Product Spotlight - Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set

Written by Tammy Plotner

Are you itching to add some accessories to your telescope - but don't know where to start? Then you should really check out the Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set. It's more than just a collection of "stuff"... It's well thought-out quality. Come over here and let's talk for a minute...



To begin with, Meade Series 4000 eyepieces have a long-running reputation as excellent optics. While they don't posses the widest field of view or the most superior eye relief, they will match up - and surpass - any other eyepiece in their class and price range. The bottom line is the Meade Series 4000 eyepiece performs. In this kit you'll get the focal lengths you'll find yourself using the most: 40mm and 32mm for extended views, 15mm and 12.4mm for the intermediate magnification you'll need for larger deep sky objects that require some magnification, and 9.7mm and 6.4mm for high magnification when needed for double star, lunar and planetary objects. What's more, a 2X barlow lens is also included to "fill in" every possible focal length you might want or need. For example, your 40mm would become a 20mm - or a 15mm a 7.5mm with great eye relief! These Meade eyepieces are just the right combination for every working situation.

But that's not all... There's filters, too. To be honest, you won't find yourself using filters for visual work all that often - but when you do want one, it's pretty specific. One highly needed example is a moon filter - and that's #1 on the included list. Yellow, Light Red, Green and Blue are also included in the kit, and you'll find yourself using these to help draw out lunar details and specific features on Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. You also might surprise yourself by using many of these filters in "combinations" to reveal things like the phases of Venus and Mercury... or to add details to white light solar filters. The Meade Series 4000 filters are also quality and match perfectly with the eyepieces.

Last, but not least is the 1.25" barrel size. This is an absolute standard for most telescopes. While there are many telescopes that have 2" focusers, 2" eyepieces are quite an investment and there may be times when you'd hesitate to use them for daily observing or public outreach work. The answer is just to adapt them - and almost all 2" focusers have a 1.25" adapter included. The Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set will take the hesitation factor of using a good eyepiece for grunt observations out of the equation. They give outstanding images, improve the view of less expensive telescopes and are absolutely so durable that they'll stand up to cleaning and the kind of abuse that you need "work horse" eyepieces to provide. I can say this because I own Meade Series 4000 eyepieces and I use them extensively.

So what's the final word on the Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set? Do the math. Buying just a couple of these eyepieces or filters as stand-alone adds up to the total package price - and that means you're getting extra equipment for free and a dandy aluminum storage case to protect your investment besides. Even if you own a fairly inexpensive telescope, you'll be delighted with the performance of a Meade Series 4000 eyepiece and - if properly cared for - they'll last a lifetime.

If you're interested in purchasing a Meade Series 4000 Eyepiece and Filter Set, they're currently available at OPT!