Meade Series 4000 8mm - 24mm

[randb]

http://www.meade.com/catalog/meade_4...es_4000_03.htm

Does this eyepiece serve the purpose of all eyepieces between 8 and 24 mm FL? Is this any good?

[redshifter]

It's a zoom eyepiece so in theory, yes it serves the purpose of all the eyepieces between 8 & 24mm. I haven't used it personally, so I can't say if it's any good or not. However, zoom eyepieces as a rule don't usually perform as well as their non-zoom counterparts. Moreover, the eyepiece you're asking about only has a 40 degree FOV (field of view) at 24mm. I'd want more FOV than that at 24mm, I'd want a nice wide field. Even a decent plossl eyepeice as 24mm will have at least a 50 degree FOV.