Sponsored Ad - Celestron 52250 Ultima 20-60x80mm Angled Refractor Spotting Scope Telescope with Multi-Coated Optics, Waterproof Rubber Tubing and Soft Carry Case, Green

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.

This is a pretty impressive scope for the money. It is well made by a respectable company. The 80mm objective makes it brighter than the typical 65mm scope, and the optics are very clear at 20X. By the time you zoom it to 60X, the view is much dimmer and the effect of chromatic aberration more noticeable. The easiest way to see this is to take it outside on a clear night and look at stars. At 20X they are nice and sharp, but at 60X they are miniature rainbows. During daylight viewing, this shows up as a less crisp image. Even so, it is still better than the other low-priced scopes I have checked out. The scope has excellent eye relief, allowing me to see the full field of view while wearing glasses (I just need to roll down the rubber eye guard). I've heard some complaints from others that the scope doesn't stay in focus as you zoom, but that hasn't been a problem for me. It is designed to stay in focus as long as you have 20:20 vision. It won't do so if you are nearsighted and take off your glasses to look through it. All things considered, I was tempted to give this 5 stars until I looked through an $800 ProMaster. The Celestron optics just aren't in the same class. But for an under $200 scope, they are as good as you will find.

This is an excellent spotting scope for the money. I am using it mostly for birding. The photo above was just taken with my cell phone held up to the eyepiece. I recommend using this scope with a sturdy tripod. My tripod is a SLIK 330DX-B that came with an SH-705E head. When viewing at home I use a gallon jug of water below the tripod for additional stability although this tripod performs well enough without it using this weight of scope. I like the feel of the Celestron Ultima 80. The focusing is easy and very smooth. They are easy to reach in a natural feel. I bought the straight scope because most of what I look at is on the level or nearly so. Most of the birds I am seeing are rather close to the house, within 25 yards. I see much more detail and light gathering than I did with me binoculars. The accessories included with the scope could be better quality. The soft case that came with mine is very light weight plastic so I am not expecting that to hold up on hiking trips. It is handy that it opens at both ends to use in a snow storm I guess since the scope itself is waterproof anyway. I took about 2 weeks to thoroughly research scopes before deciding on this one. I have used a few other scopes borrowed from friends and this one certainly tops anything I have used before. At $185 +- it is a good value. I'm just getting into birding and I can view anywhere on my back two acres to be very efficient for that. You do get what you pay for but unless you have some specific need for very high optics, save your money and buy this one.

I have purchased other cheaper scopes that claim to be good but they are just plastic junk . I really like this scope . It's very powerful and clear for what ever you want to use it for .

No argument, you get a decent scope for the money. I bought mine off Amazon 10 years ago and it's still going strong. At low magnification, you get a decent image. Crank up to 60x and there's significant CA. Most of which, if you're using an adapter to get pictures, can be removed in your post processing software. For casual viewing, it's definitely a fine scope, just don't expect to get crystal clear images at anything past mid point on the power. These pics were taken with my phone through the viewfinder. They are straight out of the phone without any processing. Obviously, I could have done a better job aligning the phone with the eye piece.

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.

This is the first spotting scope I have owned and I use it for bird watching. As an entry level spotting scope this is a worthwhile option. Everything works well. The scope is basic, has no adjustable eye relief, the scope can't be rotated once on a tripod, no dual focusing and no sun shade. You do get decent optics and good build quality. I have no problem getting a bright and clear image even on 60 x magnification which is very impressive ( with a stable tripod). You will get blue fringing from about 40 x magnification but at $167 that comes with the territory. This is fantastuc entry level spotting scope that will add greatly to your bird viewing even if it is not perfect.

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!