Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 7:16 pm
Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I wound up getting a Celestron Regal 65 F-ED, 16-48x 65mm. Nice zoom eyepiece, 20mm eye relief at 16x and I'd guess 15 to 16mm eye relief at 48x. No problem with glasses, although it does vignette for me at high magnification (I just position my eye squarely). I got to compare side by side at OPT in Oceanside CA, this scope plus the 80mm Regal, then 80mm and 100mm Celestron Optima (non-ED glass). The view with the 80mm Optima was really nice at low magnification, and that is serious bang for the buck.
In the end, I got the Regal 65 because of the decent eye relief, ED glass (holds up well to high magnification, still very crisp), rotating mounting ring, and compact size (the 80's are beasts!). OPT couldn't match B&L's price of $399, but got close enough. The Ultima 80 was very tempting at less than half that cost.
The 65 did fine at medium zoom, .22 holes at 25 yards (even the, umm, *few* in the black, argghh). Should be fine at 50m.
Kel
In the end, I got the Regal 65 because of the decent eye relief, ED glass (holds up well to high magnification, still very crisp), rotating mounting ring, and compact size (the 80's are beasts!). OPT couldn't match B&L's price of $399, but got close enough. The Ultima 80 was very tempting at less than half that cost.
The 65 did fine at medium zoom, .22 holes at 25 yards (even the, umm, *few* in the black, argghh). Should be fine at 50m.
Kel