Ultravid HD+ 12x50 vs Meopta Meostar 12x50 B1 Plus (2 Viewers)

[PatR]

HenRun, we would gently point out that Summary means short, and Conclusion means that's it.

Just kidding, of course. Your so welcome and readable writing clarifies, among other things, why we may reasonably wish more binos without feeling guilty of excess. But, I think, even that cannot explain away our core motive of "gear addiction"!

PatR, myself, too, have a Meopta and drove a Lada (car, the 1500, long ago, inter alia). The thing was to ostentatiously overtake unsuspecting mildly driven BMWs etc. (No such disturbing motives behind the Meopta—I hope.)

LOL! My Niva was just a workhorse, pure and simple.....just like me (minus the pure bit!).

Marvellous car with all the refinement of a tomcat on heat but it went everywhere and on the odd occasion it did protest, a hammer and an adjustable spanner was all that was needed.

 

[looksharp65]

Ok, owning both: how do you characterize the color difference between the 2013 B1 and the current B1 Plus?

No comparison! Remember that I bought mine used in 2013 but the line was introduced in 2005. My sample may very well be from a very early production run.
It displays colours as if its prisms were silver-coated. Not necessarily anything wrong with that, I know very competent birders who use the 1st gen Zeiss Conquest or Dialyt 7x42.

I've stopped trying to spot minuscule differences between my binoculars because I already know they're there and I'm happy with the current ensemble. While my colour vision is very good, it's not fixed to an absolute pitch (which for artists may be equally a blessing and a curse).
I want my scopes and binoculars to be similar and enough neutral that the ability to colour constancy takes care of the 2% difference.

So I'd categorise my devices in three fairly distinct groups:

• Old Meopta 8x32 is more or less alone in its group unless I count the Kowa TS-1 which is much dimmer.
• The big bunch with Nikon ED50A, ED82A, E II 8x30, EDG 7x42, Meostar B1.1 8x32 and Meostar B1 HD 12x50
• Kite Lynx HD and Svbony P406ED 80 mm

First group, as mentioned, is a bit too yellow to be completely satisfactory. Second group, with a minor warmth, which colour constancy sense takes care of immediately. Third group even more neutral, the little Kite still goes well with the Nikon group. Unfortunately the old Meopta and the Svbony scope are the ones I have at work and use together. Not ideal, but manageable.

Within the big group, the EDG stands out as the zestiest one as its contrast appears slightly higher than the rest, closely followed by the E II. This is upon direct comparison, and the differences aren't meaningful to point out.

I'd also like to mention that we not necessarily display the same power of observation from day to day, and from a number of reasons.
A friend of mine, who works with high end audio, has a customer that's more obsessed with sound differences than most other audiophiles (which is quite an accomplishment, btw), and this customer frequently calls my friend believing there's something wrong with his system. Together, they identified a pattern where this dude's ADHD manifests to different degree from day to day. So my friend must remind him of this in a reassuring way and suggest he chooses another activity than listening to music (or rather perceived anomalies in the sound produced by his excellent system). From my own profession, I know this can happen with vision as well.

//L

 

[HenRun]

Adhoc: Your gentleness is appreciated and you are ever so right.
That's how I roll when I start typing while my train of thought is still boarding at the station...

(for real this time)

Summary:
Meopta and Leica have in their efforts brought two very fine 12x binoculars to the market.

Conclusion:
Meopta > Awesome
Leica > Also Awesome

 

[looksharp65]

Here in the Netherlands i use it mainly for long distance viewing from my apartment on the 15th floor. .

Same here! I live on 10th floor but it's on a hill so roughly 60 meters above sea level. But honestly, it usually takes a scope because viewing distance is several kilometers.

//L

 

[HenRun]

I've stopped trying to spot minuscule differences between my binoculars because I already know they're there and I'm happy with the current ensemble. While my colour vision is very good, it's not fixed to an absolute pitch (which for artists may be equally a blessing and a curse).
I want my scopes and binoculars to be similar and enough neutral that the ability to colour constancy takes care of the 2% difference.

That is the voice of reason.

I agree about similarity and "acceptance" being key to a balanced binocular setup.

I also definitely agree to different perceptions in vision and sound on different days.
Almost any great bino can be made to look rather poor under certain circumstances.

 

[HenRun]

15th floor??! 10th floor?!

That really gives some perspective.

 

[HenRun]

After the second outing I can yet again confirm and reassure myself that Meostar 12x50 is my preferred binocular for birds in flight.
There are very few binoculars on the market that can match it for this. Clean image against a bright backdrop means that I see more detail on birds - even at far - than with any other binocular I have seen through. This is what makes the Meostar a keeper. CA level is so low that any small object in or near the center is not smeared by a green/purple haze.

