- 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 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.

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!

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.