I am back home after a pleasant, but unsuccessful attempt to find a mule deer in north eastern New Mexico. It was a 4th choice tag, so the unit was not something I had chosen. Three quarters of this unit is large private ranches with access to appropriate public land being a little sketchy.
I found few spots that were worthwhile and one was downright promising. Unfortunately, that one involved a pretty significant hike on rough terrain and I twisted my ankle getting out of there my first evening in the area. Going there again the next day was not appealing and if I were to shoot anything, getting it out would have been... interesting. I found a couple of other spots with easier access, but unsurprisingly came back from there empty handed.
The good part is that I rather enjoy being outdoors and I got to spend a couple of very solid days of glassing with the Meopta Optika LR 10x42 LRF equipped binocular.
I had looked at the Optika LR in the past back when I was comparing the performance of Vortex Fury 5000HD 10x42, Delta Titanium RF 9x45 https://annexdefense.com/optics-and-optic-accessories/delta-optics/ and Meopta Optika LR 10x42. https://alnk.to/6mQcq7o
I rather liked the Meopta back then, but all else being equal, I somewhat preferred the 9x45 mag range of the Delta. A little less magnification and a little more exit pupil help in low light. Meopta does make an 8x50 version of this binocular, but I have never laid eyes on it. For my purposes, I probably would like 10x50 or 12x56 the most. However, 10x42 is by far the most popular binocular configuration, so I get why manufacturers stick with it.
Aside from that difference, the image quality of the Delta and Meopta was very similar and I suspect they are made by the same OEM. That same manufacturer also makes Burris Signature LRF and Leupold BX-4 Range.
They are not all identical. Burris and Leupodl look about the same to me. Meopta has a bit better image quality and it costs a little more. I suspect that OEM has a couple of similar, but not identical designs.
All of these look pretty good to me. Burris is the bang for the buck champ https://alnk.to/9buk7df, but all of these offer very good performance for the money.
The LRF module in the Meopta/Delta/Burris/Leupold is very respectable, but not exceptional by modern standards. Vortex' Fury 5000HD, for example, is a notably better LRF, but also notably worse binocular.
This past weekend, I was hunting with a muzzleloader, so I was not hugely concerned LRF measurement distance, but I needed to see well.
Also, I was trying to figure out whether I want to keep the Optika LR or divest it. I came out of it with somewhat mixed feelings because I really liked using this binocular, but I will end up divesting it shortly. I am just not a fan of the 10x42 configuration. My hands are not the steadiest and a heavier 10x50 just works better for me.
However, for someone who likes the configuration, this is a good choice. Of all of the moderately affordable LRF equipped binos, this OEM seems to be able to pull off an optical system with the least obvious image quality compromises of any non-alpha LRF binos. Color balance is slightly on the warm side and is very close in both barrels. With most inexpensive LRF binos, there is a clear difference in color balance between the barrels (the LRF screen screws it up), but, again, this OEM seems to have that figured out.
Sweetspot is quite large. There is some image quality deterioration right by the edges, but you have to look for it. Apparent FOV is 67 degrees. It is very respectable. Image flatness is quite good with slight pincushion distortion built in. That means no rolling ball effect while panning, which I like.
There is some chromatic aberration if you look for it, but not much. Resolution and contrast are well balanced.
Most importantly, I just spent two days glassing with it without any unexpected eye fatigue. You do get a little tired after a while, but this was absolutely manageable.
There is no ballistic calculator in this one, but it does measure angle. You have a few different options in terms of how you set up the display. The default method for me is to show linear distance and horizontal equivalent distance. That gives me sufficient information to work out a ballistic solution with a simple look up table on the rifle stock or on the forearm. I have attached a simple table for my muzzleloader to this post. Interestingly, I do not really need it now that we are stuck with iron sights only on muzzleloaders, but I added it anyway. Perhaps, I can use my muzzleloader with a scope in another state. The chart goes out to 650 yards because that is where it drops below 1400fps (i.e. dips into the edges of the transonic region).
In terms of size and weight, you will not find anything unusual with this bino. It is right around 32 ounces.
Eyecups have click stops. I used these both with and without glasses without any issues. All the LRF functions are controlled with two buttons. The buttons are nicely tactile, so I do not have to visually look for them. Rubber armoring appears to be of pretty good quality. The front of the hinge assembly sports a 1/4-20 threaded port for binocular tripod adapters.
In addition to the center focus, both barrels have focus adjustments in front of the eyecup. The focuser on the right barrel is for making the LRF screen sharp. The one on the left barrel compensates for the difference between your left and right eyes.
As with all LRF binoculars, mounting it on a tripod makes measuring distance easier. Handheld, I was able to range a pronghorn at a hair under 1000yards and trees out to about 1900. However, it took focus. On a tripod, it was pretty trivial. I used the Vortex tripod adapter, but most standard adapters should work fine. Now that I think about it, as is usually the case, I lost the coverplate that used to protect the 1/4-20 tripod adapter receptacle. I suppose the tripod adapter spigot is there to stay, then.
All in all, I thought it was a nicely worked out LRF binocular. Meopta is very cagey when asked where it is made, but I am 99% sure it is made by a Chinese OEM, albeit a very good one.