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Meopta Meostar S2 82 HD (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Houdiny
- Start date
I bought a Meopta S2 HD a few months back, angled with SOC and 30-60x ep. It is frankly stunning. At 30x, there are some odd distortions when panning that don't bother me, but these recede as you increase mag. It is sharp and bright up to 60x. Curiously the pincushion effect is the reverse of what I'm used to, i.e. The horizon bends upwards at the top of the FOV. This is also irrelevant. The SOC rubs off the focusser, but that's the same with my old Swaro ATS 80 HD; frankly, I don't think helical focusser and SOC's are a good match, and I agree that SOC's on waterproof scopes are unnecessary and cumbersome. (Before anyone asks, yes my Meopta is for sale on classifieds, and the reason is that there won't be much birding in my future, nothing to do with the quality of this scope, which I've compared to the Swaro 85ATX, and damned if I can see a difference worth a euro, never mind two thousand of them).
Pardon my ignorance, but what is SOC?
Regarding the distortions you mention, I only see them when I am looking for them. During normal use when observing a bird, they are not worth mentioning, imo.
Aaah, Stay On Case...
Which one have you got? Why and where is it rubbing off?
Regarding the distortions you mention, I only see them when I am looking for them. During normal use when observing a bird, they are not worth mentioning, imo.
Aaah, Stay On Case...
Which one have you got? Why and where is it rubbing off?
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Hi Houdiny, mine is the dual-colour case mentioned in earlier posts. The case rubs a little off the focusser when I turn the latter, even though the case section at the focusser is narrow. This can't be helped, and I wonder why helical-focusser scope manufacturers don't issue a simple two-piece neoprene cover with a space where the focusser is. But, as I said, I don't think the case is necessary anyway.
John Cantelo
Well-known member
Good to hear they've done something about that useless stay-on case - I told the rep at the Bird Fair in 2013 that it was useless and in 2014 he assured me that there was a new one, but didn't have one. I find it astonishing that they could have made someting originally was clearly unfit for purpose. If and when I get the large OG scope I'd like this will certainly be a contender!
DadraFromFrance
Well-known member
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
2014 meopta product catalog can be found here,
photos of the latest s2 design and the new stay-on-case:
http://www.slideshare.net/Optics-Trade/catalog-meopta-optics-trade-2014
photos of the latest s2 design and the new stay-on-case:
http://www.slideshare.net/Optics-Trade/catalog-meopta-optics-trade-2014
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
new review of the S2 compared to Swaro ATS80HD
http://www.meoptasportsoptics.com/e...l-in-grun-meopta-vs-swarovski-1404043695.html
The S2 got higher light transmission values than the Swaro.
"Compared to ATS 80 HD, the S2 also boasts greater luminosity. Total transmission is 89% regardless of the eyepiece used. With the 25-*‐50 eyepiece, the ATS attained 87%, while with the 20-*‐60 eyepiece the transmission is reduced significantly to 82%."
this is very interesting, since in an older review (in Jagdpraxis 2/2014) where the STX also was present (transmission = 87%), for the S2 straight model, transmission was measured to 80%, but when I asked Meopta about this, they said that transmission should be 85%.
(I guess straight and angled S2 models both use SP-prisms so there should be no difference between them.)
Might indicate that coatings could have been updated during 2014?
Or it's just about measurements and tolerances…?
http://www.meoptasportsoptics.com/e...l-in-grun-meopta-vs-swarovski-1404043695.html
The S2 got higher light transmission values than the Swaro.
"Compared to ATS 80 HD, the S2 also boasts greater luminosity. Total transmission is 89% regardless of the eyepiece used. With the 25-*‐50 eyepiece, the ATS attained 87%, while with the 20-*‐60 eyepiece the transmission is reduced significantly to 82%."
this is very interesting, since in an older review (in Jagdpraxis 2/2014) where the STX also was present (transmission = 87%), for the S2 straight model, transmission was measured to 80%, but when I asked Meopta about this, they said that transmission should be 85%.
(I guess straight and angled S2 models both use SP-prisms so there should be no difference between them.)
Might indicate that coatings could have been updated during 2014?
Or it's just about measurements and tolerances…?
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I used to have a Swaro ATS 80mm.....and wasn't impressed by it although admittedly I had the 20-60 eyepiece. I just thought the light in general, the view with the higher zooms etc..while good, did not blow me away. I cannot attest to it using the 25-50 eyepiece.
