Meopta 7x42 at only $619? (1 Viewer)

MacGee · Mar 16, 2007

oleaf said:
You might want to check out the Bushnell Discoverer 7x42. Very nice view and the price is great at $280.

I had it in my head that the Meostar and the Discoverer were fellow clones. Obviously not (though looking very similar). With the Meostar costing twice as much as the Discoverer in the US (I'm not even going to think about what they'll cost in this country), you'd expect it to be an order of magnitude better. But I've compared a Discoverer clone with an Ultravid and EL, and the difference between them wasn't that marked. I'm doubtful whether it's sensible to pay the $1000(?) extra to get the best (though I suspect I will in the end), but I'm even more doubtful about paying an extra $300 for something that's just a little bit better. So how does the Meostar compare with the Discoverer?

Michael.

Tero · Mar 16, 2007

I've compared a Discoverer clone with an Ultravid and EL, and the difference between them wasn't that marked.

It's all in the eye of the viewer. If it makes sense to you, do not spend more. Happy birding.

chartwell99 · Mar 16, 2007

MacGee said:
So how does the Meostar compare with the Discoverer?

Michael.

The Discoverer images are soft and lacking in contrast compared to the Meostar. The Discoverer may well be a great buy for the money, but the Meostar is an extraordinary binocular and a remarkable buy when compared to the current crop of nosebleed level alpha bins.

FrankD · Mar 17, 2007

The Discoverer images are soft and lacking in contrast compared to the Meostar. The Discoverer may well be a great buy for the money, but the Meostar is an extraordinary binocular and a remarkable buy when compared to the current crop of nosebleed level alpha bins.

I agree and would also offer that the Meopta exhibits noticeably less edge of field distortion.

pw53 · Mar 17, 2007

FrankD said:
I agree and would also offer that the Meopta exhibits noticeably less edge of field distortion.

Good Morning Gentlemen,

Having worked as an optician for many years I know that when it comes to ones eyes and glasses, most people are very "picky". I count myself among them. It stands to reason that when it comes to chosing bins the same would hold true. I know this also from personal experience. I believe that when one does anything you might as well do it right and the right tools make all the difference.

I have ordered the 8x42 Meoptas for many reasons which are perhaps too "girly" for you guys, but one of the reasons is Frank's comment reg. the apparent field of view in the 8x42's. My SE's are great and I have learned to "work" them but I feel "cramped" when looking thru them and eventhough I got a great discounted price they were still "not cheap".

When I initially started researching bins (I was totally in the dark) the Meoptas crossed my path almost immediately. And here is one of those "girly" reasons, they spoke to me and told me they were the ones. I even wrote to the Co. and in return they send me a manilla envelope full of info. Yet, the practical person I am and the nearly $ 1000.- pricetag, stopped me dead in my track and I continued searching.

The Meoptas are now on their way and I am looking very much forward to using them and comparing them to the SE. One of them has to go because I cannot afford both.

I thank all of you once again for sharing your experiences and knowledge with me. I have learned a lot and had a lot of fun doing it. Happy birding to you all and I will give you a "girly" perspective on the Meoptas in the future. Paula

Pileatus · Mar 17, 2007

pw53 said:
Good Morning Gentlemen,

Having worked as an optician for many years I know that when it comes to ones eyes and glasses, most people are very "picky". I count myself among them. It stands to reason that when it comes to chosing bins the same would hold true. I know this also from personal experience. I believe that when one does anything you might as well do it right and the right tools make all the difference.

I have ordered the 8x42 Meoptas for many reasons which are perhaps too "girly" for you guys, but one of the reasons is Frank's comment reg. the apparent field of view in the 8x42's. My SE's are great and I have learned to "work" them but I feel "cramped" when looking thru them and eventhough I got a great discounted price they were still "not cheap".

When I initially started researching bins (I was totally in the dark) the Meoptas crossed my path almost immediately. And here is one of those "girly" reasons, they spoke to me and told me they were the ones. I even wrote to the Co. and in return they send me a manilla envelope full of info. Yet, the practical person I am and the nearly $ 1000.- pricetag, stopped me dead in my track and I continued searching.

