The scope is very tiny. When I got it, I can see the scope is well made. According to other user report, it should be a very fast scope (F~3.8-4). It is very challenging to make a good fast refracting scope. When it is at 9x-15x, the image is fine and clear. When it is higher than 15x, there is obvious chromatic aberration.
Compared with the Nikon ED50 with 13-40x zoom, hummingbird can barely compare with ED50 at 9-15x. However, above 15x image can not match Nikon due to hummingbird severe CA.

I really wanted this tiny scope to work out. I am a casual birder in the Northeast that was looking for a little more reach in seeing details. I like to walk and not carry too much gear. For reference, my binoculars are Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32 (mid-range from Zeiss) . I love their image quality and small size (see the theme here?). To me, they are a great balance of quality and value. I was looking for the same out of the Hummingbird scope.

While the Hummingbird 9-27x56mm did give me more reach, I didn't find the image quality even close to the Zeiss binoculars (fully aware of the price difference). Even though the bird was larger/closer in the scope, it was not very helpful in identifying new species. When looking into bushes/shady cover, the image was not very bright. In good light, I was able to get some closer looks at birds I was already familiar with. While that was nice, if I am going to haul a scope I want it to give me more than what my binoculars can offer.

As I am reading about many scopes, the image quality of the Hummingbird would drop off at the very top of the magnification scale. If I zoomed out just a little the picture was much better, but in my opinion not worth it to carry along. If I am not going to bring it with me, the value just isn't there.

Overall, the build quality was on par with the price. It was mostly plastic, including the tripod mount. This is not a knock, it seemed to be decently constructed and very lightweight. However, It would not be something that will last generations.

I knew I was tempting the fates a little with this scope, and it ended up to be about what I expected. I was not expecting Swaro/Leica/Kowa image quality at this price. With the larger front optic and ED glass, I was hoping for image quality close to my binoculars. I REALLY loved the compact size, I would happily paid more for much higher image quality in this tiny scope.

I returned the scope and am now looking at compact options in the next price bracket up ($500-$1000). I hope to find a similar cost/quality/value balance that I have found in my binoculars.

I have a number of spotting scopes. Some are pretty expensive. This little Hummingbird 9-27x 56mm scope has been a pleasant surprise. The first thing that I discovered was that It has an eyepiece collette that allows the fitting of regular 1.25" telescope eyepieces. I don't think that this was covered anywhere in the documentation. I have only tried a few eyepieces, so am not ready to render an opinion as to how effective these are. Only impression I have so far is that, because of the short focal length, some eyepieces introduce a fair amount of field curvature. As far as the scope with the included zoom eyepiece, I am very happy. The images are clear and it handles all the powers well. This scope is the most compact of any that I own, weighing maybe a pound. But the images are bright and and it is easy to focus. This fills the next step up from a pair of binoculars and it can even be handheld, tho resting it against something or using a tripod are best. All in all, highly reccommended.

Nice size; small and light weight. Tried it out outside and the viewing is clear. Also tried it through the window and still had a clear image to see detail. Later at the end of the day, I tried it in the failing light. It surprised me how bright the view was, even better than with the naked eye. The light gathering ability did surprise me. This glass will be very useful in low-light conditions. Also like the ability to change out eye-pieces. I have a Celestron spotting scope with the same size eye-piece so will try a switch to see how it works. The barrel grips to focus and zoom are large and make changes easy.

Would have liked a strap connection. Since I carry a camera also, having a strap would have made it quicker to change from one to the other. Still will be handier than a pair of binoculars with the extra viewing range and no added weight over the binos.

Great view in lower magnifications, a bit large to put in a pocket. I wish they had provided a way to put it on a harness or neck strap. I find it a bit unstable to handhold. I did buy a Manfroto desk top tripod and can handhold it now. I have several full sized spotting scopes and find the Hummingbird to almost equal but a lot smaller and easier to take along when birding. Good job Celestron.

It is among the smallest spotting scopes available. The ED glass gives excellent optical quality - bright, sharp, and very good color accuracy. It is better than my Nikon 10x30 Monarch 7 binocular. I also like the focus ring that is smooth and easy to control precisely. The only potential issue for some users is the angled eyepiece - great for bird watching, but very unnatural for finding and tracking moving targets. I hope Celestron will introduce a version with a straight eyepiece soon. I would buy one despite I already own an angled model. The following Minox mini spotting scope with a straight eyepiece can be an alternative:  Minox 16-30X50mm Spotting Scope

Celestron tech support was very available and accommodating, but the product itself average. The lenses just did not have the clarity I needed at upper magnification. I believe now that their price for this product (low) is probably appropriate for the quality.

Better than I expected. Love that it's lightweight and waterproof and close-focusing. Field of view is bright and sharp and the view through the eyepiece does not shrink when the scope is zoomed. Zooming does require re-focusing however, but not an issue for me. You can hand-hold it, but it's better mounted on a tripod or monopod. Love it.

