What would £500 get me? Lightweight scope with 1.25" removable EP wanted. (1 Viewer)

[sbpbirder]

Well the clue is in the title. I've around £500 (or more!) to buy a lightweight (birding) angled scope that has a removable 1.25" eyepiece. I want to mostly use it for birdwatching but as per my previous thread, I also would like to point it at the night sky with some w/a astro lens (did that sound knowledgeable, lol). Thanks.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Think I've already mentioned this model in your previous thread? Should be enough money left over to buy a half-decent tripod too, such as this or this.

 

[sbpbirder]

Think I've already mentioned this model in your previous thread? Should be enough money left over to buy a half-decent tripod too, such as this or this.

I'm keeping that scope in mind But the Velbon tripod is a bit heavy. I've got an old Slik88 that is going to a charity shop. I'm waiting for an Amazon Warehouse Rollei c5i carbon tripod to turn up to check it out.

 

[Jkloz]

Celestron Regal 65m2 — florite objective ,magnesium body , comes with good eyepiece that focuses sharp throughout its range( upgrade to the baader hyperion mark 4 zoom ep $300 and it gets really good ) I also use fixed ep’s a 24mm baader (68 afov) is great for moving objects . The Regal also used the same multi coating as the Celestron telescopes which are real good .This scope is as good or better than the pentax in this price range but it comes with a eyepiece which the pentax doesnt . I’ve been very happy with this choice for a entry level scope - works good for digiscoping and isnt to heavy .

 

[jring]

I also use fixed ep’s a 24mm baader (68 afov) is great for moving objects .

Hi,

does the Regal 65 work with the Baader 24mm 68 deg or do you get some edges of the image circle cut off by a too small prism?

PS: To the original poster - there is a used example of the predecessor of the Regal M2 available at London Camera Exchange for 300 quid... no difference optically, the older version was a tad heavier at 1,7 kg vs 1,3 kg with the newer version.

Second hand cameras, camera part exchange, digital cameras UK, used cameras, photographic shops, England

The London Camera Exchange supplies second hand cameras, new cameras, digital cameras and other camera equipment and provides a camera part exchange in photographic shops all over England, UK.

www.lcegroup.co.uk

Joachim

 

[sbpbirder]

PS: To the original poster - there is a used example of the predecessor of the Regal M2 available at London Camera Exchange for 300 quid... no difference optically, the older version was a tad heavier at 1,7 kg vs 1,3 kg with the newer version.

Joachim

Thanks, I'll take a look at the lighter version, at c1.3kg that's about right for me - my 'pit pony' days are over!

 

[mbb]

If you are living in the UK, for around that budget, I would usually recommend a second hand Opticron MM3 or MM4 scope with HDF or SDL eyepiece, but I don't know if you can use some astro eyepiece with them (via some adapter). But they have some good eyepieces (old or new).

 

[wllmspd]

The Opticron cannot use Stro eyepieces as the ep hope is too small. I have made a shim so I can compare the Opticron zoom and the Baader mk4, but I haven’t got round to it yet.
Some people have found the svbony 406p (60/80mm versions)quite good and it can take (some) astro eyepieces.

Peter

 

[Jkloz]

Hi,

does the Regal 65 work with the Baader 24mm 68 deg or do you get some edges of the image circle cut off by a too small prism?

PS: To the original poster - there is a used example of the predecessor of the Regal M2 available at London Camera Exchange for 300 quid... no difference optically, the older version was a tad heavier at 1,7 kg vs 1,3 kg with the newer version.

Second hand cameras, camera part exchange, digital cameras UK, used cameras, photographic shops, England

The London Camera Exchange supplies second hand cameras, new cameras, digital cameras and other camera equipment and provides a camera part exchange in photographic shops all over England, UK.

www.lcegroup.co.uk

Joachim

The 24 mm baader 68 degree works great , with no chopped edges or anything like that . My favorite of the fixed eps i have — also have the baader 8 mm - works great - and celestron excel s - 12 mm and 18 mm - which work great except there is some starring effect on artificial lights at night which you dont get with the baaders

 

[JakeM]

I would not put too much stock into the Regal's use of a "fluorite objective". there is a long thread on this forum back in 2009 (posts 113 to 116 when you find the thread using the search function), when the scope came out. I had the Regal 80 mm. it was a large and heavy scope. But very capable. i now use a svbony 406p. it is noticeably lighter and outperforms the Regal optically. The later would be my recommendation. (i ordered from a well known online company which offers free and easy returns. this is important as there are always less than satisfactory samples of any scope. fortunately i received one that performs very well ...)