The Meoptas are now on their way and thanks to oleaf at a decent price. I am looking very much forward to using them and comparing them to the SE. One of them has to go because I cannot afford both.

I thank all of you once again for sharing your experiences and knowledge with me. I have learned a lot and had a lot of fun doing it. Happy birding to you all and I will give you a "girly" perspective on the Meoptas in the future. Paula

Paula,

The first difference you'll notice is a big increase in weight...almost 8 ounces. I'm not sure such a small increase in FOV is really meaningful, but you may find it useful.

I'm curious to know how you use your SE. Do you keep the eyecups unfolded or folded down? Most eyeglass wearers keep them down and some eyeglass-free souls, like my wife, also keep them folded down.

Happy birding!

John

FrankD · Mar 17, 2007

The Meoptas are now on their way and thanks to oleaf at a decent price. I am looking very much forward to using them and comparing them to the SE. One of them has to go because I cannot afford both.

I look forward to hearing your comments. In many characteristics the SE will certainly outclass the Meopta however there may be a few issues that the Meostar actually gives it a run for the money. John is correct though, the Meostars are not a lightweight binocular by any stretch of the imagination. They are lighter than the Nikon Venturers and Swaro SLCs that I have used previously and are approximately the same weight as a similarly spec'ed Leica Trinovid. However, they are quite well balanced and the ergonomics overall are excellent in my opinion.

APSmith · Mar 17, 2007

I tried the Meoptas (Cabelas rebadged version) in 10X. [My reference glass is the Nikon EII 8x30.]
I was very impressed with the bright, crisp view to the edges - very pleasing in some regards.
I had two significant gripes:

Handling - For some reason, they seemed to be front heavy. This was particularly noticeable when focusing. The wheel placement/weight/ ergonomics was tiring for me - possibly accentuated by the high power. We all know, though, that handling is a personal taste/fit issue.

Color - The yellow color cast was quite noticeable to me, similar to the effect of high contrast sunglasses. Although the view was crisp, etc (in part due to the yellow cast), it just was not vivid (or "accurate") in terms of color. I'm surprised that y'all are comfortable with this problem. (It seems like most of the BFers are quite picky about color representation.) It was a dealbreaker for me in terms of being a primary birding glass. Besides these Meoptas and the older Swaros (which I suspect were tailored more for hunting,etc), are there other top glasses that have this issue?

FrankD · Mar 18, 2007

Color - The yellow color cast was quite noticeable to me, similar to the effect of high contrast sunglasses. Although the view was crisp, etc (in part due to the yellow cast), it just was not vivid (or "accurate") in terms of color. I'm surprised that y'all are comfortable with this problem. (It seems like most of the BFers are quite picky about color representation.) It was a dealbreaker for me in terms of being a primary birding glass. Besides these Meoptas and the older Swaros (which I suspect were tailored more for hunting,etc), are there other top glasses that have this issue?

AP,

The Meoptas and older Swaros seem to display this trait moreso than every other glass I have used. However, I did see occasional warm color biases in both my Nikon Venturer and a Swaro SLC New that I owned in the past. They were much more subtle than the Meostar but they were still there under certain conditions.

With the other high end glasses my eyes see them as follows:

Leica Trinovid: Neutral and similar to many porros like the Nikon E series

Leica Ultravid: Fairly neutral but with sort of a white bias if that makes sense

Zeiss FL: Neutral but noticeably brighter than the Trinovid

Swaro EL: Slightly warm compared to the Trinovid but nothing like the Meostars or even SLC New

Swaro SLC: Older models were decidely warm (yellow) but the newer models are much more neutral though I still see some warmth on occasion

Nikon Venturer: Same as Swaro SLC new

As for it affecting color IDing on birds, I think it is one of those issues that your eyes/brain adapt to. The color bias is present in all configurations of the Meostar but seems to get more and more pronounced to my eyes as you move up the magnification ladder and/or decrease the exit pupil size. The 10x42 exhibited it most noticeably followed by the 10x50 then the 8x42 and lastly the 7x42.

