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Celestron Regal M2 ED Series - 2013 (1 Viewer)

I just bit the bullet and purchased the 13 mm. Baader Hyperion.

WOW! I don't have complaints against the quality of the provided zoom at the price, but the view at about 30x (assuming that the 65 mm. Regal M2 has a focal length of 384 mm) goes to the next price level, certainly. At 120 euro it's a really worth upgrade.

The image is much brighter (I would dare to say a whole f-stop, but it's a rough estimate, I didn't made any measurements) and the contrast is certainly better.

And for watching distant shore birds when you will be keeping the magnification to the maximum, so I don't think I will miss the zoom.

I guess I will dare to try one of the larger magnifications, the result has been really encouraging.
 
Has anyone compared the Celestron Regal M2 80ED to a Pentax PF-80 ED spotting scope..?
I have the 100mm Celestron F-ED and I like using my Pentax 20mm Pentax XW eyepieces in both. I like the view a little better in the in the Pentax with higher contrast but I also like the angled Celestron . Here is a photo of them side by side with 20mm Pentax XWs in each and a video of the Celestron.
https://vimeo.com/38310601
 

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I have the 100mm Celestron F-ED and I like using my Pentax 20mm Pentax XW eyepieces in both. I like the view a little better in the in the Pentax with higher contrast but I also like the angled Celestron . Here is a photo of them side by side with 20mm Pentax XWs in each and a video of the Celestron.
https://vimeo.com/38310601

Thanks Jogiba,
I own a Celestron M2 80mm scope and have been offered a new Pentax 80ED for a very low price. I was thinking of getting my dad the Pentax, but if it is better than the Celestron, then he can have the Celestron scope with a new BH 17mm eyepiece :-O .... ( great video by the way )
 
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I have the 100mm Celestron F-ED and I like using my Pentax 20mm Pentax XW eyepieces in both. I like the view a little better in the in the Pentax with higher contrast but I also like the angled Celestron . Here is a photo of them side by side with 20mm Pentax XWs in each and a video of the Celestron.
https://vimeo.com/38310601
One other thing,.. when you attach the 20mm XW eyepiece on to the Pentax scope, how sharp would you say the views are beyond say 300 meters..? As Id like some advice on the best Pentax eyepiece to use for long distance birding, scanning hikers and raptors on the nearby mountains, with the Pentax 80ED scope.
 
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I have used this scope off and on this spring and summer. I am very happy with the quality and understand the good reviews this scope has received. The view is sharp and bright. I do not see the purple fringing that I saw when looking at bright snow in the winter. I am sure it is still there under the same conditions but I am happy with the scope overall. I paid around $500 for the Regal M2 80ED (I forget now if it was a Black Friday special or some Christmas special).

I am getting great close-up looks at bald eagles on the nest and peregrine falcons from far away. The view is great. As I am looking thru the scope and the quality, I keep thinking about doing some digi-scoping. Is the Celestron Universal adapter the best tool or are there other options? I plan to use small point and shoot cameras like the Panasonic LX-7.
 
I have used this scope off and on this spring and summer. I am very happy with the quality and understand the good reviews this scope has received. The view is sharp and bright. I do not see the purple fringing that I saw when looking at bright snow in the winter. I am sure it is still there under the same conditions but I am happy with the scope overall. I paid around $500 for the Regal M2 80ED (I forget now if it was a Black Friday special or some Christmas special).

I am getting great close-up looks at bald eagles on the nest and peregrine falcons from far away. The view is great. As I am looking thru the scope and the quality, I keep thinking about doing some digi-scoping. Is the Celestron Universal adapter the best tool or are there other options? I plan to use small point and shoot cameras like the Panasonic LX-7.

I appreciate that this thread is about the Celestron Regal M2 ED series but I wonder if anyone has been able to compare the Celestron M2's to what must be a close competitor, the Hawke Endurance ED series - 68mm and 85, also built in China for a European company, UK this time not US. Both brands are in the same middle sector of the market.
 
I appreciate that this thread is about the Celestron Regal M2 ED series but I wonder if anyone has been able to compare the Celestron M2's to what must be a close competitor, the Hawke Endurance ED series - 68mm and 85, also built in China for a European company, UK this time not US. Both brands are in the same middle sector of the market.

Hi Jonathan,
Ive not been able to compare my Celestron Regal M2 ED 80mm against a Hawke Endurance ED scope, but Im sure someone on here will have.
On a side note, I have a Hawke rifle scope on my .22 Weihrauch air rifle and the view is always very sharp.
 
Hey there,

Remember talk how the Baader Hyperion zoom didn't focus to infinity but can't find or remember if there was a solution for that with finetuning rings? Read 2 versions are delivered wirh the eyepiece , think 14mm and 28mm

What mags would it deliver on my m2 65?

