Meostar 7x42 versions (1 Viewer)

Well, my closeout Meostar B1 7x42's (last pair, back in stock) arrived yesterday from Cameraland, thank you Doug for getting it here so quickly! They are a match to my Cabelas B1 10x32's, I am happy to say, as they have the tethered objective covers (a wire goes from each cap to the central screw) so they don't get lost-very nice! They also seem to have the same coatings as the Cabelas, which I believe to be from the previous version, judging by the caps, coating colors and serial numbers. As suggested by Tringa45 in Lee's thread, there were 3 versions of them:

https://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3704600&postcount=14

That's fine by me, as I had another Cabelas 10x32 briefly with a later serial number with lighter colored coatings, and slip on objective covers, and I decided I liked the earlier serial number versioin that I kept, if just for the deluxe objective covers. The coating difference didn't seem to make much of a difference from what I could tell, though they might have under some circumstances. I haven't been disappointed yet though with the 10x32's. They also show a wide, walk-in view, like the 7x42's have, I am pleased to say! I almost didn't order them, as some reviews on them said some things that didn't lead me to believe they would be a wide open view. It just goes to show, the only way you can be sure is to see for yourself than rely on just words in print. Interpreting others descriptions can often leave things amiss.

The color and contrast are great, as is the sharpness and yes, they are bright, and full of color even on a cloudy overcast day. I think they have maybe a little more color saturation than the Zeiss FL, but that is subjective and I will leave that to your eyes to judge. I feel inadequate to judge what I am seeing exactly, so I leave that to others who can. Besides, this really isn't a review, just a post about appreciating them from my point of view.

My only reservations about them are the weight-I don't know if my hands/wrists will tolerate them well, but I think a harness is in order to give me less handling to do with them. And the other thing is the higher focusing effort needed, though some of that is just wearing in, I am sure, like my 10x32's. They will never be like the Zeiss, but I think I can deal with that for what they provide.

I doubt I would sell my Zeiss FL's either-as they are great, and certainly easier and less stress to handle, with a very easy focus tension. But as my only 2 7x42's, now that I know how nice they are to have, they may well be my favorites, other than longer range viewing, where I still like 10x best. The handfilling circumference of the Meopta 7x42's are very comfortable to hold. I wouldn't need the thumb relief area that so many provide, and find a tapered cylinder just fine for my comfort.

Unfortunately, I think the problem with 7x42's is coming to know them, and appreciate just how good they are in these two I have tried so far (and others I have not). If more people would only open themselves to the 7x42, it might be as revealing as it has been for me, and I have only just begun to know and appreciate them!

I hope Opticron's new and affordable introduction of them will allow more people to discover their charms and benefits. Not shaking as much certainly helps the view, and having a wide open view sure makes it a pleasure, if you can find them with that attribute. Extra eye relief never hurts either, and gives more choice for eyeglass wearers.

In respect to Lee, I didn't want to clutter up his review with this, but I do want to thank him again for providing the incentive to discover these Meoptas, after such a fine review as his painted them. What else could I do?!

So, thank you Lee for that inspiring review that made me order them, and also to Chuck (and others like Mr.7x42, Ceasar) for first getting me interested in the 7x42 from your posts about them! Great inspiration, gentlemen, thank you for your efforts to show others what they are missing by dismissing the 7x42's! There certainly is something there that all should know about.

Hi Barry,

Thank you for your kind words.

I am pleased that you are happy with your new 7x42 from Meopta. I was sorely tempted to order one after I found out that they were being discontinued but I convinced myself that I have more than enough 7x42's now.

My favorite one is the Zeiss 7x42 FL.

Bob

Barry, I hope you enjoy the 7X42s, nice glass.
Regarding serial Numbers, I wonder if it possible to date the serial number for the B1. The 7X42 was discontinued and I wonder if mine was old stock, I am not sure when the 8X42 was discontinued also, or is it still being produced.

Andy W.

Thanks Barry, you are most welcome, glad to see that temptation won in the end, and for the same reasons that you mention, thanks also to Uncle Bob.

Lee

Good Morning Barry!

Glad you got the Meopta 7X42s! You have two really nice ones now. The B.1 IS kinda heavy but with a decent harness, not too bad.

