Celestron 52302 Regal Refractor 80mm F-ED Spotting Scope

Celestron’s Regal 80 F-ED Zoom Spotting Scope offers high end optics in a medium priced spotting scope. The “Fluoro ED” glass objective lens virtually eliminates the false color or blue fringing commonly seen with traditional achromatic lenses. With its Fluoro-ED optics and Multi-Coated zoom lens the Regal 80 F-ED delivers images that compare with more expensive ED and Fluorite spotting scopes.

Conventional achromatic scopes seem to lose sharpness at high power because different colors come to focus at slightly different points, this is known as “chromatic aberration.” The Regal 80 F-ED with its Fluoro-ED objective lens overcomes this problem and gives me images that are delightfully crisp and clear. When I’m looking at backyard birds at 20X magnification the view is so sharp it’s like holding a bird in my hand. When I look at the Moon at 60X, I can easily pick out detail and identify hundreds of craters.

The Regal 80 F-ED 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. With the 20-60X zoom eyepiece the Regal 80 F-ED measures about 19 inches long and weighs just over 4 pounds. A “T-thread” adapter is included 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 digital camera.

The dual-speed focus knobs allow really sharp focusing anywhere from 20 feet to the horizon. The twist-up eyecup allows me to see a generous 2.1 degree field of view at 20X, even while wearing glasses. 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 Regal 80 F-ED gives me a sharp image either way.

Celestron’s Regal 80 F-ED Zoom Spotting Scope combines sharp multicoated optics with a good quality zoom lens in a compact waterproof package. Top it off with a lifetime “No-Fault” warranty and the Celestron Regal 80 F-ED is simply a great value. --Jeff Phillips

Pros:

• Sharp multi-coated optics
• Good zoom eyepiece
• Waterproof design
• Lifetime no-fault warranty

• Imported from China