Fantastic little monocular a bit overpriced though imho although i am pleased with it.
A straight version would be cool.
Very clear and good colour views,brilliant for wildlife in the garden and lets you view very up close,my bird feeder seemed as if i could reach out and touch it.
Giving it only four stars not because i am unhappy with the scope as the scope itself is very nice but the case it comes with is woefully inadequate and way to small for the scope and at £300 i would have expected a lot better than a shoddy made carry case.
Shame on you Celestron for sending them out.

This is an amazingly compact spotting scope. The image definition is sharp and clear. It needs a lot of light to work well at full zoom, it only has a 50 mm objective lens after all. In bright conditions, however, images are well defined at maximum zoom. It is less good at full zoom when scanning the shadows, but I suppose that is inevitable given the small objective size. In fact it might have been better with a fixed magnification of say 20x as my ancient Kowa TS-501 seems to have better low light performance. Especially, as I cannot really see anyone using it at 7x magnification, most users will also have binoculars to cover that.

I received a very prompt delivery from Amazon of this item. However the item was delivered in it's box ( not in a normal Amazon packaging) which was open and not sealed in any way and 2 large package labels stuck to the box. It appears that this is a returned item and no one has bothered to properly repackage it.
The scope itself appears undamaged. It is a lovely item, small and very convenient. Good clarity at the lower end of the zoom but loses definition quite quickly as you zoom in. It's an ideal size and what I wanted so I am very pleased with the scope. This is the first time I have had such an issue with Amazon, so hopefully it is a one off.

quality product bought as a gift and was well received - love it

Mein altes Spektiv war ein sehr preiswertes Chinaprodukt, welches nach einigen Jahren anfing, das Kunststoffgehäuse zu verflüssigen. Nun sollte ein neues her. Meine Frau legte Wert auf gute Transportabilität und ich auf hohe Qualität. Leider lässt sich beides nicht wirklich miteinander vereinbaren, also hat sich auch ob des Preises meine Frau durchgesetzt und wir haben diese kleine Gerät gekauft. Viel lässt sich nicht dazu sagen. Für gehobene Ansprüche ist es nicht geeignet. Es ist klein, passt super in jeden Rucksack und lässt sich leicht jedes handelübliche Fotostaiv montieren. Zoomen und die Schärferegelung gehen nicht super leicht aber auch nicht zu schwer. Die Objektöffnung entspricht der eines guten Fernglasses. Die Gummiabdeckungen halten nicht gut fest und gehen leicht verloren. Je weiter man ranzoomt, desto deutlicher treten Farbsäume auf. Bei maximaler Vergrößerung lässt sich mehr sauber scharf stellen. Die mitglieferte Tasche ist ein wenig zu klein - man muss das Spektiv hineinzwengen. Für einen Urlaub an der See reicht das sicherlich. Für Astronomie oder Vogelbeobachtung kann ich es nicht empfehlen.

Il cannocchiale è ben costruito e rifinito, ma non raggiunge la qualità ottica che mi sarei aspettato, ovvero anche mettendo oculari di maggior pregio a lunghezza focale fissa non sono riuscito a raggiungere la nitidezza che mi sarei aspettato da un prodotto così bladinato...lo zoom a corredo è buono ed è a campo piano ma mette in evidenza la non planarità del campo apparente visivo...a focali corte ...9 ...14 ingrandimenti distorce ma è a fuoco di tutto il campo ...l'aberrazione cromatica ben corretta fino lì...poi aumentando fino al max ingrandimento il campo apparente si amplia a 58 gradi circa e diminuendo la distorsione...ma aumenta il cromatismo che si fa più evidente .

ich bin wirklich überrascht
Dass Celestron mittlerweile Optik kann, konnte ich schon an den Ferngläsern der Granit Serie feststellen. Ich habe ja einige Spektive von Optolyth 2 Made und ein paar andere Nicht-Markenteile hier und jetzt neuerdings ein Hummingbird 7-22. Irgendwie war ich gleich begeistert. Das Ding ist einfach klein. Weniger geht wohl nicht mehr. Endlich mal eins, wo man problemlos mitnehmen kann. Mit dem mitgelieferten 7-22 Okular ist es scharf, jedenfalls mal so bis etwa 18 fach, dann lässt es etwas nach. Es hat genug Augenabstand und auch ein Brillenträger sollte damit klar kommen. Robust, einfach scharfzustellen und das Okular ist leicht austauschbar. Mit Festbrennweiten 1,25 Inch aus dem Astro Bereich geht dann sogar richtig was. Das Sehfeld wird deutlich größer und überhaupt hat man Auswahl wie sonst nirgends. Es macht einen robusten Eindruck. Dass man von einem 50 mm Spektiv nicht zu viel Lichtleistung erwarten darf, ist klar. In der Dämmerung wird man wohl eher unter 10-fach bleiben, aber das ist mit allen Spektiven in dem Durchmesserbereich so. Das Hummingbird braucht sich vor keinen größeren Spektiv mit 50 mm Durchmesser zu verstecken!

