Celestron M2 80ED Spotting Scope

[FLO]

The Celestron M2 80ED Angled Spotting Scope is in the Celestron Spring Sale. 

£589  £499  (Save £90)

 

It is of particular interest to astronomers because whilst it is supplied with a 20-60x Zoom eyepiece it also accepts 1.25" astronomy eyepieces, which is a major benefit if you already own a number of astro eyepieces   

Other features include an ED Objective lens element, Fully Multi-Coated Optics and a Nitrogen-purged (waterproof and fog-proof) magnesium-alloy body. 

It also includes a T-adapter ring to attach a DSLR camera and a soft padded case. 

[101nut]

Bit of a pain to put a finder on for astro work (nothing's flat!) but a really good scope for the money.

AndyG

[BinocularSky]

16 hours ago, 101nut said:

Bit of a pain to put a finder on for astro work (nothing's flat!)

It seems to have a groove-sight on the (presumably rotatable) objective shield; should be sufficient for 20x.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very Interesting. If my MaxVision 24mm 68 deg comes to focus in it, that would make a nice, light, wide-field unit

[FLO]

20 hours ago, 101nut said:

Bit of a pain to put a finder on for astro work (nothing's flat!) but a really good scope for the money.

 

4 hours ago, BinocularSky said:

It seems to have a groove-sight on the (presumably rotatable) objective shield; should be sufficient for 20x.

Steve is right, it has a sighting groove in the dew-shield. A separate finder is not necessary. 

18 minutes ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Very Interesting. If my MaxVision 24mm 68 deg comes to focus in it, that would make a nice, light, wide-field unit

We don't have a 24mm Maxvision to try but it should work okay, most 1.25" eyepieces are. 

The Celestron M2 80ED is primarily intended for terrestrial use so will appeal to astronomers who also enjoy birding and nature observation, or perhaps spotting aircraft or ships at sea. Having said that my first telescope for astronomy was a spotting scope very like the one discussed here with a 20-60x zoom and the ability to accept astro eyepieces (though the one I had needed an adapter to do that). The 45-degree viewing angle is very comfortable to use and the non-inverted view makes navigating around the sky a breeze. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

54 minutes ago, FLO said:

 

Steve is right, it has a sighting groove in the dew-shield. A separate finder is not necessary. 

We don't have a 24mm Maxvision to try but it should work okay, most 1.25" eyepieces are. 

The Celestron M2 80ED is primarily intended for terrestrial use so will appeal to astronomers who also enjoy birding and nature observation, or perhaps spotting aircraft or ships at sea. Having said that my first telescope for astronomy was a spotting scope very like the one discussed here with a 20-60x zoom and the ability to accept astro eyepieces (though the one I had needed an adapter to do that). The 45-degree viewing angle is very comfortable to use and the non-inverted view makes navigating around the sky a breeze. 

HTH, 

Steve 

I had birding in mind, and the 24mm would give the maximum FOV (probably rather better than the zoom EP at the long end). I do sometimes use my APM 80mm F/6 with a 22mm T4 Nagler and 2" 90 deg Amici prism for birding (performs extremely well), it is a bit heavy to lug around