The Binocular Site

Celestron Binoculars

Overview

Originally founded by Tom Johnson under a different name, Valor Electronics, the company eventually changed to Celestron. It was sold in 1980 and has since shown impressive growth, but there have been several ownership changes between 1980 and 2002, until a few people in the senior management team purchased everything.

Celestron is a design, manufacturing, and importer leader for many optical devices. They continue to produce innovative products with great designs and excellent optics. Its products are well known to amateur astronomers for their well-made telescopes, and often the choice for those individuals familiar with the different manufacturer products.

The binoculars are made with the same technology and innovation as the rest of their optic devices, making them a great choice for quality. They make binoculars for regular use, but also make several models meant for stargazing, expanding on options that started with their telescopes. They also make digital camera binoculars for taking pictures of the great close up views.

Ranges:

The binoculars from Celestron are grouped into seven series. The Noble series have premium roof prisms and extreme near focus, the UpClose series includes low cost compact and full size models, and the Outland or enhanced Outland LX series are the outdoors enthusiast's choice because they are waterproof and rugged. They also have a series of astronomy binoculars in the SkyMaster series, although they can still be used for long distance horizontal viewing, and a line of digital camera binoculars the VistaPix series

Some of the more unique binoculars are grouped into the Specialty series. This series includes a marine model with an integrated compass, one with electronic zoom, and another with an LCD screen that displays functions including a compass, clock, and stop watch.

Magnification:

There are 9 different fixed magnifications found on Celestron binoculars. You can find a model of binoculars with any of these magnification levels 7X, 8X, 9X, 10X, 12X, 15X, 16X, 20X, and 25X. SkyMaster has one model with a fixed magnification level of 25X, the 25X100, and two models, UpClose 7X35 with a Porro prism, and the Specialty series Oceana 7X50 WP-IF/RC, have the 7X magnification.

The Upclose, SkyMaster and Specialty series each has a model with a variable magnification. The Specialty Electric Power Zoom has a variable 8X to 24X, the UpClose 10-30x50 Porro has a variable 10X to 30X, and the SkyMaster 25-125X80 Zoom has the best variable magnification level with 25 to 125.

Objective Lens:

Celestron binoculars will have an objective lens within the range of 21mm to 100mm, with the average overall being about 40mm. There are very few models close to the 100mm range. The SkyMaster 25X100 binocular have the highest objective lens of all Celestron models, making it great for its main purpose: watching stars at night when there's very low lighting. The UpClose 8X21 with the roof prism is the only model with the 21mm objective lens, but several VistaPix models have 22mm.

Field Of View (F.O.V.):

Due to some of the high level magnifications available on Celestron binoculars, some models have a very low field of view. The F.O.V range across Celestron's product line is 65 to 430 ft. at 1000 yd. The UpClose 8X40 binocular with porro prism has a F.O.V of 430 ft. The SkyMaster series has two Zoom models with the low end 65 ft. F.O.V, the 20-100X70 and 25-125X80. The low F.O.V is a result of their high level of magnification.

Product Offering:

Celestron offers seven series of binoculars and 37 models. One of those series is the digital camera binocular series VistaPix that includes 6 models of binoculars with digital camera capabilities.

They also offer a large selection of optical equipment. The make other optical products similar to binoculars such as spotting scopes, both regular and digital, and microscopes. In addition to those they make optical tubes and the SkyScout series of stargazing tools.

Price Range:

The price of Celestron's binoculars ranges from about $13 to just over $300. The Celestron UpClose 10X25 with the roof prism can be purchased for as little as $12.99, and the most expensive, the Regal LX 10X42 binoculars, is available for $316. Approximately half of all models available are under $100, and the rest gradually increase to $316.

Warranty:

Celestron offers a No-Fault warranty on all their binoculars except for the VistaPix camera binoculars. No-Fault means that Celestron will repair or replace unusable binoculars even if damage occurred as a result of misuse, it's not necessary to disclose what happened to the binoculars.

The product needs to be returned to Celestron with the proof of purchase and the shipping prepaid in the amount of $25. This covers the shipping, handling, and inspection. They also will need to know your name, address, a phone number where you can be reached, and a description of the problem/damage. If a replacement is necessary and the model is discontinued, Celestron will issue a comparable model.

Popular Binoculars:

One of the popular Celestron brands available is the SkyMaster 15X70 Center Focus binoculars. These giant size astronomy binoculars can be purchased for $83.99, and they have much to offer for star watching and regular use. They include the BAK-4 prisms with a porro type and their lenses are multi-coated to enhance contrast and allow maximum lighting making them ideal for nighttime astronomy. They also have a magnification of 15 and an eye relief of 18mm for eyeglass wearers. It is tripod adaptable, waterproof, comes with a soft case, and has a No-Fault warranty.


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