Wednesday, October 04, 2006

1RPD Eyepiece & GSO 2" Dielectric Diagonal

Last time I was out with the scope, I looked through an eyepiece called a "1RPD". It's a 2" 30mm focal length unit, and boasts an 80 degree field of view, which is somewhat Nagler-like. The view through it was really nice on my scope, and I could easily fit the double cluster in there. There was a bit of edge softness (thus NOT being very Nagler-like!) but it was tolerable. I then found out it only cost $95.00! So, I'm going to add one of those to my collection. I found a used one on Astromart and got a good deal ($75.00), should have it next week. I've been looking for a low power wide field eyepiece and this seems to fit the bill just fine.

I also sold my Antares diagonal and bought a GSO dielectric diagonal. I wasn't too impressed with the Antares model as the images seemed a little dim through it. The GSO unit, boasting something like 99.7% reflectivity, did perform much better with much clearer and brighter images seen through it.

Early next week promises rain, but the following weekend will hopefully be clear. I'm planning a long night/early morning to try and image Saturn and, potentially, Uranus.

2 comments:

imjeffp said...

I like my 1rpd, even if Richard doesn't. I think it's a great $95 eyepiece. It's true that it's not as nice a view as a 31 Nagler, but it's not $640 either.

Phil said...

Gday there! Actually B*rry had told me you recommended it to him, and I was quite impressed with the view when I tested his unit on my scope. I got one on Astromart for $75 including shipping. I think these are really good deals and am looking forward to using it next time I'm out.