Meopta Meostar B1 10x42
All the Meopta Meostar binoculars are waterproof and nitrogen-filled. The prisms are made of the BaK-4 glass and all the air-to-glass surfaces are covered by antireflection multi-coatings of the highest quality. The binoculars have a good quality rubber armour and comfortable, twist-up eyecups.
| Magnification | Lens diameter | Angular field of view | Prisms | Eye relief | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 42 | 110/1000(6.3o) | BaK-4/roof | 15 mm | 877 g | 2890 PLN |
| Real front lens diameter |
Left: 42.05+/-
0.05 mm Right: 42.07+/- 0.05 mm |
8 / 8.0 pkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real magnification | 9.7+/- 0.25x | 3/3.0 | ||||
| Transmission | 84+/- 3% | 11.5/25.0 | ||||
| Chromatic aberration | Slight. | 7/10.0 | ||||
| Astigmatism | Low. | 7.1/10.0 | ||||
| Distortion | The distance of the first curved line from the field centre compared to the field of vision radius: 34% +\- 4% | 3/10.0 | ||||
| Coma | Slight. | 7.1/10.0 | ||||
| Blurring at the edge of the FOV | The blur occurs in the distance of 87% +\- 3% from the field of view centre. | 7/10.0 | ||||
| Darkening at the edge the FOV | Negligible. | 4.7/5.0 | ||||
| Whiteness of the image | Distinct hue of warm yellow. | 2.4/5.0 | ||||
| Collimation | Negligible. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Internal reflections |
|
4/5.0 | ||||
| Housing | Very solid, compact and comfortable at the same time. Regulated eyecups with a bit too much grease. | 7.4/8.0 | ||||
| Focusing | Two screws in one. Very comfortable. Nothing moves outside. | 4.8/5.0 | ||||
| Tripod | Is slightly too difficult to reach. | 2.5/3.0 | ||||
| Interpupilary distance | from 54.7 to 73.5mm | 4/6.0 | ||||
| Closest focusing distance | 2.35 m | 1.5/2.0 | ||||
| Eyepieces FOV | Apparent field of view of 61 deg (according to simple formula) and 56.1 deg (according to tangent formula). | 11.5/20.0 | ||||
| Field of view | Measured by us amounted to 6.29 +\- 0.03 degrees and was in perfect accordance with the specifications. | 6.5/8.0 | ||||
| Quality of the interior of the barrels | Inner barrels black and matt. Areas near prisms gray. Bottom slightly shiny. Microscopic specks of dust on the prisms. | 4.1/5.0 | ||||
| Vignetting |
|
8/8.0 | ||||
| Prisms quality | High quality BaK-4. | 8/8.0 | ||||
| Antireflection coatings | Green-pink on the objectives. Pink on the prisms. Green-pink-blue on the eyepieces. Low intensity. | 5/5.0 | ||||
| Warranty [years] | 3 | 3/6.0 | ||||
| Final result |
71.6%
18th place in the overall ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test. |
136.1 / 190 pkt | ||||
| Econo result | 39th place in the econo ranking of the 10x42 binoculars test | -2.1pkt. |
Summary
Pros:- very solid housing,
- slight astigmatism,
- quite low coma,
- chromatic aberration well corrected,
- relatively sharp image in the whole field of view,
- low light fall-off at the edge of the field,
- low flares,
- perfectly circular exit pupils,
- good blackening inside the binoculars,
- good quality of coatings and prisms.
Cons:
- distinctly yellow image,
- too high distortion,
- big difference in transmission between the right and the left inner tube,
- short warranty period for this price segment.
The Meopta Meostar is undoubtedly a good, solid set of binoculars. If it has several vices, they are partially connected with the past of the factory where it was made. We mean here lousy whiteness rendition. Binoculars produced in the Eastern Bloc countries have always shown a yellow image, the most probably because of antireflection coatings which transmission was the highest in the yellow part of the spectrum. Unfortunately the Czech Meopta hasn’t got rid of this problem and still can’t manufacture optics with the correct colour rendition. The second interesting problem was an over 10% difference in transmission between the right and the left barrel. Significantly lower level of transmission was noted for the right tube with the additional individual focusing mechanism and perhaps that mechanism was the reason of lowering the optical prowess. The third serious flaw was the level of distortion which is too high.
After these words of criticism there’s time for praise. First thing that sticks out is the solid greenish casing, which, when it comes to style and look, resembles a bit SLC series of Swarovski binoculars. From the optical point of view the binoculars are designed correctly. The prisms don’t limit the light, giving beautiful circular pupils, clearly visible on the black background. Apart from the distortion, all the other optical aberrations are corrected in the right way which is especially praiseworthy if you take into account the Meopta’s wide and sharp field of view.
The Meopta Meostar is a very interesting option on our market; the problem is that the company should treat its products to a small lifting in the form of better coatings. It would definitely improve the transmission and colour rendition. Additionally, in the case of this price segment a 5-10-year-long guarantee seems to be an absolute minimum.
