
That was my first “expensive” filter and it cost me ~$200 back in my beginning year.
Now, I only use a light pollution filter in 2", Antlia Quad LP filter. (My first and only multi-bandpass filter) Love what it does for my ASI2600MC Pro camera, compared to no filter in my location.
I really need to use a LP filter for the foul LP growing around me.
Early on I used all sorts of filters experimenting. All relatively inexpensive ones, mostly to experiment with. But now, I’ve settled in with the very minimum I can use and just let the sensor and stacking work out my images. And usually no post processing.
Going for a more natural look.
My reason for beginning into Astronomy was Astrophotography. But I do use binoculars for some observing.
A Moon Filter (13%) was the one I used most back when doing Observing in my beginnings, with my first telescope an Orion ED80T CF. Our 2 youngest Grand-Daughters use that scope at their Dad’s house for observing from a South facing balcony at their Dad’s house.
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Sorry, Senior moment.
HA7nm Filter.
Dyslexic memory. 