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Meopta Meostar 12x50 HD review (1 Viewer)

Thanks Lee.

I thought the 12x50HD on the stand was good, but this review sample actually exceeded my expectations. I've double checked with Meopta that it wasn't a cherry picked 'special' of some sort, and they assured me it was just a random sample from the latest production run. The QC was rechecked prior to shipping but that was all.

I'd agree one to watch for the future.

David
 
David, that sounds encouraging! if any old one of them are that good, then maybe there will be one on your shopping list someday soon :t: perhaps manufacturers have finally woken up that exceeding the ISO standard offers tangible benefits .... o:)


Chosun :gh:
 
I'm curious if anyone has looked at this against the Leica Ultravid Hd 12x50. I'm interested in a 12x bino, and these two are among consideration. I have a 2015 model Trinovid 10x42 and used he Meostar 10x42 Hd. I enjoy both brands that I viewed.

One advantage I see to the Meostar is the threaded tripod adapter versus special adapters needed for Leica.

As I mentioned other places, I think Meopta would gain appeal if hey didn't have such a bland military appearance.
 
My experience with the Meopta 12 x 50 HD (and other bins)

Thanks for your review, David. I've purchased the same binoculars 3 months ago, and I'd like to show my view, using citations from your text for my comments. (I just discovered your review some days ago, so my experiences are not influenced by it.)

Meopta is a name that may be well known on the forum, but seems to be relatively unknown in birding circles generally. That deserves to change in my opinion. I hope this review will illustrate why.

The binoculars I use nowadays are two Meostar B1 from Meopta: a 7 x 42 (purchased last spring) and a 12 x 50 HD, purchased last autumn. I've seen a lot of bins the last months, but for me the Meostars are the best from the sub-premium class: nearly the performance than the premium bins (and sometimes better!), but for 30 to 40 percent of the price of theme (at least in Switzerland). Unfortunately, there is no dealer to present them in a shop, there is only an online shop in Switzerland who orders them through the official representative. And that is the reason, only few persons know and appreciate the Meopta binoculars. They would be better known, if one could take them in the hands and test them with one own's eyes. (Regarding to me, I would not hesitate to order another Meostar online without having tested it before - but not a pair of Meo Pro HD binoculars, which Meopta does not produce itself, but buy at another factory - these are more conventional bins with some faults.)

Once upon a time, the Meostar had a reputation for not having the best colour rendition on offer. Those days are long gone, and in my opinion the current range really does merit the attention of those looking for top quality birding optics in my opinion.

The colour rendition of the 12 x 50 is a bit on the warm side, but less than that of the 7 x 42. But I like it more this way than that of my Zeiss Conquest HD 10 x 42, which are a bit cold. (Meopta's colour bias is similar to that of Leica binoculars.)

The 12x50HD has the mid-green armour with the raised texture pattern near the eyepieces and the bullet-like shape that is common to all the B1 range. I rather like its distinctive look. The thumb indents on the back are generous and well positioned for a conventional grip.

The grip: perfect for me. The look: I don't think of military green or hunting green, but of the good old green of the Swiss (and German and Austrian) Federal Railways 30 years ago... Advantage: green doesn't get heated by the sun so fast as black!

The Meostars B1 are bigger than other bins, but fit perfectly my hands.

They fit my hands as well. (The 7 x 42 are even better!)

The rain guard is a very nice snug fit ...

The rain guard for the eyepieces are very good. Its material does not bother me when it touches my hand. Most users will use them threaded only at the strap on the right side. The rain cover will not be damaged like that on my Zeiss Conquest HD which has a sharp strap and a soft rain guard.

There is no disguising that this is a fairly big binocular ...

Yes, but the alternatives are similar.

They are OK to hang round the neck for a an hour or so ...

Well, I carry them for several hours, often combined with my 7 x 42 Meostar, which weighs an additional 860 g.

There is also a bit of a knack to holding a 12x steady. Supporting the binocular more on the palms of the hands with a slightly front and back arrangement worked best for me. I know some suggest the increased shake at high magnification neutralises any advantage. That just isn’t so for me at least.

I agree, the plus in viewing details compensates for the shake - but not if you have just climbed a hill and are out of breath!

This was a brand new sample ... and the focus was sluggish to start with. Not exactly stiff, just very well damped and didn’t want to be hurried. ... I’ve found the damping somewhat assists fine focus and there is no hint of any backlash.

The focusing unit is the best I've seen - much more better than the ones of the Swarovision EL, the Zeiss SF and the Zeiss Conquest HD. It is on a par with the one from the new Noctivid from Leica! Compared with that of the Meostar, the focuser of the 12 x 50 from Svaro EL is mediocre - I never could focus with one movement of my finger, there is a resistance that suddenly broke down and resulted in a defocused view. This effect is not big, but in consideration of the very limited depth of field of 12 x, it is annoying.

