Celestron Regal 100M2 , any opinion? (1 Viewer)

Hello,
Can someone who has used the Celestron Regal M2 100 tell me about their opinion or observation experiences with this model?
Thank you very much

pluton said:

Hello,
Can someone who has used the Celestron Regal M2 100 tell me about their opinion or observation experiences with this model?
Thank you very much

Click to expand...

I owned the M2 and Celestrons first generation of this 100mm scope. First, be prepared for a very large and heavy spotting scope. This will not be a tag along, anywhere travel scope unless it’s being transported by you in a car, driven to different locations, removed and set up short distances away. The two I had were set up on a open porch, protected from the weather and never transported. With this set up I found it to be a great long distance viewing scope looking out at the lake. I purchased 5, before I accepted to keep two and commit to returning the warranty registration card. I am not a zoom fan, but I think Celestron did a decent job with these. Eye relief was adequate, the view ok but I soon sold both zooms because I prefer fixed power eyepieces and think most here who have used fixed power eyepieces on this scope will agree provide a much higher level of performance optically. The one problem I had with using fixed power eyepieces with all the celestron spotting scopes I used was, how difficult it was to insert fixed power eyepieces all the way into their spotting scopes ocular opening. Lastly, your tripod will have to be robust and balancing issues were a problem with me.

I have the first generation (aluminum) Regal 80mm. Not the same as what you are looking at, but gcole got it right, these scopes are big!

I downsized to an 82mm Meopta S2 and the difference, well it' s a big difference if you intend to carry it around.

Celestron's zoom is in fact very good. I bought a Baader Hyperion 17mm for it and wow, that gives me a really nice 28x. I'm not sure what that would yield on the 100mm, you'd want to calculate that. Lots of Hyperions to choose from.

A nice scope, but think about size and weight, unless this will be a stationary scope. In any case it will want a big tripod to go with it.

Hi,

the Celestron Regal series is their top end series of spotting scopes and if you get a good example they can be nice optically (and quite frankly, I trust chinese made astro scopes more than the usual suspects in the spotting scope market to get at least decent optics to the customer).

The bug is that they are an astro manufacturer where size and weight are not so important and it kinda shows on their spotters too.. the M2 series is a bit lighter than the former F series, but still quite chunky.
On the other hand a Swaro ATX95 is 2.15 kg, the Regal M2 100 is 2.4kg - both with EP. Since you are probably going to have an additional 2.5-3kg for tripod and head to carry, are 350g really an issue? In my opinion, if you have something like a scopac or mulepack, it doesn't really matter.

PS: if you get one, buy it in person and test it well before buying it or buy online from a place with a no question asked return policy and test it right away!

Joachim

Thanks for all your opinions and advice.
I really want it as a stationary terrestrial telescope, for observations of birds and other animals and very distant objects ...
A long time ago I used a celestron Ultima 100mm achromatic, which at medium magnifications gave too much chromatic aberration, for me it was always a very handy telescope, I am also an astronomical observer and I am used to heavy and big telescopes, that is, always stationary !!
I have heard quite well about the Regal M2, of its optical and mechanical quality, maybe they are not an Alpha spotting scope but for the price if it gives me good images in the 60X environment I will be satisfied ..
I have been able to test the Celestron Trailseeker in its 80 and 100mm formats and they seemed very very acceptable, with good mechanics and an optics that would surprise the most confident of observers ... They are very very bright, they have very good treatments, but a from 50X they decline, so I am after a Regal M2 .. maybe I will be lucky and can get something better ..
On the other hand, I already have a tiny ED60 spotter that is very manageable to walk here and there with it, but from 35X it drops a lot ...
Thank you very much again.
Pluton.

The Regal can be a superb scope, not only decent.. I had a 65mm, the first versión, and it was a terrific scope in terms of sharpness, really as good as any 65 can get.. but it was as large as any 80mm scope can get!!!.. Had a huge prism housing, but small prisms. My scope was angled and the 45° prism is small, you could see the sides of the prism being narrower than the 1 1 /4 window. I don't know if the M2 has gotten any changes in the optics, I wouldn't say so, so the prism is going to be a bit undersized.. Some wide angle eyepieces were reported to show a cut out portion of the field of view, perhaps caused by this design. I imagine smaller prisms cant be brighter than oversized prisms so perhaps the Regal design could be a tad dimmer in direct comparison.. I didn't compared my 65 with other scopes directly, so i cant tell you, but I can assure you the scope can be very well corrected. The Regal zoom is quite decent optically.The issue with the clamp mount is also problemàtic,as gcole just pointed.. The clamp is too tight to insert and secure most eyepieces.This is, again, a review of the M1 versión, I don't know if changes were made to the M2.I think i slightly modified or changed the rubber seal ring of the mount, and fixed the İssue, I cant remember. The original versión was issued a crappy stay on cade that was to tight to proper fit, but the M2 has a quite nicer cordura case. So all in all a very good option, and the Regal would be my choice if I was going to get a scope in that price range. Of course for a 100mm is about the only option in ANY price range at the moment, except for the VERY expensive "others". One issue to make sure to check is the warranty and service in Spain. There are a number of serious distributors of the brand in Spain, but the importer is in Italy, and more likely the optics would be serviced there if needed..Make sure the distributor explains the terms of the warranty,service etc..I mention this because Celestron had a no fault warranty at a time, but they changed that at their conveniente, cancelling the no fault policy with no options for those that purchased the optics with that warranty.

pluton said:

Hello,
Can someone who has used the Celestron Regal M2 100 tell me about their opinion or observation experiences with this model?
Thank you very much

Click to expand...

