FrankD
Well-known member
I wanted to share a recent experience I had with Meopta's warranty/customer service. I sent my 8x42 Meostars in to Meopta USA so they could take a look at a mechanical issue with the particular unit I had in my possession. They contacted me after they received the bins and confirmed that the issue was not typical of their binoculars. They offered me a replacement pair on the spot and, of course, I accepted the generous offer.
That was yesterday. Today I opened the front door to find the UPS driver delivering my new pair of Meopta Meostar 8x42s. How is that for fast service? I did not even request overnight shipping?
I eagerly opened the box and found a few external differences with the pair I originally owned. For one they changed the material of their soft carrying case. It had been some type of high-nap wool-style material. They now changed it to something that resembles Cordura. That is a big improvement in my opinion as I always imagined the wool material acting as a dust/dirt collector. Second, they changed the neckstrap design. The new neckstrap is noticeably wider, made of a neoprene type material and has built-in "cushions" to help support the weight (30 oz) of the full-size Meostar bins. Again, a nice and well deserved upgrade to the accessories.
The binocular itself has not changed externally from my cursory inspection. Optically though I was in for a bit of surprise.
I have always enjoyed the Meostars but readily acknowledged their optical drawbacks (slightly higher CA than similar quality bins and a warm (yellowish) color bias). I have also always recognized their strongpoints...huge field of view, flat field, generous sweet spot. Well, I am not entirely sure if Meopta has made any significant "tweaks" to the design but the optical performance of my current unit certainly betters the performance of its predecessor.
One, the sweet spot on this particular unit is even wider than the previous version. I would seriously love to put this bin next to a Swaro EL/SLC or one of the Nikons. The sweet spot is h-u-g-e! I would rate it in the neighborhood of 90% of the image. At first I had a hard time finding the sweet spot edge but then eventually picked it up.
Two, color fringing control is improved. I see very, very little CA in the sweet spot. I can pick it up in the outer percentage of the image but the center looks remarkably free from it. It is not FL-style sharp but I would certainly rate it as equivalent to the Swaro ELs and non-HD Leica Ultravids.
Three, the slight yellow color cast seems to have been reduced. It is not quite as neutral as the 8x32 version but it is certainly better than the previous Meostar I owned. Since I was under the impression that the color cast came primarily from the choice of coatings I wonder if Meopta did "tweak" it a bit. It is still there but only really noticeable in comparison to a binocular with a completely neutral color bias.
When you put these three optical improvements together I sincerely believe you have to compare these binoculars directly with the non-ED/FL versions of their competitors. The image quality really is that good.
Very nicely done Meopta!
That was yesterday. Today I opened the front door to find the UPS driver delivering my new pair of Meopta Meostar 8x42s. How is that for fast service? I did not even request overnight shipping?
I eagerly opened the box and found a few external differences with the pair I originally owned. For one they changed the material of their soft carrying case. It had been some type of high-nap wool-style material. They now changed it to something that resembles Cordura. That is a big improvement in my opinion as I always imagined the wool material acting as a dust/dirt collector. Second, they changed the neckstrap design. The new neckstrap is noticeably wider, made of a neoprene type material and has built-in "cushions" to help support the weight (30 oz) of the full-size Meostar bins. Again, a nice and well deserved upgrade to the accessories.
The binocular itself has not changed externally from my cursory inspection. Optically though I was in for a bit of surprise.
I have always enjoyed the Meostars but readily acknowledged their optical drawbacks (slightly higher CA than similar quality bins and a warm (yellowish) color bias). I have also always recognized their strongpoints...huge field of view, flat field, generous sweet spot. Well, I am not entirely sure if Meopta has made any significant "tweaks" to the design but the optical performance of my current unit certainly betters the performance of its predecessor.
One, the sweet spot on this particular unit is even wider than the previous version. I would seriously love to put this bin next to a Swaro EL/SLC or one of the Nikons. The sweet spot is h-u-g-e! I would rate it in the neighborhood of 90% of the image. At first I had a hard time finding the sweet spot edge but then eventually picked it up.
Two, color fringing control is improved. I see very, very little CA in the sweet spot. I can pick it up in the outer percentage of the image but the center looks remarkably free from it. It is not FL-style sharp but I would certainly rate it as equivalent to the Swaro ELs and non-HD Leica Ultravids.
Three, the slight yellow color cast seems to have been reduced. It is not quite as neutral as the 8x32 version but it is certainly better than the previous Meostar I owned. Since I was under the impression that the color cast came primarily from the choice of coatings I wonder if Meopta did "tweak" it a bit. It is still there but only really noticeable in comparison to a binocular with a completely neutral color bias.
When you put these three optical improvements together I sincerely believe you have to compare these binoculars directly with the non-ED/FL versions of their competitors. The image quality really is that good.
Very nicely done Meopta!
....Look out.