The eye relief is listed at 15 mm. It’s perfectly fine for my glasses with a millimetre or so to spare. To me, it feels more comparable to some models listed at 16 or 17mm. Clearly it will still be insufficient for some spectacle wearers.

That is the one and only drawback of these binoculars for me: being far-sighted, my glasses need an eye relief of at least 16 mm. But I can live with this incovenience, because I use 12 x 50 binoculars only to identify details, for overviewing a flock of birds I use my 7 x42.

Apologies for the level of enthusiasm in this report.

No problem, I share your enthusiasm...

Sure enough, it comfortably outgunned my usual 10x42. In pure detail I was getting exactly the 20% advantage you would expect, but in terms of how the birds looked, it felt like the magnification was much higher.

Compared with binoculars that magnify 7 or 8 times, a pair with a magnifying factor of 12 outperforms clearly a 10 x 42. In my experience, a combination 7 or 8 + 10 times does not make any sense, but a combination 7 or 8 + 12 does.

Firstly the headline. I think this Meopta is possibly the sharpest binocular I’ve ever used.

I agree, but I would say that this is not only an effect of sharpness, but also of brillance and the nearly complete absence of chromatic aberration.

There is a rather shallow field curvature, but unless you are an astronomer, it’s going to seem like a flat field with excellent definition right to the edge of the view.

I wouldn't say that they are flat field (as far as I know, there is no lens at this purpose), but the borders aren't really bad. Again, I use the 12x50 mostly for details in the center of the image.

There is a bit more pincushion ..., so those who are susceptible to the rolling ball effect shouldn’t be concerned.

That's is very important for me: I get uneasy when there is a remarkable rolling ball effect (as in the 8x42 SF from Zeiss).

I’d been using the binocular for a couple of days when I realised I hadn’t noticed any CA ... So I went looking for it. Yes it is there as very narrow fringing in the outer third of the view, but well within my own tolerance limits and it’s not troubled me once in the field.

As I said before, the chromatic aberration is very well corrected - true HD.

I’ve been unable to spot any glare at all which is also pretty remarkable. There are a couple of false pupils around 3mm or so from the exit pupil but they haven’t troubled the view at all.

Glare and false pupils are indeed no problem, in contrast to my Zeiss Conquest HD 10 x 42 which break down when I am viewing against the light (for example reflections of the sun in a pond). (The 7 x 42 are even better - nearly perfect in this regard!)

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I get the impression that the magnification is higher than 12x.

I could compare my binoculars with the 12 x 50 Swarovision EL from Swarovski, and I had also the impression that the Meostar magnify more than those pair. By the way: The image quality of the Meostar was at least as good as that of the Swarovision (which cost at least double the price of the Meopta). The eye relief of the Swaro is better (about 18 mm), but the focussing unit is worse, and that is a major disadvantage.

I hope I’ve gone some way towards explaining why the Meostar HD 12x50 gave me that little buzz of excitement when I tried it for the first time at BirdFair. It still gives me that little buzz each time I use it. It’s not a cheap binocular, but I think it can be fairly called a bargain. I’m going to miss it.

All the Meostars B1 of Meopta are bargains - in my opinion. I think they are a much better choice than the Zeiss Conquest HD, for example. They resemble the Swarovision SLC, which are very good, but also not flat-field - but these cost more than the Meostars and there are not all models available (especially no 12 times magnifying bin).

I don’t imagine many birders would choose a 12x50 as their only binocular, but most regulars here own several. I have a variety of models that I think are best suited to different situations, but 7x and 10x are my most used. The 7x for the woods and hedgerows and the 10x for the open spaces. No question, this Meopta does a much better job in those open spaces. Would I choose it for an all day outing? With a suitable harness, definitely.

As I said before, I often use a combination 7 x 42 and 12 x 50 - that's heavy, but I have only a tiny Lumix super-zoom digicam with me and thankfully a healthy neck!

Best regards,
Mark
 
Mark,

Thank you for adding your thoughts. It's a great binocular. I wish I could have kept that review sample.

You hang both the 12x50 and the 7x42 round your neck? !!!! I hadn't realised I was such a whimp.:-O

David
 
Hi everyone,

Really appreciate this thread. Ive been a long-time lurker on these forums and am thrilled that the Meopta 12x50 binoculars are finally getting some recognition. Ive had mine for about a year now and have nothing but wonderful things to say about it. On a tripod, they are simply the best bang for your buck. I exchanged a pair of Razor HD 12x50's for these binoculars and couldn't be happier. No CA, bright clear image at all hours of the day. They are also wonderful for looking up at the stars at night!

Cheers!

Samolot
 

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Samolot,

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the comments.

That's the HD you have isn't it? I think I can just make it out in the photo.

I do like the light weight and ergonomics of the Vortex Razor HD 12x50 but I found the level of CA was a bit on the high side for me. (The 10x50 is much better IMO.) I'd have to put the Meostar a good step higher.

