Binocular Review: Meade Safari Pro 8X42 WA


 
 
Last year, with my old Bushnell 10X50 getting rather jaded, and my wife paying a visit to the USA, I decided that it was time to get a new pair of binoculars. I visited a number of shops to test various models and surfed the net in search of authoritative information on binoculars. The internet search was most interesting and showed what a limited range of binoculars are generally available in South Africa.   

What I was hoping to find was a pair which  would meet all of the following criteria. 

Initially I was convinced that a high power 10X50 would be the best option and looked particularly at the Celestron Regal 10X50, Swift Audubon Ultralite 10X42WA or Celestron 9.5X44 ED. I was even considering abusing my overdraft and going for the Nikon 10X42 E Superior, which has received rave reviews. As it turned out I opted for the lower end of the good quality binoculars and purchased the 8X42WA Meade Safari Pro -  a brand which (at that stage) was not marketed in South Africa.  I had decided that my bias towards 10X binoculars was not warranted - what I wanted was an easy to use, everyday birding binocular.

Field impressions. The Meade are comfortable to hold and well balanced. They are neither heavy nor lightweight. Personally I find light binoculars (compacts) a bit difficult to stabilise. The large exit aperture makes lining up for that quick bird, easier than with other binoculars used. A good depth of field makes for easy location and focussing, and the excellent close focus, makes even that Warbler in the thicket a few feet away come out crystal clear.

Comparisons:  The biggest surprise was the quality of the optics. All my teammates for Birding Big Day carry 10X bino's, but not one of them could match the image clarity and colour quality of the Meade 8X42. On a trip with a group of top birders to Zimbabwe, I had the opportunity to compare them with some top-name brands. Impressive ! Centre field resolution on a long-range Steppe Eagle was not visibly different from either the Leica, or Swarovski that I compared them with. Resolution at the edge of the field of view, was slightly inferior to the other brands,

They are not fully weatherproof as some birders demand, but having being caught out in a couple of summer storms, I can vouch that the shower-proofing is adequate for most purposes. I have now used them extensively in the field and find that their ease of use is far superior to any other binoculars I am familiar with. Indeed before using them, I never quite understood what ease of use meant, but am now convinced ! Ease of use is a combination of wide field of view, good depth of field and large exit aperture which means that the binos are easy to line up to your eyes, and birds are easy to find and keep focussed.

This ease of use, combined with top class optics make the Meade a real bargain, and I would recommend them to any birder wanting to buy a new pair, but unwilling to fork out 8-10 thousand rand for the top of the range Swarovski's, Zeiss or Leica.


HOME
BINOCULAR GUIDE
OPTICS LINKS 
hosted by 
GEOCITIES 
for Free Home Pages
Copyright 1998 © All Rights Reserved
e-mail: [email protected] 
  visitors since 4 June '98
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1