Meopta Optika HD 8x42, my first roof bino (1 Viewer)

[MistrE]

I just purchased a Meopta Optika HD 8x42 yesterday from a local sporting goods dealer and I wanted to share some initial thoughts. I am a long time porro prism binocular user (think 8X56 porro for backyard patio observing and occasional stargazing when I'm too lazy to set up my telescope).
My eyes are adjusting to the difference as to the views of a porro vs. a roof prism. The porro prism bino has a noticeable 3D view, not as much as with the roof. The Optika does have a fair amount of depth of field to the view but the porro has much more... that's not anything I will worry about as the Meopta Optika will primarily be used for birding and nature walks.
The Meopta Opitka build quality seems to be pretty solid upon initial use. The IPD adjustment stays in place and the diopter adjustment cannot be easily moved out of place once set which is a good thing.
It's been overcast so I looked at bare tree branches against the bright gray cloudiness and did I see some chromatic aberration outside of the center of the view. I briefly followed a hawk flying against those bright gray clouds and just a tiny bit of CA was noticed but I did not find it to be objectionable at all. Quite frankly, had I not known what I was looking for, I probably would not have noticed it. When scanning around the woods behind my house, I do not see any CA unless I'm looking up into the trees with that bright cloudiness in the background. Focus snaps to very quickly and it appears to have a fairly large sweet spot. Colors appear very similar to what I see naturally so that's a good thing. Sharpness is very evident in the middle of the view and holds up towards the outer edge but there is some weakness at the extreme edge of the view which I do not find objectionable.
The binoculars are comfortable to hold and I wear progressive eyeglasses with corrections for astigmatism and prisms built into the glasses prescription so my glasses can be challenging for binocular use. I must wear glasses while looking through binoculars and I usually wear them while looking through my telescope eyepieces.
I was considering a Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42 and briefly considered the Vortex Viper HD 8x42. The Vipers were out of my price range and I really think the Meopta Optika gives me most of a Viper view for a lot less money. I feel the Meopta has more sharpness across the field of view vs. the Diamondback which is mainly why I purchased the Meopta.
This is only my second day having the Meopta so I'm sure I'll have more to say over time. Sometimes, you regret the purchase you make but right now, I don't regret this purchase at all.
Now I just have to learn to adjust to a roof prism after using porros for so long.

 

[yarrellii]

Hi MistrE, welcome to Birdforum. Thanks for posting your impressions, they seem very positive, please keep them coming as you get more used to them and put the Optika through their paces. Personally, I'm really interested/curious about what the "lesser" Meopta has to offer. I've been reading specs, reviews and watching videos, and have been impressed by the perceived quality for the price. Will be interested to know more personal accounts with them in the real world. Looking forward to your news

 

[MistrE]

I spent a few minutes doing some nighttime quick ostargazing. The Andromeda galaxy was easy pickings to find, appearing a a somewhat faint oval shape. The Pleiades cluster was stunning, more fainter stars were observed in comparison to a pair of 8x56 porros I also used as a comparison.
Stars generally appeared sharp across most of the field of view but the outer edges were fairly soft... I could tweak the focus and sharpen those starts at the cost of losing the middle part of the field of view. The light transmission through these binoculars is pretty impressive. I looked at the half moon and there is an almost undetectable hint of CA on the outer limb, definitely not distracting in any way and I feel most people would have not noticed it at all.
Over the weekend, I am going to put the Meopta through it's paces on a walk through the woods and see how it performs. So far, I've found nothing objectionable with the build quality and views I've seen.

 

[MistrE]

I did a little observing today which was a bright and sunny one. The Optika handles shadows very nicely, the FOV is sharp until the last outer edges but as noted with my stargazing observations, can be quickly focused with a slight adjustment of the focusing knob. The focuser is easy to turn and things seem to snap into focus quickly. I find colors to be accurate without any color bias and I do not see chromatic aberrations on this sunny day so that's a good thing. The only downside to the view is a little glaring if the sun is nearby to what I am looking at. I wear rather thick progressive lens eyeglasses and I am using the eyecups all the way in so that I can see the field of view. I have to concentrate on how I hold the binoculars against my eyeglasses so I won't run into any blackouts, I guess I'll develop positioning habit that as time and my usage skills progresses.
Now, lets talk about this old dog having to learn a a few new tricks...
I find my eyes are having to learn to adjust to the view of a roof prism binocular in comparison to what my brain has been registering over the last 12 years of looking through some very long eye relief porro prism binoculars. I am also used to the greater amount of depth of field with my older porros. There is a noticeable reduction in the depth of field with the Optikas and that is a big adjustment I'm going to have to learn to deal with since I'll use this binocular primarily for birding and nature walks.
I love the Optika's ability to focus down to about 7 feet and that will serve me well when I get to watch the hummingbirds fly around my patio! I also enjoy watching airplanes flying overhead and the Optikas give me a crisp view... unfortunately due to hand shakes, I can only go up to 8X but that's OK.
I purchased the Optikas HD's rather than a Vortex Diamondback HD since I felt the view was a little better due to less chromatic aberrations. I also felt the Optika HD was more solid feeling over the Vortex. I was extremely important to me to get a little hands on with a binocular rather than buy online so I could see how my eyes handled the IPD adjustments and eye relief since I wear eyeglasses. I also wanted to buy locally and support local businesses. So far, I've not had buyers remorse with these Meopta Optika HD binoculars and for me, that's a very good thing.
I hope my rambling thoughts help those who are looking at these binoculars.

