My coworker Lenny swore by a $30 Orion eyepiece over my $200 Tele Vue

So last month I'm out at a dark site near Moab with a few guys from the local club. Lenny's been shooting astro photos for like 15 years, I've only been at it for maybe 2. He keeps going on about how his cheap 6mm Orion Expanse gives him sharper moon shots than my expensive gear. I laughed it off until we both aimed at the same crater and compared results on our laptops. His image had way less chromatic aberration around the edges. Now I'm wondering if I wasted money on premium glass or if that was just a fluke with that one target. Has anyone else had a cheap eyepiece outshine a high end one?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.ryan23d ago

Funny you mention that, a buddy of mine had a cheap Meade eyepiece that actually beat my Nagler on Jupiter one night (totally clear, no coma or anything). Sometimes it's less about the price tag and more about how well that specific piece matches your scope's focal ratio.

wadeg9222d ago

Coma's an aberration from fast mirrors though, not eyepieces.