Magnification differences? (1 Viewer)

[Sirpotato]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering is there really that much difference between 48x and 60x magnification?

I have the Celestron 65ED and wondering if I'd get significantly closer views from a 60x.

I couldn't find any images or videos online for comparison showing their reach.

 

[wllmspd]

It’s a trade off, you’ll note that as you crank a zoom up things get bigger and also darker. So it’s a trade off as to how much you can use, also thermals will make longer distances and higher powers harder to use. I find 45x in my 60mm a little dark already. For higher powers I’d probably look for a bigger aperture so that the views can be kept brighter. More power is a hard call to ignore, especially as often stuff is a long way away and just out of reach.

Peter

 

[tenex]

How much closer? 60/48 = 1.25, so this is just like comparing an 8x binocular with 10x, a noticeable but modest difference.

 

[jring]

Hi,

smaller exit pupil and thus darker image has already been mentioned, although if the 60x scope is an 80mm one, it will be comparable to the 65mm at 48x.
Apart from that, the body needs to be good enough to support the 60x...

I just set up two TSN-3 bodies up side by side - one with my usual SDLv2 (at 54x) and one with an old 60x fixed EP. The difference in magnification was not really noticeable and the higher brightness and wider field made the SDLv2 view much preferable (the fixed mag Kowa EP is singlecoated and not as wide as the SDLv2 at the high mag end).

When I cranked the SDLv2 down a bit to sth in the 40s, the difference got noticeable.

Joachim

 

[beacon hill]

One option would be to get a good quality ED 8mm 1.25" eyepiece which would give you 60x fixed.
Less lens elements will give a brighter (like for like) image with wider AFOV.
Get a plossl, as some of the 82 degree UWA will not focus on spotters with compression ring EP fitting.

Speaking as a dealer I have tried many combinations, so know which 1.25" EPs work and which don`t.

 

[Hermann]

Hi,

smaller exit pupil and thus darker image has already been mentioned, although if the 60x scope is an 80mm one, it will be comparable to the 65mm at 48x.
Apart from that, the body needs to be good enough to support the 60x...

That's a very important point you raise - for a 60/65mm scope to work well at high magnifications (like 60x), it has to be a cherry. Many scopes, even those from the top manufacturers, simply aren't.

Hermann

 

[Sirpotato]

Thanks everyone, it would be interesting to try 60x in my current scope to see if I feel like I'm missing out on that extra little bit of magnification.

So putting an 8mm EP on a 65mm scope would give me 60x?

The scope I have is the Regal M2 65ED...But I definitely do wonder how the view would differ in the 80ED or 100ED or even the SVBony SV401.

 

[KaterinBortle9]

The Regal M2 65ED has a stated scope focal length of 382mm, so a 8mm eyepiece would give 382/8=48x. 48x is the top of the magnification range of the default 8-24mm zoom eyepiece. To get 60x you need an eyepiece with focal length of about 382/60=6.37mm.