Meopta Meo Pro 80HD Spotting Scope

A good spotting scope is an integral part of my working life and I have learned to appreciate them, perhaps even beyond the riflescope itself. The latter just needs to see the target, the spotter needs to see the trace and impact of a much smaller bullet! I visited the Meopta factory in 2013 and was captivated by the engineering I saw, a magical blend of modern machinery alongside somewhat artisan crafts of polishing prisms and lenses to create a multitude of optical products.

Open the box

Unboxing reveals a light, black nylon case which when inverted, allows the scope to remain covered on a tripod. The MeoPro 80 HD is quite chunky with an 80 mm objective lens, but from 20-60x magnification, the light entry this offers will doubtless be appreciated. The underside foot offers ¼” UNC standard thread for tripods with 5/8” also available, if the stainless thread adaptor is removed. On that note, on a decent spotting scope, DO NOT scrimp on the tripod, a sturdy vibration free mount with smooth adjustability is worth every penny.

The magnesium body is rubbercoated in matt green, water and fog proof, showing a 34mm extending sunshade at the front with clip-in lens cap. The rear shows a rubber cap covering the ocular with threeposition, twist-up eyecup. The right side of the angled body shows a small dial to tension the rotation control, so you can tilt the scope sideways to suit shooter position. The final contact is the “CentricDrive” controlling focus and believe me, at full magnification, controlling focus in the centre of the body, closest to the tripod support saves disruption of delicate positioning and a feature I really appreciate. This is tactile with easy grip, bare hands, or gloves. All controls offer smooth, silent rotation with just enough friction to hold position, without excess torque transfer through the body.

Incredible resolution

Meopta uses HD Fluoride glass for the objective lens to deliver incredible resolution, I was able to see pure vertical mirage on a cool day (8º) at 300 metres with overcast skies in still air which is optically impressive! Colour rendition is excellent, segregating shades of greens and browns in foliage at long distance, with edge-to-edge clarity and no problem attaining sharp focus. The 80mm objective gives a vast exit pupil you can almost bathe in on 20x magnification and for a long day spotting fall of shot at long range, an appreciable highlight, minimising eye strain with clear focus and bright image.

At 60x magnification, the field of view understandably contracts, but image detail didn’t suffer, no milkiness or haze suffered and although diminishing brightness slightly as expected, there is no additional strain or focus chasing to interrupt you. When the bullet’s arcing through the air, you really appreciate the quality available with the spotter I find myself coveting, all backed up by 10-year warranty.