The 7X42 question.... IMO the average binocular consumer is only going to purchase ONE binocular, that's IT. ONE to do everything. So in the consumers mind they are picking the "middle" magnification binoculars thinking it is the do everything magnification which I guess it IS. Another reason for the decline of the 7X42 is I think folks think 7X SURELY won't be enough magnification to SEE anything. Lastly if you are looking at binoculars at a sporting goods store in a hunting area chances are 10X may be the magnification of most of the in stock models. So ones choice is limited. Those of us that are binocular aficionados like to experiment with different equipment so we now KNOW how great 7X is and what the benefits AND limitations of each magnification and objective size ARE.

You better not sell those!

Thanks for the well wishes with the B1's, Bob, Andy, Lee, Chuck, good morning to you guys! Well, all I know now is that if you don't look through the 7x42's, you don't know how much they can do with that wide open view, and fine detail besides. If only people could try them, a lot would agree they have very much to offer. No, they aren't a 10x, and I will keep my 10's for their special attributes too. But for any closer range viewing, these are especially nice to use. I guess you're right Chuck that the one and done binocular buyers will never know what they are missing, only what they are seeing with their higher power binocular. Too bad!

Anyway, I took a look at my Cabelas B1 10x32, ser. no. 141XXX, with the tethered obj. caps, ocular coatings of purple, orange, and amber; objective coatings of purple and blue. Then I compared them to:

My Meopta B1 7x42, ser. no. 122XXX, also with tethered obj. caps, ocular coatings of purple, orange, and amber; objective coatings of purple and blue, just like the above 10x.

I'm guessing these are both from the 2nd series of Meoptas that Tringa45 from Germany spoke of in his post here;

https://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3704600&postcount=14

That's just a rough estimate of serial numbers then from my two, and his dates that the first two were replaced under warranty. It's little to go on, but maybe it's a start. I don't know when they started using the tethered objective caps, but I know they stopped using them in the later Cabelas B1 10x32's, with later serial numbers than mine that I kept.

If anyone would care to comment on their B1's with X'd serial numbers, and physical attributes like I gave earlier, of coating colors, and type of objective caps, that might add a little to our database, thank you! Or if anyone has better indicators or dates, that would be great. But I don't know if that info is out there or not.

Barry,

My wife's 7x42 B1s came directly from the factory in summer 2016 with serial no. 160xxx. The case is grey and semi-rigid. The first version had a green fabric-covered tight-fitting case with separate straps for case and binocular. The case for the second version was similar but in dark green felt and had click fasteners so that one was forced to choose between putting the strap on the case or on the bins. This is also so with the latest version, which I find very impractical as I like a long strap for the case and a short one for the bins, and it is also useful in the field to be able to put a field guide or a snack in the case.

The tethered objective covers came with the second version and the wire was abraded through within a couple of weeks. The old style covers, which are retained on the barrels are IMO much better so perhaps Meopte USA could provide you with a pair of these. They are only really useful in the winter months to prevent condensation on the optical surfaces when coming from the cold into a warm environment.

I have a 2003 vintage Swarovski 7x42 SLC with 3-layer multicoatings: http://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/file.php?9,file=769,filename=image.jpg. It is still a very nice binocular but the coatings on the second B1 were better, so I wouldn't be concerned if you don't have the very latest version. The focussing wheel BTW will get lighter with use and is now just about ideal, certainly better than both my Swarovskis.

John

Hey, thanks John for finding this thread and your keen observations and the updated info you provided! Don't worry, I don't feel deprived at all having the 2nd versions of the 7x42 and 10x32 B1's! I plan to be very careful with the wire cables, as I think they are an excellent idea. Maybe I will call Meopta and see if they have extras available. I'm not a heavy mileage user, so they might work for me, I hope! But yes, you're right, not needed usually, but good to have sometimes for how you use them.

Your date of 2016 for ser. no. 160XXX is helpful to know, thank you, John! It does seem they are sequential too, and might bear out what I thought. You can't always tell who is selling what, especially when they are discontinued. No matter really, as minor differences in optics are usually pretty hard to notice unless you are looking for it, and even then it may not be earthshaking stuff anyway that most will never notice!

