Celestron Ultima 10x50

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Brand and Model:Celestron Ultima 10x50
Price ($USD):$249.95
Attributes:un-checked Waterproof checked Armored
Objective Lens Size:50 mm
Magnification:10 x
Prism Type:BAK4 Porro
Coatings:Fully Multi-Coated
Field of View:5.0 degrees
Eye Relief:21 mm
Near Focus:29 ft
Weight (lbs):27oz.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:These Versatile Binoculars Ensure that No Detail Eludes Your Eye, from Near Surroundings to Distant Views.

BAK-4 Porro Prisms
Fully Multicoated Lenses
Long Eye Relief for Comfortable Viewing
Center Focus Knob for Smooth, Easy Focusing
Excellent Depth of Field
Soft Leatherette Finish for a Smooth, Comfortable Grip
Tripod Adaptable
Extra-Wide Cloth Neck Strap
Deluxe Padded Soft Carrying Case and Lens Covers Included
11' Near Focus on the 8x32 Model – a Favorite with Bird Watchers!

The finest complete series of binoculars available. These Ultima Series binoculars are sleek in appearance with superb image quality that rivals the very best European models. They have been rated as having exceptional performance for the price.

They're very lightweight, making it easy to have a top quality binocular as your constant companion, so you don't lose an opportunity to see a special bird or vista or that crucial touchdown you don't want to miss.

Celestron Ultima Series Binoculars

Vote Highlights Vote
Celestron Ultima 10x50
Celestron Ultima 10X50 and 8X40 in reference to astronomical applications:

I've been looking at the skies for nearly a decade through everything from 60mm refractors to an 8" SCT and whenever there were a few bucks to spend toward my astro-addiction I seldom thought "Forget that Nagler, how about a good pair of binoculars?" I already had a few lying around through the years including Nikon's Travelite 10x25's and a Pentax 20x50 so why bother? Well, the Nikon's were just that: for traveling and light use in absolutely bright conditions. Those poor little 25mm "eyeballs", no matter how meticulously made can only gather so much light The Pentax 20X50's with its big 20x magnification will give the handheld user about as much luck holding steady on a celestial target as Oswald would have with a 12 guage: images were too shaky in the FOV and unless you had a tripod they got way too heavy to hold, and they got that way really fast. Hey, if I'm gonna drag out a tripod it'll be for the SCT. They made the whole point of being binoculars useless. And all that trouble for so-so optics to boot. Anyway, it was time to induldge in some good optics that could allow a gaze at the stars in a moments notice. Enter the Ultima's.
Not being sure which would really satisfy me, I picked up both the 8x40 and the 10x50 Celestron Ultima's. I knew the 7x50's were out of the question for 2 reasons: they are the same size and weight of the 10x model and any hint of light polluted skies gets way too amplified in them.
The 10x50 model was excellent, I'd go as far as saying they were of heirloom quality. Now thats good! The focuser had a somewhat heavy feel to it that impressed me as a quality precision instrument rather than as a point of difficulty. The smooth but consistently heavy movement of it was fantastic at bringing images into perfect focus unlike those of other models which have such a light twist it makes under focusing and over focusing a chore in finding the "sweet-spot".
Once focused, I was delighted. Daytime views were sharp and pleasing as expected, but no more so than any other run of the mill binocular. It takes a starry sky assessment to really evaluate what these things are made of.
Finally, night sets in..Ralph Waldo Emerson would have dug these binos! My first impressions were actually "wow, what I've been missing!" Stars resolved to pinpoints in the center FOV. Conditions weren't the absolute greatest so it would be unfair to really pass judgement on how sharp they held up at the edge but it was pretty close to center sharpness. A look at the moon gave me another surprise. It lacked the awful chromatic abberation present in the Pentax although there was an ever so slight hint of it. This wasn't a bad thing though as it actually looked cool rather than the result of imperfect manufacturing. At 10 power I was able to see more craters with razor sharp edges than I could with the 20 power Pentax's. Now that says a lot. The feel in my hand were so comfortable I don't think fatigue ever set in. They're pretty light and the Ultima line has a good weight distribution balance which kind of makes them feel right at home. I was so impressed I almost opted not to give the Ultima 8x40's a try. But just to be sure I opened the box and gave them a go.
Result? I'm so glad I did open that box because all the above, from razor sharp views, and yes, even BETTER contrast resulted from these 8x40's. In addition, I detected NO chromatic abberation at all.. zilch, zero, nada.. ! I guess its a lot easier to perfect the glass in a 40mm objective than a 50mm. I suppose the same principle applies here albeit to a smaller degree, that achromatic refractors are exceptional instruments up to about 4" after which chromatic abberation becomes a serious problem making it increasingly more neccessary to go to APOchromatic format. Good glass gets harder to maintain the bigger it gets. A good point to consider when weighing the pro's and cons between the two sizes.
Weighing almost a half pound lighter than the 10x50 I was surprised to be using something that felt even better in my hand. The 2x difference in power wasn't at all missed, in fact, I noticed a greater reduction in the "shakes" way before I noticed the slightly lower magnification. They're a lot smaller, lighter and deliver the same brightness as the 10's. And unlike the larger 10x50's, their more compact size will find them being sought out on many more occasions.
Basically, the 10x50's went back and for super fast astronomy on the go its the 8x40 Ultima's. I honestly believe I've found that great middle ground tool in binocular astronomy and ironically its in a 40mm objective. No overblown light polution, excessive size, and NEVER the reluctance to take them anywhere.
For binocular astronomy, my goal in testing wasn't to attempt to split-stars, etc,.. They are after all binoculars and not high powered telescopes. They fill their niche well: as a supplement to the telescope. A good pair will get you under the stars far more often than the average telescope because of their simplicity. Forget high powered binos. They're frustrating and as I've stated previously, will mandate the need for a tripod. Seeking out and purchasing a pair of those monsters will serve only to set you back a lot of money for what amounts to, assuming you have one already, another telescope with relatively low power. Completely redundant!
As far as either of the Ultima's tested go, for any amount of money, I just can't see a Leica or ?? being so much better for 5 times the price. I won't pretend that I know what absolute perfection is but I do know these Ultima's were pretty darn close to it. So don't pass up the 8x40's till you've tried them even for astronomy. You'll be surprised.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=137308

