Celestron is probably the biggest brand in consumer astronomy telescopes. They also make a varied line of terrestrial spotting scopes and binoculars. I wanted to see if Celestron’s Landscout 10-30×50 lived up to its brand reputation.
The most striking thing about the Landscout 50 is its compact size. It is the smallest 50mm spotting scope I’ve yet tested. My Bushnell Spacemaster is slightly shorter but only when compressed into its telescoping body. The Landscout 50 looks even smaller.
Notable among the competition is its ring mount which allows the eyepiece to be repositioned to allow use both on a tripod base, wall mount, or hanging from a roof mount.
Despite its small size optically, it performed big. Despite its BK7 prism, the view through the scope was bright. It produced no noticeable chromatic aberration at maximum magnification. Its resolution and sharpness were only middle-of-the-pack; not quite as sharp as an equivalent GoSky or SVBony 50mm.
It is sharp enough to use as a range spotter for 22LR at 100yrds. But it only offers 30x magnification, which is slightly less than competitive brands that offer 36x or 40x. That means your eyesight will be doing some of the heavy lifting to make out those .22 holes on paper.
At a $70-$80 price point, I consider this a good value. The compact size sold me. It’s small enough to fit inside an ammo can, field coat pocket, or even cram into a full range bag.
One significant footnote: the first time I ordered this scope from Amazon, I got a lemon that had problems with the inner lenses that were misaligned (it would not focus). I returned it and ordered a second one which is used in this review. While Celestron is a very well-known brand, it’s always important to inspect your purchases no matter who makes them.
PRO
- Tiny size
- Rotating mounting ring
- Did I mention, it was really tiny?
CON
- Middle of the road optical quality
- Low magnification
- No built-in sunshade
USAF51 RESOLUTION
Group: -1 / Element: 3
PRODUCT LINK
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3joIFAg
LANDSCOUT 10-30×50
Magnification: 10 – 30x
Objective Lens: 50mm (1.96″)
Eyepieces: Zoom
Field of View: 3.2° – 2°
168 – 90 ft (56 – 30 m)
Focal Length: 170mm
Eye Relief: 0.70″ – 0.60″
Brightness: 25.0 – 2.9
Lens Coatings: Fully Coated
Prism Glass: BK7
Weight: 15.5 oz (440 g)
Water Resistant
Dimensions: 8.9″ x 2.6″ x 4.9″