Haven’t used the Regal but my personal experience is to stay away from Celestron optics. I have had two defective Celestron scope’s in the last three years. The most recent is an Ultima 100 which after seven weeks of light use had antireflective coating flaking off onto the inside lens. A local optics repair shop cleaned the lens twice over a two week period on my dime and when it happened a third time a week later the owner said the scope was defective and I should demand Celestron replace it under the warranty. I eventually got Celestron to agree and two weeks ago I returned it. Problem is, they told me they are so back ordered on much of their stock that I won’t see a replacement scope (which I hope is new, not refurbished) until sometime next year. I also had a Celestron Landscout that had the lens fall out. Luckily that was within Amazon’s 30 day return window. Needless to say, $600 poorer and sitting around with no scope, I am not impressed.

Maybe the current situation has impacted production deadlines and affected Celestron stocks. They agreed to exchange your scope even after a third party had worked on it. This fact alone, would have voided any warranty of any manufacturers. Yet they are nice enough to replace the scope within reasonable timing, current entire world chaòtic infraestructure situation considered.Sorry about your trouble, but I dont see Celestron really at fault here.
Who sold you the scope?... and why didn't you go the warranty route to start with?.. ,perhaps the seller would have (should by law) replaced it right away...

mayoayo said:

Maybe the current situation has impacted production deadlines and affected Celestron stocks. They agreed to exchange your scope even after a third party had worked on it. This fact alone, would have voided any warranty of any manufacturers. Yet they are nice enough to replace the scope within reasonable timing, current entire world chaòtic infraestructure situation considered.Sorry about your trouble, but I dont see Celestron really at fault here.
Who sold you the scope?... and why didn't you go the warranty route to start with?.. ,perhaps the seller would have (should by law) replaced it right away...

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I purchased the scope through Celestron’s Amazon store, not a third party. The defect appeared after the 30-day return window had closed.
I didn’t go the warranty route right away because I assumed (wrongly) that the blacks specs were either dust on the lens or that I had scratched the lens, neither of which is covered under the warranty.
The warranty prohibits unauthorized repairs. Having your scope examined and cleaned by a qualified optics repair shop does not invalidate your warranty.
How is this not Celestron’s fault? They sold me a scope that had defective anti-reflective coating. Which is why they agreed to replace it. As I said in my post, this is the second Celestron scope in three years that was defective. Both were purchased through Celestron’s Amazon store, not a third party. If Celestron is dumping defective optics on Amazon, that is not a good look.
The backlog to replace defective scopes is nothing new. Other customers have complained of long waits to receive replacement under warranty well before Covid.
I stand by my warning to those thinking of buying Celestron optics. They may stand by their warranty, but after spending hundreds of dollars do you want to be waiting months to use your new scope?

Qualified or not, the guy that cleaned your scope İS a third party, and not an authorized celestron repair tech..Dust inside the eyepiece is not covered by warranty? I think you are wrong.. If You bought the scope through Amazon you should have contacted them right away and ask what was covered and what warranty they offered, even after the 30 days return period. One Thing is the 30 days return period and another would be the Implied warranty or warranty of merchantability, and Amazon is always going to honor those.. And the qualified guy that took your dime, for the repair or cleaning or whatever you guys agreed to do to your scope, should have known, being yours a fairly New scope.
Amazon is what it is ,and I have gotten a few defective, or less than perfect articles from them BUT they would return your money no questions asked if a serious complaint is issued, that I assure you. We all know that. They even returned my money at least once and let me keep the product..And Celestron.. Well.. You got a deffective scope and they are going to give you a new one,.. You have to wait to get it though them.. Sorry.. Amazon would have done it faster.. Always ask the seller first.. Its common sense.
So I undesrtand you are frustated,but I, again, dont see Celestron at fault in this particular issue.What I think is that you took the most complicated and the less efficient route to deal with your problem, and now you want somebody to blame. Blame Celestron if that makes you feel better, but that doesn't have much to do with the Quality of The Celestron Regal or Celestron products in general.

mayoayo said:

Qualified or not, the guy that cleaned your scope İS a third party, and not an authorized celestron repair tech..Dust inside the eyepiece is not covered by warranty? I think you are wrong.. If You bought the scope through Amazon you should have contacted them right away and ask what was covered and what warranty they offered, even after the 30 days return period. One Thing is the 30 days return period and another would be the Implied warranty or warranty of merchantability, and Amazon is always going to honor those.. And the qualified guy that took your dime, for the repair or cleaning or whatever you guys agreed to do to your scope, should have known, being yours a fairly New scope.
Amazon is what it is ,and I have gotten a few defective, or less than perfect articles from them BUT they would return your money no questions asked if a serious complaint is issued, that I assure you. We all know that. They even returned my money at least once and let me keep the product..And Celestron.. Well.. You got a deffective scope and they are going to give you a new one,.. You have to wait to get it though them.. Sorry.. Amazon would have done it faster.. Always ask the seller first.. Its common sense.
So I undesrtand you are frustated,but I, again, dont see Celestron at fault in this particular issue.What I think is that you took the most complicated and the less efficient route to deal with your problem, and now you want somebody to blame. Blame Celestron if that makes you feel better, but that doesn't have much to do with the Quality of The Celestron Regal or Celestron products in general.

