Celestron Trailseeker 65mm Non-ED Angled Spotter (1 Viewer)

Hi everyone , A little over a week ago I came across this scope being sold for $100 off its usual price & decided to purchase it to see how it compared to the other low end non-ED spotters Celestron sells and to see if it could hold up to the Celestron Regal series with ED glass using low power eyepieces. First I would like to say it did not disappoint . It just amazes me how good the optics are coming out of China. I think Celestron will sell many at this price point. This scopes can be had for around $200 - $249. and sometimes considerably lower. The scope comes in the same type of foam packing as their top of the line Regals. The scope actually looks more expensive then its price point would suggest. From its smooth focusing to the nice zippered case. Its light with a nice texture rubber armor ... the scope just does not look or feel China cheap. The ocular lens cover snaps on nicely & stays on. The tripod foot has a solid brass tripod hole with threads that look solid. As far as the Zoom eyepiece its pretty good, I am not a real big fan of these type of zooms but it did provide a good view for my eyes right up to around 32x before it started to degrade both in the key hole view / clarity. Now the best part it will receive 1.25" eyepieces. First I tried the Regal M2 optional zoom. As Celestron touts this to be a and upgrade from the standard zoom is a understatement. The M2 /Regal zoom takes the scope up another notch making it in my opinion worth the xtra expense. I also tried Celestrons 26x wide they provide for the Trailseeker. That eyepiece was a big disappointment. Gave a soft not so clear view. The M2/Regal zoom at that power really blew that eyepiece away. The other eyepieces I tried were a Vixen NPL 25mm, for a inexpensive eyepiece it performed really well, a nice low budget eyepiece. Next came the more expensive low power Vixen SLV 20mm & 25mm. As one would expect they really made the Trailseeker shine. The last & most expensive is the Pentax XL21mm.... wow, giving a wide/alpha like view. Getting back to the upgrade M2/regal zoom, if a higher power is need above 20x , this zoom will not disappoint & I highly recommend it. The one negative thing I did not like about this scope... was what I did not like in all the other Regal series scope I handled, the eyepieces would go in 3/4 the way in then give much resistance to be fully inserted. Like there was to much pressure(air) in the ocular behind the eyepiece. If one just wants a non-ED scope that is just going to be used for visual viewing using 1.25" interchangeable low to medium power eyepieces I think it will please more than disappoint. I took a few pictures of the scope & its soft carry case. The eyepiece on it is the now discontinued Pentax XL21mm.

Hi Gwen,

thanks for the impressions - did you try higher mags than 32x with the Regal zoom or shorter fixed mag EPs?

Joachim

Using the M2/Regal zoom with my glasses on it gave very good clarity into the mid 40x. When one gets into 50x & beyond it is not very user friendly at least for me with my eyeglasses. I am not saying the view was bad just uncomfortable for me with glasses. I did not have any fixed eyepieces with focal lengths that produced powers over 20x but I think the specimen I have would do very well with some fixed Vixen SLV eyepieces with shorter focal lengths giving much higher powers. Besides its low price, I think this scopes strongest point is its ability to use some good quality fixed eyepieces. Celestron really did a nice job putting this package together, as I commented earlier about the standard zoom that is supplied with the scope most casual users would be completely satisfied with it. .... gwen