Which Celestron Spotting Scope?

Laura,

What is the application? Do you want to see .22 caliber holes at 250 yards - or are you interested in seeing .45 caliber holes at 50 feet? For indoor use I use a 50mm 20x scope, at 50 feet in a poorly lit range I can see .22 caliber holes ok. Outdoors I use a 20-60x scope with a 77mm objective lense. Neither of these are the brand you're looking at. My advice would spend as much as you can afford, you'll appreciate quality optics as your eyes age.
 
I'm looking to use this for the range so we don't have to walk up every time to see the shots. I'd like something good but not too expensive and this scope has decent reviews.
 
Celestron makes a number of spotting scopes that will do the job, but I recommend that you go with one that uses Maksutov-Cassegrain optics.

Most spotting scopes are refractors. That is, light is transmitted in a straight line from the object of interest to the eye, through a series of lenses. Same thing with rifle scopes.

Those that use Maksutov-Cassegrain optics are reflectors that use concave ground mirrors to magnify an image. Until recently, good reflectors were expensive, but the Maksutov-Cassegrain system, along with computer controlled machinery to grind the mirrors, brought the quality up and the prices way down.

The advantages of these scopes includes small size, incredible power and resolution, and VERY bright optics. No standard spotting scope can hold a candle to them. They can easily spot .22 caliber holes at 300-400 yards, even in low light.

The down side is that they are generally more fragile and they aren't (to my knowledge) nitrogen filled and sealed, so they're more prone to fogging.

I have a Meade ETX series telescope that uses the Maksutov-Cassegrain system, that cost me roughly a thousand bucks. The same quality and power telescope would have cost around $10,000. thirty years ago.

Even with the disadvantages, I don't think you'll regret going with a Celestron spotting scope that uses the Maksutov-Cassegrain system.
 
Wow! Those are very good prices on that page. The very first one on the page would be my choice - the C90 Mak. It should do everything you need it to do for your lifetime and beyond.

It's not clear, but I doubt that a tripod comes with that scope (although other scopes on the page do appear to have one). You will have to add one to your list of things to get or at least be sure the scope you decide on comes with one. Try to make it as sturdy a tripod as possible and with short legs that don't telescope themselves (those are very flimsy). Don't mistake an astronomical tripod for the one you need for a spotting scope.
 
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