Meopta MeoStar B1 10x50 (1 Viewer)

[Alexandr33]

Good day. Friends who have this binoculars please share your impressions.
Here I looked at myself on the stock MeoStar B1 10x50 for $ 630. I'm going to buy it after the weekend.
Most likely this is not B1.1, but an earlier version of B1. The store provides a full warranty from Meopta.
I think for such a price this is a good choice. Answer who has this binoculars. Is he good?

 

[Tringa45]

No personal experience with this model but Holger Merlitz thinks highly of his: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/favorites/favorites.html

John

 

[Alexandr33]

No personal experience with this model but Holger Merlitz thinks highly of his: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/favorites/favorites.html

John

Prior to the purchase of the Nikon 10x50 WX IF - the Meostar has been my first choice whenever I wanted maximum performance. It combines a fairly wide field of view (110m/1000m) with a very rugged, compact and moderately lightweight body (1050g). It is impressive under the night sky, with clean and pinpoint star images over about 70% of the field, and its resistance to stray light competes with the best on the market. The view is relaxed, the image pans smoothly and naturally, and the focuser, though comparably slow and stiff, belongs to the most precise ones I have encountered. During a shootout, which I carried out over a couple of weeks, this binocular has outperformed a Leica 10x50 Trinovid BA. Meanwhile, I use it less frequently (and no longer for astronomy), whenever the 10x50 WX seems too heavy or bulky to be taken out.

Thank! It is a pity that so little information about the MeoStar B1 10x50

 

[typo]

Alexandr

I don't know if it helps, but the older Meostar models had something of a reputation for having a rather yellow colour balance. From about 2013 there was a notable improvement in colour nutrality, which increased the appeal for birdwatchers. However, it did seem to take another couple of years for the upgrade to reach all models in the range. I believe the first two numerals of the serial number denote the year of manufacturer.

David

 

[Alexandr33]

typo, here, judging by the photo, its number is 802512. But it’s not a fact that it is meant to be sold to me.

 

[typo]

2008?

 

[Alexandr33]

2018? Maybe there is no direct binding to the number. For example, for new Swarovski it is necessary to add 1930 to the first two digits to find out the year of manufacture.

 

[typo]

I'm not the only one on the forum to check that a serial number with the year of manufacture, but personally I've had them confirmed that a Mesostar B1, serial number 13---- was made in 2013, and a 15---- in 2015, and just received an Optica HD, launched this year, with the serial number B19------.

David

David

 

[dries1]

Does Meopta still make the 10X50 B1, I thought they stopped years ago, at least before 2018.

Andy W.

 

[[email protected]]

Allbino's has a nice review on Meopta Meostar 10x50 B1. It is ranked 8th place

Pros:
good transmission,
low brightness loss at the edge of the field,
slight coma and astigmatism,
good whiteness rendition,
no central vignetting,
inner tubes black and matt,
good quality of prisms,
solid build quality,

Cons:
chromatic aberration too high,
significant distortion,
visible false pupils,

https://www.allbinos.com/allbinos_ranking-binoculars_ranking-10x50.html
https://www.allbinos.com/77-binoculars_review-Meopta_Meostar_B1_10x50.html

 

[Alexandr33]

Guys, thanks for the info! Today they will call me from the store to place an order. I’ll ask them for the number and how old he is.
According to the test results, this is far from ideal binoculars. But, judging by user reviews, the Meopta Meostar has a comfortable image for long-term observation.
Today, my friend will give me a couple of days a new Carl Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 to compare it with the Meopta Meostar 10x50 B1.
I will gladly share my impression with you!

 

[Alexandr33]

Got binoculars. Received by the dealer in 2016. Released in 2015.
I really liked the comfortable image. The picture is soft and detailed.
It does not tire the observation at long viewing. Directly compared Meopta Meostar 10x50 B1 with Carl Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42. The latter image is a bit more contrast and more digital.
There is a difference in weight, Zeiss is 220 grams lighter. I liked the focus more in Meopta, no need to catch sharpness accuracy. Also, the depth of field of Meopta is much larger and less need to use focus. And the best part is, there is no yellowness, as they wrote about them in earlier releases. In terms of color, Meopta is very good under any conditions like day, dusk and night in a big city (Kiev).
In low light, Czech binoculars were noticeably better and showed more recognizable details. Backlight (flare) both binoculars held well.
It is also convenient to hold both binoculars in your hands. Zeiss has a slightly softer eyepiece eyepiece, I liked it more. However, you can not complain about Meopta. It was enough for me to have only two positions of eyecups. Screwed in for viewing with glasses and fully extended for without glasses.
*Zeiss has a good 3D image effect, most likely due to the shallow depth of field.
In conclusion, both binoculars are good. With its strengths and not so strengths. Definitely it is impossible to give preference to someone. But taking into account the existing binoculars, I made my choice.
A friend who sent me Zeiss offered me to buy his binoculars for the same money, and return Meopta to the store. I chose Meopta Meostar 10x50 B1
-=-
PS. I confirm that the first two digits in the number of the Meopta Meostar 10x50 B1 is the year of manufacture. On my binoculars they were 15 ...
PSS. Registered the binoculars on the Meopta website and received a guarantee certificate for my binoculars for 30 years!

