Celestron's popular Ultima 80mm Zoom Spotting Scope offers images that are noticeably brighter and sharper than entry level 60mm spotters. The Ultima 80 is a refractor style spotting scope with an Achromatic objective lens. Excellent light transmission is assured by multi-layer anti-reflection coatings on the objective lens as well as on the zoom eyepiece and the BAK-4 prisms. The multi-coated 80mm objective lens delivers 77% brighter views than a 60mm scope, and the built in zoom lens produces sharp images from 20X all the way up to 60X magnification.
The Ultima 80 features a sleek, waterproof design and includes a padded soft case with zippers on both ends so the scope can be protected even while mounted on a tripod. Including the eyepiece the Ultima 80 measures just over 18 inches long and weighs about 3.6 pounds. The rubber eyecup can be removed to expose a standard "T-thread" for attaching a camera. I like the 45* angled eyepiece because I can use a shorter tripod to support the spotting scope while viewing or while taking pictures with a small camera attached to the eyepiece.
The focus ranges from 27 feet to the horizon with just a few turns of the focus knob. When I fold down the rubber eye cup I can keep my glasses on and see the whole 2 degree field of view at 20X magnification. With my glasses on I need very little focus adjustment while I crank the zoom eyepiece from 20X up to 60X. Sometimes though I like to take my glasses off while observing because the view seems to have just a little more contrast and sharpness. I like the fact that the Ultima 80 gives me a sharp image either way.
The drawback of the tradition crown and flint achromatic lens used in the Ultima 80 Zoom Spotting Scope is a bit of false color, also known as blue fringing or chromatic aberration. Blue fringing seems well controlled at 20X magnification, but it becomes increasingly noticeable as I zoom up to 60X. Celestron also offers the Ultima 80ED and the Regal 80 F-ED spotting scopes which use exotic ED glass lenses to virtually eliminate blue fringing and produce the sharpest possible high power views.
Shot at 20X zoom at about 20 yards, cropped 50% (Click here to see uncropped)
Shot at 20X zoom at about 50 yards, cropped 30%
Shot at 20X zoom, uncropped but reduced in size (Click here to see at 60X zoom)
Shot at 20X zoom at about 50 yards, cropped 30%
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Cheap but not sweet!!:
I have had many scopes before trying this one and based on all the good reviews on Amazon and I purchased a Celestron 52250. The Celestron has good image quality only at 20X but at the higher magnifications the image deteriorates dramatically, the eye relief is not good either. After using it for a year and 3 months the prism has gone dark and I can no longer see through the scope, it's junk. My advice, would be to spend a little extra and go for a Kowa or Leica, you won't regret it.
Very good low price spotter:
For decades, Celestron has had a good reputation among amateur astronomers for producing high quality optics. Their Ultima line was made in Japan and was competitive in performance with much more expensive European optics. More recently, they've gone to China, and predictably, the quality has fallen off noticeably. But the upside is that the prices have come down considerably, too. The Chinese-made Ultima 80 spotting scope offers very good resolution and high light transmission at a bargain price. For... more info
Great for target shooting:
Celestron has always made good quality/value scopes, and this one is no exception. While it is no Swarovski or Nikon, it certainly gets the job done! You'll love the extra brightness that the larger diameter objective lens gives you, and the zoom eyepiece is about as good as you'll find. Focusing is slightly awkward, but once you get used to it it works OK. Once focused, images are tack-sharp. I use this primarily for target shooting, and it is perfect for that purpose. It works best in bright... more info
Good scope:
I use it for 200yard spotting and it works well. Eye relief and FOV are not as good as a Kowa but it is 1/5 of the price.
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