David
 
Hi David,

Yes, that is the HD. I never tried the razor 10x50, but I was interested more in a 12x binocular for general use. I just got an 8x binocular for more handheld use in the woods: the Meopta Meopro HD 8x42, another fantastic binocular (except for some noticeable glare). The Meopro line is very reminiscent of the Vortex Razor.

My only regret so far is not being able to try the Meopta Meostar 15x56 prior to acquiring the 12x50 (I was ordering online). In any case, the relative light weight and stability of the 12x50 are what let me use it occasionally without the tripod when I'm hiking around some open terrain.

On a different note, I just wanted to mention that I think Meopta is quite possibly the most underrated optics brand out there.

Cheers!

Samolot
 
Samolot,

If I'd been able to keep the 12x50 I'd guess my use would be around 80% hand held and 20% on a monopod/tripod. I found the combination of weight and balance made the 15x56 very hard to hold steady, and for me it would have been at least 80% tripod. Perhaps 100%? No doubt a very nice binocular if that's your intended use.

Unfortunately the girth of the x56 barrels also meant that with the Meopta bracket (and I suspect most others) I was unable to get anywhere close to my 63mm IPD. I didn't measure it but I'd guess you'd need 66mm plus to use it comfortably. Otherwise you would have to use one of those platform type supports for narrower IPDs.

Ageed. Meopa are doing some excellent stuff these days.

David

P.S. have you considered using a booster? The resolution of my review sample was plenty good enough to manage 24x. I'm sure the Meopta booster is excellent, but something like the more affordable Opticron UTA should work well. It does narrow the view but otherwise the 1.8x works very well as long as you can find an adaptor that is a good fit for the eyecups.
 
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Haven't considered a booster, but I don't think it would be necessary. If I needed that kind of power, I would consider getting a spotting scope.

By the way, did your "demo" pair come with a green wool case? I was wondering if they made changes to their case since I have the green wool one and, to be frank, I think its quite useless. Very tight fit and not room for accessories (this is where I think Vortex had a significant advantage).
 
Samalot,

I hadn't given much thought to what fibre was used for the case that came with mine. I just assumed synthetic. Wasn't a tight fit either. Looked like it was waterproof anyway.

The first image is the case that came with my mine and was a rather big and box like. Is yours more like the second image I found on Meota's US website?

David
 

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Yes, I have the second one. Its tight, and I doubt its waterproof. I'm glad Meopta decided to do something about the case.

On the other hand, the strap that arrived with mine is thicker than the one pictured in the first image. I'll post a picture later.
 
Sorry took a while to post. Here is the strap. Initially it was WAY too long and I had a difficult time shortening it using their straps, so I changed a couple of things: I added the linking system from Peak Design to streamline the connection between the binoculars and the strap and make it more discrete. I re-routed the strap near the cushion in order to take the excess and roll it up, followed by wrapping it in heat-shrink wrap to secure it. I now have a much tidier set-up that lays flat on my chest instead of my stomach.
 

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I don't have any good photos of the stap on the one I had, but I'd guess your arrangement is a bit shorter than I would normally use. I think you can see that it would have been quite easy to shorten the length by another 6" if necessary, but that would have left a lot of loose ends to tidy up. Looks like the shrink wrap does a neat job.

David
 

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Yes, I have the second one. Its tight, and I doubt its waterproof. I'm glad Meopta decided to do something about the case.

On the other hand, the strap that arrived with mine is thicker than the one pictured in the first image. I'll post a picture later.

The Green wool has charm! I kind of like it. Mind you I'm not very picky about a case, so long as the clasp is silent and quality (which it is). I like tight fitting cases. My only complaint is it picks up dead leaves and grass like a magnet.
 
Rather than start a new thread I thought I`d sneak a post onto Typo`s, I`v found that on my Meostar 8x32 that the eyecups don`t extend out far enough for my liking, I have to balance them against my brows, so as they unscrew for cleaning I`v slipped a 25x3.55mm o ring over the eyepieces and screwed the cups back on nice and tight, they twist up and down as before but are now 3mm further out, perfect for me.
 
A bit of a test of my memory as it's been a while since I tried the 8x32 without glasses, but I don't think the eyecups were ever meant to sit in the eye sockets. I remember the diameter was a rather small and felt like it was sitting on the eyeball, just as it does with compacts. In the brief time I had with them I think I used a forefinger across the brow to give a steady hold. It didn't seem any more problematic at the time than the majority of other models I've tried which might need MOLCET or some other technique.

I normally wear glasses so most binoculars need an o-ring or something to get the correct ER but the 8x32 was just right for me at the lowest setting.

David
 
If you want the ultimate upgrade for the 12x50's, I would highly recommend the eyeshields from field optics. I just got a pair and it fits the meostar perfectly. It eliminates peripheral light extremely well, plus it looks pretty cool.

I'll post a picture later.
 
The eye shields are from field optics. They fit perfectly right in the gap formed when you twist out the eye cups from the meostar. It drastically enhanced the viewing experience.
 

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