• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Fascinating Interview with Meopta Product Manager (1 Viewer)

Great interview Lee. I hope the new Cabela's armor style is strictly to differentiate it from the standard Meostar. I like the Meostar just like it is!
 
Great interview Lee. I hope the new Cabela's armor style is strictly to differentiate it from the standard Meostar. I like the Meostar just like it is!

That is a good point, when the first image of the new Cablea's Instinct
(Meopta) binoculars came out, I mentioned this wild armor design deserves
a nomination for the ugly binocular award.

I get their catalogs, as I am a loyal customer, and now they present photos
of the new models in a dark photograph, and I know why..;)

Note, this has nothing to do with Meopta, Cabelas's made a mistake here,
their unique design, I expect to be short lived, on this armor thing.
I would buy the Meopta, just for that.

I like the interview also, well done, and just what you would expect from
a top manufacturer.

Jerry
 

Attachments

  • DSCN1273.JPG
    DSCN1273.JPG
    461.4 KB · Views: 104
Thanks Peatmoss and Thanks Jerry.

Oddly enough when I first saw pictures of the Meopta MeoStar I was put off by the swirl of rubber 'dots' near the eyepieces and didn't like their appearance at all. In real life it was totally different. They are such a handy size and shape (maybe a bit like Leica BA/BN?) that I was won over enough to try them out and the rest is history, as they say.

Lee
 
I got some Meoptas today, both binos and scope. Cracking bits of kit.

Great news. When you have had time to use them why not open up a new thread and tell us about them? You have lots of wonderful places near Durham (where my uncle lives). Weardale - Alston area is beautiful (always a chance of interesting birds on Derwent Reservoir) and the coasts of Yorkshire and Northumberland are not so far away.

Lee
 
Most interesting interview. Thanks. Interesting US-links.
Meopta builds very nice high quality and is not overpriced yet. And still made in Europe. A company to watch for sure. I just would like them to be slightly more traditional designed please. A little less "cucumber"-style. But the parts that really matter are top notch.
 
Most interesting interview. Thanks. Interesting US-links.
Meopta builds very nice high quality and is not overpriced yet. And still made in Europe. A company to watch for sure. I just would like them to be slightly more traditional designed please. A little less "cucumber"-style. But the parts that really matter are top notch.

Sebzwo

Thank you for your kind words, I am glad you enjoyed the interview. I am not sure what you mean by 'cucumber-style'. Maybe if you can name a bino that does not have this style your meaning would become clear.

Lee
 
The little "cucumber" like bumps on the objective tubes where you hold them---maybe?:h?:

Bob

You could be right Bob. When I first saw photos of the B1s I was put off by the 'green pox' but then I saw the binos in real life and liked the compact shape so much that the spots faded into insignificance.

Lee
 
Technically I consider Meopta to be top notch and fairly priced. And I might very well buy some later one day.
I would have considered the B1 but I found it so ugly that I didn't take it. If it only could be a little less "designed". I have to to say this goes for many new binoculars of many manufacturers. The later made the uglier. It's an instrument, so no need to design "geometry", curves and shapes, unneeded finger rests and fancy patterns of the season on top of it except you find some genius designer to do it. (and this criticism includes my own Docter Nobilem 10x50's design)

This is admittedly just my taste and others might think different. To take another example I think many current cars are über-ugly by design. That might happen because you take standard mass produced cars -all have to be designed for the same regulations like pedestrian protection- and then companies try to add some "image" on top afterwards by putting on ugly details.

Being old school and coming back to binoculars: Make them purely functional again, more like microscopes and less of some "sports" article please. I even accept leatherette or heavy duty rubber seals for functional comfort. But this "piece of art" approach is not for me.
 
Last edited:
I have some sympathy with your comments Sebzwo but I can also understand the bino manufacturers' desire for their binos to at least look a little different from everyone elses. Certainly I agree with your comments about cars and prefer the functional looks of our Skoda Fabia Kombi to many other more 'stylish' designs. There have been some nice modern cars though, for example the Audi A2 and the original Audi TT and also the recently revived Alpine A110.

Lee
 
Lee, post 1,
Thank you for the interview of Milos of Meopta, very nice and informative. During our visit to Meopta in Prerov we also had a long conversation with him in the company building and later at a dinner which was organised for us as visitors. Upon our question: wil there be new developments and he told us that there were plans for a complete new binocular line. As yet we however did not see it, so the Rausnitz family may have decided to postpone it for some time.
On the other hand shortly after that the new Meorange binocular came on the market: a beautiful binocular both to see as to look through came on the market, a binocular with built-in rangefinder. We have seen with great admiration how the complex housing was made by an excellent craftsman on his CNC machine. We also watched the many quality control steps for every binocular and telescope made. That made it very clear to us, that Meopta is a top quality company.
Gijs van Ginkel

It sounds like a very interesting visit Gijs and from what Milos said they have some very impressive machinery in their factory.

Lee
 
It's an instrument, so no need to design "geometry", curves and shapes, unneeded finger rests and fancy patterns of the season on top of it except you find some genius designer to do it. (and this criticism includes my own Docter Nobilem 10x50's design)
I always wondered whether they were desperately trying to make the Nobilem series look non-military, in order to avoid bad war memories (hot or cold). Truly ugly. Though it was possible to make porro designs look clean and modern, as Swarovski did (I forget the name of that series in the 1980s).
 
Technically I consider Meopta to be top notch and fairly priced. And I might very well buy some later one day.
I would have considered the B1 but I found it so ugly that I didn't take it. If it only could be a little less "designed". I have to to say this goes for many new binoculars of many manufacturers. The later made the uglier. It's an instrument, so no need to design "geometry", curves and shapes, unneeded finger rests and fancy patterns of the season on top of it except you find some genius designer to do it. (and this criticism includes my own Docter Nobilem 10x50's design)

This is admittedly just my taste and others might think different. To take another example I think many current cars are über-ugly by design. That might happen because you take standard mass produced cars -all have to be designed for the same regulations like pedestrian protection- and then companies try to add some "image" on top afterwards by putting on ugly details.

Being old school and coming back to binoculars: Make them purely functional again, more like microscopes and less of some "sports" article please. I even accept leatherette or heavy duty rubber seals for functional comfort. But this "piece of art" approach is not for me.


I recently got the 12x50 B1, HD, and find it a very nice binocular, the
balance and handling, and the armor are all just right. The thumb indents are
also perfect for me.

Binoculars are not cars.

So try before you criticize. :smoke:

Jerry
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I recently got the 12x50 B1, HD, and find it a very nice binocular, the
balance and handling, and the armor are all just right. The thumb indents are
also perfect for me.

Binoculars are not cars.

So try before you criticize. :smoke:

Jerry

Jerry
I usually hate thumb indents because in the past they have never fitted my thumbs. The indents on the back of the MeoStar B1s are an exception and feel super-comfortable.

Lee
 
Hello,

I had good results with a Meopta product going back forty years: a photographic enlarger. More recently, I acquired a 6.5x32 MeoPro binocular, since discontinued, which was assembled in the USA. It is a rather good binocular for its price point, but not to everyone's taste. I tended to use it only when I was willing to carry a 10x32 as well.

I am not surprised to read that Meopta supplies other brands with components. Finished or semi-finished prisms may be a significant part of that business. I will point out that the Czech Republic borders on Austria, as well as Germany.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:
 
I am not surprised to read that Meopta supplies other brands with components. Finished or semi-finished prisms may be a significant part of that business. I will point out that the Czech Republic borders on Austria, as well as Germany.

Happy bird watching,
Arthur :hi:

A good point Arthur.

Lee
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top