Meopta MeoPro Air

[JGTWI]

Just got mine in the mail today from a pre-order.

No locking diopter.

Build quality is very nice though.

 

[JGRaider]

Sure interested to hear your thoughts after you wring it out a little.

 

[AGPank]

Just got mine in the mail today from a pre-order.

No locking diopter.

Build quality is very nice though.

Get some pics posted!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChrisAU]

Just got mine in the mail today from a pre-order.

No locking diopter.

Build quality is very nice though.

A center diopter that doesn't lock? That is weird.

 

[JGTWI]

I agree- I figured that it surely must pull out and turn, but that is not the case. It turns with small, pronounced clicks.

Frankly, I don’t understand it. As is, it feels like it should be relatively easy for the setting to get bumped.

I plan to take some pictures and share some brief thoughts later today if possible.

 

[JGTWI]

There is a lot to like about these binoculars. High quality construction; they have a nice weight to them and just feel like a higher end product. The focus wheel is smooth and the rubber coating on it provides a very nice grip.

The diopter adjustment is puzzling to me. It adjusts with a simple turn of the knob and it does not take much to turn it. I could see how it might get easily bumped if you’re not careful while adjusting the focus wheel. However, in the included instructions it mentions having to slide out the knob, turn it, and then slide it back in. So...the instructions are for a locking diopter adustment that does not appear to actually lock.

The objective lens covers attach to the binoculars with a magnet. Since I always remove them anyway before putting in a binoculars harness, this is a nice feature. If you were a person who liked to leave them attached while out and about I feel like they would come off very easily.

I’ll leave the optics review to others who are far more informed on such things than I am.

Here are a few pictures:

 

[ChrisAU]

That is very strange, and would be a deal breaker for me. My eyes are very different from one another, hence why I default to center locking diopters. Even locking diopters on one side don’t work for me because every one I’ve tried I’ve managed to unlock inadvertently when using a harness.

 

[sahunter06]

I ordered a pair as well to compare to my GPO 8x56 passion as far as clarity and light gathering. GPO is still my favorite pair to use out west and down south.

 

[Newtosavage]

That is very strange, and would be a deal breaker for me. My eyes are very different from one another, hence why I default to center locking diopters. Even locking diopters on one side don’t work for me because every one I’ve tried I’ve managed to unlock inadvertently when using a harness.

Was thinking the same thing. How could they put the diopter adjustment on the center wheel, but not make it lock? That's very odd.

 

[trapper.robi]

Any other opinions/reviews on these?

 

[Uplandmt]

The MeoPros were originally assembled in Long Island. The moved to Florida and back to the Czech Republic for economic reasons. Would like to hear some reviews of the new MeoPro Airs. Nice looking binos. Also Meopta is working on a B2 which will be their top of the line when it comes out.

 

[mhammond86]

Any word on when the B2's will come out?

 

[JGTWI]

Any other opinions/reviews on these?

I am no expert and have not used these extensively yet, but just from my comparisons I would say that they are optically similar to my older meostars (Cabela’s euro HD), with better ergonomics overall.

 

[Nethero]

For those who have viewed through these, is there any noticeable difference in their apparent brightness in comparison to other binos?

MeoPro Air is listed at only 83% daylight transmission, which is considerably lower than say a Zeiss SF of 92%. The MeoStar is reported at 88% and I always thought it appeared “dimmer” than my SLC which is listed at 91%. Coupled with the fact that Meopta always catered towards a very warm image tone vs the more saturated neutral image from my SLC, I felt that even the 3% difference was very evident.

I know people can pay too much attention to this value, and it isn’t everything, but I feel like such large value differences of 83% compared to 91-92% would be pretty apparent.

Or is this a moot point and their image is as bright and comparable to others in real field use?

 

[JGTWI]

For those who have viewed through these, is there any noticeable difference in their apparent brightness in comparison to other binos?

MeoPro Air is listed at only 83% daylight transmission, which is considerably lower than say a Zeiss SF of 92%. The MeoStar is reported at 88% and I always thought it appeared “dimmer” than my SLC which is listed at 91%. Coupled with the fact that Meopta always catered towards a very warm image tone vs the more saturated neutral image from my SLC, I felt that even the 3% difference was very evident.

I know people can pay too much attention to this value, and it isn’t everything, but I feel like such large value differences of 83% compared to 91-92% would be pretty apparent.

Or is this a moot point and their image is as bright and comparable to others in real field use?

I do not notice any significant difference in brightness, but have not tested them much later in the day either.

As I continue to work with these, I do think that the eye relief is a little tricky- I can tend to get a black ring around the edges somewhat easily, so I need to play with the eyecups and how I hold them to see what I may need to do differently.

 

[JGTWI]

Well....I’m sorry to say I think I’m going to list mine in the classifieds. I like almost everything’s about them, but the eye relief issue I have is a dealbreaker for me. I tested them a bunch over this past week and can’t seem to find a way where I don’t get a black ring or black fringing quite easily and it will be very annoying when trying to use them for any period of time. For me the eyecups would just need to extend out a hair farther.

 

[JGRaider]

If the eyecups unscrew like the Meostar's, you can always put a gasket/o-ring underneath and screw them back on. That's what I do to the 8x32 Euro HD's.

 

[JGTWI]

If the eyecups unscrew like the Meostar's, you can always put a gasket/o-ring underneath and screw them back on. That's what I do to the 8x32 Euro HD's.

That’s a good idea. They do unscrew, and I didn’t think about an o ring.

I still think I’m going to try and pass them along and try something different, but if no one is interested I think I’ll give that a try.