Binocollector
Well-known member
Hi guys and gals.
So I came across a slightly used Meopta Meopro HD 8x32. Always wanted to try a Meopta and the price was about half of a new one (didn't we have that discussion about resale value? One man's loss is another man's gain, I guess
).
It arrived yesterday and I compared it to a few others, so here are a few first thoughts.
The one I got is the standard, not the "HD+" version.
AFAIK in case of the Meopro, the "HD" stands for actual ED-glass (some type of flouride-glass) and is not the usual unspecified "high density" or "high definition" glass -- like in a Vortex Diamondback that also is called a "HD"-model but has no ED-glass and actually sucks at controlling chromatic abberation.
The design is the typical one-hinge, straight tube, no-nonsense construction used for probably 99% of roof prism binos.
From the info I found, parts for the bino are from "far east" (be that China or Japan) -- my guess is, that the chassis ist sourced from a third party. The rubber has a nice texture and the exact same rubbery smell as a Kowa BDII.
My model is the older version that still has the "Assembled in USA" on it. I think the newer ones are all assembled in Czechia in the main Meopta-plant.
Meopta doesn't specify where the glass comes from but since they mention for more expensive optics like the "Meopro Air" that they use "European optics". This one doesn't. But in the end, that probably accounts for the relatively low price of around 470€ that the 8x32 sells for new.
The handling is very nice with the magnesium body, which fits my hands perfectly. One finger on the focuser, two on the bridge and the pinky wraps nicely around the barrel.
Focuser is pretty fast and super smooth. Diopter setting nice and tight. Clicks of the eye cups could be a bit more "robust" but they work nicely with 2 click stops.
Eye relief is a bit short for me with using my glasses. Eye cups could be a tad more comfy. Something that Kowa BDII or Fuji HC do better. But then again, they are also not horrible. Definitely better than the eye cups of a Vortex DB for example.
They are spec'ed at 8.2° FoV. It is slightly wider than my Fuji HC so that seems to be about right. Views are wide enough for me. Panning seems nice, low pincushion, low curvature. Just about right. Eye placement a little finicky compared to an 8x42 (naturally). But once IPD was perfectly dialed in, it works really good.
The view itself is really very good. CA is absent in the middle and very low even at the edge. The focus really "snaps" into sharpness. Excellent. I read in a review that someone complained about the focus wheel itself "feeling cheap". That is absolutely not the case on mine. Focus is very smooth and fast. Feels like a well oiled machine when using it. 10/10 points for that and it seems to make them ideally suited for birding.
One weakness I saw so far is that it has quite a bit of reflections around the exit pupils -- they don't seem to affect the view though but I guess baffling could be better. I haven't tested yet if that has an effect on glare. But I will update the thread as soon as I do.
I cannot really see any color tint, even though I have read elsewhere that it favors the greens. If it does, it is definitely not visible for me. It feels like it performs flawlessly. Maybe not quite as good as the Fuji HC 8x42 but very, very close. The comparison is not quite fair since the HC is 8x42 and the Meopta Meopro HD is 8x32.
The coatings are a dark green, very similar to the Fuji FMTR or HC or my Canon 8x32WP.
It is quite a notch above something like a Vortex DB or Svbony SV202 8x32. But that should be expected since it is about twice as expensive than the Vortex DB and 4x as expensive as the Svbony SV202 (which considering the price performs just fine but not "above its weight class" as I have read in reviews -- my 60€ Celestron "Ultima" 8x32 porro, MiC, is just as good optically as an Svbony, so the usual "pay twice for roof vs. porro to achive same quality" seems to apply pretty well in those low price categories. Maybe not so much in higher price brackets.)
I'll definitely be taking this one on vacation to the Lüneburger Heide (a nature reserve in Germany's north) next week to use together with my beloved Fuji HC.
So first impressions for now:
pros:
-- great optics, very low CA, good color fidelity, low pincushion distortion, nice panning behavior, fairly wide view
-- solid construction, great ergonomics
-- nice rubber armor, pretty grippy, slight rubbery "car tire" smell
-- fast and smooth focus
cons:
-- eye cups might get slightly uncomfy with time -- edges should be a bit more rounded -- depends on face geometry, too, of course -- I don't think it will be a real "issue" though
-- some reflections around exit pupil
-- not very good for glass wearers in combination with deep-set eyes
So I came across a slightly used Meopta Meopro HD 8x32. Always wanted to try a Meopta and the price was about half of a new one (didn't we have that discussion about resale value? One man's loss is another man's gain, I guess
).It arrived yesterday and I compared it to a few others, so here are a few first thoughts.
