Celestron Ultima 2000-8

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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Counterweight balance is tricky. Saturn is miscalculated. Occasionally I find mysterious drift in alignment after a few hours. Cord wrap on does not seem to think or act like a human.

Great most other ways.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38185

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
The only negative comment is that remote communication software is a little inconsistant on when it will respond and when it won't -- if you do't have the hand controller in the main menu some commands are not available.

And I hate to enter the date EVERY time I want to lookup a planet

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38189

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
The Ultima is a joy to use. It's computer can slew to any of it's 10,000 objects placing it accurately on 9.7 mm eyepiece even when I align on Saturn and Jupiter from my light polluted deck.

The Fastar f/1.95 CCD option makes it the ideal scope for beginner CCD enthusiasts. The Light gathering ability at f/1.95 make it an excellent deep sky CCD system.

The Computer can be controlled (on a PC) by 'The Sky' ( Software Bisque ) and
'Sky Map Pro' Making control even more friendly.

The Celestron optics are as usual fabulous.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38190

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
There are some significant mistakes or omissions in the manual, though overall the manual is excellent.

Putting the U2000 on the wedge significantly decreases the stability of the system.

The GO TO feature is not particularly accurate on solar system objects. I had to figure out that the closest pointing to planets comes from entering the date in the controller in GMT, NOT local time. There is no mention of this in the manual.

The Polaris finder scope is excellent - I have used it by itself for low power observing.

The clutch system does not perform well when the scope is loaded up with camera, adaptors, reducer / corrector, extra weights, etc. As there is a good chance that these items WILL be used on the scope at some point, I would like to have seen a clutch system with greater load capacity.

Superb clarity and brightness.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38191

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
The optics are great. I like the portability of the instrument (ie: it uses batteries). The motor is very quiet and the goto accuracy is very good except for the planets. I usually enter the ephemeris in the computer for Mercury, Uranus, & Neptune. I wish I didn't have to enter the date every time I use the U2k for the planets. Also like the convenience on moving the telescope manually and it still knows where it is. There are some errors in the database. The telescope does not come with a printout of the Star database but you can request it from Celestron. The listing has some omissions and errors. Occassionally the centering motor will not turn off after it has found the desired object and continues to move on. Celestron admits it is a software bug that has yet to be found.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Extremely portable. Great optics. It sometimes likes to keep slewing after locating an object. I can sometimes stop it by pressing one of the direction buttons on the controller. Great finder scope. I like that it'll accept a reticle illuminator when needed. Easy to set up. Easy to align. I like being allowed to move it manually without it losing it's place. All in all, I use this scope more than any others I have. That is the ultimate testimony!

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38193

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
If ease of use is a prime consideration, the U2K is great. It is possible to haul it outside, set it up, and be viewing your favorites within 5 minutes. The weight is heavier than the advertised 39 lbs... it's more like 50 lbs., but it is easily moved in two pieces. Accuracy of the computer is good, except on the planets. Don't expect to find Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto with it. They will be no where in sight. If you have their coordinates from another source, they can be entered (all be it with some difficulty) and goto will put the scope on the money. There has been much written about balance being critical on the U2K. I haven't found this to be the case. I go from light weight eyepieces to heavy ones without ever rebalancing the scope. Celestron has made some modifications on the altitude clutch to reduce the balance problem. Early versions of the scope are not Fastar (f 1.95) compatible, but the current ones being manufactured are. Optically the scope performs well. The "seeing" (atmospheric conditions)is almost always more of a factor than any limitations of the optics.
Overall, a great package for the casual to advanced amateur.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
The Celestron Ultima 2000 is a joy to use. I previously owned (since 1974)a Cave Astrola 8 inch Newtonian on a German equatorial mount. I have seen more and done more astronomy in the last 2 1/2 years than in the provous 25. The scope is easy to set up, align, and use. I built an "Ed Stewart Sled" using a furniture dolly and can be outside, aligned, and observing in 5 minutes. If I need to change locations because of trees, etc., I can pick up the entire assembly and move it. i would not want ot march in a parade with it, but carrying it 50 feet is reasonable for an everage size person. Like all SCT's, it needs to be aligned for best images, and gives spectacular images on Jupiter, Mars, the Moon, etc. Under dark skies, a Messier marathon is simply a matter of coffee, warm clothes, and how much time you spend enjoying each object. With a deep sky filter, the Orion nebula is spoectacular from my suburban front yard, with two streetlights within 100-200 feet. It would take an hour to draw all the detail visable. With solar maximum aproaching, sunspots are abundant and well shown. I can even see graininess spread across the Sun's surface early in the morning. The Ultima 2000, the Orion DeepMap 600, and a comfortable observing chair are all you need for many nights of enjoyable observing. Balance has not been a problem for me. I have used every combination of the Celestron DewStar dew shield on front and a TeleVue 2 inch diagonal with PanOptic 35 mm eyepiece, and could only unbalance the scope by totally removing the diagonal/eyepiece from the back. Otherwise, the clutch holds just fine for me. If you buy one, joing the SCT users group at http://hometown.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index4.html. We would love to help you get started with your U2K.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
after buing this scope 2yrs ago i was very disappointed with it
from day one there was a major fault on the electronric drive,after set up it would several times a night zoom all over the sky on it's own
after 4 month it went back to the importer who after had it for 5 month and was unable to fix it ,i had a full refund and brought a 10 inch reflector
and no it was not in tour mode

