Are Celestron Binoculars Any Good?
Contents
I don’t know if you are familiar with binoculars or not or have any idea about companies that produce binoculars.
In this article I want to help you understand better Celestron brand binoculars.
Because some people think Celestron is not a good brand but in fact, Celestron is an old optical company that has been producing quality binoculars and telescopes since 1960.
Some people think since Celestron binoculars are made in China it means their quality is not good.
This is wrong because many popular brands now have their products assembled or made in China. Even Apple products are made in China.
Not all of them but a certain part of their products are made or assembled in China.
It doesn’t affect quality of Apple products in any way.
This means and proves that being made in China doesn’t mean quality is bad. The same applies to Celestron binoculars.
Is Celestron different from other brands?
For example, there are some binocular brands like Zeiss, Meopta , Leica, Minox, Steiner or Swarovski that are very expensive and deliver premium quality.
They are not manufactured in China. But this is a different story.
These are highly expensive brands. One pair of binoculars may cost up up to $1,000 or even higher price.
Celestron is different from those brands.
Celestron is a medium class brand that can be purchased at a reasonable price.
So, it’s affordable to most people.
Celestron binoculars
Celestron company produces 13 types of binoculars and also monoculars and telescopes.
This brand is designed almost for every group of people, hunters, astronomers, travelers, bird watchers, sea travelers and many other groups of people.
If you want cheap binoculars, Celestron has it.
If you want expensive binoculars, Celestron has it.
High class Celestron binoculars
As I said, if you want expensive binoculars, Celestron has it.
That’s why it is wrong to say Celestron binoculars are cheap and can’t produce high quality image.
Just prepare to spend more money for expensive models, such as
- Celestron Nature DX
- Celestron Nature DX ED
- Celestron Echelon Binoculars
- Celestron Cavalry Binoculars
- Celestron Granite binoculars
- Celestron Trailseeker Binoculars
- Celestron Gamekeeper Binoculars
My complete review about Celestron binoculars.
These models are expensive and deliver supreme quality in terms of the material binoculars are made of and optics quality.
If you are looking for a high quality optical instrument at a reasonable price choose one of these models above and I’m sure you will not be disappointed.
Cheap class Celestron binoculars
If you want cheap models choose from the list below.
These optical instruments have BK-7 prism and multi-coated optics.
So, the quality is not so good. You will get what you pay for.
Cheap class is cheap and you have to understand that it’s impossible to get high quality optics for such a low price.
- Celestron Cometron Binoculars – cheap class
- Celestron UpClose G2 Binoculars – cheap class
- Celestron LandScout Binoculars – cheap class
Medium class Celestron binoculars
If you choose medium quality product, you will be satisfied with the quality.
It’s not the best optics but very acceptable quality:
- Celestron Outland X Binoculars – medium class
- Celestron SkyMaster Binoculars – medium class
If you choose SkyMaster model it depends on what type of configuration you decide to choose.
For example, there are different types of SkyMaster binoculars.
Here is the list of all SkyMaster binoculars:
- Celestron SkyMaster 8×56
- Celestron SkyMaster 9×63
- Celestron SkyMaster 15×70
- Celestron SkyMaster 12×60
- Celestron SkyMaster 25×70
- Celestron SkyMaster 20×80
- Celestron SkyMaster 15-35×70
- Celestron SkyMaster 18-40×80
- Celestron SkyMaster 25×100
Following two models have BaK-4 prisms and multi-coated optics.
They both are above average class binoculars.
The quality of optics is very good though it’s not the best out there of those existing on the market.
- Celestron SkyMaster 8×56 – $175
- Celestron SkyMaster 9×63 – $192
Following models differ in quality. First three models are cheap class binoculars.
The image quality and overall optics quality is acceptable but far from being perfect.
The last one, SkyMaster 20×80 is a little better than first three models.
- Celestron SkyMaster 15×70 – cheap class
- Celestron SkyMaster 12×60 – cheap class
- Celestron SkyMaster 25×70 – cheap class
- Celestron SkyMaster 20×80 – medium class
Next two models are zoom Celestron binoculars.
Zoom binoculars is a very specific type of product that I never recommend.
It’s not because Celestron binoculars are bad.
It’s because zoom binoculars can’t produce quality image.
Their capability is very limited due to imperfect mechanism used in zoom binoculars.
- Celestron SkyMaster zoom binocular 15-35×70
- Celestron SkyMaster zoom binocular 18-40×80
Celestron SkyMaster 25×100
The last one, Celestron SkyMaster 25×100 is expensive model ($295).
This binocular is something between medium class and high class binoculars.
It delivers good image quality and suitable for astronomical purposes.
Due to using large size objective lens that transmits more light as a result you get bright and clear image.
In fact, it’s one of the best astronomical binoculars existing on the market at a reasonable price.
Celestron Echelon Binoculars 20×70
If you want something of higher quality then choose Celestron Echelon Binoculars 20×70.
It has multicoated optics with proprietary XLT optical coatings and produces image of higher quality than Celestron SkyMaster 25×100.
This binocular has better optics, lens coatings, prism quality.
