Hi there, I own a handful of different binoculars which I have used for both birding and astronomy, the most recent set of IS binoculars really made me realise what a pleasure it is not to have any wobble, so I have decided to purchase a spotting scope. I don't want to drop any silly money to start with, so was scanning this forum and reading lots of reviews, I had ended up settling on the SVBONY 406P 80ED 20-60x which is about £280, but it turns out that the Celestron Regal M2 80ED XLT 20-60x which normally sells for >£600 is currently on the most famous online shop (AZ) for £360. So I decided to get them both to compare. FYI i have never done a scope review before, so am sure i will miss stuff, do ask.
I have yet to get a tripod to mount them on, so currently just sat on a wall looking at birds and trees in overcast conditions. I will update with my take for astronomy and in better light conditions in due course, but thought I'd share some thoughts here and ask anyone else if they have tried the two.
Size and feel:
The SVBONY is significantly smaller and shorter, much easier to handle and completely covered by a nice rubberised grippy substance. The focus is smooth and easy to use with a nice ratio between the fine and coarse focus. It sits on top of the barrel. There is a rubber cap for the end which is attached to the scope, so you can't lose it.
The Celestron is much bigger and only the back half is rubberised, with the barrel of the scope magnesium. It is a little heavier but not hugely so. The focuser feels pretty similar and is easy to use but sits on the right hand side so lefties will need to learn to use their right hand. The end cap is a plastic piece which you need to pocket.
Eyepiece:
The SVBONY has a 1.25 inch eyepiece that has a friction grip to hold it in. It has no more than 1.5cm eye relief, I will measure it when I get a chance but both scopes are less than they claim. The Celestron also has a 1.25 inch eyepiece, though there is a locking mechanism which I will have a better look at when I get a chance. The eyepiece has an aluminium cup which screws over the top to protect it, compared to just a rubber cap for the SVBONY.
Seeing:
This is where I need to spend some more time. I honestly couldn't see a huge amount of difference between the two. It was as grey, dark overcast day, so flat light and not much of it. I was looking at a pigeon 200m away, a parakeet 40m away and some branches against the sky 30-100m away. The FOV is nearly identical at both ends of the scale, both scopes were a little less sharp towards the edges as you would expect, but given the prices not bad at all. There were vague hints of CA with the branches, but again much better than I would have expected. The centre of the images was pin sharp, colour representation was pretty similar, though at 60x it did feel rather dark and flat, especially when compared to my Nikon 8x32 binos. Unsurprisingly both looked best around 40x. Some of the flatness of colour could just be the grey day. There was little evidence of distortion, though i think I need to mount on a tripod and move around to get a better feel for that, though certainly nothing to complain of.
To finish:
I found that I had to move the eye relief on the SVBONY around as I zoomed, which I didn't need to do on the Celestron. I wanted to like the SVBONY more as it is more compact and cheaper, but my gut at the moment says I preferred the experience of the Celestron. But still early days, I will test some more and revert back and add some pictures. I would love to hear from anyone else as to why the Celestron normally retails for twice the price, as there really isn't much noticeable difference between the two, they are 80mm with ED glass. Cheers.
I have yet to get a tripod to mount them on, so currently just sat on a wall looking at birds and trees in overcast conditions. I will update with my take for astronomy and in better light conditions in due course, but thought I'd share some thoughts here and ask anyone else if they have tried the two.
Size and feel:
The SVBONY is significantly smaller and shorter, much easier to handle and completely covered by a nice rubberised grippy substance. The focus is smooth and easy to use with a nice ratio between the fine and coarse focus. It sits on top of the barrel. There is a rubber cap for the end which is attached to the scope, so you can't lose it.
The Celestron is much bigger and only the back half is rubberised, with the barrel of the scope magnesium. It is a little heavier but not hugely so. The focuser feels pretty similar and is easy to use but sits on the right hand side so lefties will need to learn to use their right hand. The end cap is a plastic piece which you need to pocket.
Eyepiece:
The SVBONY has a 1.25 inch eyepiece that has a friction grip to hold it in. It has no more than 1.5cm eye relief, I will measure it when I get a chance but both scopes are less than they claim. The Celestron also has a 1.25 inch eyepiece, though there is a locking mechanism which I will have a better look at when I get a chance. The eyepiece has an aluminium cup which screws over the top to protect it, compared to just a rubber cap for the SVBONY.
Seeing:
This is where I need to spend some more time. I honestly couldn't see a huge amount of difference between the two. It was as grey, dark overcast day, so flat light and not much of it. I was looking at a pigeon 200m away, a parakeet 40m away and some branches against the sky 30-100m away. The FOV is nearly identical at both ends of the scale, both scopes were a little less sharp towards the edges as you would expect, but given the prices not bad at all. There were vague hints of CA with the branches, but again much better than I would have expected. The centre of the images was pin sharp, colour representation was pretty similar, though at 60x it did feel rather dark and flat, especially when compared to my Nikon 8x32 binos. Unsurprisingly both looked best around 40x. Some of the flatness of colour could just be the grey day. There was little evidence of distortion, though i think I need to mount on a tripod and move around to get a better feel for that, though certainly nothing to complain of.
To finish:
I found that I had to move the eye relief on the SVBONY around as I zoomed, which I didn't need to do on the Celestron. I wanted to like the SVBONY more as it is more compact and cheaper, but my gut at the moment says I preferred the experience of the Celestron. But still early days, I will test some more and revert back and add some pictures. I would love to hear from anyone else as to why the Celestron normally retails for twice the price, as there really isn't much noticeable difference between the two, they are 80mm with ED glass. Cheers.
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