Quillon Gantry 8 mm wide-field eyepiece, with soft pouch

Specifications

Description

The Gantry 8 mm is a six-element wide-field eyepiece with a 60-degree apparent field and a 1.25 in barrel. At 8 mm it gives moderate magnification: 75x in a 600 mm refractor, 150x in a 1,200 mm Dobsonian, and 254x in a 2,032 mm Schmidt-Cassegrain. In the 1,200 mm telescope, the true field is about 0.4 degrees, which is wide enough to hold a compact globular cluster and its surrounding stars in one view.

The 8.4 mm field stop sets the true field and keeps the image within the clear aperture of the barrel. Wide-field designs of this kind keep stars round across most of the field in telescopes slower than about f/6. In faster Newtonians, you may notice some coma and a slight loss of star shape near the edge. The lenses are fully multi-coated, and the internal baffling is blackened to reduce stray light from the barrel walls.

With 14 mm of eye relief, the Gantry 8 mm is comfortable for most observers, including many who wear glasses. Fold the rubber eyecup down to keep your glasses close to the lens, or fold it up to block stray light. The barrel is threaded for standard 1.25 in filters. At 160 g, the eyepiece balances well in most 1.25 in focusers. Keep the top dust cap on when the eyepiece is not in use to protect the top lens from dust and moisture.

An 8 mm eyepiece fills the gap between a low-power wide-field eyepiece and a high-power planetary eyepiece. Use it for open clusters, bright nebulae, and the larger lunar craters, where the 0.4-degree true field keeps the target in view without the image becoming dim. Paired with a 2x Barlow lens, the same eyepiece gives 150x in a 600 mm refractor, which suits lunar and planetary detail when the seeing is steady.

About this configuration

The Quillon Gantry 8 mm wide-field eyepiece is offered in several configurations, and the notes below describe what this particular one adds. The soft pouch keeps dust off the eyepiece and fits in a jacket pocket during a session. A soft pouch protects the lenses from scratches when you carry the eyepiece between the car and the telescope. A winged eyeguard helps you hold your eye at the right position, which makes the edge of the field easier to see.

The black body with a color ring lets you tell focal lengths apart quickly under a red flashlight. The 2026 edition carries the optics over unchanged and updates small parts such as the caps and the markings. To find the magnification, divide the focal length of your telescope by the eyepiece focal length in the specifications.

What's in the box

• Eyepiece with fold-down rubber eyecup
• Top and bottom dust caps
• Padded storage pouch
• Soft padded pouch
• Winged rubber eyeguard

Compatibility notes

• Fits any 1.25 in focuser, diagonal, or Barlow lens.
• The barrel accepts standard 1.25 in filters (M28.5 x 0.6 thread).
• Sharp to the edge of the field at f/6 and slower; softer at the edge in faster Newtonians.