Meopta MeoPro HD Binoculars
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Review Highlights
- Outstanding optical performance at the price
- Virtually no chromatic aberration
- Excellent close focus of 4.2 feet
- Tactile rubber armoring
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Meopta is an optics manufacturer that is not well known to U.S. birders. This is a shame since Meopta makes excellent quality optics
at generally reasonable prices. That is certainly the case with the 8x42 HD MeoPros. The MAP (Minimum Advertized Price) for it is just
$529.99. That broaches several topics at once: optical quality and cost. Optical quality will be discussed
in detail below, but a quick digression about pricing is in order. We think of optics pricing in terms three tiers: low, middle and high.
Anything below about $350 is low priced; from $350 to $1000 is mid priced, and anything over $1000 is high priced. Optics is a market
where pricing tends to run true, excluding the occasional short-lived deal. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for, and more to
the point, you don't get what you don't pay for. Convincing you that you're getting more than you actually are is called "marketing"!
Back to the binoculars in hand, the MeoPros fall at the lower end of the mid-price range. One other note: we received only the 8x42
model for testing, so this article concerns only that configuration.
Optical Properties
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Optical performance is the single most important category for a binocular. On the whole, we were quite favorably impressed
with the 8x42 MeoPros in the field. One of the things that just jumped out at us was how effective their fluoride HD glass
and lens coatings were in eliminating chromatic aberration ("color fringing") – basically, you see none whatsoever under
virtually any field conditions. Their performance in this regard is fairly extraordinary. We see a lot of binoculars with
much more expensive glass and coatings that don't perform nearly as well in eliminating chromatic aberration. Meopta's HD
glass also yields consistently bright, crisp, high-quality views under virtually all field conditions. We measured the
minimum close focus on these binoculars at just 49-50 inches (1.26 m) without notable field collapse (blacking out on
either side of the visual field), which is very impressive indeed. While we're talking about focus, it's worth noting that
the 8x42 MeoPros go from minimum close focus to infinity in about 1.3 turns of the focus knob. This is about the perfect
level of pitch: fast enough that you can react to moving targets, but not so fast that you blow past your intended focus
point. The mechanism is a bit stiff, but nicely precise. Eye relief was a healthy 20 mm, which should be more than
sufficient for most users. Interestingly, Meopta's website lists two different field of view statistics for this binocular:
under Specifications, it lists the field of view at 377 feet at 1000 yards, but in the text description of the product,
the same statistic is listed at 384 feet at 1000 yards. We aren't completely sure what to make of this! Both estimates
are a little bit better than average performance for an 8x binocular with regard to this property, so it probably doesn't
matter much.
Physical Characteristics
The 8x42 HD MeoPro binoculars are very lightweight at just 26.0 oz. (737 g) - note: this figure does not include the
weight of the strap or ocular and objective lens covers, but they don't actually add much. This binocular measures
6.6 inches long (15.9 mm) with eye cups retracted and 6.9 inches long (17.3 mm) with the eye cups fully extended.
With the hinge fully open, they are exactly 5 inches (12.6 mm) wide at the objective end. The interpupilary distance
range on these is quite broad at 56-75 mm (2.5 - 3.0 inches). This means that these binoculars should easily fit the
breadth of most people's faces. As long as we're talking about eye cups, a word or two about what the MeoPros do for
these. The eye cups on these binoculars have one stable position between fully out and fully in and they adjust
between positions with a helical twist. All three positions are very stable; they don't collapse inadvertently, which
is very good. In this, the 8x42 MeoPros are well-designed. The only potential downside is, with only three positions
(most binoculars have four or more positions) that if these three positions don't happen to provide you with optimal
eye relief, you will have to make up for that in how you hold the binocular to your face. Fortunately, the MeoPros
have above average eye relief, so they should fine for most people. As expected on any good quality roof prism
binocular, the MeoPros are completely waterproof. They are sealed and nitrogen-filled in order to be internally
fog proof. The diopter adjustment is a full ± 3 diopters, which is enough for anyone to find a comfortable sharp
viewing position. The adjustment mechanism is a simple twist-ring on the right barrel of the binocular. It does not
lock, but there is quite a bit of resistance in the mechanism, so it tends to stay where you put it. If your eyes
require a setting other than the middle, we recommend marking that position in some way so that you can easily recover
it if it's lost or changed inadvertently. The rubber armoring is dark olive green, and while not particularly soft or
pliable, it has kind of a sandpaper texture to it that affords a good grip. Shallow thumb grooves on the barrels assist
in this regard.
Accessories
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The MeoPro 8x42 HD binoculars come with the usual assortment of accessories: a strap, a case, and covers for the ocular
and objectives lenses. So, let's deal with those in turn. The strap is a hybrid of cordura, plastic, leather and foam
rubber. The foam rubber portion is the section that goes around the neck. It is a little over an inch wide and nicely
flexible without being so stretchy that the binocular bounces vertically. The cordura section of the strap attaches to
very sturdy lugs on the barrels. Conveniently, the strap detaches from the binocular by a pair of plastic pinch clips,
which also can connect to identical clips on the sides of the case, allowing you to transfer the strap between the case
and the binocular. The ocular lens cover is the usual piece of pliable black rubber, with the two cups united by a
slender bridge region. There is a full bracket on the right side to thread the strap through and a gapped bracket on
the left side, so that it can be detached and swung aside while in the field. That's all well and good. We initially
had some issues with the case and the lens covers and the first draft of this paragraph was a bit different. We expressed
those issues to Meopta at a recent meeting. Their response was "Oh. You must have an older binocular. You haven't seen
the new case and covers." Apparently, they had experienced those issues themselves and had already fixed them. The new
case is a little larger so the binocular can be inserted and removed more easily and no longer pulled off the objective
covers, which were formerly too loose. The rainguard now fits more snugly. Clearly, while Meopta had made some initial
errors with the accessories, they were responsive to fixing them.
Conclusions
So, to sum it all up, where do we stand on this Meopta 8x42 HD binocular? Overall, we have to give it a thumbs up. The
optical performance is very solid overall, and in some traits, like the lack of chromatic aberration, Meopta earns very
high marks. And remember, this is a mid-priced optic. The series includes 8x32, 10x32, 8x42 and 10x42 models ranging in
price from $479.99 to $599.99.
Putting it in that context, the optical performance stands out, if anything, a bit more. The physical properties of the
binocular measure up as well, and the peripherals are also executed well. So, if you are in the market for a binocular
and your price limit falls in this range, the 8x42 HD Meopta might be a great choice for you.
Buying
Buy Meopta MeoPro HD Binoculars