Meopta MeoPro Air 10×42

Specifications:

Objective diameter:  42 mm
Magnification:  10 x
Exit pupil: 4.2 mm
Eye relief (acc. to spec): 18 mm
Usable eye relief (measured from rim of eyecup): 13.5 mm
IPD (acc. to spec.): 56 – 74 mm
RFOV(acc. to spec.):  6.4  degrees = 112 m
AFOV (measured, rounded): 60 degrees
Minimum focus distance (acc. to spec.): 2.3 m
Minimum focus distance (measured): 2.1 m
Focus type: CF (direction of rotation from close to infinity: < anticlockwise)
Degrees of rotation of focus wheel from 3 m to infinity (measured): 300 degrees
Range of diopter adjustment (according to spec.): +/- 4 dpt*
Excess travel of focus wheel beyond infinity position (estimate): 6 dpt*
Prism system:  Schmidt-Pechan
Waterproof: yes
Weight (acc. to spec, without accessories): 830 g
Weight (measured, with eyepiece cover and strap): 917 g
Made in: Czech Republic ???
*range of diopter adjustment not affected by position of focus wheel

Remarks:

In the last few years, Meopta-optika s.r.o. of Prerov, Czech Republic, have been updating and upgrading their well-known range of binoculars. “MeoStar B1” became first “MeoStar B1.1”, later “MeoStar B1 Plus”; the entry-level “Optika” line was added; some of the “MeoPro HD” binoculars were upgraded in 2022 to “MeoPro HD Plus”, and a new line “MeoPro Air”, available in sizes 8×42 and 10×42, was added in 2021. Pricewise, the MeoPro Air models are positioned at the upper part of the market, where you would find the likes of e.g. GPO Passion (see separate post “GPO Passion HD 8×42”, https://binocular.ch/gpo-german-precision-optics-passion-hd-8×42/) or Zeiss Conquest HD (see separate post “Zeiss Conquest HD 10×42”, https://binocular.ch/zeiss-conquest-hd-10×42/). The MeoPro Air binoculars  range somewhere between the MeoPro HD (see separate post MeoPro HD 10×42, https://binocular.ch/meopta-meopro-10×42-hd/) and the MeoStar models (see separate post MeoPro HD 10×42, https://binocular.ch/meopta-meostar-10×42-hd/). The MeoPro Air presented here exhibits excellent central sharpness, good color fidelity and very satisfactory stray-light control; edge sharpness is good, but not outstanding (but the sweet spot is quite wide). The low rectilinear distortion leads to a pronounced globe effect when panning, not a problem for many, but perhaps a negative for some users. BINOCULARS TODAY finds the CA correction a bit disappointing, given that the binocular features “fluorite HD components”, color fringes become visible even at the center of the image (about the same or even a bit worse than in the 10×42 MeoPro HD model; the CA correction in the 10×42 MeoStar HD, on the other hand, is distinctly better). Some reviewers of the 8×42 MeoPro Air model reported little CA, so perhaps the 10×42 is worse in this respect. A little annoying: the magnetically fixed objective caps, which fall off all the time. On the positive side: excellent finish, sturdy mechanics, and a nice large focusing wheel with integrated central diopter adjustment.

Ratings:

Review:

{{ to be updated }}