LOL Joan, didn't know I was going to provide so much motivation to you to get your dob finished! Yeah, I know the feeling about perusing catalogs. Your wish list is pretty reasonable. I stop on the Tele Vue page and the value of my wish list goes way up! You are probably going to get some comments about the glass solar filter... The Q70's are great for the price. They provide good low power, wide angle views. With a fast scope, you will see some coma, but really you shouldn't be studying objects that are at the edge of the field of view anyway, right? It is nice, aesthetically, to have a wide FOV, but for really studying the object, you center it (or where ever the "sweet-spot" is with your scope). In general, I tend to go up in quality (and price) with shorter focal length eyepieces. In my mind, something like a Q70 is great for low power. For mid-power, I like Tele Vue's Panoptics. Then for higher power, Naglers, or any of the 100 degree eyepieces out there are my choice. Note that these comments are for me personally, and I am a deep sky hound. If you prefer solar system viewing, then my comments would not necessarily be good advice. Take care, Mat -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of jcarman6@q.com Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 2:40 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Eye Piece Selection Mat, you comments are duly noted. Didn't think about the focal lengths/ratio issue and you've made a good point. The 2" eyepiece in my possession has a 52 degree field and was excellent in the f/10, but it might not be so good at f4.5. DAMN - now I have to build the scope to check it out (thanks Mat ;-)) I receive Orion's catalog every few months and so took the time to wander through it. My wish list totals over $500 and my pie-in-the-sky wish list totals over $1,500. They sell Tele vue and the 14mm (I typed 14" first, now that would have be a mind boggling eye piece) radian is available for $240. Of interest was a solar filter for telescopes that fits over the front. I t is of glass with an aluminum cell and screws to fit tight (that's always been a worry of mine). If the picture is correct, it gives a "yellow-orange" sun (my mylar filter gives a blue sun), which would be nice to have - to fit a C8 - $104. Al so, there are "pairs" of these filters to fit binos (10x50 -$87) Also a "shorty" 2x Barlow for less than $40 and and 3X barlow for less than $50. They also have 2" barlows to fit a dobsonian. An attractive "deluxe" filter set for planetary study, including a "light pollution" filter and adjustable polarizing filter for about $100. I got such a basic set from Celestron many years ago and was extremely disappointed. I noted the Q70 eyepieces with relish, but now Mat's comments have tempered my zeal. I could go on and on. Now I can't buy anything until the dob is built just in case I get bad eyepieces --- thank's Mat (grrrrrr grin ). _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical Solutions and are intended only for the addressee(s). The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message and notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to Central.SecurityOffice.Healthcare@siemens.com Thank you