Eyepiece reviews

Pentax XL

If you are fortunate enough to have bought a Pentax XL before Pentax inexplicably stopped producing them, you'll know that they were among the very best eyepieces available.  For wearers of glasses they  were the best, with a generous 20 mm of eye relief.  The apparent field of view is 65 degrees on all models I have seen, although I believe some of the longer focal length models have a reduced apparent field.  In grid tests, we have found them to be free of visual distortion virtually right to the edge, and they consistently provide bright, sharp images.  They have a metal eyecup that can be screwed to suit your brow or glasses, and this is far better than the usual foldable rubber eyecup.  Coatings are superb.  The weight of the XL is a pain, because my ETX 90 RA's drive can't handle it, and swapping between these and lighter eyepieces on my 200 mm F6 Newtonian involves resetting the balance of the scope.  My own XL is a 7 mm, and I now consider it a treasured hierloom to be bequeathed to one of my children who shows an interest in astronomy.  What were the people at Pentax thinking of when they discontinued this line of eyepieces?  I haven't seen the replacement XO and XW models, and I don't feel like taking out a mortgage in order to buy one.

Meade series 3000 Plossl

I've enjoyed a 25 mm Meade series 3000 Plossl for many years.  It has 50 degrees of apparent field, and generally good image correction towards the edge.  Eye relief is approximately a generous 20 mm, and I've taken to using it with 2x  and 3x barlows with my ETX in order to retain the eye relief at higher magnifications.  It's a solid performer, and again it is hard to understand why Meade has discontinued the line.  Wearers of glasses should note that eye relief of Plossls decreases with focal length, and Plossls with focal lengths smaller than about 12 mm very uncomfortable.

Meade super Plossl

My ETX arrived with a "Super Plossl" 26 mm eyepiece, that was reputed to be better than standard series 3000 Plossls. Personally I couldn't see any difference in image quality, and the much reduced eye relief was a pain for me as a wearer of glasses.  Even those with no glasses commented that they preferred the series 3000 25 mm.  I was happy to be able to sell it and keep the series 3000.

Meade 3x shorty barlow

Meade sells specialised shorty barlows for use with ETX telescopes, and they are well coted and provide clean, crisp images.  I use mine not only with my ETX, but with my ToUCam and 200 mm F6 Newtonian to get great planetary images.

Vixen Lanthanum LV

If you have a telescope with a motorised equatorial mount, don't be put off by the 40 degree apparent field of view of  the higher powerVixen Lanthanum eyepieces.  I have purchased a 4 mm and a 6 mm, and they are my eyepieces of choice for planetary viewing.  Each eyepiece has 200 mm of eye relief, and they are parfocal.  For those who are budget-conscious but want superb correction and good eye relief for higher powers, these are the best choice.  Coatings are great, and the rare-earth Lanthanum glass results in an "Apochromatic" eyepiece that can complement great telescope optics.  Rubber eyecups are a pain to have to turn down all the time, but this isn't a major impediment.  Through my 90 mm ETX or my superb 200 mm F6 Newtonian, I have enjoyed some of my very best views of planets with Vixen Lanthanums.

Vixen Lanthanum LVW

For lower power views, if you can't locate a secondhand Pentax XL and like me you think the new Pentax XOs and XWs are over-priced, Vixen Lanthanum LVW wide-field eyepieces are a good alternative.  I own a 17 mm, and in grid tests it runs a very close second to the Pentax XL.  Images are very slightly less sharp near the edge.  In all other respects, this eyepiece is a fabulous, well-corrected Apo, and I'll never give it up.  It combines the 20 mm eye relief of Vixens LVs with 65 degrees of apparent field.  Like the Pentax XL, it is too heavy for an ETX 90 RA's drive.

Celestron XCel

Sadly, I bought an 8 mm Celestron XCel sight unseen.  It is very well finished, comes in a nice plastic case, and the orange coatings look great.  The 55 degree apparent field was a magnet, as well as the 20 mm eye relief.  Unfortunately, these good features are heavily compromised by an enormous amount of "kidney beaning"; at every angle I hold my eye I see some blacking out of some part of the field.  This might be ok for viewing planets, but this eyepiece is useless for anything else.

Celestron Shorty 2x Barlow

For the low price, the Celestron 2x shorty barlow is a solid performer.  I've enjoyed many great views by combining it with my Meade series 3000 Plossl.  The coatings are good, and there is minimal image distortion.  I've used it with my ToUCam and Meade ETX 90 to get some great images of Mars.