Meopta MeoPro HD 10x42
The series includes instruments with the following parameters: 8x32, 10x32, 8x42, 10x42 and 8x56. They were constructed in the roof Schmidt-Pechan system and the prisms are made of Schott BaK-4 glass. There is low dispersion glass in objectives and all air-to-glass surfaces are covered by MeoBright multilayer coating (the producer boasts that the transmission amounts to 99.7% on one surface). The outside elements are protected by MeoShield coatings. It was difficult to find any info concerning the reflection coating of Schmidt-Pechan prisms but most likely it is silver. The casing, made of magnesium alloy, is waterproof and nitrogen purged.
Buyers get a rainguard, tethered objective lens covers, a neck strap, a case and a clearing cloth. The binoculars come with 10-year guarantee period from the producer.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 107/1000(6.1o) | BaK-4/roof | 17.4 mm | 715 g | 2099 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 41.91+/-
0.05 mm Right: 41.95+/- 0.05 mm |
8 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 10.04+/- 0.05x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 83.4+/- 1% | 11/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Slight in the centre, medium on the edge. | 6.3/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Very low. | 8.6/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | Distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of view radius: 98% ± 2% | 10/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Appears already in a distance of 45% of the field radius and is medium on the edge. | 2.8/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | Blur occurs in a distance of 66% ± 3% from the centre of the field of view. | 2/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Slight. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Quite flat transmission curve with slight loss of blue-purple light. Very slight yellow-green hue. | 4.2/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Perfect. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
3/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Relatively long, with narrow tubes covered by slightly rough green rubber. Indentations for thumbs. The rubber armour sticks out significantly near objectives and the central wheel. The change of distance between the eyepieces can be done too easily. Rubberized eyecups with 3 click stops. Assembled in the USA. | 5.5/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Big and comfortable central wheel with ribbing which is felt by your finger but still remains a joy to use (full turn of 520 degrees). It moves easily but the resistance is still acceptable. Individual focusing done through a ring on the right eyepiece. It moves the outer element. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | Quite comfortable access. | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 56.4 to 76.7mm | 5/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 1.3 meters. | 2/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 62.2 deg (according to simple formula) and 57.1 deg (according to tangent formula). | 12.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.20 +/- 0.04 degrees and it was even wider than in the official specifications. A big field of view for this class of equipment. | 6/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Dark, hugely ribbed interior of the tubes but not perfectly matt. Area near prisms and the bottom are dark gray and slightly shiny. Clean inside. | 4.1/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
8/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | Good quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Green-blue on objectives and eyepieces. Purple on prisms. Medium intensity. | 4.5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 10 | 4.5/6.0 | ||||
| Final result | 71.6% | 136 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 0pkt. |
Summary
Pros:
- very low astigmatism,
- imperceptible distortion,
- slight brightness loss on the edge of the field of view,
- good colour rendering,
- sensible correction of chromatic aberration,
- sharp image already from 1.3 metres,
- good quality BaK-4 glass prisms,
- good quality coatings covering all air-to-glass surfaces,
- nicely darkened interior, clean tubes,
Cons:
- distinct coma,
- weak sharpness on the edge of the field of view.
 |
The Meopta MeoPro HD 10x42 is a very interesting pair of binoculars. On the one hand we are impressed by its astigmatism and distortion correction, a sensibly-sized field, not especially susceptible to chromatic aberration, and slight light fall-off near the edge. On the other hand the sharpness of images on the edge and the coma are nothing to be proud of – in these categories the binoculars lost a lot of points.
 Meopta MeoPro HD 10x42 and Meopta Meostar B1 10x42 HD. |
When it comes to the casing once again the performance is mixed. On the one hand the tubes are shapely and narrow so they can be put closely together and the image is sharp already from 1.3 meters. On the other hand the binoculars are rather high.
Inside you get a properly darkened, clean interior but the rubber armour is not perfectly fitted and the tubes aren’t properly damped down either, moving too easily.
The colour rendering is good, with a relatively flat transmission curve. Overall, the binoculars got average values, being short by a bit of the highest results, those exceeding 90%.
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Fluctuations in particular categories don’t allow the Meopta to go beyond 130 points but the tested binoculars came very near to that. That’s why we can consider it a well-done instrument without any problems, recommendable especially to those who appreciate the most image quality in the frame centre and don’t care about the edges that much. Still the Czech producer might face another obstacle – fierce competition at this price point. For about 500 USD you can pick and choose among good quality pairs of binoculars so the MeoPro HD models have a lot rivals. Their situation might not be very easy but, I suppose, some customers will still appreciate them.
