Anyone regret using a non HD/apo spotting scope?

[Frank Grimes]

I’ve been looking at a meopta s1 75. Both apo and non apo are available, but the cost difference is about 600$. I think all the spotters I’ve used in the past have been HD glass.
Any insight on the optical differences? Is it a must have? Will it affect lower light performance? Or how about glassing against snowy backgrounds etc?

 

[ILPete]

Generally speaking, if you're gonna Invest in alpha brand spotting scopes you should get the HD/apo versions. The sharpness and clearness is usually significant at the higher powers. However I've not used the Meopta S1 75.

 

[Lionhound1975]

I have never used the Meopta S1 75 but I own the Meostar S2 HD with the 30-60 WA eyepiece and the Meopta TGA 75 with the 30x fixed and the 20-60 eyepieces. I believe the TGA 75 is the same glass as the S1 75 since they use the same eyepiece. The S2 is a little clearer but it also has a bigger objective lens too. The TGA 75 is nice glass and while the draw tube design has some disadvantages over a traditional scope, there are some situations where i prefer it over the S2. That said, I would go with an HD model over a non-HD one AS LONG AS THEY ARE THE SAME MODEL. Just being HD means nothing as is easily seen if you compare a non-HD Meostar bino to an Meopro HD bino. The non-HD Meostar bino is hands down better in all categories.