The warm color bias and noticeable CA around the outer 1/3rd of the image are the only two areas I personally feely could be improved upon with the Meostars. For me though the exceptionally wide sweet spot coupled with the large apparent field of view and high light transmission numbers outweigh the color bias and CA issue...but I think the reference you made to handling being individualistic could also be made towards image quality characteristics as well.

Just my two cents.

APSmith · Mar 18, 2007

Frank,

I agree with your comments.

However, I would still like to see Meopta remove the warm bias, or at least minimize it as Swaro did. Other things equal, I prefer the natural colors over the high contrast yellow.

And once that's accomplished, they can go ahead and produce a (7or)8x32. Since the 42 mm styling is very similar to the SLC, one has to wonder if the focus knob would be on the front of a 30/32 mm model. I suspect many have hoped for Swaro to swap the knob. If Meopta could do it, and keep their other attributes re wide field 420+

, with a price of say $700, a classic might be born.

FrankD · Mar 18, 2007

And once that's accomplished, they can go ahead and produce a (7or)8x32. Since the 42 mm styling is very similar to the SLC, one has to wonder if the focus knob would be on the front of a 30/32 mm model. I suspect many have hoped for Swaro to swap the knob. If Meopta could do it, and keep their other attributes re wide field 420+ , with a price of say $700, a classic might be born.

Keep your eyes open this summer. I do not know about them getting rid of the warm color bias but it would be nice addition if they did. I have heard various manufacturers update coatings on any given model without really advertising it. Maybe that will be the case here. The only way I can see them not doing it is if the specific blend of coatings they utilize also gives them their fairly good light transmission numbers.

matt green · Mar 28, 2007

FrankD said:
The 8x32 SE has truer color representation and slightly better edge of field sharpness.

The 7x42 Meostar has a brighter image and a wider true field of view.

I prefer the ergonomics of the Meopta though the SE is much lighter.

Just off the top of my head and without actually having owned both bins at the same time.

This thread is of great interest as I'm considering some mid-priced roofs myself, however a reviewer recently found issues concerning build quality
with an 8x42 model - it was stated that the eyecups would not stay in the extended position in use, also the dioptic setting was quite free turning and had to be re-set in the field!

I would stress that the issue concerning the eyecups had been acknowledged
by meopta and since been rectified on samples being sold in the UK, not quite sure about the current situation is with the loose dioptic mechanism, I know these things can sometimes vary from sample to sample?

FrankD
Would be interested in how you find the stiffness of the eyecup settings and dioptic setting on your 7x42 Meostar's?

Matt

FrankD · Apr 2, 2007

FrankD
Would be interested in how you find the stiffness of the eyecup settings and dioptic setting on your 7x42 Meostar's?

Matt

Matt,

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner but I have not been on this forum for a good week...sadly. I would agree that if there were two mechanical areas that the Meostar could be improved upon then the eyecup stiffness and diopter adjustment tension would be the two areas. The eyecups are basically an "All or Nothing" design. You either are comfortable with them fully collapsed or fully extended. In between they do not hold very well. Initially I, too, had an issue with the diopter and can see how it might be bumped off in the field. However, after extended use it has turned out not to be a problem. Still, if I were to "make them perfect" then I would make the diopter adjustment stiffer to move.

Even considering those two points and the two issues I might have with them optically I have yet to sell my 8x42s. They have too many other things going for them.

matt green · Apr 2, 2007

FrankD said:
Matt,

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner but I have not been on this forum for a good week...sadly.

No problem!, and thanks for your reply

Might actually get to try a pair of these out next to the minox highgrades etc, if I can't settle for a mid-priced roof or secondhand trinovid I'll keep saving for the ultravids...which is really what I've always wanted.

For the time being I could make do with a pair of minox BL's or similar, the close focus on these would be great for insects etc over the coming summer.

