New MeoStar B1 Plus Binoculars (1 Viewer)

[Troubador]

Following the launch of the MeoStar B1.1s last year, with the revised dioptre adjuster, Meopta has re-launched this as MeoStar B1 Plus with new armour. They were launched at SHOT Show this year and feature in the Meopta news magazine Meonews.

Meopta binos have at last acquired MeoLux coatings to replace the MeoBright coatings. MeoLux coatings have been around for several years on Meopta riflescopes but I am sure this is their first application on binoculars. In addition Meopta’s rain-shedding coating MeoShield is here replaced by MeoDrop. There are no other specification changes compared with B1.1 or B1.


Lee

 

[jgraider]

Thanks for the info Lee. I think that is a good looking binocular. I'm a huge Meopta fan, but I'm a little puzzled in that the new Meopro Air (dual hinge) bino coming out this Summer has the exact same optics as the Meostar HD, and the first retail price estimate we saw were just under $1000, once again putting it square in Meostar range. Not sure what they are thinking?

 

[Troubador]

Thanks for the info Lee. I think that is a good looking binocular. I'm a huge Meopta fan, but I'm a little puzzled in that the new Meopro Air (dual hinge) bino coming out this Summer has the exact same optics as the Meostar HD, and the first retail price estimate we saw were just under $1000, once again putting it square in Meostar range. Not sure what they are thinking?

Hi JG

First off the bat I agree these develpments are intruiging if not downright puzzling.

But I don't think we know the new MeoPro Air has the same optics as the MeoStar because although the fov of the two 10x42s isn't that different, the eye relief of the Air is 18mm which is significantly different from the B1.1's 15mm suggesting optical differences.

The MSRP of the MeoStar 10x is $1300 but dealers discount down to $1,000, so the MeoPro Air with MSRP of $1000 may well end up on dealers' shelves at $800-ish so there should be clear air between them, retail price-wise.

Lee

 

[jgraider]

The Meopta reps at SHOT told Dougatcamerland that the Meopro Air had the exact same glass as the Meostar HD, so that's what I'm going by.


Is this B1 Plus edition any upgrade from the Meostar HD genII?

 

[Torview]

Not sure I like the way the focus wheel seems lower than the armour in front of it.

 

[Troubador]

The Meopta reps at SHOT told Dougatcamerland that the Meopro Air had the exact same glass as the Meostar HD, so that's what I'm going by.


Is this B1 Plus edition any upgrade from the Meostar HD genII?

Thanks for clarifying that JG, but a bino might use the same type of HD glass, typically in the second element of the objective, but this doesn't mean that the entire optical system is the same.

My contact says there are no specification changes from B1.1 other than the coatings and armour.

Lee

 

[Troubador]

Not sure I like the way the focus wheel seems lower than the armour in front of it.

Looks the same as the original B1.

Lee

 

[bartd]

The new MeoPro Air binos have MeoStar quality HDED glass that will give you MeoStar bino clarity. I have yet to look through a pair so that is all I have to go on right now. I do know that Meopta will not sell you short and if they tell you the clarity is the same, it is.

 

[jgraider]

The new MeoPro Air binos have MeoStar quality HDED glass that will give you MeoStar bino clarity. I have yet to look through a pair so that is all I have to go on right now. I do know that Meopta will not sell you short and if they tell you the clarity is the same, it is.

No doubt, and good post. I don't know how to make this more clear.

 

[Troubador]

Bartd; I do know that Meopta will not sell you short and if they tell you the clarity is the same, it is.[/QUOTE]

Agreed.

Lee

 

[tenex]

All these purely minor tweaks (B1.1, B1+) are confusing and seem hardly worthwhile. For those who even know the name Meopta...

 

[Torview]

Looks the same as the original B1.

Lee

Maybe, but the new rubber seems to plateau more to my eyes, the old B1 seems more sculpted.

John.

 

[jgraider]

All these purely minor tweaks (B1.1, B1+) are confusing and seem hardly worthwhile. For those who even know the name Meopta...

Zeiss obviously knew the name Meopta, since Meopta was their OEM on several products over the years, huh?

 

[John A Roberts]

To get an idea of where the MeoPro Air sits in the Meopta range, see the nominal retail pricing by Meopta
I’ve attached:
- a page from the 2019/ 2020 price list that’s in Euros (currently add 10% to approximate USD), and
- a post from the Meopta Sport Optics Facebook page, showing the US pricing for the MeoPro Air

So comparing the various 10x42’s:
- MeoStar B1.1 at around $1,250 US (and slightly more for the B1 Plus when it becomes available? compare the B1 and B1.1 pricing in the list)
- MeoPro Air at $999 US
- MeoPro HD at around $650 US
Though of course actual pricing may vary

And the above suggests that while the Air may use ‘the exact same glass’ as the B1, it most probably has different optical detail
e.g. the pattern of lens groups and spacings, and individual lens thicknesses and curvature
(it would seem very strange to pay 25% more for the B1, just for a different housing and mechanics)

I've also attached an enlarged version of the B1 Plus image from Lee's post. It may give some a better idea of the changes


John

 

[jgraider]

Thanks for the details John. The pricing, even in your example, still baffles me though. The current retail price for the Meostar HD is $999. Why would they all of the sudden raise the price $300, just because the Air is now $999?

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi JG,

I mainly wanted to provide a like-to-like-to-like comparison. But you're of course right, the actual retail often differs markedly
e.g. on the BH Photo site, for the 10x40's the pricing is currently:
- B1.1 at $999.95
- MeoPro HD at $449

So presumedly the Air will be somewhere in between: perhaps sub-$800 such as $799?


John

 

[Troubador]

The MSRP of the MeoStar 10x is $1300 but dealers discount down to $1,000, so the MeoPro Air with MSRP of $1000 may well end up on dealers' shelves at $800-ish so there should be clear air between them, retail price-wise.

Lee

Hi JG,

I mainly wanted to provide a like-to-like-to-like comparison. But you're of course right, the actual retail often differs markedly
e.g. on the BH Photo site, for the 10x40's the pricing is currently:
- B1.1 at $999.95
- MeoPro HD at $449

So presumedly the Air will be somewhere in between: perhaps sub-$800 such as $799?

John

Thanks for this John, we both ended up with an estimate of $799/$800 if by different routes.

Lee

 

[henry link]

Meopta binos have at last acquired MeoLux coatings to replace the MeoBright coatings. MeoLux coatings have been around for several years on Meopta riflescopes but I am sure this is their first application on binoculars....


Lee

That's a good development. Using the light transmission graphs from the 2018 catalogue I speculated in another thread that the improvement in light transmission from changing to MeoLux should be about +2% at 550 nm, +3% at 650 nm and +4-5% at 450 nm for a complex binocular. Hopefully they'll make the same change to the S2 scope.

 

[Troubador]

That's a good development. Using the light transmission graphs from the 2018 catalogue I speculated in another thread that the improvement in light transmission from changing to MeoLux should be about +2% at 550 nm, +3% at 650 nm and +4-5% at 450 nm for a complex binocular. Hopefully they'll make the same change to the S2 scope.

Good point about the S2 Henry.

Lee

 

[tenex]

Re: Meopro Air... Zeiss & Leica have both adopted open-bridge design as a (derivative) signature style for their top models. But at Meopta it's appearing on a second-tier model. Different thinking, somehow. Or is there something else about the Air that's supposed to target birders rather than hunters?