Unfortunately all the cool birds were on a scheduled break so all I could marvel at was a trio of Seagulls... ...and a few commercial jetliners streaking by. For planespotting and birds in flight Meopta is the bees knees. The level of detail I could make out on the Seagulls even though the sun was trying its best to spoil the view was stunning.

AFOV is smaller on the Meostar, but still very good. FOV is narrower but I think this is a good thing for what I use it for. I keep saying Leica is nicer to look through - but the Meostar is great too. For detail extraction rather than scenic overview the Meopta is hard to beat. Leica aficionados might think the image a bit sterile in comparison. I think you can't go wrong either way. I think I will keep bringing the Meopta to the lookout and the Leica in the field/forest.

 

[looksharp65]

15th floor??! 10th floor?!

That really gives some perspective.

Sure does. From my glass balcony I see harbour seals at about six kilometers towards NW and the biggest birds as well. Towards E/NE I could see migratory raptors if I'd only had the patience to stay at home, but at too long distance. Oh, and I can also see to the neighbour country, like tonight, although I don't live in Skåne.
It is a ridiculously tiny part though, but still..

//L

 

[tenex]

I was looking forward to HenRun's comparison but am late responding. Thank you for the excellent detailed report. It makes me curious to try the MeoStar sometime and experience this snap-to-focus clarity that can seem even better than the Leica. And there was also EL 12x50 to consider, not to mention NL 12x42 now... then again, it's good to be happy with what one has and not get into the position of having to make such a difficult choice, either which to keep or which to take each time.

Everything seems sorted out by now. Yes, holding the UV a bit forward from where the thumb ridges suggest helps. If you do need deeper eyecups they're available. In my opinion too (not being exceptionally sensitive to it) most situations just don't provoke a problematic degree of CA even in Leicas. I think the UVHD+ is gorgeous glass, striking an excellent balance between visual characteristics, brighter and somewhat more neutral than older Leicas -- I believe transmission is 92% although they don't publish it in their specs, and should. The focuser on ours is excellent, one couldn't ask for better.

 

[HenRun]

Tenex: thank you for the transmission figures.
I was watching deer this morning before the sun had come out from the woods and in the very bleak morning shade the view through the Ultravid was exceptional. I did not dig out the Meopta to compare, I just enjoyed the fabulous view.

I have owned the NL Pure 12x42 and it is a fantastic binocular. I used 12X so much I decided to "upgrade" from the Meostar at the time.
I think that for those that would have looked through the top four or five 12x binos on the market the Pure NL would be the most impressive.
I am one of those unfortunate to have experienced glare, and reflections from the huge back oculars with my glasses. This and the fact that it was more prone to fogging up that my other binos during winter had me going back to the Meostar.

When I figured out the Pure NL was not for me I was looking at the EL12x50 - which also gave a very nice impression. I don't know why it did not give a longer look, there was something in the handling that was not for me and I knew what I had with the Meostar. I remember it had visibly more center CA than the Meostar and the Pure NL so that might have been the deciding factor. Skin deep analysis on the spot.

I would like to state rather one time too many than not that CA is well handled in all the top four 12X binos and should not make for the sole decider, they are all excellent. It just so happens that the Meopta is the best in this department. It is not CA free, but the instances where it creeps out and the magnitude of it is less than on the others so for for practical purposes it does perform better on this metric.

I went back to Meostar since I knew its characteristics for winter use and how it handles low sun and glare. With the NL Pure birds in flight would provoke some CA flashes at times but it was the reflections from the back oculars that I could not cope with in use.

If I did not have some issues with the Pure NL - issues that many other users don't experience - I would have been really happy with it. Unless the armor would start peeling off, but let's not go there. The bucketlike AFOV and immersive image in the Pure NL is truly impressive.

 

[Isthatascratch?]

I was looking forward to HenRun's comparison but am late responding. Thank you for the excellent detailed report. It makes me curious to try the MeoStar sometime and experience this snap-to-focus clarity that can seem even better than the Leica. And there was also EL 12x50 to consider, not to mention NL 12x42 now... then again, it's good to be happy with what one has and not get into the position of having to make such a difficult choice, either which to keep or which to take each time.

Everything seems sorted out by now. Yes, holding the UV a bit forward from where the thumb ridges suggest helps. If you do need deeper eyecups they're available. In my opinion too (not being exceptionally sensitive to it) most situations just don't provoke a problematic degree of CA even in Leicas. I think the UVHD+ is gorgeous glass, striking an excellent balance between visual characteristics, brighter and somewhat more neutral than older Leicas -- I believe transmission is 92% although they don't publish it in their specs, and should. The focuser on ours is excellent, one couldn't ask for better.

Tenex: thank you for the transmission figures.
I was watching deer this morning before the sun had come out from the woods and in the very bleak morning shade the view through the Ultravid was exceptional. I did not dig out the Meopta to compare, I just enjoyed the fabulous view.

