Opticron ES80ED eyepiece advise (1 Viewer)

I have has an Opticron ES80ED for several years and am very happy with it. I bought it with a 20-60x HDF eyepiece (code 40862) but was disappointed with the field of view and soon also bought a 2nd hand 32x HDF (40809). I now use the 'scope virtually exclusively with the 32X and only put the zoom on for rare occasions such when extra power is needed (such as reading darvic ring codes on roosting waders birds, etc.).

Image quality at the higher end of the zoom is poor, though, and I was wondering about buying a higher power fixed mag eyepiece. Again I anticipate this being just a back-up to the 32x for occasional use on distant birds. Does anyone have experience of the 50x (40859)? (Has anyone even tried the 80x (40860) or is that one a waste of money?) Do either of these have better image quality that the zoom at the higher end of its range?

Thanks in advance

Nick Littlewood

Hello Nick,

You are honestly better off sticking with the 32x HDF, you will not gain any advantage over this eyepiece by sticking on a higher power HDF eyepiece.

The quality of a higher mag fixed eyepiece will only be marginally better than the HDF zoom, you'll gain on field of view and the image may be slightly brighter but you will not gain any more resolution IMHO. The HDF 32x is probably the best overall eyepiece for this scope unless you are digiscoping, then you want the HDF 23x

Regards

Steve

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER said:

Hello Nick,

You are honestly better off sticking with the 32x HDF, you will not gain any advantage over this eyepiece by sticking on a higher power HDF eyepiece.

The quality of a higher mag fixed eyepiece will only be marginally better than the HDF zoom, you'll gain on field of view and the image may be slightly brighter but you will not gain any more resolution IMHO. The HDF 32x is probably the best overall eyepiece for this scope unless you are digiscoping, then you want the HDF 23x

Regards

Steve

Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Thanks for these comments. Yes I do find the 32x far, far, better than the HDF zoom for general use. Extra brightness of a higher mag HDF might be useful though - yesterday at dusk I was trying to read the darvic on a Common Gull. Was a bit too far away to read with 32x so switched to the zoom but was just too dark (and yes, maybe insufficient resolution) to read.

Probably I'll hold off unless and until I can try one out for real myself or else come across a cheapish 2nd hand one.

Ta

Nick