- Banned
- #1
Newtosavage
WKR
As high as I am on Meopta's Meostar lineup, I've been equally down on the Meopros since I purchased (and returned the very same day) both the 8x42 and 10x42 HD Meopros last year. Both pairs exhibited typical "made in China" flare and distortion that just drives me bonkers. I found the contrast to be lacking as well. Sad because the overall finish and ergonomics of those bins was very good.
I recently acquired through trade a pair of 8x32 Meopro HD's. I figured, why not. I havent' tried the x32's yet. So they arrived this morning, in mint condition, and I quickly took them out in the yard in the good mid-morning light. I have to say I'm much more impressed with the 8x32's that I was with either x42's I owned. Not sure why they are so different, but it's significant.
The 8x32 Meopro HD's are a fairly large mid-sized binocular. They are only slightly smaller than my 8x42 Leupold BX-4's (which are very small for their class), and weigh only an ounce or two less. For folks with larger hands like me, this could be a plus. Some mid-sized binoculars get lost in my hands due to their small size. I would rate the 8x32 Meopros as "just about right" in the size dept. but some folks will find them slightly larger than necessary.
Eyecups are significant. Very deep and cover the eye relief very well with no halos or blackouts. You can pull them into your face without the dreaded "kidney bean" effect showing up. That's something I usually struggle with, whenever I use 8x binoculars. The eyecups move pretty easily for my tastes. They seem to be holding their extended position "okay" but I can see them getting knocked down fairly easily. If I keep these long-term, I'll probably try to find a way to increase the amount of friction required to move them, if that's even possible.
The focus wheel might be the most responsive and lightest to the touch of any focus wheel I've ever used. Not sure if that's unique to this pair, or if all the 8x32 Meopros are like that. I remember the full size bins having a very smooth focus wheel, if not so light. There is no slack or slop in it, though, which is nice. It will be way too fast for some folks. The slightest amount of force will move the focus wheel through the desired focal plane very quickly. Great for closer-range following of songbirds in a tree canopy, for example, but maybe not so great when you want to lock it in while you're glassing a slope 1/2 mile away, and "leave it" there for a while.
As for the image - before I compared them side-by-side with my Leupold BX-4's, I was thinking they may be at the same level. In other words, the image is very good. Very pleasing to my eyes and very relaxing. Once I did the true side-by-side viewing with the BX-4's, I realized the Meoptas fell a little short in contrast to the Leupolds. That is an area where the Leupold's excel, and I'm not sure I've ever used a binocular that has better contrast than the BX-4's, so that's a tall bar to clear for the Meopros. But they do come close, and unless you have a BX-4/Conquest HD/SLC to compare them to side-by-side, I doubt you would be aware of any shortcomings. I would put these 8x32 Meopros somewhere in the Viper HD to Razor HD class of optics, which I think is very good for their price range.
The binoculars on the right in the last photo are my Bushnell Legend 8x32's that I keep as a backup/loaner pair and a backyard feeder watching pair. (They are actually quite good if you can find them on the used market in good shape).
I'll offer more impressions as I continue to use these Meopros. I'm looking forward to putting them through their paces.
In the meantime, I will contemplate changing my screen name to "Binoho" LOL
I recently acquired through trade a pair of 8x32 Meopro HD's. I figured, why not. I havent' tried the x32's yet. So they arrived this morning, in mint condition, and I quickly took them out in the yard in the good mid-morning light. I have to say I'm much more impressed with the 8x32's that I was with either x42's I owned. Not sure why they are so different, but it's significant.
The 8x32 Meopro HD's are a fairly large mid-sized binocular. They are only slightly smaller than my 8x42 Leupold BX-4's (which are very small for their class), and weigh only an ounce or two less. For folks with larger hands like me, this could be a plus. Some mid-sized binoculars get lost in my hands due to their small size. I would rate the 8x32 Meopros as "just about right" in the size dept. but some folks will find them slightly larger than necessary.
Eyecups are significant. Very deep and cover the eye relief very well with no halos or blackouts. You can pull them into your face without the dreaded "kidney bean" effect showing up. That's something I usually struggle with, whenever I use 8x binoculars. The eyecups move pretty easily for my tastes. They seem to be holding their extended position "okay" but I can see them getting knocked down fairly easily. If I keep these long-term, I'll probably try to find a way to increase the amount of friction required to move them, if that's even possible.
The focus wheel might be the most responsive and lightest to the touch of any focus wheel I've ever used. Not sure if that's unique to this pair, or if all the 8x32 Meopros are like that. I remember the full size bins having a very smooth focus wheel, if not so light. There is no slack or slop in it, though, which is nice. It will be way too fast for some folks. The slightest amount of force will move the focus wheel through the desired focal plane very quickly. Great for closer-range following of songbirds in a tree canopy, for example, but maybe not so great when you want to lock it in while you're glassing a slope 1/2 mile away, and "leave it" there for a while.
As for the image - before I compared them side-by-side with my Leupold BX-4's, I was thinking they may be at the same level. In other words, the image is very good. Very pleasing to my eyes and very relaxing. Once I did the true side-by-side viewing with the BX-4's, I realized the Meoptas fell a little short in contrast to the Leupolds. That is an area where the Leupold's excel, and I'm not sure I've ever used a binocular that has better contrast than the BX-4's, so that's a tall bar to clear for the Meopros. But they do come close, and unless you have a BX-4/Conquest HD/SLC to compare them to side-by-side, I doubt you would be aware of any shortcomings. I would put these 8x32 Meopros somewhere in the Viper HD to Razor HD class of optics, which I think is very good for their price range.
The binoculars on the right in the last photo are my Bushnell Legend 8x32's that I keep as a backup/loaner pair and a backyard feeder watching pair. (They are actually quite good if you can find them on the used market in good shape).
I'll offer more impressions as I continue to use these Meopros. I'm looking forward to putting them through their paces.
In the meantime, I will contemplate changing my screen name to "Binoho" LOL
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