Thinking of the investment; think the image becomes bit too blurry above 35x and hoping to get mag to 60x instead of current 48x
 
Hi,

the scopes that are known not to come to focus with the baader hyperion zoom are the pentax bodies. I didn't find info if the hyperion zoom works on the Celestron Regal series. If it does it will give you the same 16-48x zoom range as the zoom you got with the scope but the field of voew should be better (body focal length of 386mm divided by 8mm for high mag end and 24mm for low mag end).

Btw. there's no fine tuning rings for the hyperion zoom, only for the fixed length hyperions. But Baader offers a 2.25x barlow designed for the baader zoom - if it will work with the M2, we don't know. Baader mentions that it usually doesn't work with spotting scopes.

If the scope gets blurry past 35x, there's no need for higher mag, although an ed scope at f6 should be ok up to 50 or 60x. Did you try another EP around 6 or 8mm to double check that the zoom delivered with the scope is not at fault?
My old Kowa came too with the infamous 80s Kowa 20-60x zoom and with that was not sharp past 40x. I now use the body up to 85x... I guess more would be possible for astro use, but I have to find shorter EPs than 5mm.

Joachim
 
Upgrade from TS-611

I was just out this morning looking at shorebirds with my Kowa TS-611, a hand-me-down from my father. It works well enough with the 20x Wide eyepiece but higher power shows lots of chromatic aberration in this non-ED scope. Would the Regal M2 65ED be a substantial upgrade from the TS-611, for long -distance viewing? I have a number of astronomical eyepieces to use with it.

Assuming a good fixed eyepiece is used, what's the highest magnification the Regal 65 can deliver before the view starts to break down? I'm looking at the 80mm Regal too, but would prefer the lower weight and cost of the 65mm if it would meet my needs. Is the 80mm Regal "that much" better optically than the 65, anyway? In the astronomy game, it seems like larger aperture scopes often have more chromatic aberration and lower contrast than smaller aperture scopes of similar design. I wonder if the 80, while no doubt brighter, would really show substantially more detail.

Are there any close comparisons out there of the Regal 2 65ED vs the Pentax PF65EDii, the most obvious competitor?
 
Has anyone compared the Celestron Regal M2 80ED to a Pentax PF-80 ED spotting scope..?

I have the 65mm of both. I can't tell the difference. I use a Vixen 8-22mm eye piece on both.

The only drawback to the Celestron 65mm is that it does not balance. If you set it on a table, the mounting part is such that it tips backwards.
 
Question: I have the 65 for about three years now (very pleased for the most part) and always wondered if the twist-up ring on the eyepiece is supposed to be as light as mine? It has no resistance whatsoever even more a bit slack, so when I put my eye against it and move a bit, it rotates inward a bit again. Others experience this or is this some specimen variance?
 
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The thread was started 6 years ago and I wondered what the general verdict is for the regal scopes folks? Were most of the buyers satisfied, did the scopes bought back then all last and maintain their capabilities? Interested to know what all round score this item gets if say the alpha brands are a 10.
 
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The 65 was and is my first scope, so can only compare it to some Swaro's I've looked through in the field, and I'm still quite happy with it. A neutral color rendition, very good near perfect sharpness and clarity in almost every average viewing condition. It only falls short where it's obvious because of its 65mm lense; seawatching with darker weather, looong distance viewing on higher mags (about 35+) sharpness clearly decreases somewhat and in extremer light circumstances (darker objects against clear backgrounds) a little bit of colour fringing/ca can be seen. But in all average conditions viewing quality is fantastic, especially at its price point.
 
The thread was started 6 years ago and I wondered what the general verdict is for the regal scopes folks? Were most of the buyers satisfied, did the scopes bought back then all last and maintain their capabilities? Interested to know what all round score this item gets if say the alpha brands are a 10.

Belated answer, sorry.

Mine has endured quite a lot of abuse, including two hours under a rain shower with NO consequences. So it's certainly well built. It has some scratches in the rubber finish becasue I've carried it sometimes in a backpack with more stuff and without the light protection case it includes. Not being a stay-on case makes it more cumbersome.

The only problem it developed is the rubberised ring between the body and the eyepiece, which became sticky and looked quite filthy with hairs from my microphone deadcat. It's a common problem with some rubberised finishes. But I solved it cleaning it with a micro fibre cloth and some mild degreaser,
as suggested in this article about radio receivers.

https://swling.com/blog/2018/08/etons-solution-for-sticky-radios/

After doing that that sticky ring is now perfect.

After some years (I purchased it in 2014) with it I no longer worry about rain. It has also endured the Sun in Southern Spain (Doñana, Tarifa) sometimes getting quite hot. So, no problem with rain in the North, where I live, nor the sun heat in the South.
 
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