Celestron Ultima 2000-8

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Brand and Model:Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Price ($USD):2699
Type:Schmidt-Cassegrain
Attributes: checked Go-To checked PEC
Aperture:203mm (8")
f Ratio:f/10
Focal Length:2032mm
Finder:7x50
Electric Power:12 V (8 AA batteries)
Mount:Heavy Duty Fork
Tripod:Adjustable Metal
Weight (lbs):39 lbs.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:Comes with 26mm Plossl, Star Diagonal, Visual Back, Hand Controller



Celestron's Ultima 2000-8 Page


Vote Highlights Vote
Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I've had my U2k for 18 months and love it. Other scopes were a Criterion RV-6 (6" Newtonian on German EQ) and an ETX-90 EC. All scopes are a compromize and this one has some neat features. The optics are great, as good or better than the other SCTs I looked thru. Handles high and low powers very well. The mount is very solid and even on a wedge gives little problem. The ability to grab it and push the scope to a new position without losing star alignment is fantastic but it means you need to balance accessories carefully. A good trade. I'm taking photos and find good results on: wide angle piggyback, prime focus moon and sol, high power afocal planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn), and bighter nebulas (Orion and Swan). Fainter nebulas and galaxies are aluding me (for now). Haven't tried CCD yet. Goto is very good but you have to take the time to line up the right stars. Planets aren't off (like other reviews state) the scope just assumes midnight. The tour and object information in the computer is OK but not nearly as good as an Autostar. The optics get a 10 (for SCTs), the mount gets a 9, and the computer gets an 8 which equals 9.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38206

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I gave the mount a 9 because it sometimes keeps slewing past the object. No problem, hit a direction key, and re-slew to the object. Ease of use also gets a 9 because of the user manual not being the easiest to understand due to the key-press charts they made that tend more to confuse rather than clarify the use of the hand controller.

In spite of that, in my opinion this is likely Celestron's finest consumer level scope! It's design is well thought out, very sturdy, very elegant, and the optics are superb! It may look more clinical than today's scopes, but that's only because it was definitely engineered to its purpose as an astronomical instrument. Too bad it's no longer available brand new.

Of this scope it can truly be said, "They just don't make 'em like they use to!" I, for one, am thankful I was able to get one.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Mount:9 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=593839

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Positives
Excellent optically, cannot stress this fact,
The mount can be manually moved without losing alignment, which is a nice touch.
Light weight mount, yet sturdy and solid, motors are extremely quiet.
Negatives:
PEC must be re-trained each power up, and RA worm gearing quality is mediocre.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:10 Mount:8 Ease of Use:8 Value:8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=77102

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Easy to set up. Nice bright, clear optics. The go-to functioned beautifully on the first night out. The ring nebula centered in the low power ocular first try. The manual is clear and easy to understand. Most components feel solid with very little plastic. The battery covers are fragile looking however. The mount is solid, sets up easily, and fixing the scope to it is aided by a central guide pin. The motors track and slew very quietly. Overall I'd rate it a nice scope, more substantial looking than some of the newer Nexstars.
M Kates

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38213

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Star Test performance is quite good - Strahl Index = .87
Light weight makes easy portability
Good "goto" pointing
Clutches allow manual moveing of scope without need to realign afterwards
Operates on 12V external or internal.
Interfaces with "The Sky", "SkyMap Pro", "Starry Night"
Allows "Fastar" imaging at f/1.95 as in a Schmidt camera

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38212

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I am 15, and I got this scope as a present. I absolutely love the simple 2 star alignment, and easy navigation with the hand controller. The optics are supurb. I star tested my scope, and in performed beutfully.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38211

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Have had mine for 3 months now. Optics very good after slight collimation. Puts objects in the 8.8 Ultrawide eyepiece every time, except Neptune and Uranus. Can't get it to locate Neptune and Uranus even though I set it for the following day. Mount O.K. Tracks perfect. Very quiet. In my opinion the only advantage the Meades have is better pointing accuracy. Very nice scope for under $2000.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38210

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Scope is light weight, good optical performer, marginal reliability,
marginal robustness.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38209

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Excellent, impressive optics considering it is an SCT. Star test is superb. Relatively light and easy to set-up. I have owned both the Meade LX-200 and Ultima 2000. The Celestron wins hands down for the following reasons: comparative lightweight, superior optics, Celestron's customer service and tech support (Meade is atrocious!), power requirements (12 volt, 8 AA batteries vs. 18 volt AC power supply), and MUCH quieter slewing. The only area where the Meade is better is in the pointing accuracy, but with a 35mm Widefield eyepiece the Celestron will place everything in the field of view with a proper two-star alignment so this point is not as critical as one may originally think it would be. I also prefer the Spartan-like look of the U2K.
I strongly recommend the use of the Celestron counterweights with the U2K if you will be using heavier 2" eyepieces or CCD imaging, as the U2K is more sensitive to balancing than the Meade LX-200. Again, this issue is somewhat exaggerated in importance in my opinion, as it is virtually eliminated with the counterweights.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38208

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Star tests very well, very fine optical performance. Hand controller interface not terribly intuitive, but generally effective. Have now mounted permanently under a dome, and am amazed at the ability to slew from object to object without the need to realign. Very effective computer control, puts every object in the database into the finder, every time.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38207

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