I am just happy to now have these pairs to use and enjoy now (both 7x and 10x). And you can't argue with saving a bunch of bucks when they are closeouts either! I consider myself a very lucky guy, as far as binoculars are concerned from my recent finds and being in a position to do it once at least before I jump! ; ) Though, I owe most all of that to the heads up I got here on the forum, so thank you guys for saying so when there is a deal to be had! I'm feeling full and happy right now, to have been able to take advantage this time around, which has not been the case often before. Especially in the higher grades, which is quite newer to me.

Anyone else have some serial numbers and dates they can contribute? And details about caps, cases, straps that might go along with dating them?

My Cabelas Euro 10x32, cheap black Cordura case, one strap; Meopta B1, very nice green felt case, one wide Meopta strap. I really like the 7x42 rainguards-they form fit and once put on, stay there pretty well, unlike many that just slip off with the lightest movement. I don't remember the 10x32 rainguard-they are still in the box. I hope they fit like the 7x42's though.

And yes, the focus wheel is very smooth, but needs breaking in. My 10x32's are quicker now than when new, so I'm pretty sure, along with your observations John, that they will also be nice in short order. Never as light as the Zeiss FL, but pretty nice and smooth with a bit more tension.

I have one 7X42 B1 121XXX, two 8X42s one 121XXX the other 153XXX. Both 121 serials came with the green, (looks like wool pouch to me, attracts my dogs hair) soft bag with a nice padded strap which can be attached to glass or pouch. The 153 came with a semi-rigid case the color to me gray, with a smaller lower quality strap than the 121 series. They all had the tethered objective covers, I bought the ones attached by the objective tubes and they work better IMO. The 153 came with a better rain guard, I am looking to get two more the replace the ones on the 121 series.
The 153 serial has to go to Meopta to fix the slack spot in the focus, so I got another one new for less than 600 US with US Warranty, the 121 series.
There is a slight difference in brightness with the 153 and 121, but it is very suttle. Additionally the 153 has rough texture to the upper portion of the rubber armor, the 121 serials are smooth.

These IMO are the best glass in their price range, and could easily go for more.

Andy W.

My 7x42 acquired this year has serial 160XXX and grey/green case with a lid that fastens by pushing down over a knob that protrudes through a hole. You twist the knob and the flap is retained by it. I would say that accessories aren't a reliable guide to dates of production as suppliers can be changed, old stock used on new make binos, new type straps can be used alongside old style rainguards or cases etc etc and as experience with Zeiss has shown, even serial numbers aren't necessarily used in numerical/date order. I don't use objective covers myself but thought that the ones that came with the binos and both attached by a common wire to the cover over the tripod adapter port is a neat arrangement but Meopta tell me this has received a lot of criticism from owners so I guess this method will not feature on future models.

Lee

I checked with Meopta when a sample with a serial number 13XXXX would have been made and was told it was 2013.

David

Good job, guys! Now we know more than we did before! Not that it is that important, but it gives us at the very least, an idea anyway when some were probably made. The more references to the dates and serial numbers, the more accurate it will be. Not foolproof, for sure though, as Lee points out about serial numbers.

Too bad about the objective covers tethered to the center screw-I thought it was pretty clever too. But if some found they broke easily, I would imagine that would not be good. In operation, they work well for me though, so far. Maybe Meopta has piles of them, not knowing what to do with them! Wouldn't that be nice! More likely though, not, and since they stopped using them, they might have recycled any they had left! I'll call Meopta here someday soon and see what they say. Maybe I can sneak in a request for a serial number date or two, too! ; )

Keep posting the serial numbers and any references to dates you might have, though, please. Thanks!

Barry,

The relatively high weight of the 7x42 B1s is not without its positive aspects. Prism size has a significant impact on binocular weight and when manufacturers skimp on the prisms the inevitable consequence is vignetting. If everything is to scale on the cutaway I linked in post #7, the prisms of the old 7x42 SLC are enormous. When I hold mine at arm's length and turn it to left or right the exit pupils are still the shape of a 3/4 moon just before they occlude. The 7x42 B1 is not quite as good (it's 50 g lighter) but the exit pupils are still the shape of a gibbous moon. Many lightweight bins will show an almond-shaped exit pupil just before occlusion. I think this is what Swarovski mean by "Randpupille" or edge pupil, so perhaps we could adopt this term on Birdforum.

