Meopta S2 82HD vs Swarovski ATS 80HD (1 Viewer)

[artur]

Good morning is my first post, Hello everyone!

I have a choice of two scopes at a similar price. Both are new.
1. Meopta Meostar S2 82HD 20-70x
2. Swarovski ATS 80HD 20-60x
I will use the telescopes mainly on large rivers (the Vistula) and in the spring backwaters in meadows and swamps for bird watching.
What is important for me is a sharp and clear image, no aberration but also high mobility. I like hiking with a telescope and a tripod on my shoulder along the river. Sometimes a few hours. For smaller lakes and ponds I already have a 65mm ED 15-45x scope weighing 1350g. My Delta Optical Titanium 65ED II 15-45x works well for travel and hiking, but optically it is a bit lacking and sometimes I have a problem with small "Calidris". I also need the possibility of digiscoping. Nevertheless, I will leave it for intensive use in small lakes. Please advise what to choose: Meopta or Swaro?

Sorry for my English

 

[Tringa45]

Hi Artur,
Welcome to Birdforum.
There can be some sample variation beween different examples of the same scope model, so it would be ideal if you had the opportunity to compare them with a star test. Failing that you should be able to get a legible image of newsprint at 25-30 m with good contrast in stable air (no heat haze).
Apart from the magnification ranges you mentioned, both scopes are available with wide angle eyepieces, 25-50x for the Swarovski and 30-60x for the Meopta.
At magnifications of 60x or 70x the exit pupil gets rather small so you would need exceptional conditions to be able to make use of these and IMHO a maximum of 50x is usually enough for terrestrial use.
Despite their higher minimum magnifications the wide angle eypieces actually offer a wider field of view than the alternatives at 20x, which makes it somewhat easier to get on the bird.

John

 

[artur]

So I am the happy owner of the Meopta Meostar S2 82HD 20-70x Spotting Scope. After the first observations, I can see that the 20-70 eyepiece is definitely better for identifying and finding rarities. It is less able to count large groups of birds that feed on ponds. I think that a wide-angle eyepiece would be better for viewing such stocks. The scope itself is gorgeous. I can easily read the small print text in a newspaper at a distance of 40 meters.