Review for Celestron Vistapix IS70 Imaging Spotter 70mm Spotting Scope

Author: Brad , Amateur, from Mpls MN on Aug 6, 2007
Pros:  All in one hybrid, easy to set up, Good results
Cons:  Hard to focus, Digital zoom is useless, no filters or accessories
Would recommend:  yes

Brad wrote:

Upon receiving this hybrid camera and using it for a while I must say I am pleasantly surprised at the images shot. I have taken pictures in all different lighting conditions and it performs well even at dusk. However, if the light is very bright, White colored subjects will exhibit Purple Fringing. Avoid them at high noon. Color saturation is reasonable but my camera is a little heavy to magenta. The IS70 is rather difficult to focus due to the low visibilty of the LCD in bright sunlight. You are stuck with this method of focusing on the low powered lens but if you sync the high power lens to the focus meter by adjusting the eyepiece lens so the optics match what the focus meter sees, you can get excellent results. The optics on the spotting scope are clear and Bright. The camera's optics are mediocre. The controls are well laid out and the menus are logical. Manual functions are limited to an EV exposure setting and the F stop is adjusted by a twin objective lens cover. Sort of a low - high setting if you will. It is simple but it is effective. The shutter speed is always automatic and is reasonably accurate. The setting buttons are a little hard to press and sometime knock the camera out of alignment on the Tripod. This is a problem when changing modes during shooting (like to video from photo). Note: You will not be able to shoot anything with out a good tripod using this camera so if you don't have a really sturdy one, get one. I have shot over 150 photos on a single pair of AA rechargables. Not bad. Overall impression from an amateur is "it's alot of bang for the $479.00" You can very good quality shots without spending $1000's of dollars.