It would be interesting if you could do a comparison of the edge pupils of the 7x42 FL and the 7x42 B1 holding one on top of the other. The Zeiss will occlude later due to its larger FOV but i would hazard a guess that just before the Meopta occludes its exit pupils are larger.

Regards,
John

Meopta, Prerov, have confirmed that for both MeoStar B1 binos and MeoPro binos, the first two digits of the serial number indicate the year of manufacture.

Lee

Lee,

Thanks for providing the info regarding the serial No..

Andy W.

Well, duh, that makes perfect sense now in hindsight! ; ) Thanks Lee for verifying it with Meopta! I guess there aren't a lot of potential code breakers here that would have seen that in an instant, like young Morse, or the girls of Bletchley! (UK TV shows on PBS)

It does seem that Europe got the fresher stock recently though! Ours might have just been here longer, trying to be sold, and then closed out...who knows how it all worked out. But I have to say, at the discounted prices we had on the closeouts, we were lucky to be able to get them for the prices here in the US that really made me buy mine.

Slight coating changes doesn't mean it's earthshaking, and from comparing the two 10x I had with different coatings, I think you had to see the difference in a particular extreme lighting situation to be able to tell the difference in coatings. I could see none that I was aware of between them.

Hi Barry. Your thread inspired me to dig out my Meostar 42's for their serial numbers. Here's what I found...

7x42 B1: 805xxx (bought on Amazon about 3 or 4 years ago)
8x42 B1: 122xxx (bought from Eurooptic about 3 years ago)
10x42HD: 145xxx (bought from Cameraland about 2 years ago)

I'm not sure how the 7x42's anomalous serial number jibes with what Meopta told Lee. It certainly does not seem like a 1980 binocular. If it is, then Meopta beat everyone else to the market with phase coatings, because this unit is phase coated! Or maybe it's from the future?

Let's talk about accessories. Pic 1 below shows all three binoculars. 7x42 on the left, 10x42HD in the middle, and 8x42 on the right. The 7x42 and 8x42 share the same rainguard, with angled sides. In my experience this rainguard tends to fall off easily. The 10x42 HD, the newest of the three, has a rainguard with straight sides. It pushes on, and stays put. I like this design better.

Pic 2 below shows the objective caps for the 7x42 (left) and the 10x42HD (right). The 10x42HD has the oft-discussed caps tethered to the tripod socket via wire. I don't like this style because the caps tend to fall off, often aided by the stiff wires that would rather be straight. The 7x42's caps are individually tethered to each tube. This style works quite well, with the caps staying put until I want them off. I'd suggest that Meopta return to this style. In fact my 8x32 B1 has caps similar to this.

Pic 3 below shows the stock cases provided with the binoculars. The one on the left came with the 7x42. It is green cordura with minimal padding on the interior. The one on the right came with both the 8x42 and the 10x42HD. It is green wool with similar minimal padding on the interior. I prefer the cordura case. The wool case is already starting to show a bit of scruffiness and "pilling" just from ordinary use. The cordura case, by contrast, is basically in like-new condition even though it is older.

peatmoss said:

Hi Barry. Your thread inspired me to dig out my Meostar 42's for their serial numbers. Here's what I found...

7x42 B1: 805xxx (bought on Amazon about 3 or 4 years ago)
8x42 B1: 122xxx (bought from Eurooptic about 3 years ago)
10x42HD: 145xxx (bought from Cameraland about 2 years ago)

I'm not sure how the 7x42's anomalous serial number jibes with what Meopta told Lee. It certainly does not seem like a 1980 binocular. If it is, then Meopta beat everyone else to the market with phase coatings, because this unit is phase coated! Or maybe it's from the future?....

Click to expand...

LOL! Could be! ; ) I see what you are saying, and no, it doesn't fit the profile given by Meopta. Interesting! Your other two seem to, from when you bought them though.

Thanks for the nice write-up and even pictures, much appreciated, along with your comments, Pete!

I am pretty sure Meopta launched the B1 family in 2005 so aside from a 'Back from the Future' explanation the bino with serial beginning 80 is probably from 2008 even if 08 would seem more 'correct'.

Lee

Ah, that does make sense! If they used the 0, they would waste a number place, when it's not really needed for the early years. Gee, it's good to have people around who think! ; ) Thanks again Lee!