Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

Best! buy of full-size scopes in entry level.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I've had my celestron regal 80mm spotting scope for just about a week. I chose this scope because I wanted a larger, better light gathering objective lens than those I had looked through. I also wanted that extra light for taking some pictures.

The images are sharp right to the edges and from 20x to 40x there are wonderfully bright. On a clear Sunny day, I can shoot pictures up to 50x and still have enough light. I never expect any kind of zoom optical equipment to perform well at the top 25% of it's range. Resolution goes down while magnification increases. It's pretty much an even trade-off from 50x to 60x.

I bought an indivdual eyepiece which gives a 50% wider field of view at low power. A Celestron X-Cel 25mm eyepiece. B and H has the lowest price I could find for this eyepiece.

It's a heavy scope but I knew that before I bought it. 80mm scopes are heavier than 60mm scopes. I actually carry it around with a super heavy Bogen tripod meant for a telescope, so the weight of the scope is less than half of what I am carrying.

I was really suprised and pleased with the sharpness and brilliance of the images from 20x to 40x. I'm completely satisfied.

PROS: brilliant image sharp to the edges and excellent up to 40x. (It's typical for a 20x to 60x scope to perform less well at the higher powers)
Sturdy, seems well-made.
Individual eyepieces are available for this scope. These have a 60 deg FOV, while the zoom that comes with the scope has 44 deg FOV. It's adequate, but I bought a Celestron X-Cell 25mm eyepiece. That gives me 19x, but it's a larger field of view than 20x with the zoom eyepiece. I totally love the 25mm eyepiece and have now ordered the 16mm for 40x power.

CONS:
Kind of heavy.
Coarse focus knob has a small zone where it is hard to turn. Other users say this will soften up with time. The fine focus turns easily even in that zone and can be used to slide through that zone if you prefer an easier dial to turn.
I've had it out in the field for about six hours this week and I haven't run into anything else that has been inconvenient or problematic.

I did not buy this for Astronomy but I did put it on Saturn the other night and I could distinquish the rings pretty nicely. It takes about 25 or 30x power (with any device) and this scope's image of Saturn looked good up to 40X or more.

Priscilla

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

First high end spotting scope I have purchase. I shopped around and did alot of research before I settled on the Celestron Regal. Much better than comperable scopes that cost twice as much. Would defenitally buy again.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit by Celestron.
I purchased this scope from B&H. The scope goes beyond my expectations and is great for bird watching. I'm still working on the digiscoping with my camera to get as good a picture as I see through the scope. Buy this?

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I had tried several scopes and found the Regal 65 an incredible scope. Sharp and Lots of contrast. The only shortcoming for me was not quite enough light for birding images at near full zoom. They were lackluster and grainy- which even an alpha 65mm scope is going to deliver at that magnification. So I got the 80mm and I will look no further. It is superb. It is a pound heavier, 3 inches longer, and cost more, but I found my pictures reflecting the upgrade. Two other items... I've tried a few of these scopes and they all have a slight amount of image shift as the prism moves along a threaded rod. There is also a slight hesitation at one point in the coarse focuser ( it comes with a coarse and smooth focuser). Of the 4 samples tried only one was completely smooth and that was the 65 mm I returned. If you are lucky you may get that one. But those are the exception, not the rule. For the price, it's a small inconvenience, and chances are if you return one the next one will be exactly the same. The optics are unbeatable. Extremely low CA and bright right through the zoom to 50x. Best part was- all samples I had were consistent in optical quality.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

