I wanted to write up a quick review on an often overlooked option in the range finding binocular market.
I purchased a pair of Meopta Optika LR range finding binoculars before last hunting season (2022). I bought the 8x50 model as it offered the largest field of view of any of the range finding binoculars available at the time. Obviously there is a weight penalty as these 8x50s are amongst the heaviest range finding binos available. After getting used to them in my bino harness they don’t bother me at all. You will want a larger sized bino harness for these. I use the Marsupial Gear Large model and I had to stretch it out some before they would slide in and out easily. Now that the harness is broken in and formed to these binos it’s not an issue in the field.
As a long time Meopta user, I have always been a big fan of their overall glass quality and image color/clarity. The low light performance has also been very good in my experience which is a very important factor for me. I have also found that Meopta products in general, are also quite durable across the board, especially their binoculars which seem to be built like tanks.
These 8x50s have been my main binocular since I purchased them 14 months ago. They haven’t really left my binocular harness since and have seen a fair bit of field use. I counted back my days of field use and came up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 150-160 days of use, maybe a bit more. They also never really leave my jeep or truck as I always have them with me. So they’ve probably bounced around in the bino harness in the passenger or back seat of the truck or jeep for around 14,000 road miles. Mainly highway but a lot of off road trails, forest service roads, etc.
Their range finding ability has been very good so far even in harsh conditions. I tested them last whitetail season up in northern minnesota where it was close to zero degrees F. I used them for a week of hunting and left them out overnight to chill them. Woke up the next morning early and ranged a deer at over 500 yards first try. Two nights ago, back here in Northern Minnesota, I left them out, buried in the snow overnight. Temps were down to 15 degrees F overnight and 18 degrees when I went out to glass for deer. The binos ranged a deer at 600 yards before legal shooting light and ranged several trees from 30 yards out to 850 yards.
This summer, at home in Arizona, we set a record for the most consecutive days over 110 degrees as the high temp. One day during that stretch the high was 117 F, so I decided to leave them out in the sun from noon until 4 PM. The surface temp on the binos was 134 degrees with my temp gun. They ranged my neighbors shop roof at 1,306 yards with no fuss. They also ranged several trees from 30 yards out past 1,000 yards.
They spend a lot of time baking in the sun like the photos below, as I practice quite a bit of shooting in the desert. Moving quickly from different targets and practicing gathering a range and then getting a shot off is really good practice. I also use them to range and then kill lots of coyotes.
The buttons are intuitive enough and easy enough to access that my 6 year old practices and helps me range with them. The reticle is a hollow circle
️ which I really like for big game hunting. You can change the settings on brightness, yardage or meters, reflective target or reflectorless, and inclinometer on/off from the left button. The right button single tap activates the reticle and long press for yardage. It’s adaptable so as long as you hold the button and move the laser around, it will constantly update the yardage display.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these binos to anyone for hunting. The field of view and image on the 8x50 is fantastic. Pair that with the fact that they haven’t failed to range for me when I needed them to, it makes a great tool for field use!
I purchased a pair of Meopta Optika LR range finding binoculars before last hunting season (2022). I bought the 8x50 model as it offered the largest field of view of any of the range finding binoculars available at the time. Obviously there is a weight penalty as these 8x50s are amongst the heaviest range finding binos available. After getting used to them in my bino harness they don’t bother me at all. You will want a larger sized bino harness for these. I use the Marsupial Gear Large model and I had to stretch it out some before they would slide in and out easily. Now that the harness is broken in and formed to these binos it’s not an issue in the field.
As a long time Meopta user, I have always been a big fan of their overall glass quality and image color/clarity. The low light performance has also been very good in my experience which is a very important factor for me. I have also found that Meopta products in general, are also quite durable across the board, especially their binoculars which seem to be built like tanks.
These 8x50s have been my main binocular since I purchased them 14 months ago. They haven’t really left my binocular harness since and have seen a fair bit of field use. I counted back my days of field use and came up with somewhere in the neighborhood of 150-160 days of use, maybe a bit more. They also never really leave my jeep or truck as I always have them with me. So they’ve probably bounced around in the bino harness in the passenger or back seat of the truck or jeep for around 14,000 road miles. Mainly highway but a lot of off road trails, forest service roads, etc.
Their range finding ability has been very good so far even in harsh conditions. I tested them last whitetail season up in northern minnesota where it was close to zero degrees F. I used them for a week of hunting and left them out overnight to chill them. Woke up the next morning early and ranged a deer at over 500 yards first try. Two nights ago, back here in Northern Minnesota, I left them out, buried in the snow overnight. Temps were down to 15 degrees F overnight and 18 degrees when I went out to glass for deer. The binos ranged a deer at 600 yards before legal shooting light and ranged several trees from 30 yards out to 850 yards.
This summer, at home in Arizona, we set a record for the most consecutive days over 110 degrees as the high temp. One day during that stretch the high was 117 F, so I decided to leave them out in the sun from noon until 4 PM. The surface temp on the binos was 134 degrees with my temp gun. They ranged my neighbors shop roof at 1,306 yards with no fuss. They also ranged several trees from 30 yards out past 1,000 yards.
They spend a lot of time baking in the sun like the photos below, as I practice quite a bit of shooting in the desert. Moving quickly from different targets and practicing gathering a range and then getting a shot off is really good practice. I also use them to range and then kill lots of coyotes.
The buttons are intuitive enough and easy enough to access that my 6 year old practices and helps me range with them. The reticle is a hollow circle
️ which I really like for big game hunting. You can change the settings on brightness, yardage or meters, reflective target or reflectorless, and inclinometer on/off from the left button. The right button single tap activates the reticle and long press for yardage. It’s adaptable so as long as you hold the button and move the laser around, it will constantly update the yardage display. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these binos to anyone for hunting. The field of view and image on the 8x50 is fantastic. Pair that with the fact that they haven’t failed to range for me when I needed them to, it makes a great tool for field use!
