Celestron Granite 8X42 (1 Viewer)

It may be worth noting that Jason Whitehead (Best Binoculars Reviews) rated the Celestron Granite 8X42 the Best Birding Binocular 2012 (http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/Celestron8x42Granite-93.htm). I recently bought one from Eagle Optics to replace my Pentax DCF WP 8X42 (circa 1998). Whitehead's review, another review at Optics4Birding (http://www.optics4birding.com/celestron-granite-ed-binoculars-review.aspx), praise from Eagle Optics and impressive specs led me to make the purchase (had narrowed it down to the Celestron or the Eagle Optics Ranger ED). My impression after a week or so is unreservedly positive. The image is brighter than that of my very good Pentax binocular, the weight is in the same ballpark and the Celestron is noticeably more compact. Great fine focus (as noted in the Whitehead review it's two full turns from minimum to infinity) might take a bit longer than some models, but the payoff is in a crisp, sharp focus. Exceptional field of view for a binocular in this price range. Even comes with a harness in addition to the usual (somewhat basic but sufficient) strap.

The Celestron No Fault Lifetime Limited Warranty was replaced by a more conventional lifetime warranty in 2012, but Celestron extends no-fault coverage to any binocular sold in a box on which the no-fault warranty is specified. I was gratified to find that my purchase qualifies for no-fault coverage.

I'm glad you are happy with your Granite 8x42. I tried it at a bird show last summer and it didn't particularly impress. The sharpness and contrast wasn't quite the match for similarly (UK) priced pairs I tried that day and found the focus slow and stiff. Perhaps not a good sample. Not for me. I did like the 12x50 though. Not technically great, but very steady in my hands for a comparatively light 12x.

David

P.S. I am very much looking forward to trying the Granite 7x33 when it gets to the UK.

You need to buy from an authorized Celestron Dealer and have a receipt.

This warranty is valid to U.S.A. and Canadian customers who have purchased their binoculars or spotting scope from an authorized Celestron dealer in the U.S.A. or Canada. Warranty service outside the U.S.A. and Canada is valid only to customers who purchased from a Celestron Distributor or authorized Dealer in the specific country and please contact them for such service.

typo said:

I'm glad you are happy with your Granite 8x42. I tried it at a bird show last summer and it didn't particularly impress. The sharpness and contrast wasn't quite the match for similarly (UK) priced pairs I tried that day and found the focus slow and stiff

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Of course my own satisfaction is strictly subjective; I certainly haven't devised a test protocol to measure performance. The presumably independent reviews certainly were one consideration during the purchase process, but the bottom line since delivery has been my own conviction that the image is a step up from the very satisfactory performance of my Pentax DCF WP 8X42.

Gary H

mooreorless said:

You need to buy from an authorized Celestron Dealer and have a receipt.

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Steve: Thanks for explicitly stating what I left implicit. In addition, the Celestron customer service contacts with whom I communicated (by phone & email) suggested that I retain the box itself (with the "no fault" stamp) as an additional precaution.

Gary H

Hi Gary, I bought a Celestron 8x42 Regal LX cheap off a fellow on Astromart and the diopter quit after a while. I didn't have a receipt and the fellow never answered my PM on that site to see if he had a receipt. I sent it in thru Lost Creek Shoe Shop and Celestron fixed it, I had to pay. I think it was $60. I only had $185 in it after all that. I gave it to a friend. Good advise from that fellow at Celestron. I think I would take pictures of the binocular, box , how you packed it etc. just to cover all bases if sent in for warranty.

typo said:

P.S. I am very much looking forward to trying the Granite 7x33 when it gets to the UK.

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David, i'll look fotward to your review.

cg

I owned the 10x42 Granite for a while and it does have very impressive optics, and the build quality also feels a bit more substantial than some cheaper "ED China bins". It was surprisingly bright and very sharp in the center with minimal color fringing and a very smooth and precise focus knob, and FOV was very wide for a 10x. I also agree the accessories with the included harness were quite nice.

I ended up selling it though for a couple of reasons.

- like many budget widefield ED's, I found that the sweet spot was rather small and the image degraded considerably outside the central 50% or so. Some do this more gracefully than others, and I found the blurring outside the sweet spot to be excessive for my tastes.

- the focus knob, as mentioned, is quite smooth and precise but it is too SLOW for my tastes. I found myself having to make too many "finger swipes" to get from distant objects to close-in birds.

I now have the Zeiss Terra ED in 10x42 and much prefer it. Feels similarly robust and solid in the hand, just as bright and sharp, and the sweet spot is larger with a more gradual fall-off. The tradeoff is a slightly narrower FOV. Also, the focus knob is smooth and precise but much faster, with 10ft to infinity happening within 1/2 turn of the knob.

A lot of that is personal preference though. If you prefer an open bridge model, slower focus ratio, and a wider FOV, and don't mind the lesser sweet spot, then the Granite (or the Zen ED3) is quite appealing as an alternative.

Note: most retailers are promoting an instant $100 rebate (presumably offered by Celestron) for four of the models in the Granite series. The rebate is effective through October 31, 2013.

Gary Hunter