GPO Passion HD 15x50 thoughts?

[Firehawk]

I currently have an older Meopta Meostar B1 HD 15x56. In an effort to reduce a little weight, I am considering picking up a GPO Passion HD 15x50 bino as it comes in just over 2lbs and has a trimmer form factor. It will fit in my pack easier and weighs about 1/2 pound less.

Reality is, I like the Meopta fine, but end up leaving it behind when there is any real hiking involved. But I much prefer glassing from a bino vs a spotter. Hunting Wide Open spaces from ridgetops and canyons in the Intermountain West.

Main bino is my Swarovski EL 8.5x42 and I enjoy it a lot. Terrific bino as most here will attest to. I do have a small 50mm Maven S2 spotter that I don't mind hiking with and my "big" spotter is my Maven S1.2S 80mm spotter. Rare that I will pack that very far, but really enjoy the image from it and use it often. I will generally aways pack a tripod, and would only bring the 15x bino if I pack a tripod as well. But I typically take the tripod for glassing long sits even with my Swarovski EL and to use as a shooting rest when the opportunity arrives.

I would likely sell my Meopta Meostar to fund the GPOs.

Thank you! FH

 

[JO.]

My opinion, I wouldn't be buying different binos to save 1/2 a pound. I'll admit I'm a Meopta fan. I sold my Meostar 12x50 to go to a Swaro 10x42 and 15x56 setup. I think the biggest driving factor was the "Swaro is best and I need to see what I'm missing". I enjoy the size and weight of the 10x42 though. I carry 10's, 15's and a 82mm Meopta spotter when scouting but rarely while hunting. I'd rather try to shed 5 lbs before season starts rather than cutting my optics solely for weight purposes. Good glass is generally not light and as an optics heavy hunter it's one of the things I spend the most time with on a hunt.

 

[Firehawk]

My opinion, I wouldn't be buying different binos to save 1/2 a pound. I'll admit I'm a Meopta fan. I sold my Meostar 12x50 to go to a Swaro 10x42 and 15x56 setup. I think the biggest driving factor was the "Swaro is best and I need to see what I'm missing". I enjoy the size and weight of the 10x42 though. I carry 10's, 15's and a 82mm Meopta spotter when scouting but rarely while hunting. I'd rather try to shed 5 lbs before season starts rather than cutting my optics solely for weight purposes. Good glass is generally not light and as an optics heavy hunter it's one of the things I spend the most time with on a hunt.

Thank you JO. Your sentiments are similar to my "logical" mind as well. Maybe I am more curious how good the GPO is. If it would be "on par" with my Meopta, I wouldn't mind losing the 1/2 pound. I have lost 50 lbs off of me over the past two years and it has been life changing. So much better today than just a short time ago. But I am the type of hunter who enjoys tinkering with my hunting gear, and I really enjoy sitting on the hillside with a tripod and good glass.

 

[JO.]

Who am I to talk someone out of buying new optics?! I haven't used the GPO binos but my experience is Meopta is hard to beat for the price. If you can find any GPO local the best is to try them side by side with your glass and you may find out real quick which is the right decision.

 

[jonpall]

I've looked at these as well but haven't pulled the trigger due to not a ton of reviews out there so will be interested to see what you find out.

 

[Firehawk]

I've looked at these as well but haven't pulled the trigger due to not a ton of reviews out there so will be interested to see what you find out.

That is why I asked. I haven't found many reviews either. Not that I would make all my decisions based on "others" opinions, but I do try and research as much as possible. JO's suggestion to find some locally to view is a great idea. Especially when I am comparing them against the Meoptas that I already own.

I really hope some people will pipe in with their experiences with the GPO 15x50s.

 

[Tullis94]

I have not looked through the 15x GPO. With that said I have 15x meoptas and had 10x meoptas. (Sold the 10x for GPO rangeguides) My dad has the 12.5x GPO. The meoptas in 15x and 10x are brighter. In my eyes they are both equally clear edge to edge but the meoptas will gain you a few minutes of light at dawn and dusk.

Unless something has changed recently Meopta does not have warranty center in the USA anymore. They are EXPENSIVE to get fixed right now. Hopefully that changes but the market knows that, and their resale value has signifiacly dropped. If I was buying my first pair new I would go GPO. I am not however selling my 15x Mepotas for 2 reasons. Their resale value is crap right now and they are slightly brighter than the GPO. I used to be of the opinion Meoptas were the best for the buck. I now recommend GPO with the Meopta warranty issues.