Overall Rating: 4
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38197

Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Functionally a great telescope, optically excellent, very portable - garbage manual! Using a PC to control the 'scope seems the easiest way to go. The ability to manually slew the scope and save time and battery power, while the computer still keeps track of the position is wonderful. Having a standard 12volt power supply input is much more convenient than 18volts!
The following would make the U2K perfect...
- a better and more complete manual please - an index would be a good start!
- make the quick release finderscope bracket standard, the rubber ring on the back of the included bracket is a bad scene.
- fix the battery covers, the plastic tabs snap off WAY too easily.
- remember the PEC training after power off - not really been an issue though.
- include the illumintor for the Polaris finderscope.
- the optional carry case could be better.
This is about all there is to complain about. Compared to a Meade LX200, all very minor issues. Highly recommended!

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
So far we have had the scope for a month. The optics are great. Both my wife and me have seen more with this scope, then we have seen ever before. The goto is pretty accurate. After a good alignment, it will position the object in the dead cenbter of the eye-piece. My guess is within 2 arc minutes.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
A beautiful scope that looks at home in my living room as it does under the stars. The balance is finicky, but it works well and I have seen more with this scope in one night than through 20 others I have owned in five years previous. This is the scope that sold me on computerized observing. There is no going back to star-hopping.

Overall Rating: 9
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I am frustrated with continuing electronic errors where the goto function freezes. The images are great. Balance is a serious proble.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I've had my Ultima 2000-8 for a year and a half now and I'm very pleased with its overall performance. This is my first telescope. Before purchasing a scope, I read numerous articles on amateur astronomy and was familar with the arguments for and against goto scopes. Frankly, I'm glad I bought a computerized scope. I live in a suburban site and have limited observing time. A goto scope lets me get up and running and able to observe a couple of dozen star clusters, nebulas and galaxies in a session. A goto scope means more observing - less fiddling. The scope is easy to set up and the star alignment is a breeze. It is easy on batteries.

Keeping it well collimated, the optics are very good. I can split doubles, and can see considerable detail on planets. The cloud bands on Jupiter are clearly visible and the Cassini division of Saturn rings are clearly rendered. The scope did need a Y2K fix to accurately map the planets from 2000 onward. The new EPROM chip was easily inserted and I have found that the telescope points even more accurately than before. The skewing motors don't occasionally stay on like they did before.

Although the NexStar 8 wasn't available when I purchased the Ultima 2000, I would probably still go for the Ultima. I believe the two arm alt-azm mount of the Ultima 2000 makes it a more robust scope and worth the extra money. I've rated the scope as a 9 as I know there are better scopes out there. Who wouldn't want an Astro-Physics or Takahasi apo 6" on a computerized mount? However, I'm not about to remortgage the house for this. When price is factored into the equation; and given the very good optics and excellent build quality of the Ultima 2000, the telescope rates a 10.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
This is a wonderful scope, optically and mechanically. The advantages over a Meade LX200 are many, including weight (10 pounds less while preserving mount rigidity for astrophotography), slewing motor noise, the ability to manually move (aim) the scope, and the Fastar system. The ability to manually move the scope did require that Celestron design clutches that can slip, and this means you need to balance the scope more carefully than an LX200. But the advantage of manual slewing far outweigh the disadvantage of balancing (which you would need to do well for any scope when doing astrophotography). So don't pay that much attention to the balancing complaints if you want a scope for astrophotography. And if you don't, you're better off spending a lot less money on one of the Celestron Nexstars or the Meade GoTo scopes.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
I just baught my Celestron Ultima 2000. Great optics and clarity. Does very well looking at the Messier Galaxies. A great scope that you will have for years to come. The motor is great, you can hardly hear it, and it almost always lines up the object you told it to slew to. I highly reccomend this scope to anyone who is interested in exploring the wonders of the night sky!!

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
With the newer telescopes being promoted these days, I got an excellent deal on the U2K - look around, they can be had for $2000 or less. For me the primary consideration was weight; my most frequent viewing site is 5 flights up (steep stairs) to the roof of an apartment building. Maybe its the number of flights but it feels heavier than the 31 lb. spec. If weight wasn't an issue, I might have gotten a Meade 7" (Mak) LX200. The quite slewing shouldn't be underestimated for the overall enjoyment, not to mention manual slewing ability. The goto accuracy isn't what I hoped for, but its reasonable. Any choice would have been a compromise in some area. For simplicity, weight, reasonable price and all around usuability, I couldn't have done better.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Celestron Ultima 2000-8
Excellent Optics about 1/6 Wave Star Test. Very portable and I get best pointing accuracy if I do not use high precision pointing. The object is alomost always in the field of view at 160x. Same comment about planets the accuracy here leaves something to be desired.

Overall Rating: No Vote
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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)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=38206

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:
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