[...]!I'm not normally a Celestron fan, but I bought the Regal model after reading many positive reviews on various birding sites.Most cited its clear, sharp image and lack of colour - the latter being a pet-peeve.I have to admit, I'm not much of a birder, but they seem a picky lot when it comes to equipment, so they're a good source of information.I really bought this scope to keep watch over the livestock on our farm, check the fences, watch for foxes and to serve as a "grab & go" astronomical telescope.Like many parts of the US, conditions in Australia can be quite severe - rain, dust, heat, fog - sometimes all on the same day and my 80mm APO is not really 'proofed' against any of these.I was a bit bored of being "scope-precious" and wanted something rugged and light I could take into the field.So I took a punt, as they say, and bought this spotter.Over the last 10 days, I've had no reason to be dissapointed. Quite the opposite.The R80 is very-well executed indeed. In a comparison to a friend's 80mm scope costing 3 times as much, there was almost nothing between them.The Regal's images were clear and sharp throughout the zoom range and showed no breakdown at 60X. The view did dim noticably here, but not enough to affect usability. In fact, those of you who shoot will appreciate that at 300 yards, I could still make out MoA shots on a standard target in the dusk!At the short end, there is some field curvature when out of focus (outer 10%) but this disappears when focussed.But best of all - No false colour!! No fringing blue or otherwise. No cast. No Halos. Along with its sharpness and contrast, this would be impressive in a $1500 scope. At this size / price point, I've not seen anything better.It compares VERY favourably with my Russian triplet during the day, and looses little in astronomical ability at night. Not as contrasty, stars a not quite as pinpoint, but better than many dedicated 'scopes I've used.Downsides?-The EP is not really up to the scope. Swapping in a Baader MkIII 8-24 zoom made a noticable difference both in contrast and low-light ability.The stock zoom also slightly fiddly about eye position, though the height adjustable protector helps here.-The focuser is a bit rough and has quite a large range of motion. The micro-focus is adequate however and does a good job of rendering detail-The sighting notch is little help.-Its a little heavy for a spotter.-A real nit-pick: The color scheme is very '90s.However, if this size scope is what you are after, none of the above should put you off.It's a true little all-rounder that does nothing poorly and lots of things well.Its abilities and it's extraordinarily low price make it, for me, a no-brainer

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I use this in John C Garand matches. I can see .30 caliber holes at 200 yards with no problem. Clear and bright, even at max magnification. The rotating mount-ring is great.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

Used the Regal at the lake last weekend. From the deck, I could ID larger birds on the ice at 1000yds, and mirage was very visible. Like another reviewer mentioned, the ability to really fine-focus begins to diminish at 40X. I could *almost* (in failing light, through a window, at an angle) make out all the 2.5" registration numbers on a boat at 440yds. 60X diminished focus capability. In good light with a better tripod I'm certain this would not have been an issue. Controls are easy to reach and smooth. The included case is pretty cheap, and gets in the way of the objective and controls. Haven't gotten a chance to try it on bullet holes at 400yds, yet. For the price, great glass!

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

Nice product and easy to use. The case is a bit cheap, it needs better padding. Otherwise it exceeded my expectations.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I am an avid bird watcher and have been needing a new spotting scope badly for some time. So with a new flow of cash I decided to go for it. Even though this scope isn't super cheap it can compete with scopes like Kowa and Ziess in quality. I often need to see field marks on birds at great distances and with the 20-60x zoom eye piece and wide objective lens this scope does that with ease. I have used it in great sunny days and cloudy days as well as evening during the setting sun and I have yet to see it preform badly in any condition. My only recomendation is to get an equally good tripod to stable this scope. All in all a fantastic scope for the money.

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I do not have very much experience with scopes, but my Nikon scope, that somebody liked very much (I'm so dissapointed..)
The Regal 80 is to my full satisfaction, well almost...i have not been successfull utilising the promised digiscoping capabilities yet. If that depends on me or not, i am not sure yet. I had no problems with the Nikon scope. Optics satisfying for my, and i can promis the same for more than 90% of other users to. Value for money help me decide..Need hints for digiscoping.
Leiv

Comments about Celestron Regal 80 F-ED 3.1"/80mm Spotting Scope Kit:

I know the Celestron Regal 80 F-ED is no Swarovski but for what I paid I feel like I got a really great deal. Having run it through its paces I don't think I will suffer not having one of the elite scopes. I will pick out field marks in fine fashion with this instrument. Chromatic aberation....? I only know that my eye says the image is great at most all magnifications (suffers somewhat at 60X) I jury rigged an adaptor for digiscoping and the results are terrific. While it is a tad heavy (minor point in my view), I'm not so tubby that i'm going to make an issue of it. Nobody came close to B&H for price. I must have lucked out on a special. As in the past,I will continue to order all of my photographic and imaging instruments through this supplier.