Das Hummingbird-Spektiv ist hochwertig verarbeitet und ultra kompakt. Für 302 EURO unschlagbar günstig.
Randschärfe und Abbildung sind auch bei maximaler Vergrößerung hervorragend (kein Tunnelblick-Effekt!). Um Landschaften zu beobachten ist es sehr gut geeignet.
Die Schutzkappen sitzen gut, wenn auch nicht bombenfest. Die mitgelieferte Tasche ist leider etwas eng, so dass es einige Momente braucht, die Spektiv wieder darin zu verstauen.

Zum Sternebeobachten: Bei größeren Vergrößerungen wird es doch recht schnell zu dunkel, was den 50 mm Öffnung geschuldet ist. Für den Mond ist es jedoch sehr gut geeignet.

In Sachen Optik und Kompaktheit ein Preis-Leistungssieger.

E' uno strumento ideale per chi ha bisogno di ingrandimenti maggiori rispetto ad un binocolo e vuole rinunciare a portarsi dietro un ingombrante e pesante spotting scope di dimensioni standard
Nonostante le sue piccole dimensioni sa mostrare i muscoli per quanto riguarda brillantezza e correzione cromatica
Forse l'unico difetto è rappresentato dal fatto che non si può acquistare senza oculare, non che sia scadente quello di serie,anzi, ma qualche utente come me che possiede già un telescopio con diversi oculari la prima cosa che fa è sostituirlo con uno migliore
Consiglio vivamente di utilizzarlo con oculari celestron x-cel lx da 9mm e da 12mm che danno rispettivamente 22 e 16 ingrandimenti con uno splendido e definito campo visivo di 60° avrete una finestra sul mondo

Ich habe einen 50er Celestron Kolibri aus einem Warehouse Deal bekommen, den beschriebenen Defekt (Kratzer) habe ich nicht gefunden. Das Spektiv ist vollkommen in Ordnung!
Geliefert wurde das Spektiv mit Zoomokular, eine passende Tasche zum Transport, Abdeckkappen für das Objektiv und das Okular und eine Beschreibung.
Alle äußeren optischen Flächen sind einwandfrei. Staub ist nicht zu sehen. Zoomdrehgriff und Fokusdrehgriff laufen sauber und nicht zu leicht.
Das Okular kann gegen ein astronomisches Okular mit kürzerer Brennweite getauscht werden, um höhere Vergrößerungen zu erreichen.
Auf der Homepage von Celestron Deutschland kann eine Liste kompatibler Okulare eingesehen werden. Demnach sind Vergrößerungen bis 73.9-fach zu erreichen, habe ich aber nicht ausprobiert und werde ich auch nicht.
Die optische Leistung ist nach meinem Dafürhalten und für den Preis sehr ordentlich. Farbsäume konnte ich nicht sehen, aber ich habe es auch nicht herausgefordert. Bisher habe ich es nicht am Nachthimmel ausprobieren können.
Die Tasche kann nur zum Transport oder zur Aufbewahrung verwendet werden. Das ist keine Spektivhülle, die man während der Beobachtung daran lassen kann. Die Deckel für das Okular und das Objekt haben kleine Ösen und man könnte sie mit einem Zwirn am Spektiv befestigen.
Am Spektivgehäuse ist das übliche Gewinde für die Befestigung am Stativ vorhanden.
Mein Kolibri liegt jetzt im Handschuhfach vom Auto und ist immer dabei.....

Arrivato ieri ed oggi provato al poligono, al massimo degli ingrandimenti (27x) è di una luminosità e chiarezza dei dettagli (visione dei fori da 4,5mm su sfondo nero) eccellente, molto migliore del Celestron ultima 20-60x80 che avevo prima … nonostante la più ampia escursione di ingrandimenti ed il maggior diametro dell'obbiettivo.
Inoltre è piccolo e leggero, dii facile trasportabilità e si può usare con successo pure per guardare la luna, magari cambiando oculare, con uno da 5mm si avrà un ingrandimento di 40X … senza dimenticare l'uso per cui è nato: osservazioni naturalistiche.

The price was right, about $75 cheaper than other dealers, in the world of 50mm ED scopes this is a great buy, no its not a Nikon or Pentax ED50 but its less than half the price, its well made and the optics are good and it fits in your pocket, my only complaint is the case, its well made but far too small, the scope will go in with a bit of effort but I can,t zip it up. I wasn,t expecting a lot with this scope but its surprised me.

I original ordered the 56mm version of this scope but exchanged it for the smaller 50mm one, works fine and in the world of ED spotting scopes its a bargain. The case was smaller than I would like but after stuffing it with newspaper and a pair of socks for a week it stretched and now fits ok.

Mit dem Produkt bin ich sehr zufrieden, gute Qualität. Die Tasche ist etwas knapp bemessen aber auch gute Qualität. Das Produkt hat mich überzeugt. Würde ich wieder kaufen.

Sinora usato poche volte ma è effettivamente compatto e comodo da portare nello zaino.
Buona qualità d'immagine