 

[sbpbirder]

I would not put too much stock into the Regal's use of a "fluorite objective". there is a long thread on this forum back in 2009 (posts 113 to 116 when you find the thread using the search function), when the scope came out. I had the Regal 80 mm. it was a large and heavy scope. But very capable. i now use a svbony 406p. it is noticeably lighter and outperforms the Regal optically. The later would be my recommendation. (i ordered from a well known online company which offers free and easy returns. this is important as there are always less than satisfactory samples of any scope. fortunately i received one that performs very well ...)

It does help. My 'A. warehouse' Rollei c5i carbon tripod turned out to be a carbon City Traveller with a leg that had detached! FFS! It's on it's way back 'Free Returns'!

 

[jring]

I would not put too much stock into the Regal's use of a "fluorite objective". there is a long thread on this forum back in 2009 (posts 113 to 116 when you find the thread using the search function), when the scope came out. I had the Regal 80 mm. it was a large and heavy scope. But very capable. i now use a svbony 406p. it is noticeably lighter and outperforms the Regal optically. The later would be my recommendation. (i ordered from a well known online company which offers free and easy returns. this is important as there are always less than satisfactory samples of any scope. fortunately i received one that performs very well ...)

Hi Jake,

I have not found any mention of a fluorite objective on the specs for the Celestron Regal - this would be false advertisement as the Regal uses ED glass and not a fluorite crystal element. So does the Svbony 406p.

Joachim

 

[JakeM]

 

[JakeM]

the above was taken from a Sept 18 2022 posting. number 11. and if you check the 2009 discussion that i referenced earlier you will see that to be the case.

 

[Jkloz]

the above was taken from a Sept 18 2022 posting. number 11. and if you check the 2009 discussion that i referenced earlier you will see that to be the case.

Ty , thats only written in a few places and i didnt have time to go look it again . The Regal is a really good beginner scope and add a baader zoom to it ,it gets alot better .

 

[jring]

the above was taken from a Sept 18 2022 posting. number 11. and if you check the 2009 discussion that i referenced earlier you will see that to be the case.

Hi,

if this is indeed printed on the Regal packaging, it certainly should have a lens made from artifical grown fluorite crystal, which kind of implies that it was either made by Canon Optron (Kowa, Takahashi, Borg and some others) or LZOS, a former soviet and now russian military supplier (LZOS, ISTAR and probably TEC) or Kombinat Carl Zeiss Jena (the legendary CZJ APQ series) back in the days...
All options are not cheap and don't really fit a fairly budget spotter like the Regal series...

You can test by shining a green laser pointer into the objective and carefully observe from an angle (be very careful not to look directly into the reflection, let alone straight into the laser pointer... green models are often surprisingly strong).

With normal or ED glass, each element will show as fairly bright reflections on each surface connected by a fine line where the light scatters on microscopic bubbles and impurities.

With a grown fluorite crystal the line between the two surface reflections is missing due to a lack of bubbles or impurities.

Joachim

 

[henry link]

Hi Joachim,

A green laser test was done by FrankD. As you can see Celestron's claim of a pure Fluorite crystal element was just flat out false.

Celestron Regal F-ED65

Steve, I didn't realize the Edmund printing quality had gotten so bad. I use a Edmund glass slide mostly now (which is perfect through Group 7), but my old Edmund card and chart from 20 years ago are good through about Group 2, so I've never had to use such long distances. I have a 100' set-up...

www.birdforum.net

Henry

 

[Jkloz]

Hi Joachim,

A green laser test was done by FrankD. As you can see Celestron's claim of a pure Fluorite crystal element was just flat out false.

Celestron Regal F-ED65

Steve, I didn't realize the Edmund printing quality had gotten so bad. I use a Edmund glass slide mostly now (which is perfect through Group 7), but my old Edmund card and chart from 20 years ago are good through about Group 2, so I've never had to use such long distances. I have a 100' set-up...

www.birdforum.net

Henry

Thats a completly different model from 14 years ago . That test was done in 2009 🙁

 

[Jkloz]

Hi Joachim,

A green laser test was done by FrankD. As you can see Celestron's claim of a pure Fluorite crystal element was just flat out false.

Celestron Regal F-ED65

Steve, I didn't realize the Edmund printing quality had gotten so bad. I use a Edmund glass slide mostly now (which is perfect through Group 7), but my old Edmund card and chart from 20 years ago are good through about Group 2, so I've never had to use such long distances. I have a 100' set-up...

www.birdforum.net

Henry

Dated 2009 and is 14 year version of the regal .