Celestron Ultima 20-60x80 Angled Spotting Scope for Wildlife

Added 2/9/2016: I've used it on 300-yard targets now, and my .223" / 5.56 mm holes are visible, especially on white paper. Holes in the colored part are harder, of course, but visible. I also want to mention that the focus knob is perfect. It turns easily and smoothly, without being loose. It's placed on top, just behind the tripod mounting point, so you can rest your hand over the balance point of the scope and gently roll one finger over the focus knob, causing very little motion in the image. [Original text -->] I read a lot of reviews and Q & A's on Amazon before purchasing the Celestron 80mm Ultima Zoom, and I have a little to add for future shoppers. While I hope to use this for viewing wildlife and maybe the moon and neighboring planets, I bought it mainly for rifle shooting, to see little holes in paper downrange. The photos I'm posting today are all the same shot through the scope, left full-frame to show how my smartphone camera sees it, and cropped to better see the holes. The target is 200 yards away, and the holes are .223 inch / 5.56mm. The grid lines on the targets are spaced at 1 inch / 25mm. Camera was an LG G4 smartphone, mounted to the Celestron's eyepiece with a Gosky Universal Cell Phone Adapter Mount, also purchased from Amazon. Photo conditions were less than ideal: a very gray afternoon, shooting through 200 yards of light rain. The full-frame photo was reduced in size from 5212 x 2988 down to 1600 x 900, in hopes Amazon won't ruin it with extreme compression. The other two were severely cropped, but left at full resolution to show detail. It was taken at 60X, the maximum zoom, and the image suffers a bit from being pushed to the max, but not terribly. The colors aren't as sharp as at the lower end of the zoom range, and as other reviewers have mentioned, that's a compromise. If you want perfect sharpness through the whole zoom range, buy the ED (Extra Dispersion) version of the scope. It's built with lens elements made of more exotic glass that corrects the focus of the different colors of light. It will cost you about 4 times as much. This Ultima 80 is good enough for me. Something I hadn't noticed until I viewed the photos is the curvature of the bottom board of the target frame. That's not bent wood, it's a defect of the scope, called pincushion distortion. If I was using the scope for some kind of architectural photography, where straight lines must show straight, this would be a problem, but I bought this to see where holes are punched in paper, and a bit of curvature is no problem at all. If you're photographing duck on a pond surface and don't want your water horizon to be curved, position the scope so that horizon is in the center of the frame. The top board of the target frame is centered, and it doesn't look bent at all. Better yet, back off the zoom to a lower ratio and get straighter lines and a sharper image. The two detail shots aren't perfectly sharp, but more than good enough to see every hole, even the ones in the dark blue target. I'm impressed. The range I go to also has targets at 300 yards. That might be pushing this scope's capability. I'll try it some time when I have better weather and have settled on ammunition I can trust to fly straight that far. On the drive home from the range I passed a tree with a huge new nest in it, and today a bald eagle was perched near it. But I was cold and tired, and if I'd stopped and got out of the car to reach the scope in the back, the eagle would have left. Would have been a great inaugural wildlife shot for my new spotting scope, but I'm left with only the memory of it, and you'll have to picture it in your mind until you get your own spotting scope and venture into eagle country. Hope you like yours; it's just right for me, at a price I can justify.

After going on a few bird walks with our local Audubon Society, I decided to bring my own scope. I’m using this primarily for birdwatching. If you haven’t tried it for birdwatching, a scope is much better than binoculars once you have found your subject. The key factor being a higher magnification with no shaking. Your tripod has a lot to do with that so make sure it’s pretty steady and the right height. The scope yields nice sharp images at 20 power, but as you increase power on the zoom eyepice, the image does degrade a bit, some refocusing will be necessary. The blue fringing becomes quite noticeable at 60 power. Still reasonably sharp. Focus helps, but the fringing is purely because it does not have the ED glass. Those scopes will cost about three times more. For the money, this is a wonderful value. I highly recommend it. For the semi casual birder or backyard viewer it’s ideal! The 80 mm objective means nice, bright views, and decent field of view so finding your subject becomes a little easier. The little slight tube on the side helps to get the scope in the general direction you’d like it to be. The build is nice and sturdy with a metal main tube. Be careful installing the eyepiece when you receive it. The threads are quite fine and easily damaged. Once assembled, you probably won’t be disassembling it. It comes with a cheap-feeling lightly padded zipper case that can be applied to the scope, while it is mounted to the tripod. A handy feature for storing or just walking around, or putting in your trunk. Great choice for the budget conscious birder.