The one I got is the standard, not the "HD+" version.
AFAIK in case of the Meopro, the "HD" stands for actual ED-glass (some type of flouride-glass) and is not the usual unspecified "high density" or "high definition" glass -- like in a Vortex Diamondback that also is called a "HD"-model but has no ED-glass and actually sucks at controlling chromatic abberation.
The design is the typical one-hinge, straight tube, no-nonsense construction used for probably 99% of roof prism binos.
From the info I found, parts for the bino are from "far east" (be that China or Japan) -- my guess is, that the chassis ist sourced from a third party. The rubber has a nice texture and the exact same rubbery smell as a Kowa BDII.
My model is the older version that still has the "Assembled in USA" on it. I think the newer ones are all assembled in Czechia in the main Meopta-plant.
Meopta doesn't specify where the glass comes from but since they mention for more expensive optics like the "Meopro Air" that they use "European optics". This one doesn't. But in the end, that probably accounts for the relatively low price of around 470€ that the 8x32 sells for new.
The handling is very nice with the magnesium body, which fits my hands perfectly. One finger on the focuser, two on the bridge and the pinky wraps nicely around the barrel.
Focuser is pretty fast and super smooth. Diopter setting nice and tight. Clicks of the eye cups could be a bit more "robust" but they work nicely with 2 click stops.
Eye relief is a bit short for me with using my glasses. Eye cups could be a tad more comfy. Something that Kowa BDII or Fuji HC do better. But then again, they are also not horrible. Definitely better than the eye cups of a Vortex DB for example.
They are spec'ed at 8.2° FoV. It is slightly wider than my Fuji HC so that seems to be about right. Views are wide enough for me. Panning seems nice, low pincushion, low curvature. Just about right. Eye placement a little finicky compared to an 8x42 (naturally). But once IPD was perfectly dialed in, it works really good.
The view itself is really very good. CA is absent in the middle and very low even at the edge. The focus really "snaps" into sharpness. Excellent. I read in a review that someone complained about the focus wheel itself "feeling cheap". That is absolutely not the case on mine. Focus is very smooth and fast. Feels like a well oiled machine when using it. 10/10 points for that and it seems to make them ideally suited for birding.
One weakness I saw so far is that it has quite a bit of reflections around the exit pupils -- they don't seem to affect the view though but I guess baffling could be better. I haven't tested yet if that has an effect on glare. But I will update the thread as soon as I do.
I cannot really see any color tint, even though I have read elsewhere that it favors the greens. If it does, it is definitely not visible for me. It feels like it performs flawlessly. Maybe not quite as good as the Fuji HC 8x42 but very, very close. The comparison is not quite fair since the HC is 8x42 and the Meopta Meopro HD is 8x32.
The coatings are a dark green, very similar to the Fuji FMTR or HC or my Canon 8x32WP.
It is quite a notch above something like a Vortex DB or Svbony SV202 8x32. But that should be expected since it is about twice as expensive than the Vortex DB and 4x as expensive as the Svbony SV202 (which considering the price performs just fine but not "above its weight class" as I have read in reviews -- my 60€ Celestron "Ultima" 8x32 porro, MiC, is just as good optically as an Svbony, so the usual "pay twice for roof vs. porro to achive same quality" seems to apply pretty well in those low price categories. Maybe not so much in higher price brackets.)
I'll definitely be taking this one on vacation to the Lüneburger Heide (a nature reserve in Germany's north) next week to use together with my beloved Fuji HC.
So first impressions for now:
pros:
-- great optics, very low CA, good color fidelity, low pincushion distortion, nice panning behavior, fairly wide view
-- solid construction, great ergonomics
-- nice rubber armor, pretty grippy, slight rubbery "car tire" smell
-- fast and smooth focus
cons:
-- eye cups might get slightly uncomfy with time -- edges should be a bit more rounded -- depends on face geometry, too, of course -- I don't think it will be a real "issue" though
-- some reflections around exit pupil
-- not very good for glass wearers in combination with deep-set eyes
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