 

[MistrE]

In spite of feeling cruddy over the last week or so, I've managed to spend some time with my Meopta Optika HD 8x42. Here are some additional thoughts...
First of all, I feel like my eyes and brain are becoming more accustomed to the view presented vs. what I've been seeing over the last 12 years of looking through my 8x56 porros. I feel the Meopta presents very crisp images across most of the field of view but the outer edge has a little softness which is not objectionable. Details, especially in the middle of the view are very impressive! FWIW, I wear progressives with a really challenging prescription and keep the eyecups all the way in so I can see the entire field of view. Sometimes, I raise the eyecups one step out just for grins and giggles, but always go back to setting them all the way back in which allows me to see more of the FOV.
Colors to my eyes appear natural without any color bias. If there is any, I am having a very hard time finding it and that's a good thing. The binoculars handle late afternoon low light situations very well and I can see how hunters would appreciate that, especially while finding things in shadowy areas. As far as finding and focusing is concerned, I took the binoculars out in the woods behind my house and was able to achieve focus very easily while looking at a few Cardinals that flitted about overhead. Panning around is a bit challenging since the roof binos have less depth of field but I'll get used to doing that as time goes on.
Now for some things that are not as ideal, but are in no way dealbreakers...
The sun is somewhat low at this time of year and if it's close to what I'm looking at, some glare is noticeable. My old porros didn't have as much glare so that's something I'll learn to live with. I have also noted a very slight amount of pincushion when looking at my outdoor storage building that has siding with vertical grooves as well as square windows. If I didn't know to look for it, I wouldn't have noticed it... besides straight vertical and horizontal lines in wooded areas just aren't happening so it's a non-issue for me. Other than these two observations, I have no other complaints.
When it comes to optics, I've seen people in other forums say something like "if I get 90 percent of the performance of a higher-level product at a much lower cost, I'm happy". This binocular gives me the performance that easily approaches something that cost much more but at a much lower cash outlay. I'm happy, my eyes are getting happy, and my wallet is most assuredly happy.
Now I need the birds to cooperate and hang around my backyard feeder!

 

[birder_jack]

Nice reviews, thank you

 

[MistrE]

After a few weeks of usage, both day and night, I've got no buyer's remorse. Daylight viewing is enjoyable and nighttime stargazing gives very satisfying views of different asterisms and makes sweeping the skies pleasant. I am pleased with the view across most of the field of view and only see softness at the very outer edge (which I don't normally pay attention to anyway). I spend time sitting on the patio and enjoying the visitors to the birdfeeder, including those ground pounding squirrels. I've had a few hummingbirds visit my feeders along the patio and having the ability to focus to about 7 feet gives me an opportunity to see my little friends better without disturbing them while they feed. FWIW, I have been known to hold a feeder in my hand and let them feed that way!
I did have to play around for awhile with the diopter adjustment to get both eyepieces sharp with the progressive lenses I currently use. For awhile, I was set to one side of the center mark but had to adjust to the other side of the mark recently. It's time for me to get new glasses so I will see if further tweaking of that adjustment will be required. The diopter adjustment takes effort to move so I don't think accidentally changing it will happen (that's a good thing). I find myself looking through the binoculars with the lower part of my progressive lenses. I've been used to an 8x56 porro with a large exit pupil so eye placement was very forgiving with that binocular. With the smaller exit pupil of the Meopta 8x42, I do have to practice holding the binocular against my glasses so I won't get any blackouts. Colors are accurate to my eyes and this binocular really shows it's stuff during the early morning and late afternoon when the light begins to fade.
The only downside to these binoculars, and this is a minor thing to me, is a bit of glaring when the sun is really bright. I try to be conscious of this whenever I use the Meopta on days like that but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of having a nice binocular to enjoy observing nature.
I wonder if my ol' heart could take much better of a view from a more expensive binocular. I am satisfied with the Meopta Optika 8x42. Good job Meopta and thanks for bringing a nice and affordable binocular to market!