• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Celestron Regal M2 ED Series - 2013 (1 Viewer)

Josh Exmoor..Thats a nice deal..30$ for that eyepiece is a no-brainer (again ,Vortex sales an adapted version of it for 200 $)...You will like it..
Image wise the Regal Zoom is very nice to my eye..Of course it gets dim a max power,and this is more noticeable in dark conditions,but the image remains nice and sharp..
If your scope is not getting a nice sharp image at 60X and you need to go back to 50x to get a pleasant view,You need to test the optics for aberrations,and If the scope doesnt perform reasonably well,..return it on the bases of miscollimation..Although ,and for what You are saying ,It seems that your scope is pretty good....
but please give it a try and Star-test the scope ,..It is a way to understand your scope performance to a basic level, and its fun
 
It's been a few weeks since I've gotten my Regal M2 80 as well as the 16mm flat field eyepiece described above. Unfortunately, sunset is at 4:30pm in Seattle this time of year and typically thick cloud cover make it difficult to do much scope viewing in the hour before that so I've only managed to make it out a couple times. Here's my early impressions.

Compared to the cheap scope I was coming from (Konus 20-60x80) the main difference was size of the image circle. I have no way to measure it, but even with the standard zoom it was obviously much larger going back and forth. Image was definitely sharper and didn't have the same gets-larger-but-with-no-additional-details effect above 45x that the Konus had. The Regal didn't really stark lacking additional details until above 50-55x.

First day I had it, I took it out to one of our local raptor hotspots in search of a Prairie Falcon that had been seen there on and off for a couple weeks. I scanned a large area before finding a good candidate about 3/4 of a mile away. The view wasn't great, but it was enough to see the wing extension and general shape and size of the bird.

A few days later I had the opportunity to compare it side-by-side with a Swarovski scope of similar specs in the field. We were looking at a Gyrfalcon about 3/4 of a mile away. At high zooms, the Swaro really blew the Regal out of the water, but considering the eyepiece costs more than what I spent for the whole scope I felt pretty good about what I could see. The Swaro didn't ever lose details as it zoomed, but we were in the best case scenario for light since it was a clear, cool day in the late afternoon and on a warmer day I think both would have been equal due the limitations of mirage.

I finally got a chance to take the scope to a few of my favorite marine locations. These types of places were my main goal for this scope and especially the 16mm eyepiece. This is Puget Sound so on a cool day with no wind you are only limited only by optics. With my old scope often struggled with alcids and loons and I often had to ID based on shape alone, which is difficult at times. The 30x/16mm really came through here. Nice wide image circle with lots of depth of field and a bright image. I didn't have my old scope on hand to compare side-by-side, but I was able to seperate Pacific and Red-Throated Loons at places I know I haven't been able to in the past and this was late in the day with the sun in front of me. Best $30 I've ever spent. My only issue came with a few distant birds where 30x wasn't quite enough and I needed to swap back to the zoom to be confident of the ID. I'm tempted to try a ~10mm eyepiece for those days when I need extra reach. I think a fixed eyepiece might perform better in these situations.

Scope quality seems good overall. Built like a tank, from what I can tell, but I still would like a hard case to keep it in since it rarely leaves my car. The screw-on eyepiece cover is awesome. I lost the front objective lens cover on my first day out, somehow, so I'm hoping it's a standard 82mm camera lens cover. The stay-on case is my biggest complaint. You can't really leave it full on while your scope it mounted and have to move it to an awkward position to even mount the scope at all.
 
Hey everyone, I'm reading this thread with great interest, & just ordered a " Celestron Regal M2 100 ED Spotting Scope / Digital Camera Adapter-Universal " , which I should receive, within a few days.

My purchase was based highly, on the " Reviews " posted.

I'm new at all of this, & have a few questions. I hope some of you , will provide a bit of additional guidance,I.E; " Eyepieces " .

I was initially looking at the " 80 ED with the Long Eye Relief Eyepiece", but decided on the bigger scope. I guessed, that I could later add a long eye relief eyepiece , " IF " needed it ..?
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/celestron-regal-m2-80ed-spotting-scope-ler-eyepiece.html

I reviewed the " Celestron " online catalog, and found a " Long Eye Relief Eyepiece ".
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/ler-eyepiece.html

Questions:
1. Is this the same one on the " 80 ED Long Relief Eyepiece " ?