Humm, hit the tab key and my review in progress disappeared! The scope has a very nice overall fit and finish with good deep coatings on all visible lens surfaces. The focus knob is silky smooth with no detectable backlash. The eyepiece eye-relief is ample (I don't require glasses when viewing--see below) and the zoom is smooth. An audible sliding sound is heard when zooming, but it isn't objectionable. Speaking of glasses, if your glasses just correct for near or far sightedness, you don't really nead them at the scope; the focus range of the eyepiece will compensate for your correction without glasses. Those with astigmatism problems will need glasses however. Owning a premium 80mm ED telescope, I was able to do a side-by-side test with it and this scope. Overall, the optical performance is impressive. Some chromatic abberation is present at the higher magnifications, but even then, it wasn't objectionable. At 60X the ED scope clearly edged out the 52250, with sharper fine detail and a slightly brighter image. To be fair though, the ED telescope had fewer air-to-glass surfaces and the eyepieces (10mm and 30mm) were fixed focal length so that is to be expected. I'd say the Celestron 52250 gave 95% of the performance of the high-priced ED scope. At 20X I was hard pressed to see a significant difference. At 40-60X the image didn't have the crisp detail of the ED scope, but it was quite usable. Most of my birding is done at lower magnification anyway, so I'm not loosing much. On the moon, I was really impressed at an almost total lack of chromatic abberation! I could not see any "blue haze"--just a thin yellow edge. As a rough estimation of optical quality, I performed what is called a star test. In this test one looks at a star image inside and outside of focus. Frankly, I was very surprised by the test. I saw no optical defects and in fact, the patterns were text book perfect! It is amazing what can be done with computer generated optics these days. This isn't a $1000 scope, but if you want 90% of the performance at a fraction of the money, this scope will work for you. I'd recommend it to a friend. At the %154 price I paid for it, this is a real value!

To those who are wanting to take the next step in birding because you can't get a good view of birds far away, then this is the ticket. At an affordable price and with a college budget, this scope outperformed my expectations. I am regularly around guys who use Swarovski scopes and those scopes perform well and give a great image, but this scope doesn't fail at doing the same. I am not saying that it will be an equal quality image, but this scope performs well at what it is supposed to: being able to get you close so that you can identify birds. The only thing is lacks in comparison is a solid eye-piece. While both scopes see some lesser quality at higher magnifications, the Celestron Ultima 80 seems to lack more. However, at 20x magnification, this scope is sharp. When I first received my scope, I was eager to test it out. Sadly, it was a very cloudy day. However, this scope still worked well in low light situations. I was able to identify Ruddy Ducks (very small waterfowl) from about 600 yds away. Keep in mind that conditions have a large impact on your scoping ability. All scopes have to deal with heat waves, glare, or dim lighting. Test your scope in all conditions before you give it a valid review. Again, this is not a Leica or Swarovski scope, but it is not a bad scope for birdwatching. In a group setting, I would gladly let others look through it to see a bird. Ultimately, I am happy with my purchase. This scope will improve my birdwatching so much. I live on the coast, so birdwatching with a scope is definitely required. If you guys are curious, the AstroMaster tripod works well with this scope. Caution: if you are taller than 6', I would look for something else though. Since this scope is an angled scope, the tripod's short height isn't that big of a problem, but if you are taller than me, I can see some issues. If not, feel comfortable with this purchase. Good luck and good birding!