Matt

pw53 · Apr 3, 2007

matt green said:
No problem!, and thanks for your reply

Might actually get to try a pair of these out next to the minox highgrades etc, if I can't settle for a mid-priced roof or secondhand trinovid I'll keep saving for the ultravids...which is really what I've always wanted.

For the time being I could make do with a pair of minox BL's or similar, the close focus on these would be great for insects etc over the coming summer.

Matt

I too apologize for my tardiness (family circumstances) in replying to this thread.

I have send back the Meoptas for one reason only: weight. I am used to the SE's and the difference in handling between the two I liken to the difference between an Austin Cooper and a tank. Optically I found the Meoptas to be an excellent glass: bright, crisp, great fov, depth etc. Beautiful....... just like all of you have attested to. I checked for and did not find any CA or "color warmth". Perhaps I might have noticed some if I had kept them longer.... All I could think about while using them is that I would leave them at home if I had a choice between the SE and the Meoptas. If weight is of no consideration to you I would HIGHLY recommend this glass.

So they have been returned to Binowarehouse (great place by the way) and I did hate to see them go because the view was wonderful. Now that the SE's are back I am learning to deal with the black-outs (which is my major complaint) and I'm getting the hang of it. I wear glasses and have the eyecups completely folded down and still am bothered by black-outs, however I know I will "get to know" this pair because optically, ergonomically they are beautiful and I am motivated to learn.

Thanks to all for your patience with this rookie. Paula

APSmith · Apr 3, 2007

I wonder if it is possible that the Cabelas rebadged Meopta is intentionally given a warm color bias? (this would make sense considering it's presumably marketed for hunters, like the older SLCs). Someone mentioned the warmth was more noticeable in the 10x, which was the only mag Cabelas offered. They (Cabelas) now offers a 12x, which is the wrong direction for me.

APS

chartwell99 · Apr 3, 2007

APSmith said:
I wonder if it is possible that the Cabelas rebadged Meopta is intentionally given a warm color bias? (this would make sense considering it's presumably marketed for hunters, like the older SLCs). Someone mentioned the warmth was more noticeable in the 10x, which was the only mag Cabelas offered. They (Cabelas) now offers a 12x, which is the wrong direction for me.

APS

My Meopta 7 x 42 is color neutral, and I have assumed that other Meostar configurations would exhibit similar performance. Since the Cabelas EuroBin has a slightly different body shell from the other Meostars, it is an interesting thought that Meopta might have tweaked the coatings of the Cabelas version as well to meet the needs of the hunters would would be the most likely purchasers.

APSmith · Apr 4, 2007

chartwell99 said:
My Meopta 7 x 42 is color neutral, and I have assumed that other Meostar configurations would exhibit similar performance. Since the Cabelas EuroBin has a slightly different body shell from the other Meostars, it is an interesting thought that Meopta might have tweaked the coatings of the Cabelas version as well to meet the needs of the hunters would would be the most likely purchasers.

The more I think about this, the more hopeful I become in the possibility of a smaller 8x by Meopta.

Frank: You noticed the "warmth" in high powered (10x) Meoptas more than others. Were they rebadged Cabelas or straight Meoptas?

APS

FrankD · Apr 4, 2007

I noticed the warm color bias in all of the Meoptas...7x42, 8x42, 10x42 (Euro) and the 10x50. It was very apparent to me in comparison to bins like the Leica Trinovid, Vortex Razor, Swaro SLC, Zeiss FL, etc... It did seem more pronounced in the 10x42 and 10x50 in comparison to the 8x42 (as did CA) and the 8x42 seemed to display slightly more of both than the 7x42. It seemed most pronounced in overcast or lowlight conditions. Without a direct comparison to some of the bins mentioned previously I do not think it would be as noticeable.

CHenry · May 9, 2007

I don't see so much of a warm color bias, but the quality of the Meopta 7x42 is really outstanding overall. This is a binocular that is not merely competitive in its price class--it is very much that--but is competitive compared to the best of the other European brands.

Meopta 7x42 at only $619? (1 Viewer)

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