2. Do I need some sort of adapter, to use it on the " 100 ED ". Or is it a simple drop in unit ?

3. Are there any other ( Better Quality / upgrade Drop in ) similar , Long Eye Relief Eye Pieces, sold by other vendors ..?

Thanks for any advice !

L.M.
 
Last edited:
1. L.M. look at the specs on field of view 80mm > 2.1 on the 80ED Regal link and then look at the eyepiece specs for the Long Eye Relief Eyepiece link> 2.1 for the 80mm I would say this is the same eyepiece, both list 32mm ER.
2. You should not, it is a 1.25"[32MM] eyepiece that fits these scopes.

3. Probably. Sorry couldn't help on this one.
 
3. Are there any other ( Better Quality / upgrade Drop in ) similar , Long Eye Relief Eye Pieces, sold by other vendors ..?
L.M.

There are (e.g. 30-32mm and 40-42mm plossls), but the question is why/for what to you need LER? For different uses there are different better solutions...
 
Eyeypiece

IMG_4437_edited-1_zps7c47d4fb.jpg


Hi everyone,

I've been looking at " Kowa Scopes " for years, but couldn't justify buying one of their high end scopes.

I'm currently retired (LEO), with a bit more idle time on hand, to pursue my hobbies.

Unfortunately, I have toooo many hobbies, & have to budget myself, or lose my " Beer Budget " ( My wife Rules ).

So, I needed to find a reasonably priced scope, with lots of versatility, to fulfill my wants, in order.

1. Bird / Nature observation / Star gazing (Traveling/Camping excursions).
2. Easy to use; with " Prescription Eye Glasses " (Long Eye Relief ?).
3. Camera friendly.
4. Portable.
5. Easy to use; to share with grandkids (Buying points, to convince wife).;)
6. For use on the Shooting Range (Long Eye Relief ?); JOB related activities.

I'm also involved in the " Shooting Sport / Activities ", specifically " Youth Activities "; Boys Scouts Merit Badges / 4-H Clubs, etc. (all volunteer work)

UPDATE: I received my scope on Monday. After a brief inspection, I decided to order the " Long Eye Relief, 32mm Eyeypiece " from Celestron ( 30x using M2 100 ED Scope).

My only current complaint,,.. the " Carrying Case " does not fit. I called " Celestron " Tech Support Unit, & spoke with a young man.

His explanation; " The cases are a tight fit ".

I told him; " It doesn't fit period. My conclusions were,.. the case was sized for the " M2 80 ED ".

He responded; " I'll have to make a note ( He took my personal info ) . We might be able to find one .. ? But, we don’t assemble them here. You might have to ship it back to us, & we will send you another boxed unit “.

I responded; " Okay.. but, what would that solve " IF " , where ever they are assembled, and boxed ? Someone might be pulling the wrong carrying cases, from the wrong bins, one after the other ? I might be in the same situation, along with a hundred other customers ?

He responded; " That won't happen. We will open the box " QC " ( Quality Control ? ) before we ship it out ".

I'm now waiting to see " What they decide "..?

Oh well, I'm going to give it a thorough testing and evaluation, with a few of my " Club Members ". A few of them have " High Budget Scopes ", which to compare against. ( 100 yards – 1000 ).

p.s: I do have a few extra " Eyepieces ", from a previous low budget purchase (Meade 90mm Telescope).
1. Meade Super Plossl 40mm
2. GS-5 15mm

Again, thanks for all of the responses & advice :t:

EDIT:
I just received in todays mail, my " Long Eye Relief Eyepiece ",.. that was fast :t:
IMG_4441_edited-1_zpse7035c1a.jpg


L.M.
 
Last edited:
Carrying Case

" ................
My only current complaint,,.. the " Carrying Case " does not fit. I called " Celestron " Tech Support Unit, & spoke with a young man.

His explanation; " The cases are a tight fit ".

I told him; " It doesn't fit period. My conclusions were,.. the case was sized for the " M2 80 ED ".

He responded; " I'll have to make a note ( He took my personal info ) . We might be able to find one .. ? But, we don’t assemble them here. You might have to ship it back to us, & we will send you another boxed unit “.

