GPO Passion HD 15x50 thoughts?

[rookieforever33]

Right off the bat I am impressed. Nice color and definition edge to edge compared to other 15s I have looked through. Looking forward to checking them out in lower light situations.

 

[bojangles808]

Let us know your thoughts when you recieve them. I am liking mine.

any new thoughts @Firehawk @rookieforever33
10oz lighter than most everything else in the same category (SLCs, b5s, meoptas, UHD 18s) makes them intriguing

 

[Firehawk]

So far, I am impressed enough. I really like the lighter weight and the smaller form factor. Due to projects around the house, I haven't taken the opportunity to really "wring them out" on a true mountain side or ridge yet. Aside from my initial comparisons anyway.

I did go out in the Great Salt Lake Marsh and look at waterfowl with them. They performed great. But I look forward to getting away next weekend and really putting them to the test in the mountains.

FH

 

[hereinaz]

any new thoughts @Firehawk @rookieforever33
10oz lighter than most everything else in the same category (SLCs, b5s, meoptas, UHD 18s) makes them intriguing

That’s why I jumped on a pair that is in transit right now. I decided to give them a try after looking through some other GPO binos.

I will let you know.

 

[Firehawk]

That’s why I jumped on a pair that is in transit right now. I decided to give them a try after looking through some other GPO binos.

I will let you know.

Hope you like them.

I am excited to learn that I drew a muzzleloader Mule Deer tag for an area I haven't hunted in for this fall. Means I will need to plan to spend many weekends in the mountains getting to know my new area and try to find the diamonds in the rough. My GPOs and other optics will get a good workout this year.

 

[hereinaz]

Hope you like them.

I am excited to learn that I drew a muzzleloader Mule Deer tag for an area I haven't hunted in for this fall. Means I will need to plan to spend many weekends in the mountains getting to know my new area and try to find the diamonds in the rough. My GPOs and other optics will get a good workout this year.

I’ll give it a good try. I’ve used a lot, from Vortex 18x Kaibab to Swaro 14 NL pure. Hard to say without direct comparison, but whenever I go to less than Alpha glass I can feel it in my bones, lol.

You can either see into the shadows and make out individual branches or you can’t. I am curious about literal first and last light, cause that is where we make our money in AZ…

 

[Firehawk]

I’ll give it a good try. I’ve used a lot, from Vortex 18x Kaibab to Swaro 14 NL pure. Hard to say without direct comparison, but whenever I go to less than Alpha glass I can feel it in my bones, lol.

You can either see into the shadows and make out individual branches or you can’t. I am curious about literal first and last light, cause that is where we make our money in AZ…

I picked up one of those Sky Rover Banner Cloud 12x50 binos recently. They remind me of my ELs. Wide FOV and clear to the edge. Excited to put some time behind them. But never owning an NL, makes it easier for me to think my ELs are good enough.

 

[hereinaz]

Had them out after dark on the street and at the range today. Had my buddies 14 NL Pures next to them. The GPO were surprisingly close. I could obviously see differences, but they would be expected based on the specs like FOV, objective size, etc.

They are a solid pair of binos so far. There wasn’t anything that made me want to send them back. The image was better than the Virtex Kaibab, meaning it didn’t have the noticeable lack of quality

It was bright today at the range. I looked into shadows, but not enough to judge overall.

I need some solid time glassing all day to get a better idea.

 

[bojangles808]

Had them out after dark on the street and at the range today. Had my buddies 14 NL Pures next to them. The GPO were surprisingly close. I could obviously see differences, but they would be expected based on the specs like FOV, objective size, etc.

They are a solid pair of binos so far. There wasn’t anything that made me want to send them back. The image was better than the Virtex Kaibab, meaning it didn’t have the noticeable lack of quality

It was bright today at the range. I looked into shadows, but not enough to judge overall.

I need some solid time glassing all day to get a better idea.

Thanks for the report. Haven't you tried the vortex uhd 18s? Curious how they would compare to these passion hd 15s. I can't make the jump to NL pures but used uhd 18s could be possible

 

[hereinaz]

Thanks for the report. Haven't you tried the vortex uhd 18s? Curious how they would compare to these passion hd 15s. I can't make the jump to NL pures but used uhd 18s could be possible

I think the overall comparison is same value, but difference is in the features and how their individual cost/benefit.

I ran the 18 UHD and they rivaled the SLC in the center “sweet spot”. That is one area where the GPO on first blush appear to have better edge to edge.

I need to sit with them for a day to see how the eyes deal with them. That’s where I start to get a feel for them.

I eventually sold the 18 UHD because I could borrow 15 SLC on my hunts. When glassing for Coues, catching movement out of the corner of your eye is part of my method. So edge to edge clarity is important. That’s mostly why I gave up the Razor UHD. If I didn’t have other options, I would have used them until I could upgrade.

 

[bojangles808]

I think the overall comparison is same value, but difference is in the features and how their individual cost/benefit.

I ran the 18 UHD and they rivaled the SLC in the center “sweet spot”. That is one area where the GPO on first blush appear to have better edge to edge.

I need to sit with them for a day to see how the eyes deal with them. That’s where I start to get a feel for them.

I eventually sold the 18 UHD because I could borrow 15 SLC on my hunts. When glassing for Coues, catching movement out of the corner of your eye is part of my method. So edge to edge clarity is important. That’s mostly why I gave up the Razor UHD. If I didn’t have other options, I would have used them until I could upgrade.

Thank you. Hopefully these have good enough glass that they are something you can sit behind all day.

 

[nm.otter]

tried the vortex uhd 18s?

I found them fussy to get behind -- that teeny-tiny exit pupil is just difficult to overcome.