 

[Mark9473]

Thank you for that interesting report. They sound like a binocular I would like as well.

 

[Alexandr33]

Improvement for the intermediate fixation of the extension of the eyecups

As far as I know, Meopta MeoStar B1, unlike B1.1, has only two eyecup positions in the eyepieces. Fully extended and fully recessed for those who wear glasses.
I don’t use glasses when I look through binoculars. It is more suitable for me that the eyecups are in the intermediate position a little recessed.
I bought six rubber elastic rings for plumbing equipment at a hardware store. Stretching them with my hands, I planted three each on the objective tubes of the binoculars. Next, I found the rings I need the position on the pipes. The rubber rings tightly sat in the right place and tightly fixed the restriction I needed when drowning the eyecups.
With such an intermediate restriction, it is much more convenient for me to look through binoculars. For my eyes, it turned out about 25-30 degrees of rotation when folding the eyecups, which corresponds to folding the eyecups by 3-4 mm. You can increase or decrease the angle and, accordingly, the intermediate value by moving the elastic bands along the lens pipe.
Naturally, for use with glasses, it is no longer possible to completely fold (drown) without removing the elastic bands.
PS. In the opposite direction, fully extend in the presence of restrictive elastic bands, there will be no obstacles.
PSS. In the last two photographs, the eyecups are fully extended. The degree of restriction is visible through the gap between the elastic bands and the binoculars.

 

[Swedpat]

No personal experience with this model but Holger Merlitz thinks highly of his: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/favorites/favorites.html

John

I am a bit surprised that Holger find this binocular so good that it replaced Fujinon 10x50 despite Fujinon has outstanding edge performance while Meopta is sharp to around 70% of the field.
But I would like to try it because of all the positive opinions about it.

 

[Alexandr33]

Found on Ireland’s Wildlife website an interesting review of MeoStar B1 10 × 42 HD (February 6, 2013)
https://irelandswildlife.com/meopta-meostar-b1-10x42-hd-binocular-review/
Although this is not a B1 10x50, but the description and rating in this review coincides with my impressions of 10x50.
An interesting fact, the more you use Meopta, the more you like this binocular. I like his very comfortable image. The focusing system is just perfect. For several days of active use of binoculars, the focusing wheel has become more delicate and sensitive. Perfectly fulfills tracking of moving targets like flights of birds or planes.
I especially want to emphasize the excellent color rendering of the MeoStar B1 in all light conditions. The color picture is correct and accurate across the entire spectrum without diverting to cold or warm colors. She is one of the best I've seen with alpha binoculars. I can say this as a professional working with color in photography on calibrated monitors.

 

[typo]

Alexandr,

Thank you for your thoughts on the 10x50.

When the 10x42 HD was introduced in 2013 I compared it to all the other Meostar Models available at that time, which included both the regular 10x42 and 10x50. I found that the addition of the ED element significantly sharpened the finest detail in the view, and improved still further the already well controlled lateral CA. Not all the models on show at that time had the more neutral coatings upgrade. I repeated the exercise when the 12x50HD and 15x56 HD were rolled out in Europe, and to my eyes the 12x50 HD were best of the Meostar offering, allbeit by the smallest of margins. Perhaps they are not the first choice for most birders. Of course the 10x50 was still very good too.

David

 

[Alexandr33]

It would seem that a ten-fold increase is not twelve, and certainly not a fifteen-fold increase. And it should be comfortable with hands. If you look at short and medium distances.
Looking at long distances, for example from the roof of a multi-storey building and along the horizon, is still difficult and requires considerable voltage to achieve a stable picture. It becomes even more difficult when observing from the hands of astronomical objects.
In such a situation, a good tripod, the most reliable solution for comfortable observation at long and ultra-long distances. But it is bulky and not light, even if it is carbon.
In my opinion, the best solution here is to use a high-quality monopod with a good ball head. I successfully use such a monopod for telephoto lenses.
The only difference is almost all lenses, except macro, with stabilization. Nevertheless, having tested on the roof of a high-rise building, he was convinced that the monopod greatly facilitates observation and reveals the potential for high-magnification image quality of binoculars due to the absence of small jitter, and as a result, small details in the image are not blurred and retain clarity.
PS. For the MeoStar B1 10x50, the narrow Pentax adapter fits perfectly, from which I removed the rubber cap from the mounting bolt to the binoculars. Without it, the adapter fits easily between the lenses of the binoculars.

 

[jring]

I am a bit surprised that Holger find this binocular so good that it replaced Fujinon 10x50 despite Fujinon has outstanding edge performance while Meopta is sharp to around 70% of the field.
But I would like to try it because of all the positive opinions about it.

Hi,

I don't find it surprising as the FMT-SX II 10x50 is 1.4 kg and has IF. It is ok for walking the milky way in a reclining chair for a bit but even then it gets heavy over time... and for that (and hopefully with a parallelogram mount) Holger has the Nikon WX 10x50...

For anything else the Meopta with 1kg and CF is a lot more useful....

When I compared the Fujinon of a friend in the astro club to my SE 10x40, I knew I would not want the Fujinon - despite being a tad better optically.

Joachim