Since I'm reading several reviews for this product from unrealistic people who seem to expect $2500 performance from a sub $200 scope, please keep in mind I am reviewing a $160 scope, and not a $2500 dollar scope, and FOR THE MONEY (and over YEARS of use) I've found this to be an awesome little scope. As a tour guide, I don't want to spend a huge amount on a spotting scope to use on tours that is going to get kicked, knocked over, thrown on a dusty van floor and generally abused in situations involving crowds of people. My first Celestron scope was irreparably damaged by an unfortunate incident where it got knocked over and struck a boulder in Yellowstone and lost its focus, but by that time I'd had years of good service out of it, so for the price of a new one, I wasn't upset over replacing it. This scope does the trick for wildlife viewing and birdwatching with very good resolution and durability. People are always impressed by the wonders of high magnification even when comparing an inexpensive scope with an expensive pair of binoculars. This scope certainly is subject to some chromatic fringing towards the edges (mostly noticeable in snowy terrain) but it doesn't detract too much and is still an excellent view, quite sharp and overall very nice. People are totally wowed the first time they see that moving dot in a meadow over a half mile away suddenly transformed into a bear! My only criticism would be that the zoom function is frankly rather worthless, especially at the higher end and I seldom use it. I also have had clients unscrew the eyepiece inadvertently while trying to focus, even though I demonstrate where the actual focus is, so I make sure I check that the eyepiece is on tight. You can bet that when my current scope has another accident, I'll be replacing it with this scope once again.

I bought the scope to shoot a .223 at 100 yards, which should have been well within the range of the scope. It does not come with a tripod, but I have an old entry level camcorder tripod, so that was fine. Before I took it to the range we looked at a full moon and were pleased with the image definition. Trying it out on the tripod, I noticed that the weight of the front of the scoped pulled down the focus point, as other reviewers have noted. There is an accessory available with the 100mm scope to put between the mount and the scope to move the balance point, I don't know if you can buy it separately. The real problem for me was the performance at the range. Using standard black and white targets on a mildly overcast day, we struggled to make out holes at 100 yards. The bluing at the periphery was noticeable at max zoom, but not an issue for us. On splatter burst targets it worked fine, but that should be true of pretty much any level of scope. I returned the scope and ordered color burst targets. We'll see how it works out.

I picked up the Celestron 52250 80mm Ultimate Zoom Spotting Scope to use sighting in targets at 100 yards. Previously, I purchased and compared three inexpensive 20-60X60 scopes. The chromatic aberration and overall quality of those scopes was horrible. The brands tested were SVBONY, ENKEEO and AOMEKIE all ordered from Amazon. Don’t waste your time or money on any of those. The Celestron scope came well packaged with only one small ding and tear in the container. This did not impact the contents. It came with an instruction pamphlet, small lens cloth, and ocular lens inside a plastic tube hard case with it’s own separate nylon carry case. The scope also comes with a nylon carry case however it’s not padded and would not provide any significant degree of protection against drops. You can, however, still use the scope for viewing with the cover on by simply unzipping and exposing the objective and ocular lens. I sorta like this feature. The scope is waterproof and has a BAK4 prism according to the manual. I was unable to find any verification either in the user manual or Celestron webpage that this scope is nitrogen or argon purged. The body of the scope appears to be a metal alloy with the rear portion rubberized. The ocular lens threads on to the body and can be stored separately in its own hard plastic tube as mentioned. Eye relief is achieved by a rubber eyepiece grommet that you fold up or down. The magnification ring on the ocular is smooth and crisp as was the focus knob. The objective lens comes with a clip on style lens cap. There is no pull out sun shade on the objective lens. That’s a bummer. I mounted the scope on a camera tripod to test it and immediately noticed the scope is forward weighted and tippy- in other words not balanced very well. Therefore using a sturdy tripod is critical with this scope. The images from this scope were excellent considering the the price. As with most scopes in this price range image quality at lower magnifications produce better views. There was some chromatic aberration noted but nothing I would consider outrageous. I believe it will do just fine as a range spotter and even a grab-and-go for some light bird watching. Pros- Inexpensive, decent build quality, ability to swap out ocular lens, good “bang for the buck”. Cons- No sun shade on objective lens, non-padded carry case, forward weighted (tippy) design. Hope this helps.