Celestron for Stargazing
If you plan to choose Celestron binoculars for stargazing or observing the Moon then you need a powerful binocular.
As a user of powerful astronomical binoculars I can tell you that for comfortable observing the planets and the Moon the minimum magnification starts from 25x and above. Aperture size also matters.
It’s better to choose binoculars with objective lenses of 70mm, 80mm or 100mm.
This type of binocular is bulky and recommended only for astronomical purposes to use with a tripod only.
For astronomical purposes I recommend Celestron SkyMaster 25×100.
Optics quality is good and the price is reasonable.
Celestron binoculars collimation issues
Some cheap Celestron binoculars sometimes may have collimation problems.
As a result, image quality may be not so good as you might be expecting.
It’s understandable because the price is cheap.
But I believe quality control should be improved to reduce the number of customer complaints.
There are some complaints on Amazon.
Not to say too many complaints but there are some.
I hope Celestron company will improve on it over time.
Fortunately, Celestron company offers 2 year or limited lifetime warranty on most of its products.
If you have an issue contact them and your problem will be solved in a short time.
I hope after reading this article you will have a much better idea of what Celestron binoculars are about.
You now know which Celestron binoculars are cheap class optical instruments, which binoculars are medium class and which binoculars are high class binoculars.
In my opinion, Celestron binoculars are good and suitable for various purposes depending on where you plan to use them.
If you know where you plan to use them you will know which model to choose.
At least, Celestron can fit into anyone’s budget and I’m sure you will not disappointed.
About the Author: Adam
We review and recommend quality binoculars so you don't waste your money on useless ones. 
Hi Adam. I found your review on Celestron binoculars Vey interesting. Thank for being honest in your blog. I’m an amateur astronomer and there’s nothing I love more then star gazing on a beautiful clear night. I have an excellent telescope set up but I was looking for a decent pair of binoculars with which to pin point certain parts of the sky and then use my telescope to some in. The Celestron Skymaster 25-100 sounds like it might just be the one for me. Thank you for this information. Jim
If you plan to use binoculars to pin point certain parts of the sky then I believe you don’t need Celestron 25×100 because it has field of view only 3° which is not so great in terms of finding objects on the sky. You better choose
Celestron SkyMaster 12×60 for $58 that field of view 5.3°
or even better Celestron Outland X 10×25 for $54 that has field of view 6.3°
I believe the last will do great for your purposes.
Hi Adam.
Thank you so much for your honest review of Celestron binoculars. To be very honest I don’t know much about binoculars, but my son is very much interested in that because he has some problem in his eyes. So I was thinking to gift him a binocular but can’t chose the right one. Your post helped me much to chose one. I think Celestron binoculars will be the best choice for me and love the review you have provided. So will buy from one of its collection.
Thank you so much.
I’m glad my research was helpful for you. I believe you can definitely choose one from a wide selection that Celestron has to offer. For example, Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15×70 is eyeglass compatible.
When you choose a binocular for your sun make sure to choose a long eye relief binocular. It’s more important than magnification. Long eye relief binoculars can be used without taking off your eyeglasses. There are also some other binoculars you can choose, such as:
Hawke Frontier HD X 8×42
Bresser Pirsch ED 8×56
Levenhuk Bruno Plus 20×80
I remember way back in primary school when one of our teachers used to demonstrate using a Celestron telescope. The Celestron must really be an old brand. I believe most people have faith in old brands, as they have stood the test of time.
I also agree with you that China does manufacture quality brands. It is a good think that Celestron has both sides of the customers covered. Those who want expensive and those that are looking for a slightly cheaper option. I think the medium quality Binoculars will still do a good job. As long as you are not doing scientific stuff that requires DNA and such.
Thank you for a great article!
Old brands are good but new brands are good too. Celestron has all kind of optics, cheap and expensive ones. For example, Celestron Nature DX ED class binoculars are pretty expensive and deliver high quality image. Celestron Echelon class binoculars are also very expensive brand. Celestron Granite ED class is another expensive brand. All of them can be very suitable for many purposes.
Hi, Adam.
Thanks for your article on Celestron Binoculars.
Actually I wanted to have one to be used for star gazing and as you suggested, Celestron Astronomical Binocular would be the best as it produces 25X magnification.
My son is 14 years old and interested to use such binocular, would you recommend it for children. Do you suggest any particular precaution for the young kids for using astronomical binocular.
Warm Regards,
Gaurav Gaur
Your son’s age is suitable for standard binoculars. I don’t think it can cause any problem to his eyes. Also, as I know this binocular is a long eye relief binocular suitable for long viewing sessions. Your son can look through it with glasses.
I think, based on your review, the medium class binoculars can pretty much cover all purposes unless you need it for stargazing. And, the SkyMaster seems perfect for hiking although I don’t know the right lens to get. But, that makes me think that if hiking will lead to camping, then it would be nice to get a Celestron for stargazing as well. What would you recommend? Thanks!
Yes, you are right. But SkyMaster is not for hiking. Only two models are: Celestron SkyMaster 8×56 and
Celestron SkyMaster 9×63. For stargazing you need SkyMaster models: Celestron SkyMaster 25×70 or Celestron SkyMaster 25×100.