Hey all, new member here. I got me the Meopta 15x56 B1 Plus HD a few weeks back, brand new shipped from Meopta factory to my local pushers nest.
Apart from what has been said the better manufacturing tolerances also applies to the optics. This yields a theoretical improvement in optical performance over the previous models. The binoculars are very capable at every distance and has virtually zero CA in the center and visible, but negligible CA towards the edges. Considering the high magnification this is alpha class sharpness and ca control indeed.
The case seems to have been reworked and is ok, no plastic latch to break, a magnet on the flap instead. It does the job with no frills.
I have not tried the previous version (B1 or B1.1) but it doesn't get much better than this for resolution.
My pair is on the same level as my Zeiss Victory FL 10X - at 15X. Very impressive!
I have only looked briefly through an older pair of Swarovski 15x56 and they were not as crisp and had very visible CA towards the edges. It would be interesting to see through a new pair of Swaro's.
I can't imagine the Swaro's being higher resolution but probably better eye relief and wider field of view.
I suspect the CA control on the Swarowski 15x56 might be behind the Meopta 15x56. Comparing to higher magnification Zeiss Conquest HD the CA is quite apparent on the Zeiss binoculars which rule them out for me, personally.
The negatives?
Eye relief is borderline ok for me with glasses, but it works. Without glasses no problems at all.
Field of view is quite narrow but for this type of binocular I don't mind. It extracts detail on a very high level so I think it is worth the trade off.
At close range I can barely merge the image to a uniform circle - which is a pity as the binoculars are as sharp and contrasty at close range. They are even slightly better than my Zeiss Victory FL at close range.
It took some warming up to but the more I use the Meoptas - the more I like them.
I might have been better off with a pair of 12x50's for my needs but since I have the Zeiss Victory FL 10x32 which are very compact with superb eye relief and the 15x56 are tripod mounted I do appreciate the extra reach and resolution advantage. The best in class? Don't know, they are top notch though. Hard to beat but not perfect as a whole.
I look forward to the B2 line up coming out on the market and if eye relief is improved and the cost is lower than Swarovski NL series by some margin I will look into upgrading since I rarely take off my glasses.
Apart from what has been said the better manufacturing tolerances also applies to the optics. This yields a theoretical improvement in optical performance over the previous models. The binoculars are very capable at every distance and has virtually zero CA in the center and visible, but negligible CA towards the edges. Considering the high magnification this is alpha class sharpness and ca control indeed.
The case seems to have been reworked and is ok, no plastic latch to break, a magnet on the flap instead. It does the job with no frills.
I have not tried the previous version (B1 or B1.1) but it doesn't get much better than this for resolution.
My pair is on the same level as my Zeiss Victory FL 10X - at 15X. Very impressive!
I have only looked briefly through an older pair of Swarovski 15x56 and they were not as crisp and had very visible CA towards the edges. It would be interesting to see through a new pair of Swaro's.
I can't imagine the Swaro's being higher resolution but probably better eye relief and wider field of view.
I suspect the CA control on the Swarowski 15x56 might be behind the Meopta 15x56. Comparing to higher magnification Zeiss Conquest HD the CA is quite apparent on the Zeiss binoculars which rule them out for me, personally.
The negatives?
Eye relief is borderline ok for me with glasses, but it works. Without glasses no problems at all.
Field of view is quite narrow but for this type of binocular I don't mind. It extracts detail on a very high level so I think it is worth the trade off.
At close range I can barely merge the image to a uniform circle - which is a pity as the binoculars are as sharp and contrasty at close range. They are even slightly better than my Zeiss Victory FL at close range.
It took some warming up to but the more I use the Meoptas - the more I like them.
I might have been better off with a pair of 12x50's for my needs but since I have the Zeiss Victory FL 10x32 which are very compact with superb eye relief and the 15x56 are tripod mounted I do appreciate the extra reach and resolution advantage. The best in class? Don't know, they are top notch though. Hard to beat but not perfect as a whole.
I look forward to the B2 line up coming out on the market and if eye relief is improved and the cost is lower than Swarovski NL series by some margin I will look into upgrading since I rarely take off my glasses.
