Kellner general purpose and planetary eyepieces

Anti-reflection coated, 3 elements, 35º apparent field of view. Supplied in plastic dust-proof bottle.

The North Star range of Kellner eyepieces feature well-made all-metal bodies and anti-reflection coated optics - the four model range is ideal for most telescopes from as little as £12.99 or get the whole set of four for just £39.99 - all prices include UK mainland delivery.

These classic eyepieces offer the observer an unexpectedly high standard of performance. The three element design produces sharp ultra-bright images with the minimum of distortion. The AFOV (apparent field of view) is not as good as you would expect from a modern Plossl but the Kellner is still an excellent eyepiece for extended detail and it's bright 3 element achromatic design allows the Kellner to work well with Barlow lenses for high-powered observing.

Scopes'N'Skies comment: In the course of the last ten years or so the Kellner has fallen out of favour with telescope users.

The reason is two-fold; the wide availability of cheap good quality Plossls as an alternative and the unfortunate tendency for poor quality Kellners to be included with many starter scopes - leading to a tarnished reputation for the design as a whole. These factors have combined to unfairly downgrade the faithful Kellner as a top-notch eyepiece to nothing more than an "extra" thrown-in with a cheap telescope.

This is a pity because a good quality Kellner, of the type we are offering here, is a good performer and will even give the much vaunted Orthoscopic Planetary a good run in a shoot-out.

The Kellner tends to be a good performer right across the field of view (unlike the Ortho) and again, beating the Ortho, the simple 3-element design offers the brightest views achievable with any given scope (by employing the minimum amount of glass Carl Kellner's clever design minimises absorption and scatter and therefore allows the maximum amount of light to actually reach your eye). Like the Ortho the Kellner performs well when used with a Barlow - the bright image holds up well when amplified by a good 2x or 3x Barlow lens.

And the best thing about the Kellner? The price! If there is a better eyepiece design available at anything like this price we are unaware of it. The Kellner was invented 160 years ago - and its still a very capable eyepiece when used with modern telescopes!

Four models are available in the following focal lengths:

6mm

10mm

15mm

25mm

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