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You don’t know what you are talking about. I did contact Amazon and they do not refund your money or exchange defective items past 30 days. After 30 days it is between you and the manufacturer, ie. the manufacturer’s warranty. And the Celestron warranty is very clear. It is only invalidated if unauthorized repairs modify or replace parts on your optics. Cleaning your lens does not invalidate your warranty. It even says in the owners manual to only have qualified technicians clean your optics, which is what I did. Celestron is honouring their warranty not as some favour to me but because they have no reason not to honour the warranty.
You are clearly a big fan of Celestron optics. Good for you. I’m not.

Hi,

the question whether a company is allowed to use the warranty to force the buyer to use only authorized workshops or any qualified workshop is allowed to work on the items has been fought over in many courts (usually by the car industry) and it really depends on your legislation if that is enforceable or not.

I am not quite convinced that the black speck is actually a coating defect - even if the AR coatings would have flaked off - which is rare - just removing the flakes still leaves a coating defect.

My money is on some black paint flaking off - actually the presence of black paint in there is a good idea as proper blackening of lens edges and metallic surfaces will greatly increase contrast, but of course not so nice if it flakes off...

Celestron being an astro company probably expected their usual customer base to quickly unscrew the objective cell and use a blower on the back element... which might not be such a good idea on a nitrogen purged spotter...

On the other hand you can have similar or worse problems with alpha brands - Kowa had black specks inside their eyepieces for their top end series lately (each EP costs as much as the Regal kit) and Leica had coatings on their scopes some years ago which didn't react well to salt water - which nobody noticed in Wetzlar but british birders on seawatch were less amused after their front elements were completely ruined.

Joachim

OK.. You didn't mention that you contacted Amazon right away and they asked you to contact celestron.. You said you bought it on the Amazon Celestron Shop.. Maybe it's an external vendor, in that case
Amazon might stay out of it.. Still they usually try to help or compensate.. Are you in Vancouver,BC or Vancouver WA?.. . Still i dont know why you took the scope to this guy three times to keep cleaning a clearly deffective scope ınstead contacting Celestron right away. Also what Joachim just said is totally true.. Optics costing not hundreds but thousands also fail sometimes.. Kowa flaking zooms were a problem for many and even Swaros ATx had a batch of fogging Units. Celestron are honoring the warranty.. If they don't have stock, perhaps due to the current situation even.. What you think they should do to make you happy?

gcole said:

I owned the M2 and Celestrons first generation of this 100mm scope. First, be prepared for a very large and heavy spotting scope. This will not be a tag along, anywhere travel scope unless it’s being transported by you in a car, driven to different locations, removed and set up short distances away. The two I had were set up on a open porch, protected from the weather and never transported. With this set up I found it to be a great long distance viewing scope looking out at the lake. I purchased 5, before I accepted to keep two and commit to returning the warranty registration card. I am not a zoom fan, but I think Celestron did a decent job with these. Eye relief was adequate, the view ok but I soon sold both zooms because I prefer fixed power eyepieces and think most here who have used fixed power eyepieces on this scope will agree provide a much higher level of performance optically. The one problem I had with using fixed power eyepieces with all the celestron spotting scopes I used was, how difficult it was to insert fixed power eyepieces all the way into their spotting scopes ocular opening. Lastly, your tripod will have to be robust and balancing issues were a problem with me.

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Hi gcole,

I am looking for my first 80mm spotting scope under $1000. Celestron seems like a decent option, but there's not much information available on the M2 version. Celestron marketed their 100F-ED as having a fluorite lens, whereas the M2 only has HD glass. Could you share some insights on how the two Celestron Regal models, the 100F-ED and the 100 M2 100ED, compare in terms of optical performance? Also, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on how they stack up against the Pentax PF-65ED, despite its smaller aperture. From reading some of your threads, it appears you have spent quite a lot of time with each of them.


Best regards,
Dime.

Hi,

we can safely say, that no celestron spotter has an objective with a fluorite crystal element. The only spotting scopes with those would be from Kowa (TSN-3/4, 823/4, 883/4 and 99) and Optolyth (HDF/APO models in 80 and 100mm)

But the -ED part of the model designation points clearly to the use of extra low dispersion aka ED glass... which probably contains flouride ions in variable amounts, but no fluorite crystal.

As for quality, unfortunatety sample variation is quite high with spotting scopes, so carefully testing your example before buying or inside a return period is important. We have seen lemons from $$$$ alpha brands...

Joachim