Celestron C5 Schmidt-Cassegrain Spotting Scope 52291

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This is a terrific value. It is now $399 (I paid $429 delivered and was happy with that). If you are looking for a portable astronomy scope or a larger spotting scope, stop reading and just buy the C5 for $399.For perspective, I have previously owned 6 and 8 inch reflectors and an 8 inch Celestron SCT. We current have a 10 inch Dobsonian, an ancient C90 and a range spotting scope as well as several pairs of binoculars. I have the new C5 mounted on an old Manfotto tripod with a 3060 head. I am currently using the quick connect plate. This is an entirely adequate setup for terrestrial viewing. No surprise but it is a bit shaky for photography. A new tripod and mount will be in order at some point.The primary use of this C5 is for terrestrial observation and also as a telephoto lens. It has also become my go to scope for casual astronomy. It is so easy just to pull this out for a quick gaze when I don’t want to drag out the Dob. Planets and the moon are fabulous under our skies with almost no light pollution. For terrestrial I can pick out bark on fir trees at 350 yards with no problems using the included 25mm eyepiece. For photography it has its obvious limitations but for really distance objects in daylight conditions it works far better than my C90.This is a tremendous upgrade in my opinion to the C90. The light gathering increase is an obvious upgrade but certain little things are noticeable improvements.• The finder scope view is clear and it stays in place. On the C90 I gave up using it.• The screws that hold the erecting prism and eyepiece are reachable and securely hold both.• The focus adjustment is on the rear and moves very easily. The C90 uses a barrel adjustment and it constantly shifts the view.As you can tell I am very pleased with this scope. Add a equatorial mount, some photography mount adapters and additional eyepieces and you are pretty close to a do anything scope. The only nit I have is that the people designing these must have tiny hands. The eyepiece and prism screws are better but still really small and tucked in. Not worth a knockdown in rating but still a bit frustrating.

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I owned a C5 (original orange OTA) when I was in high school. Loved it then, and love it now. This is a great scope for your grab n go kit. Small enough to carry, but is phenomenal for lunar, planetary, and deep sky observing. I purchased this for Astro viewing, and DSLR photographing. This scope is wonderful for the simple fact I can interchange parts with my C8. If I want to go 2 inch, for a wider field of view, it is easy! The C5 is an all around work horse. A fun addition to my astronomical arsenal. My only gripe is the case. Be extra gentle with the zippers! Take your time when zipping, or unzipping the case. It is easy to ruin. The other problem is there is really no room to put additional gear in (it is well padded). I wish it was designed like Orion’s soft OTA cases – smaller, but can carry more accessories.

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If I could only own one telescope, I’d select the Celestron 5. It’s elegant combination of reasonable size and portability. You can mount it on a tripod and use it as a high powered spotting scope, or you can place onto a light equatorial mount for high powered visual viewing and astrophotography. You’ll love moderate aperture, sharp optics, and compact size all wrapped into one package.

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Crystal clarity even up to 200x or 300x. Portable and can use with my selection of eyepieces. I’d buy it again and would recommend it to friends.

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Best optic for range work available.

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I’ve been looking at spotting scopes for a long time, but the really good ones were out of my reach. Then I spotted this Celestron. After reading a lot of reviews, I bought the scope. I can only say that I’m completely impressed with this little guy. Lightweight, easy setup, great optics, and best of all, a whole lot of scope for the money. I mounted it to my Manfrotto tripod, making it rock-solid, and took it to a recent Audubon raptor event at a local refuge. I was pulling in clear images of birds that other spotters could barely see, and the scope generated a lot of interest and positive comments from people attending the event. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my Barlow doubler. I can’t wait for some clear nights to get in some moon/planet viewing.

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The C5 exceeds my expectations both for terrestrial and astronomical viewing. Using the provided eye piece or additional eyepieces or 2x Barlow the images are crystal clear.

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Nice. for such a large aperture I would expect more light and clarity.

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The scope does not have a very sharp focus. It might be OK focused at infinity for astronomy, but it’s definitely not sharp enough for wildlife spotting. Unfortunately, I kept trying to get it to work better and wound up missing my return window.

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Being a Celestron telescope owner for many years, it seemed a good idea to buy another Celestron when needing a smaller telescope. The first one that was sent was so far out of collimation that getting a star, any star in the field was impossible. Bringing it in under bright lights revealed a secondary mirror that was so loose it rattled at the slightest touch so I decided to not bother so much as attempting any collimation. I was not interested in a build it yourself telescope after all. Amazon sent out another one in less than 48 hours and it did not disappoint. It has textbook diffraction patterns both in and out of focus and decent contrast considering the secondary mirrors are rather large in these scopes. Celestron has become even more mass produced than in previous years and it shows but in the end I am very happy with this purchase and have had success both visually and photographically so far.