Comments on: Celestron Ultima Barlow Lens

By: stargeezer

stargeezer — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:23:44 +0000

The application for this barlow on my 8i/GPS SCT/XLT was to gain higher magnification options from longer focal length and eye relief eyepieces (ELux and Xcel 25-18-15mm)and stay in modest price ranges for everything. COMMON TESTS with the barlow vs. short focal length eyepieces to 8mm was most favorable: a) using both common and wide angle FOV eyepieces and b)testing with and without eye glasses while c) viewing Polaris double, Jupiter & moons and the Moon. Seeing conditions were poor (Dallas, summer, early evening sky with a lot of Moonlight.) Never the less I am pleased with both the Celestron Ultima 2X barlow and the strategy and therefore I “recommended”. Shipping was prompt – much better than prior experiences with amazon.com – improvement so noted.
Rating: 4 / 5

By: Claudio Buie

Claudio Buie — Mon, 31 May 2010 10:14:50 +0000

I bought one, it is good but, when I use, it divide by two the light for your eye. So, if you intend to look to the moon it is good, but if you try deep sky maybe you need 8″ to 10″ telescope. For my 130 Astromaster barlow is not a big deal. It is optical theory I think, and remember when you buy barlow:double power = half light.
Rating: 4 / 5

By: Bharesh Dedhia

Bharesh Dedhia — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:42:04 +0000

Works well with the Celetron 8-24mm zoom lens on my 80ED APO Refractor

Bharesh Dedhia
Rating: 4 / 5

By: D. Hentze

D. Hentze — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:03:31 +0000

I’m using this with my inexpensive Meade 90AD-AZ, and it works well. It effectively doubles the power of my eyepieces without any serious loss of optical quality, as long as I don’t try to push my scope past its magnification limits. For the price, it performs very well.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Torin Danil

Torin Danil — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:24:31 +0000

It's a bit expensive (now it's even more expensive than when I bought it), but the one I got is made in Japan, which is a very rare this times when almost everything is made in China.

It's a barlow, so for twice magnification prepare to loose some light, but with this one I haven't noticed a thing (so the high quality glass and coatings worth every cent). Jupiter at 400x is magnificent. You can easily see all color bands (red spot wasn't on my side this time).

A barlow is a must for a amateur astronomer. If you have a limited budget, buy few eyepieces : 25,15,6 and a high quality barlow to double the power of each. Rating: 5 / 5