Celestron Ultima 8x40

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Brand and Model:Celestron Ultima 8x40
Price ($USD):$199.95
Attributes:un-checked Waterproof un-checked Armored
Objective Lens Size:40 mm
Magnification:8 x
Prism Type:BAK4 Porro
Coatings:Multi-Coated
Field of View:6.6 degrees
Eye Relief:19 mm
Near Focus:15 ft
Weight (lbs):21 oz.
Dimensions (w/h/d):
Description:An all around best buy with a solid quality feel in the hand, excellent balance and unbeatable utility. Delivers a sharp well contrasted image right to the edge. Surprised and impressed by these glasses.

Vote Highlights Vote
Celestron Ultima 8x40
Bought these discontinued Japanese Celestron Ultima 8x40 as New Older Stock off Ebay for $60. The optics are excellent out to 60% (pin point), and VG out to the rest of the way. Very light weight. A very good pair of binoculars for the money. Very light weight for its size, however not water proof.

One negative, the leatherette surface is chipping/rubbing away with modest handling. Doesn't effect usability, or grip, it just looks ugly.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=577250

Celestron Ultima 8x40
By now, these binos should be pretty cheap on the used market. If you can find a pair for less than $150 or so you may want to give them a whirl.

Some of the major bonuses these binocs provide are a 6.6 deg FOV, compact package, sharp on-axis images and extreme protability. 8x is pretty comfortable to do handheld observing without too much jiggling, but mount these on a lightweight tripod and enjoy the nice wide feild.

The only drawbacks are 40mm of apeture (50 is really nice for small binos) and some softness around the outer edges of the feild. I didn't notice this until I mounted them on a tripod and looked for it in a nice still image. When the image is shaking it's impossible to tell. Still, you'll be surprised what these things let you see even from the city. Even though they're only 40mm, you're still using both eyes instead of one. As a beginners first pair or to learn a deeper section of sky than your naked eye will allow, these do more than enough.

Very nice for the price.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Value:8
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=432721

Celestron Ultima 8x40
The optics are quite sharp, with pinpoint star images nearly to the edge of the 5 degree field of view. The full multicoatings do a great job eliminating scatter. I really appreciate the light weight, making them a joy to use hand held. The only drawback I noted was the field is a little small compared to some models, which is probably one reason why these binos. are so sharp at the field edges. However, that extra field would probably not be useful due to edge aberrations anyway.

Overall Rating: 10
Optics:10 Value:10
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=334798

Celestron Ultima 8x40
Wonderful little binoculars. Got mine on sale at Astronomics as a suppliment to my longer scopes. What I didn't expect was how these introduced me to a whole new world of astronomy.

My only other pair were your basic 7x35 Tasco's. But these are entirely different binoculars! Out of the box they are lightweight, but rock-solid. Looking in to the objective or eyepieces you can appreciate the deep green multicoating. Light just seems to fall into it. The focuser is stiff (but sure) and smooth. This thing oozes quality.

Under the night sky, stars are crisp points of light all the way up to about the last 10% of the FOV. Last night I verified I could just get Gamma and Beta Cassiopeiae into the same FOV, so the published FOV of 6.6 deg seems correct.

Now for impressions. Melotte 20, the Alpha Persei cluster knocked my socks off last night. It almost looked 3D. I had no idea this cluster was so beautiful. The Hyades, Pleiades, and a host of other brighter objects are an absolute treat. Larger binoc's will show more detail and fainter objects, but then you lose some FOV. These definitely should be considered as an astro accessory.

Downside? Well, a little more aperture is always nice, but these do a very decent job. Also the soft case is a little tight. I usually lose an objective cover extracting it from the case. The eyepiece cover is a one-piece of molded plastic that has it's plusses and minuses. It just loosly fits on the eyepieces, but has a cutout for a string to keep the cover with the binocs when you swing up for quick views. Individual eyecups would get dropped while trying to stuff in a pocket.

Yes, I recommend these as sharp, lightweight binoculars. A perfect compliment for your scope or Giant Binoc's.
Mike

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=324155

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