 

[Firehawk]

Thank you. Hopefully these have good enough glass that they are something you can sit behind all day.

When I was comparing my GPOs to my Meoptas, I decided I needed an unbiased opinion and spent the evening with my friend who happened to have his cousins 12x50 NLs with him as well. I tried really hard not to explain my thoughts, rather let him come to his own conclusions. We had set up several tripods and put the Meoptas, GPOs, NLs and our favorite 8.5x42 ELs on tripods and spent a couple of hours from a spot that provides good contrast, lines and color to judge.

When all was said and done, nothing bested the NLs. They are flat out amazing. ELs are amazing too. But the GPOs offered better contrast than the Meoptas. The Meoptas were slightly brighter (56mm objective vs 50mm objective) but also seemed a bit "washed out" vs the GPOs. Images were quite similar and sharp to the edge, particularly if the eye cups were screwed all the way in, and I could definitely look through them for long periods of time. Wasn't worried about eye fatigue etc. with the GPOs. Ultimately, I chose them over the Meopta due to the weight savings, which was quite noticable, and the much smaller and easier to work with form factor.

My friend, who is not a fan of 15x binos, actually stated the same things I was seeing, which made me feel much more justified in my thought processes.

FH

 

[hereinaz]

I found them fussy to get behind -- that teeny-tiny exit pupil is just difficult to overcome.

This is something I experienced and you put into words for me— they are fussy looking through them all day, constantly adjusting my eyes to use the field of view. That is what is wrong with them.

 

[nm.otter]

The larger the exit pupil, the more leeway you have hitting the sweet spot in the eyebox.
On top of that, low light performance plummets once it gets smaller than the opening in your iris.

18x56mm exit pupil = 3.1mm
15x56mm = 3.7mm
14.4x52mm= 4.3mm

 

[Firehawk]

And an exit pupil of 3.33 for the GPO. I wondered about the "light gathering" and really put them to the test against the 15x56 Meopta after sunset watching a small herd of muleys on the hillside. Eventually, I couldn't see them well enough through the GPO, but could barely make them out with the Meopta. I thought, "I guess the Meopta is the better option" until I realized I was literally looking at them in the dark. It was WELL past legal shooting light. Until that very last few minutes, I could see better details and better contrast with the GPO.

 

[bojangles808]

And an exit pupil of 3.33 for the GPO. I wondered about the "light gathering" and really put them to the test against the 15x56 Meopta after sunset watching a small herd of muleys on the hillside. Eventually, I couldn't see them well enough through the GPO, but could barely make them out with the Meopta. I thought, "I guess the Meopta is the better option" until I realized I was literally looking at them in the dark. It was WELL past legal shooting light. Until that very last few minutes, I could see better details and better contrast with the GPO.

thank you for such detailed feedback. you own some sky Rover banner clouds too don't you? how do they compare to the passion hds? torn between SR BCs, Pasions HDs, and the zerotech 15s

 

[Firehawk]

thank you for such detailed feedback. you own some sky Rover banner clouds too don't you? how do they compare to the passion hds? torn between SR BCs, Pasions HDs, and the zerotech 15s

Im really impressed with the SRBC. With that said, I trust the GPO more as I believe the guys behind that company will stand behind it for the long run. Lifetime warranty is transferrable. SRBC is only a 3 year warranty. So...time will tell.

Image comparisons isn't really fair as we are comparing a 12x50 SRBC and a 15x50 GPO. But the SRBC immediately looks bright and easy to sit behind. Views are so wide. Some have said their FOV is comparable to the NL 12x42. Having not compared them to each other, I can't say for sure.

Both have good contrast, good colors and good to the edge image quality. Some say that they have noticed some CA with the GPOs. I have to look really hard to see any. I don't notice any on the SRBC and haven't been distracted by the small amount present on the GPOs.

I still need to get both on the hills so that I can compare them more, but from the driveway, looking toward the Wasatch Front, I like the SRBC for overall brightness and wide FOV. GPO excells in contrasty images. Deer colors pop out to me with the. Haven't looks at deer with the SRBC yet to compare that.

I hope that this helps. If it was my one and only primary bino, I would prefer the GPOs just due to the warranty and North American distribution network. In my case, I have several optics, so taking a chance on a SRBC wouldn't cost me my hunt if something fails. I have other optics I trust as well.

 

[bojangles808]

Im really impressed with the SRBC. With that said, I trust the GPO more as I believe the guys behind that company will stand behind it for the long run. Lifetime warranty is transferrable. SRBC is only a 3 year warranty. So...time will tell.

Image comparisons isn't really fair as we are comparing a 12x50 SRBC and a 15x50 GPO. But the SRBC immediately looks bright and easy to sit behind. Views are so wide. Some have said their FOV is comparable to the NL 12x42. Having not compared them to each other, I can't say for sure.

Both have good contrast, good colors and good to the edge image quality. Some say that they have noticed some CA with the GPOs. I have to look really hard to see any. I don't notice any on the SRBC and haven't been distracted by the small amount present on the GPOs.

I still need to get both on the hills so that I can compare them more, but from the driveway, looking toward the Wasatch Front, I like the SRBC for overall brightness and wide FOV. GPO excells in contrasty images. Deer colors pop out to me with the. Haven't looks at deer with the SRBC yet to compare that.

I hope that this helps. If it was my one and only primary bino, I would prefer the GPOs just due to the warranty and North American distribution network. In my case, I have several optics, so taking a chance on a SRBC wouldn't cost me my hunt if something fails. I have other optics I trust as well.

thank you again. would be curious to hear if the SRBC give you any eye strain when you get more time behind them. I think you said that wasn't an issue with the gpo. Appreciate all the feedback!