After very good experiences with Meopta Meostar binos I did happen to find a second hand Meostar 7x42 for 699 Euro, shipped from Germany.
After reading Lee/Troubadours praise of the 7x42 I wanted to try one for myself. They don't surface very often and even though I really don't need another bino I felt like I had to at least give it a try.
Arrived almost a week ago and turned out to be in very good condition. Some light wear but overall very good condition. Optics are clean and the focuser is the best I have come across sofar on Meopta binos.
It is a "dense" bino. Weighing it at 900 grams it is an old school bino, reassuringly heavy. This one was made during the last year, 2016 and the latest (at the time) coatings. It has that spotted pattern grip - which I think looks great - and a thumb recess at the back. Even though my hands are medium to small I find it very comfortable to hold.
Eye relief is stated as 20mm I believe. And it is very generous. The view through the bino feels very open and overall the view reminds me a little bit of previous Swarovski binoculars. The image through the Meopta 7x42 is very "calm" and the panning is among the best I have seen. It handles everything great, back lit, harsh light and drab light. As with other Meostars the 7x42 is very resilient to glare. Overall I would say the binocular performs very well. It is a pleasure to use and look through.
So, any negatives? A few, but not much really. It is not often I happen to find a binocular that does nothing wrong even though it isn't necessarily best in class. After a few days out with the Meopta and no comparisons it is by all means a great binocular. And very utilitarian in its style. I dig the looks.
Color (as I perceive it) in the 7x42 is warm. Not yellow, but more a tint of amber/orange. Overall it is very pleasing and gives life to a dull morning or overcast day. Only at the last golden hour around sunset does it go "over the top" and compared to other binos it glows a bit much.
The other binos at home to compare with are the Zeiss 8x32 FL and the SFL 8x40.
Build quality of the Meopta feels like it surpasses both Zeiss binos. Everything from the armor to the focuser and the "dense" brick feel of the Meopta speaks of longevity. But it does come at a price: the 900g as compared to the 550g FL 8x32 is a substantial difference. The FL feels flimsy in comparison and in my hands the featherweight does not always make it the steadiest bino. The SFL 8x40 is 645g on the same scale and the SFL is the steadiest of the three thanks to the superior balance.
Meopta image: sharp enough. Slightly less contrast than the other two, mostly visible in backlit conditions. The slight disadvantage is the 7x magnification. Details on deer at far or field hares are there for sure. But with the FL and the SFL the extra contrast makes the small details pop a little more - and that 8x magnification makes a difference. If I did not compare directly I would say the Meopta performs excellent already, it is just when I switch to the SFL that I go "shut up" and think the SFL does really take it to the next level.
Colorwise the Meopta 7x42 and the Zeiss 8x32 FL are quite different and it is obvious to me going back and forth. The Meopta is slightly warm to my eyes and the FL is slightly cool/green. The FL does also produce a little better separation in the smaller details than the Meopta and the added contrast in the FL helps with that, along with the magnification difference of course. For color I prefer the Meopta.
Compared to the SFL the Meopta is slightly warmer. I have no clear preference as I like them both but the SFL feels more neutral. The difference is not as obvious as going between the FL and the Meostar. For a rainy/overcast day and finding birds in the shade the Meopta will give the most pleasing image to me out of the three.
CA control is very good to excellent and better than expected. As with Lee I kind of forgot to check for it as it was simply not an issue to me. It pops up a little every once in a while but overall I would say the CA control is so good it is simply not a problem and with careful eye placement it is minimal in the center of the image. I expected more CA and was pleasantly surprised.
Overall the Meopta is a pleasure to use. For the most part I forget it is as heavy as it is. But when I switch to the FL/SFL there is a noticeable difference. As for just putting the bino up to my eyes and pan and scan the Meopta is the easiest of the three. Optically it is great. What it lacks in comparison with the FL/SFL is a little contrast/punch in the blacks in some lighting conditions. But, overall the Meopta is worth the admission by far.
What does it not do as well as the two Zeiss binos? Birds in flight. It is very good with the Meopta but the generous depth of field makes for a slight lack of focus "snap" and I feel I nail focus a bit better with the Zeiss binos. The upside is that the Meopta is more forgiving for scanning and panning as the generous depth of field means less refocusing.
Will I keep it? I am honestly not sure, I have satisfied my curiosity and given the cost I could justify it as a "pleasure bino" but I still have the FL 8x32 around and as long as it is not sold I feel like I have no use for three great binos. Two is enough. And I still have the Meopta 8x32 floating around and hanging out with a friend so I have four binos in this class, though arguably the 7x42 is the odd one out.
Part of me would like to keep it for the "coolness" factor of the Meopta and the fact it is a solid bino in every sense. I have a few days to decide on sending it back for a refund. If anyone is looking for a solid 7x42 I could hold on to it and pass it along to a forum member instead of it going back to the shop. I know how easily I turn into a hoarder of optical instruments so for the sake of self preservation I think I will send it back.
