The Meopta/Nightforce Truth

[nrh6.7]

So are the ATACR's now also Japanese made as well ?

Missed this, sorry. That is my guess. I called NF and their only answer was that the laws regarding how much has to be US made to be able say Made in USA must have changed.

 

[ekhansen78]

So, when reading reviews and comparisons of Meopta vs the big three, many people acknowledge that while Meopta is not as good at the big three it gets damn close for the money. Of course this leads to discussions about other spotting scopes Meopta produced including the Cabelas Euro line and NightForce. As I have recently been on the search for a good spotter but don't have the bank roll for the big three, I was considering these options. Since I use a NF rifle scope I was tempted to get one of their spotters, so I reached out to ask them what makes their scope different/better than the Meopta line. I was hoping that even though we all know Meopta produces their spotters, that they may have their own coatings or methods that differentiates the models and that the price difference is not for the name alone. Their customer service team responded, saying that their scope and the Meopta are "similar" (duh) and the only difference they could cite was the textured focus adjustment on the NF model (obvious through the pictures, even mentioned it in my email).... I asked if the Meopta 30-60WA eyepiece would fit a NF since they no longer sell one. They said due to the "similarity" of the products that it is likely it would fit but that they could not guarantee.

Their rifle scopes are awesome no doubt. In my experience, dealing with them is not always the easiest but they get the job done. So if you are researching the differences like I was now you don't have to deal with them or people's assumptions. From the horse's mouth the reason theirs costs more is it has their name on it, and it has gnarled focus adjustment. If it is worth it or not is a matter of opinion.

So I have a question. Is the meopta meopro and the meostar the same glass with the only difference being the meostar you can change the eyepiece?

 

[Browninglover1]

So I have a question. Is the meopta meopro and the meostar the same glass with the only difference being the meostar you can change the eyepiece?

No. The Meostar is leaps and bounds ahead of the Meopro and the price reflects it.

We bought a Meopro and shipped it back the same day and ordered another Meostar. The difference was that immediately apparent.

 

[MTElkChaser]

I have a Nightforce TS-80 arriving tomorrow from Doug at Camera Land.

My buddies are loaning me a Swarovski ATS 80 (I’ve owned this one before), Leica Televid 82, and a Vortex Razor HD 85 to compare it to. I don’t have access to the Nightforce TS-82 or any Meopta Spotters though. I’ll give you my honest opinion on the TS-80 after I spend a few weeks behind it. Good luck!

 

[Kyle Wheeler]

I have a Nightforce TS-80 arriving tomorrow from Doug at Camera Land.

My buddies are loaning me a Swarovski ATS 80 (I’ve owned this one before), Leica Televid 82, and a Vortex Razor HD 85 to compare it to. I don’t have access to the Nightforce TS-82 or any Meopta Spotters though. I’ll give you my honest opinion on the TS-80 after I spend a few weeks behind it. Good luck!

Looking at this spotter as well.

 

[Nethero]

Just did a simple eyepiece swap, and yes everything is exactly the same.

I’ll most likely be putting up sale the Nightforce 82 with 20-70X eyepiece and probably the 30-60 wide angle eyepiece and keeping the Meopta if anybody is interested.

 

[Team4LongGun]

I have a Nightforce TS-80 arriving tomorrow from Doug at Camera Land.

My buddies are loaning me a Swarovski ATS 80 (I’ve owned this one before), Leica Televid 82, and a Vortex Razor HD 85 to compare it to. I don’t have access to the Nightforce TS-82 or any Meopta Spotters though. I’ll give you my honest opinion on the TS-80 after I spend a few weeks behind it. Good luck!

I'd be interested in your comparison thoughts-specifically the TS80 compared to the ATS80. Thanks

 

[MTElkChaser]

I'd be interested in your comparison thoughts-specifically the TS80 compared to the ATS80. Thanks

So I kept the TS80 and used it all of last season. I even had the opportunity to take a buddy’s ATS80 on a hunt last season and I passed. For me, the TS80 has a crystal clear image and I like the colors through the Nightforce/Meopta glass better than the Swarovsk. The greens and browns look better to me personally. Everyone has a different preference for glass and colors that look better through certain brands. I switched all of my binos over to Leica from Swarovski too because of the same thing. Colors just look more deep and have more contrast through the Leica glass, and the Nightforce/Meopta glass looks like Leica to me.

That‘s not taking anything away from Swarovski - their glass is incredible and clear. But I needed to find a brand that showed me better contrast while glassing and I found that in the TS80. For the price, it was a complete steal as I remember they were blowing them out because the TS82 had just been released. Doug from Camera Land was awesome to work with as well.