I have owned the NL Pure 12x42 and it is a fantastic binocular. I used 12X so much I decided to "upgrade" from the Meostar at the time.
I think that for those that would have looked through the top four or five 12x binos on the market the Pure NL would be the most impressive.
I am one of those unfortunate to have experienced glare, and reflections from the huge back oculars with my glasses. This and the fact that it was more prone to fogging up that my other binos during winter had me going back to the Meostar.

When I figured out the Pure NL was not for me I was looking at the EL12x50 - which also gave a very nice impression. I don't know why it did not give a longer look, there was something in the handling that was not for me and I knew what I had with the Meostar. I remember it had visibly more center CA than the Meostar and the Pure NL so that might have been the deciding factor. Skin deep analysis on the spot.

I would like to state rather one time too many than not that CA is well handled in all the top four 12X binos and should not make for the sole decider, they are all excellent. It just so happens that the Meopta is the best in this department. It is not CA free, but the instances where it creeps out and the magnitude of it is less than on the others so for for practical purposes it does perform better on this metric.

I went back to Meostar since I knew its characteristics for winter use and how it handles low sun and glare. With the NL Pure birds in flight would provoke some CA flashes at times but it was the reflections from the back oculars that I could not cope with in use.

If I did not have some issues with the Pure NL - issues that many other users don't experience - I would have been really happy with it. Unless the armor would start peeling off, but let's not go there. The bucketlike AFOV and immersive image in the Pure NL is truly impressive.

I have not ventured outside the EL 12x50 as it’s great and I know if I tried others I’d cause myself a conundrum.

 

[HenRun]

If there is nothing you find lacking and you enjoy using it - stick to it.

Bino-curiosity can be expensive.

 

[Isthatascratch?]

If there is nothing you find lacking and you enjoy using it - stick to it.

Bino-curiosity can be expensive.

Tell me about it!!!

 

[Thotmosis]

Same here! I live on 10th floor but it's on a hill so roughly 60 meters above sea level. But honestly, it usually takes a scope because viewing distance is several kilometers.

//L

Everytime when i setup my scope with tripod in the living room my wife dismantles it and i get herring in tomato saus for diner so i gave up on using my small Zeiss fieldscope from my house

EDIT: maybe i have to retry the NL 14x52….

 

[PatR]

Everytime when i setup my scope with tripod in the living room my wife dismantles it and i get herring in tomato saus for diner so i gave up on using my small Zeiss fieldscope from my house

EDIT: maybe i have to retry the NL 14x52….

GVD! I will check the list of students on the Taliban Refresher Course that my wife attended to see if Mevrow Thotmosis was a fellow student.

Anyone who serves herring in tomato sauce is clearly cruel enough to have passed the course with flying colours. I would rather have a bowl of underpants soup than eat that gastronomic abomination.


Go 14x52. It is the only way to bleach this from your mind.

 

[Tringa45]

Meopta Meostar 12x50 HD review

Meopta is a name that may be well known on the forum, but seems to be relatively unknown in birding circles generally. That deserves to change in my opinion. I hope this review will illustrate why. Once upon a time, the Meostar had a reputation for not having the best colour rendition on offer...

www.birdforum.net

Perhaps this old but very competent review is sufficient confirmation of HenRun's impressions.
Unfortunately, we have not seen anything from "typo" for some time.

John

 

[adhoc]

Some months after that Typo put up (reluctantly, at my urging) this remarkable post on resolution in binos. Of nearly 40 items, comprising models and individual samples of some models, four scored the maximum 10 points, and the MeoStar 12x50 (typoed! as 12x42), in its "Dotted, or pre-Plus" version, was one, the others (in alphabetical order) Kite Bonelli (surprising to many, I'd think), Kowa Genesis 44, and Leica Noctivid.

 

[Yarkho]

Remarkable posts, thanks for providing the links, really enjoyed that.

 

[Yarkho]

LOL! My Niva was just a workhorse, pure and simple.....just like me (minus the pure bit!).

Marvellous car with all the refinement of a tomcat on heat but it went everywhere and on the odd occasion it did protest, a hammer and an adjustable spanner was all that was needed.

I remember driving my father's Lada Niva once. Long ago. If I remember correctly the pedals put up some of the fiercest resistance I ever encountered in a car.

 

[adhoc]

Yarkho, as you're in the Czech Republic, we're in a kind of conversation, (and united by loving memories of Lada,) the subject is Meopta, and some dialogue with them may be less difficult for you, could you please try to clear up something, brought up many times before in this forum?! The Meopta website has been stating for 2-3 years to date that the MeoStar Plus bodies are now magnesium and in the spec. table give weights for them that are much less than of the aluminum bodies we know. Have any such been marketed? Or, is the change going to happen, and when? Thanks!