Vortex Viper vs. Celestron F-ed
08-22-2013, 07:53 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North Central Illinois
Posts: 848
Vortex Viper vs. Celestron F-ed
I've seen both of these on sale recently for about the same price. Anyone have an opinion on how they compare?
Edit: Celestron F-ed refers to Celestron Regal F-ed
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Edit: Celestron F-ed refers to Celestron Regal F-ed
(can't edit titles)
Last edited by Murdy; 08-22-2013 at 07:57 PM.
08-26-2013, 10:25 AM
#2
Sorry for the delayed reply, I was out of town for the weekend.
The Celestron Regal F-ED is discontinued, the replacement is the Regal M2. The F-ED is still a fine scope, they just aren't made anymore and the current F-EDs for sale are whatever is left of the last manufacturing run, which ended sometime in 2012. This might also account for any price drop you're seeing with them online, dealers want to get rid of the stock they have so they can move on to the M2s.
It's been a while since I've gotten my hands on any Vortex scopes so I can't give any side-by-side comparisons, but on paper, the 80mm models compare pretty closely, having identical magnification with included eyepieces. The F-ED is a little shorter, about a pound heavier, and has a slightly wider field of view. The F-ED has a close focus of 20 feet, while the Viper is around 22 feet. This doesn't make much difference practically, unless you're birdwatching.
The M2s are closer in weight. It's also worth noting that while both the M2 and Viper have ED glass (Vortex calls their glass "XD"), only the objective lens on each scope is actually ED. Otherwise they are on equal footing.
For the money, either one is a good spotter - both have a great reputation with birders. But if you're going to go with the Celestron, I'd look for a deal on the M2, unless you don't mind getting a discontinued model. If prices haven't dropped on the F-ED yet, I'm sure that they will soon.
The Celestron Regal F-ED is discontinued, the replacement is the Regal M2. The F-ED is still a fine scope, they just aren't made anymore and the current F-EDs for sale are whatever is left of the last manufacturing run, which ended sometime in 2012. This might also account for any price drop you're seeing with them online, dealers want to get rid of the stock they have so they can move on to the M2s.
It's been a while since I've gotten my hands on any Vortex scopes so I can't give any side-by-side comparisons, but on paper, the 80mm models compare pretty closely, having identical magnification with included eyepieces. The F-ED is a little shorter, about a pound heavier, and has a slightly wider field of view. The F-ED has a close focus of 20 feet, while the Viper is around 22 feet. This doesn't make much difference practically, unless you're birdwatching.
The M2s are closer in weight. It's also worth noting that while both the M2 and Viper have ED glass (Vortex calls their glass "XD"), only the objective lens on each scope is actually ED. Otherwise they are on equal footing.
For the money, either one is a good spotter - both have a great reputation with birders. But if you're going to go with the Celestron, I'd look for a deal on the M2, unless you don't mind getting a discontinued model. If prices haven't dropped on the F-ED yet, I'm sure that they will soon.
08-26-2013, 05:31 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: North Central Illinois
Posts: 848
Thanks OC, we talked a little about the Regal in the past, I think. I emailed Celestron since. They said the main difference between the discontinued F-ed and the newer Regal is weight, but also that the newer version had an improved focus control (working from memory here, I think those were the differences). I believe the Viper is also discontinued (at least the non-HD version).
08-27-2013, 07:20 AM
#4
I've done a lot with the M2 since they came out, and it is very surprising how light they are for their size. I think the 80ED is under four pounds with eyepiece, which is right where the rest of the big manufacturers are. Even the big 100mm model is under five pounds. Magnesium alloy bodies are creeping down in price the same way ED glass has in the last few years.
Another difference I've found between the F-ED and M2 is Celestron's XLT lens coating on the objective. Celestron has been utilizing it for a while on their telescopes, I guess they added it to the M2 to help achieve better low-light performance:
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/t...tarbright-xlt/
Another difference I've found between the F-ED and M2 is Celestron's XLT lens coating on the objective. Celestron has been utilizing it for a while on their telescopes, I guess they added it to the M2 to help achieve better low-light performance:
http://www.celestron.com/astronomy/t...tarbright-xlt/