What impressed me was the view from the S2. Although I don't own one, the little I have used it in the field is an eye popper. So it is nice to see so many on the S2 bandwagon here. Well worth it.
As a side...another surprise was when I still had the Swaro and I used a Nikon Prostaff 5 80mm non ed scope down in Ecuador as we are always hiking around that country. Admittedly it is cheap, made in china, probably won't have the shelf life as the Swaro but I was impressed by the overall view, feel etc. I won't get one, but the bottom line is that many times the real high end scopes are given a run for their money. Perhaps that is why Swaro and Nikon have now come out with these $5000 scopes,...since the overall quality of lesser scopes across the board was becoming more balanced.
The good news is that the S2...is quality all the way thru, from I saw and remember, beats a Swaro ATS 80mmHD and should have a nice long shelf life.
My two cents on this
What impressed me was the view from the S2. Although I don't own one, the little I have used it in the field is an eye popper. So it is nice to see so many on the S2 bandwagon here. Well worth it.
As a side...another surprise was when I still had the Swaro and I used a Nikon Prostaff 5 80mm non ed scope down in Ecuador as we are always hiking around that country. Admittedly it is cheap, made in china, probably won't have the shelf life as the Swaro but I was impressed by the overall view, feel etc. I won't get one, but the bottom line is that many times the real high end scopes are given a run for their money. Perhaps that is why Swaro and Nikon have now come out with these $5000 scopes,...since the overall quality of lesser scopes across the board was becoming more balanced.
The good news is that the S2...is quality all the way thru, from I saw and remember, beats a Swaro ATS 80mmHD and should have a nice long shelf life.
My two cents on this
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henry link
Well-known member
The shape of the straight version looks like a Porro, not a Schmidt-Pechan. The cutaway of the angled version has had me scratching my head. I can't figure what the prism configuration is. It's definitely not a Schmidt, like every other high end angled scope. I'm not sure a Schmidt-Pechan can be configured for 45º, but even if it can, why would that be done when just the Schmidt part alone will do it?
I wonder if the light transmission figures for the Swarovski scope and eyepieces result from them being older units, with the 20-60x eyepiece perhaps being the oldest.
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
oops, I didn't think before I wrote….
But the review in JagdPraxis (can also be found on meoptas news page, but further down) says that the S2 have an SP-prism.
But obviously it does not look that way….
You are probably correct, on the transmission for swaro
swaro states 85% for the 25-50x, and 86% for the 20-60x,
http://aa.swarovskioptik.com/nature/ats-sts-c210202/ats-80-t5006334
but 82% for a version with older coatings might not seem unlikely.
Anyway, 89% for the S2 is very good figures. IF this was measured.
The lower figures in the JagdPraxis review is a bit odd. Another strange thing with that review is that the transmission DIFFERS between max and min magnification in some of the scopes.
This review is 1 year older, so perhaps, S2 coatings (or/and the EP:s) may have been updated.
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Hello Vespobuteo,
Are you refering to the previous S1 Meopta Spotting Scope when you say is dark green colour and a different tripod-foot design?
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
No, it's the S2 design that have changed slightly over the years, don't know why Meopta don't fix the product images on their webpage, a bit annoying…
Latest design of the S2 here (and the S1 below):
http://image.slidesharecdn.com/cata...ns-optics-trade-2014-26-638.jpg?cb=1419952033
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NDhunter
Experienced observer
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
the price of the S2 HD 82 has increased with more than 25% from 2014 to 2015 (Sweden)
had quite a chock when I checked yesterday,
and now the S2 is in the same price range as the swaro ATS80HD+25-50x,
perhaps it's all the good reviews?
had quite a chock when I checked yesterday,
and now the S2 is in the same price range as the swaro ATS80HD+25-50x,
perhaps it's all the good reviews?
Mayby it is because of the good reviews price has gone up in Sweden but you can still get it with 30-60 eyepiece in Germany at about 1899 euro
looksharp65
Well-known member
It could be that the Swaro is in stock while the Meopta must be back-ordered with payment in EUR currency.
The exchange rate for SEK has dropped considerably vs. the EUR and the USD.
Vespobuteo
Well-known member
currency only (euro), would not explain the almost 30% increase,
but as tommybj wrote, on ebay it's still the same price and quite a bit lower than the swaro ATS 80 (from germany),
though it might be stocked items,
dealers in sweden just might have gone bananas…
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