I responded; " Okay.. but, what would that solve " IF " , where ever they are assembled, and boxed ? Someone might be pulling the wrong carrying cases, from the wrong bins, one after the other ? I might be in the same situation, along with a hundred other customers ?

He responded; " That won't happen. We will open the box " QC " ( Quality Control ? ) before we ship it out ".

I'm now waiting to see " What they decide "..? ........."

L.M.

FYI:

I just received an e-mail informing me that I will be soon receiving a replacement carrying case.

That was a pretty fast response !:t:

L.M.
 
Last edited:
LM,

Glad to see you received such quick service. I have to say that that specific combination you have going looks like it would be excellent! I wonder how wide of a field of view the long eye relief eyepiece has?
 
Long Eye Relief Eyepiece

LM,

Glad to see you received such quick service. I have to say that that specific combination you have going looks like it would be excellent! I wonder how wide of a field of view the long eye relief eyepiece has?

I'll be at the range on "Saturday" ( Marked Distance 100-1000 yards ) along with fellow cub members. A few (National Level Competitors ) have lots of knowledge & time looking thru " Quality Optics ".

L.M.
 
The case that came with my Regal 80mm was too small as well, but Celestron sent a replacement pronto. It looks identical to the original, just a smidge bigger. It's surprising that they still supply M2's with small cases.

LM, unless you really need all that eye relief, you might look into the Baader Hyperion line. 20mm eye relief and widefield as well. I have a 17mm Baader that yields 28x on the 80mm and wow that is a NICE view!

Of course at the range that extra long (32mm) eye relief would come in handy and widefields are less important.

Mark
 
Carrying Case

Hi everyone,

I just received a replacement carrying case (Black Case ). It appears to be of a slightly different design,and slipped right on without any effort.

IMG_4471_edited-1_zpsd34c44af.jpg

Side by side comparison.

IMG_4470_zps2c4c29e2.jpg

Scope fits inside case, with the " Balance plate " attached ;)

My only concern,.. theres not much padding on the case.

L.M.
 
Last edited:
I have the Celestron M2 80ED. What is a long eye-piece I can use on the scope for more reach? Would it be easy to take the standard eye-piece off the scope and put on the longer one from time to time?

BTW, I am really enjoying the scope. It is much brighter and sharper and less CA than my previous Alpen 786.
 
LM,

Glad to see you received such quick service. I have to say that that specific combination you have going looks like it would be excellent! I wonder how wide of a field of view the long eye relief eyepiece has?

I'm a newbie , so I'm not sure what your asking ..?

However, I pulled this off the " Celestron Website "

32mm Long Eye Relief eyepiece
Apparent Field of View 2.5 (65 mm)/2.1 (80 mm)/1.8 (100 mm) °
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/ler-eyepiece.html

Additional " FYI ". I'm not sure if the below " Zoom Eyepiece" is the same one used on the " Regal M2 Series " ?

Deluxe Zoom Eyepiece 8-24 mm - 1.25” & 2”
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/deluxe-zoom-eyepiece-8-24.html

L.M.
 
Last edited:
Field Evaluation

Hey Everyone..Just back from the range
IMG_1152_zps7aa34d49.jpg

The match was @ 600 yard Targets. ( 85 degrees / Wind N at 14 mph gusting to 21 mph: Range flags)

Target Butts, were @ : " 200 / 300 / 600 yards / 1000 yards ".

I focused on the " Scoring Ring Numbers ", to determine " How Bright & How Clearly " , I could read the Scoring Numbers " 10 - 7 " @ 600 yards.
( 7, 8 , 9 : 1 1/2 inches H x 1 inch W )


IMG_1136_edited-1_zps021e0a1b.jpg


Photo of Locking Ring & inserting " Eyepiece " example.

IMG_1137_edited-1_zpsce3087f2.jpg

There was a bit of wiggle/play, even after tightening the locking ring.


The " Long Eye Relief Eyepiece " was a bit of a disappointment. I wasn't able to properly focus, without having to crunch against the rubber eye cup spacer. I had to remove the rubber portion, to get a clear, & consistent eye relief.
IMG_1140_zps72dc0fb7.jpg

With Rubber eyecup

IMG_1141_zps7df88b3e.jpg

Without Rubber eyecup.

