Celestron Hummingbird 9-27X56MM Ed Micro Spotting Scope

I am pleased with the scope - just what I was after in terms of optics, size etc. However, I feel compelled to comment purely because of the case. I quite simply cannot get the scope into the case, as it is too tight a fit. I have just seen other reviews talking about the size of the bag. I have written to Celestron tech support, partly because I suspected they may have included the case for the 50mm version by accident. If I get a satisfactory response, I will update this post. However, not too impressed as a long-standing Celestron fan. Update 12 May 23Kudos to Celestron USA for a really swift response, which resulted in a new case being sent. However, ...... it had precisely the same issue, and I cannot get the scope into either of the 2 cases. Clearly a design ... MoreI am pleased with the scope - just what I was after in terms of optics, size etc. However, I feel compelled to comment purely because of the case. I quite simply cannot get the scope into the case, as it is too tight a fit. I have just seen other reviews talking about the size of the bag. I have written to Celestron tech support, partly because I suspected they may have included the case for the 50mm version by accident. If I get a satisfactory response, I will update this post. However, not too impressed as a long-standing Celestron fan. Update 12 May 23Kudos to Celestron USA for a really swift response, which resulted in a new case being sent. However, ...... it had precisely the same issue, and I cannot get the scope into either of the 2 cases. Clearly a design flaw and a lack of quality control that I would not have expected from Celestron. I will be writing to tell them and I am considering whether to return the scope and look elsewhere.

Form factor is fantastic but I was otherwise underwhelmed from the very start. There is quite a bit of chromatic aberration even at low magnification, and at high magnification it was very difficult to achieve a sharp focus. I thought that my beginner (unspoiled by high end scopes) eyes would not notice this much. The construction of the body feels good but the eyepiece cover is so loose it's barely on, and constantly falls off. The bag quality is what you'd expect from the cheapest of knockoffs, except it's also too small to fit the scope into - seriously, it's insulting, and another thing that people weren't exaggerating about. Can't believe they didn't fix these issues in the years since the other reviews mentioning similar problems. It's probably decent value, ... MoreForm factor is fantastic but I was otherwise underwhelmed from the very start. There is quite a bit of chromatic aberration even at low magnification, and at high magnification it was very difficult to achieve a sharp focus. I thought that my beginner (unspoiled by high end scopes) eyes would not notice this much. The construction of the body feels good but the eyepiece cover is so loose it's barely on, and constantly falls off. The bag quality is what you'd expect from the cheapest of knockoffs, except it's also too small to fit the scope into - seriously, it's insulting, and another thing that people weren't exaggerating about. Can't believe they didn't fix these issues in the years since the other reviews mentioning similar problems. It's probably decent value, but given that it's still a significant amount of money, I was expecting more. I thought the huge jump in price for products that are a step-up from it (like the Nikon ED50) simply represented the exponentially costlier top of the line, and that the Hummingbird would still be great but not incredible. Unfortunately it's good but not great either. I will go for considerably cheaper or considerably more expensive in the future, as this middle ground feels like an unjustifiable expense that leaves me wanting.

Wow... Just WOW !I've been birdwatching for some time already and I have to say this scope is just a gem among birdwatching optics !1. Clarity and brightness in low light ! yes yes yes!2. Great middle ground between binoculars and spotting scope - can be easily handheld because its 45° eyepiece - you just hold it tight , close to your body. I manage even 27x mag to look steady by hand - but midrange magnifications everyone can manage stable.3. VERY PRECISE FOCUS !4. bag a bit tight but fits scope no problemo5. great as telephoto lens to my iphone ( with attachment )

The thing is ideally suited as a toy. As soon as you zoom in a little, you can no longer focus on the spotting scope. I wanted to send it to Celestron for adjustment after 2 months, as a "lifetime" guarantee is promised on the package. But ***.de said that for devices purchased via Celestron Guarantee does not apply and this Lifetime Guarantee does not apply either. Only Celestron was referenced. It was a risk to buy it and it's actually for the ton.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Addendum to my review above. I complained to Celestron about my suffering and Celestron offered full reimbursement if the item was returned. I accepted the offer.

The main advantage of the Hummingbird over other (more or less) identical mini-scopes is the ability to replace the eyepiece in a matter of seconds. And that's what you should do, because with a really good wide-angle eyepiece, the hummingbird becomes a falcon - with a huge, crisp, crystal-clear field of vision. Of course you have to spend more money here, but then you have a much better device! For example, the Baader Morpheus eyepieces with 9mm or 17.5mm focal length are a perfect fit (on the Hummingbird with its 200mm focal length this means approx. 22x or 11x magnification), which can also be used for astronomy. Oh yes, the bag is actually unusable for the 56 spotting scope; It was probably tailored for the 50mm spotting scope.

Celestron Hummingbird 9-27x56mm EDSuper small and lightweight. Excellent blend of build and optical quality, size, and weight for the cost. Optics perform their best at mid-power. Little bit of spherical distortion at low-power. At the highest power, the optics don't perform as well, including fuzzyness (depends on object-to-subject distance, the farther away, the worse it is, usually in terms of hundreds of yards) and a little bit of chromatic aberration. However, the ED glass does a wonderful job overall and the CA is only slightly noticeable at the highest power. Really excels in the 10-40 ft object-to-subject range. I had no problem with light-gathering with the 56mm objective. Digiscoping is a little rough, because the power knob is right where any adapters are ... MoreCelestron Hummingbird 9-27x56mm EDSuper small and lightweight. Excellent blend of build and optical quality, size, and weight for the cost. Optics perform their best at mid-power. Little bit of spherical distortion at low-power. At the highest power, the optics don't perform as well, including fuzzyness (depends on object-to-subject distance, the farther away, the worse it is, usually in terms of hundreds of yards) and a little bit of chromatic aberration. However, the ED glass does a wonderful job overall and the CA is only slightly noticeable at the highest power. Really excels in the 10-40 ft object-to-subject range. I had no problem with light-gathering with the 56mm objective. Digiscoping is a little rough, because the power knob is right where any adapters are going to want to grip the scope. If you want to change power with a clamp-on adapter attached, forget about it. The lens caps are not very good. The eyepiece one in particular falls off easily. If you're worried about keeping dirt out, I'd just throw the whole scope in a plastic bag instead.