Picked these up used/NiB from a forum member at a great price. I've had them for about 5 days and probably used them for about 20hrs of birding/survey work. On hand I've got a few different optics, but overall I've owned the following 8x32s : Leupold Gold Ring (non-HD), Vortex Viper HD, Zeiss Victory T*FL, Swarovski Swarovision. This is in addition to all the various 10x42s, 8x42s, and 7x42s I've owned...
Initial impressions are as follows, and as I think I plan to hold onto these for some time I intend to update this thread with more thoughts...
Build Quality: Outstanding, for a binocular at this price point, not sure I've seen one better built. I would easily expect these to last as long as any of the alpha models. I would've preferred the rubber armoring of the Meopta B1 series as opposed to the Euro, but they do not offer that model in HD for whatever that's worth. Rainguard and strap are very high quality (rainguard almost 'locks' into place), but the objective covers are loose/prone to opening and the case is just a mediocre little bag.
Mechanics: Eyecups have firm detents, better than the Zeiss FL series. Focus Knob has absolutely no backlash or play; to some this may come off as almost stiff, but to me it seems very precise. Somewhat slower than I'm fond of at 1.5 turns, but not so slow that it is unusable (I used it birding for woodland songbird migrants without issue). Diopter works through a range of micro-clicks which hold firmly in place and did not drift during use in the field. Hinge tension seems fine.
Ergonomics: I'm a big fan of the hand positions/balance provided by these 8x32s. They are very lightweight and 'chunky' which lends itself to being well balanced in my hands; some lightweight binos have resulted in excess shake in my hands, but I think the shape of these prevents that (I have large hands). Eye-relief is just barely adequate for my eyeglasses, but I do notice issues with blackouts that I've noticed in basically all 8x32s excluding the Swarovision series.
Onto optical performance...
Chromatic Aberration: Very good control, not on the level of the Zeiss Victory T*FL or Kowa Genesis XD, but certainly on par with the SLC-HD or Swarovision and superior to the Ultravid and Conquest HD series. I don't notice any in the central field of view, and what is along the edge is still below what I found in most binoculars.
Color: Held up to pure white paper, I do notice a very mild yellow tinge. Colors tend to appear very 'saturated' and pleasing to the eye, and when locked onto moving targets I do not notice this yellow cast.
Brightness: I'd probably put them below the T*FL and SV in brightness, but on par with the Ultravid series. Certainly bright enough for woodland birding and hunting at dusk.
Resolution/Contrast: Very, very good contrast and sharpness in the central FoV, which is wider than average. Distortion to my eyes starts after 50% of the field, but the view is not noticeably worse in this portion of the view. I do not know if these are 'flat-field' binoculars, but they appear flatter and more distortion free than the T*FL.
Glare/Stray-light: Superb control of glare/stray light. I didn't notice this at all in these binoculars, and would put them on par with the Ultravid and far superior to the Swarovision.
Overall Impression: As always, I have found binoculars (particularly 8x32s) to be a series of compromises; I have yet to find 1 truly 'perfect' pair of binoculars that ticks all the boxes. That being said, when considering the whole suite of pros and cons, I'd rate the Meostars right up there with the alphas. They are not as bright as the Victory T*FL, but the colors are more pleasing to the eye and seem to have less distortion/easier eye-placement. It seems to be a bit sharper and control CA better than the Conquest HD, which is brighter and has less fall off at the edges and a quicker focus. They don't offer as flat of a field as the Swarovision and are not as easy on eye-placement, but are far better at managing poor light conditions which absolutely ruined the SVs for me. Always compromises (except maybe the EDG, for what that's worth)... These punch far above their price tag and I honestly don't see how at present you can do much better with the current slate of 8x32s (owners of the Conquest HD and 8x33 Kowa Genesis probably feel the same)...
This review may be redundant given how many positive reviews of the Euro HD currently exist, but take it for what it's worth. I'll keep it updated in the future as I see no reason to change these out at any point with another 8x32.
Justin
Initial impressions are as follows, and as I think I plan to hold onto these for some time I intend to update this thread with more thoughts...
Build Quality: Outstanding, for a binocular at this price point, not sure I've seen one better built. I would easily expect these to last as long as any of the alpha models. I would've preferred the rubber armoring of the Meopta B1 series as opposed to the Euro, but they do not offer that model in HD for whatever that's worth. Rainguard and strap are very high quality (rainguard almost 'locks' into place), but the objective covers are loose/prone to opening and the case is just a mediocre little bag.
Mechanics: Eyecups have firm detents, better than the Zeiss FL series. Focus Knob has absolutely no backlash or play; to some this may come off as almost stiff, but to me it seems very precise. Somewhat slower than I'm fond of at 1.5 turns, but not so slow that it is unusable (I used it birding for woodland songbird migrants without issue). Diopter works through a range of micro-clicks which hold firmly in place and did not drift during use in the field. Hinge tension seems fine.
Ergonomics: I'm a big fan of the hand positions/balance provided by these 8x32s. They are very lightweight and 'chunky' which lends itself to being well balanced in my hands; some lightweight binos have resulted in excess shake in my hands, but I think the shape of these prevents that (I have large hands). Eye-relief is just barely adequate for my eyeglasses, but I do notice issues with blackouts that I've noticed in basically all 8x32s excluding the Swarovision series.
Onto optical performance...
Chromatic Aberration: Very good control, not on the level of the Zeiss Victory T*FL or Kowa Genesis XD, but certainly on par with the SLC-HD or Swarovision and superior to the Ultravid and Conquest HD series. I don't notice any in the central field of view, and what is along the edge is still below what I found in most binoculars.
Color: Held up to pure white paper, I do notice a very mild yellow tinge. Colors tend to appear very 'saturated' and pleasing to the eye, and when locked onto moving targets I do not notice this yellow cast.
Brightness: I'd probably put them below the T*FL and SV in brightness, but on par with the Ultravid series. Certainly bright enough for woodland birding and hunting at dusk.
Resolution/Contrast: Very, very good contrast and sharpness in the central FoV, which is wider than average. Distortion to my eyes starts after 50% of the field, but the view is not noticeably worse in this portion of the view. I do not know if these are 'flat-field' binoculars, but they appear flatter and more distortion free than the T*FL.
Glare/Stray-light: Superb control of glare/stray light. I didn't notice this at all in these binoculars, and would put them on par with the Ultravid and far superior to the Swarovision.
Overall Impression: As always, I have found binoculars (particularly 8x32s) to be a series of compromises; I have yet to find 1 truly 'perfect' pair of binoculars that ticks all the boxes. That being said, when considering the whole suite of pros and cons, I'd rate the Meostars right up there with the alphas. They are not as bright as the Victory T*FL, but the colors are more pleasing to the eye and seem to have less distortion/easier eye-placement. It seems to be a bit sharper and control CA better than the Conquest HD, which is brighter and has less fall off at the edges and a quicker focus. They don't offer as flat of a field as the Swarovision and are not as easy on eye-placement, but are far better at managing poor light conditions which absolutely ruined the SVs for me. Always compromises (except maybe the EDG, for what that's worth)... These punch far above their price tag and I honestly don't see how at present you can do much better with the current slate of 8x32s (owners of the Conquest HD and 8x33 Kowa Genesis probably feel the same)...
This review may be redundant given how many positive reviews of the Euro HD currently exist, but take it for what it's worth. I'll keep it updated in the future as I see no reason to change these out at any point with another 8x32.
Justin
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