I eventual figured out a way to fold down ( half sized ) the rubber eyecup, to provide the proper " Eye Relief " , without having to crunch down on rubber eyepiece portion.
IMG_1153_edited-1_zps75ba0efc.jpg

Sorry for the fuzzy photo.


IMG_1146_zpsd7f6ef00.jpg

" IF " , I hadn't bought the " Long Eye Relief Eyepiece ", I would have been pleased with my ( Old Purchase ) " Meade Super Plossl 40mm " ( A very comfortable 30mm Eye Relief ) , which had a wider field of view, but was slightly less sharp, in reading the target scoring ring numbers.
http://store.meade.com/meade-series-4000tm-super-plossl-40mm-1-25.html

In my opinion , the sweet spot on the " Zoom Eyepiece " appeared to be somewhere between " 45x -56x ", more power & things start to get a bit fuzzy.
IMG_1145_zps754b1146.jpg


There was a club member with a "OPTOLYTH 100mm Spotting Scope "
IMG_1139_edited-1_zps544df7c7.jpg


Yup, it was much shorter & lighter !
Yup, it was clearer & brighter !


Just my two cents.:t:
 
Last edited:
In my opinion , the sweet spot on the " Zoom Eyepiece " appeared to be somewhere between " 45x -56x ", more power & things start to get a bit fuzzy.

Hi L.M.

First of all thanks for your review :t:

I want to ask how much of that fuzzyness ... could be some due heat mirage? zoom limits?

It would be great if someday you can try a fixed eyepiece on the 67x range!

Thanks again
 
Hi L.M.

First of all thanks for your review :t:

I want to ask how much of that fuzzyness ... could be some due heat mirage? zoom limits?

It would be great if someday you can try a fixed eyepiece on the 67x range!

Thanks again

I'm not sure...?

This was my first testing: Heat Mirage / Haze ( 85 degrees / Wind N at 14 mph gusting to 21 mph ), dust in the air, had to play some part with " Sharp / Clear Visibility ".

236range_label_zps81663c9d.jpg

I'm sure, there was plenty of dust fog in the air, as the Shooting area creates a funnel effect ( Canyon ).

I did arrive early in the morning before daybreak. However, it was already windy @ 0630 hrs, and there weren't any object, I could objectively focus on.

600_Yd_Center_zps04283a7d.jpg

I waited for the targets to be set-up ( 37 " x 37 " Black Bullseye / Light Tan paper ) and focused on the Scoring Rings numbers ( 7 , 8 , 9 : 1 1/2 " H x 1 inch W ) @ 600 yards.

For the record: I couldn't see any " .30 Caliber " Bullet holes on the paper targets.

I was able to identify a single Target & Stand @ 1000 Yards, but couldn't clearly see the Scoring Rings or numbers.

I'll be continuing my testings, to include Digital camera photos, using the " Universal Camera Adapter ", along with my current Cameras ( Nikon Coolpix 5600 / Cannon A1100IS).
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/celestron-digital-camera-adapter-universal.html

I'm not looking forward to buying a dedicated camera @ this point, or any additional " Eye Pieces " (??).

Hopefully,.. I haven't offended anyone, or taken over this thread with my postings ...?

p.s: Most of the other member were using, new & older well used " KOWA Spotting Scopes ".
IMG_1144_zps51d0f0a4.jpg


A few comments/opinions:

PRO:
1." Good Quality Optics ", & comparable to the " KOWA ".
2. Brighter, than " KOWA ", in most cases.

CONS:
1. It's Huge, & too Big, to lug around.
2. Questionable on durability, & warranty, ..compared to " KOWA " service.

I heard several stories on how " KOWA " took care of them; " Fixed / Rebuilt " like new, their old well used scopes (Broken Lenses / Cracked Housing, etc.).

L.M.
 
Last edited:
Celestron M2 100 ED Review

I was a bit concerned.. I've been posting photos & activities, that might ruffle a few feathers (Competitive Shooting?), since its not directly related to " Bird & Birding " @ this point in my testings.

Thanks ;)

L.M.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 4 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top