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Lightweight, nice mechanics, very sharp optics. These are premium Japanese made binoculars that I use almost exclusively for astronomy. They perform flawlessy and are an invaluable tool for locating faint deep sky objects for my telescopes. Nice flat field with pipoint star images well out from the center. I've owned this pair for over 12 years and they've held up to regular use very well.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=447912

Celestron Ultima 10x50
The Ultima 10 x 50 yields bright, sharp images across the 5 degree FOV, with very little distortion at the edges. They focus smoothly and give very sharp images. They feel lightweight, yet well made. The 21 mm eye relif means eye glass weareres can roll back the rubber and see the just about the whole FOV. My only complaint is that they come with a soft case that affords little protection for the binos. You'll want to buy or scrounge a hard case form somehwere. Highly recommended

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 4 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41899

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Very light and compact for this aperture. Incredible optics! Very sharp and clear with flat FOV. You can spend several times the money and not get such good optics. My favorite binocs!

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 2 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=67053

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Excellent binoculars that have a quality feel about them. Very comfortable to hold due to light weight construction. Crispy images with no noticable flaring. Eye relief is good. Value for money.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41898

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Apart from my Ultima 10X50s, I own 7X50 Fujinon and 10X70 Nikon binoculars, which make for interesting comparisons. The Ultimas are not as sharp to the edge as the Fujinon and Nikon pairs. But to my mind, they are sharper in the middle. Stars give me the pleasant sensation of sparkling in this pair, something that other binoculars do not give me. I have astigmatism, so that I usually stick prescription eyeglass lenses into binoculars to sharpen up the image. I've done this with my other pairs of 10X50s and got considerable improvement in sharpness, so that they nearly matched what I got in the Ultima without the eyeglass lens. But I got next to no improvement in the Ultima when I put eyeglass lenses into it - something that didn't make sense to me, but that was the case. Also, the Ultima 10X50s are very light to hold, and I enjoy the leathery feel of them. 10X50 binoculars are the best choice for a light polluted suburban sky. For example, in my backyard, any 10X50 easily shows up the two globular clusters in Musca - something which is pretty difficult for any pair of 7X50s, including my Fujinons. So, when I wanted a better than average pair of 10X50s for light polluted viewing, I bought the Ultimas - and I have not been disappointed. (Note: AstroOptix sold them to me for US$205, considerably cheaper than most other places.)

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41897

Celestron Ultima 10x50
I agree with others that at edge sharpness decreases. On bright objects such as vega there is a significant glow (bluish haze) around same. On the moon there is a barely noticable blue violet ring around the periphery. However the sharpness and contrast with the 10 X 50's more than makes up for the downside. I can easily see 4 moons on Jupiter on most evenings with only moderate seeing. I would definitly suggest a tripod mount for these.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41896

Celestron Ultima 10x50
This is my first pair so have nothing to compare with. The views are very clear. Easily see many Messier objects, lunar detail, and at least three of the moons of Jupiter. They are relatively light so arm fatigue is not a problem. At 10x, I have problem keeping the binoculars steady but that is not the binoculars fault. Mounted them on a camera tripod which made all the difference in the world.

02/06/01
czypin@telepath.com

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41894

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Previous binoculars were 8x24, which bacially introduced me to astronomy. I bought the Celestron Ultimas and quickly discovered what I had missed. Great images, got my Messier Binocular certificate with these. I still go back to them when I don't feel like setting up my scope. Only negative is that 10 power is about the limit for steady handheld viewing.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41893

Celestron Ultima 10x50
Brightness Ok, even under horrible Buenos Aires skies. Views not that clear to the edge, but would not pay four figures for that detail. Excellent seeing of Venus, Jupiter (four moons clear), and the Moon. Great at deep sky (lots of Messier and NGC, Omega Centauri is a killer and under dark skies even some galaxies are available (NGC 5128)

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=41892

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