After reading Lee/Troubadours praise of the 7x42 I wanted to try one for myself. They don't surface very often and even though I really don't need another bino I felt like I had to at least give it a try.
Arrived almost a week ago and turned out to be in very good condition. Some light wear but overall very good condition. Optics are clean and the focuser is the best I have come across sofar on Meopta binos.
It is a "dense" bino. Weighing it at 900 grams it is an old school bino, reassuringly heavy. This one was made during the last year, 2016 and the latest (at the time) coatings. It has that spotted pattern grip - which I think looks great - and a thumb recess at the back. Even though my hands are medium to small I find it very comfortable to hold.
Eye relief is stated as 20mm I believe. And it is very generous. The view through the bino feels very open and overall the view reminds me a little bit of previous Swarovski binoculars. The image through the Meopta 7x42 is very "calm" and the panning is among the best I have seen. It handles everything great, back lit, harsh light and drab light. As with other Meostars the 7x42 is very resilient to glare. Overall I would say the binocular performs very well. It is a pleasure to use and look through.
So, any negatives? A few, but not much really. It is not often I happen to find a binocular that does nothing wrong even though it isn't necessarily best in class. After a few days out with the Meopta and no comparisons it is by all means a great binocular. And very utilitarian in its style. I dig the looks.
Color (as I perceive it) in the 7x42 is warm. Not yellow, but more a tint of amber/orange. Overall it is very pleasing and gives life to a dull morning or overcast day. Only at the last golden hour around sunset does it go "over the top" and compared to other binos it glows a bit much.
The other binos at home to compare with are the Zeiss 8x32 FL and the SFL 8x40.
Build quality of the Meopta feels like it surpasses both Zeiss binos. Everything from the armor to the focuser and the "dense" brick feel of the Meopta speaks of longevity. But it does come at a price: the 900g as compared to the 550g FL 8x32 is a substantial difference. The FL feels flimsy in comparison and in my hands the featherweight does not always make it the steadiest bino. The SFL 8x40 is 645g on the same scale and the SFL is the steadiest of the three thanks to the superior balance.
Meopta image: sharp enough. Slightly less contrast than the other two, mostly visible in backlit conditions. The slight disadvantage is the 7x magnification. Details on deer at far or field hares are there for sure. But with the FL and the SFL the extra contrast makes the small details pop a little more - and that 8x magnification makes a difference. If I did not compare directly I would say the Meopta performs excellent already, it is just when I switch to the SFL that I go "shut up" and think the SFL does really take it to the next level.
Colorwise the Meopta 7x42 and the Zeiss 8x32 FL are quite different and it is obvious to me going back and forth. The Meopta is slightly warm to my eyes and the FL is slightly cool/green. The FL does also produce a little better separation in the smaller details than the Meopta and the added contrast in the FL helps with that, along with the magnification difference of course. For color I prefer the Meopta.
Compared to the SFL the Meopta is slightly warmer. I have no clear preference as I like them both but the SFL feels more neutral. The difference is not as obvious as going between the FL and the Meostar. For a rainy/overcast day and finding birds in the shade the Meopta will give the most pleasing image to me out of the three.
CA control is very good to excellent and better than expected. As with Lee I kind of forgot to check for it as it was simply not an issue to me. It pops up a little every once in a while but overall I would say the CA control is so good it is simply not a problem and with careful eye placement it is minimal in the center of the image. I expected more CA and was pleasantly surprised.
Overall the Meopta is a pleasure to use. For the most part I forget it is as heavy as it is. But when I switch to the FL/SFL there is a noticeable difference. As for just putting the bino up to my eyes and pan and scan the Meopta is the easiest of the three. Optically it is great. What it lacks in comparison with the FL/SFL is a little contrast/punch in the blacks in some lighting conditions. But, overall the Meopta is worth the admission by far.
What does it not do as well as the two Zeiss binos? Birds in flight. It is very good with the Meopta but the generous depth of field makes for a slight lack of focus "snap" and I feel I nail focus a bit better with the Zeiss binos. The upside is that the Meopta is more forgiving for scanning and panning as the generous depth of field means less refocusing.
Will I keep it? I am honestly not sure, I have satisfied my curiosity and given the cost I could justify it as a "pleasure bino" but I still have the FL 8x32 around and as long as it is not sold I feel like I have no use for three great binos. Two is enough. And I still have the Meopta 8x32 floating around and hanging out with a friend so I have four binos in this class, though arguably the 7x42 is the odd one out.
Part of me would like to keep it for the "coolness" factor of the Meopta and the fact it is a solid bino in every sense. I have a few days to decide on sending it back for a refund. If anyone is looking for a solid 7x42 I could hold on to it and pass it along to a forum member instead of it going back to the shop. I know how easily I turn into a hoarder of optical instruments so for the sake of self preservation I think I will send it back.
Last edited:
- review.