Purchased the Ultima 80 - 45 degree spotting scope about a month ago and for the purpose of sighting in my Remington 700 SPS 7mm Rem Ultra Mag. I used it a couple times around the house with the RetiCam Tabletop tripod, familiarizing myself with the features before taking it to the range. The spotting scope has some weight to it and feels very well put together.... feels like a quality product. Got to the range today and the spotting scope was overkill for 100 yds, as our rifle scope were adequate for that range. Targets could be seen easily on 20 or 40 power. At 200 yds the spotting scope clearly shows every detail of the target when properly focused. At one point, while my buddy was steadying for his shot, I could see a house fly walking around on the target, which was a black 'splatter splots' (with bright green burst). At this same distance, plain paper shots were also easy to see. LIKE High Definition!! Next, out to 400 yds (actually 412 yds) the spotting scope had to be set at 80X and the focus was a little more touchy, but once it was dialed in I could still see may of the target features, including the lines. The green burst were east to see. We never tried plain paper target, but they would have been harder to see, I believe. I am certain, I would be able to see 'splatter spots' targets out to 500 yds with this spotting scope; possibly out to 600 yds, but I'm not sure. Very happy with this purchase. Would recommend this scope, especially at the price.

Bought another spotter scope in a similar price point on Amazon. It seemed allright out of box but had damaged threads on the mount. Returned it no hasstle and bought this one. Way better quality right out of box and clearer glass, happy accident that I switched out. Works well with Amazon basics tripod and for the price point of those two together still cheaper then some then come with worse tripod.

Servizio veloce di amazon.Ottimo l'imballo. Non ho mai comprato cannocchiali, ma ho un superbo binocolo zenit 7x50 e da fotografo ho una certa esperienza di ottica per avere un discreto parco obbiettivi.quindi posso dire che la qualità del cannocchiale è davvero ottima. Ma andiamo con ordine: La costruzione è molto buona(metallo e buonissima gomma)le lenti sono trattate in modo multistrato e sono ottime nel complesso,in pratica...da 20 a quasi 50 ingrandimenti si vede benissimo (in particolare da 20 a 40 una definizione direi quasi eccellente...)poi diciamo che da 45 a 60 ingrandimenti la qualità ottica cade man mano ma ancora a 60 si vede discretamente anche se appaiono (ma in modo poco fastidioso) aberrazioni ed occorre curare la messa a fuoco.Il cavalletto è indispensabile sempre, anche a 20 ingrandimenti. La luminosita' è ottima per una buona visione anche di sera.La caduta fisiologica di qualità dopo i circa 50x è, per il limite fisiologico di tutti gli oculari zoom, ma anche il pulviscolo dell'aria a grandi lontananze fanno la loro parte, probabilmente vetri pregiati di binocoli più costosi bucano meglio l'atmosfera. da notare che questa stessa caduta in tutto il range da 20 a 60..è minore per soggetti meno lontani.Sono sicuro che cannocchiali con vetri apocromatici sono migliori ma non credo proporzionale al salto di prezzo. inoltre chi ha fatto la comparazione tra questo obbiettivo ed altri che costano anche 10 volte di più ha dedotto che sui bassi ingrandimenti (da 20 a 40) la differenza con cannocchiali blasonati sia addirittura minima.La custodia è discreta...ma avrei preferito un pò imbottita tipo borse fotografiche. Metto 5 stelle per il prezzo che ho pagato...difficilmente si trova di meglio.E' un cannocchiale ottimo,discreto e luminoso, anche al crepuscolo si vede bene e da usare anche per visioni astronomiche non impegnative come la luna o saturno....magari con un oculare fisso...per sfruttarlo al meglio.

ne correspond pas à mes attentes

Good spotting scope for the price. We use it for bird watching and watching boats on the bay.

Produit de qualité, précis, d'une grande luminosité et une bonne netteté.