Home > Consumer Reviews > Meade Safari Pro 8 X 42WA Binocular

Bigger than a compact binocular, for good reason. Bright, clear images with wonderful depth and viewing comfort. Wide angle makes a very big improvement in finding the target and viewing it. Very powerful and clearly suited for just about any type of viewing. High quality design and manufacture. I had to order a second identical binocular the same day the first was received, because my wife wanted one as well. People who try it are impressed at how the Meade compares with whatever they have been using.

Received my order 7/19/01. Compared the Meade to a pair of 1973 Bushnell 7 x 35 WA Rangemasters. The Meade was noticeably less foggy, clearer and showed greater contrast than the Rangemasters. The Rangemasters had a greater field of view however have poor eye relief and are significantly heavier. The Meade had a very slight faceting of the exit pupils and I felt a bit of a clunk when focusing out to infinity. The edge sharpness on the Meade is better than the Rangemasters but for wide angle binoculars edge sharpness fades a bit as a norm in this price range. The Meade works well with glasses. Watched Sammy Sosa it a HR playing the Pittsburgh Pirates with a full field of view. The price is outstanding. Take a look at Better View Desired for more detail on the Meade.

This pair of Binoculars delivered as offered. On a recent trip to the Lake Tahoe region of Nevada I used the Safari Pro by Meade to do some Bird Watching and spent a good Hour watching an Osprey feeding in Spooner Lake. I did not suffer any eye fatigue and I was wearing Sun glasses with out any interference. Just a great Binoc. also gave a wide view of the entire Spooner Lake.

Gotta put in a plug for my new binoculars which arrived today. Fantastic!

I'd like to confirm the recommendations I've seen, to begin with Binoculars before acquiring a telescope, or at least purchasing both at the same time. Even at just 8x magnification, the binoculars show details which cannot otherwise be seen, and does so with a wide field of view which enables you to get acquainted with the night sky.

Just one example. I focused on Vega. With my level of light pollution, Vega is the only visible star in the immediate area. Through the binoculars I was able to see the obvious triangle formed by Vega, Zeta Lyrae and Epsilon Lyrae. Not only that, but Epsilon Lyrae was clearly visible as two separate stars, Epsilon1a Lyrae and Epsilon2a Lyrae. Now when I look at this small patch of sky through my scope's viewfinder I'll know what I'm looking at! As I use the binoculars to learn the night sky, it will surely be easier to find things with my scope.

Rubberized texture is easy to grasp. Focusing is smooth and easy to lock by sliding the focus knob forward. The right eyepeice has independent focus adjustment.

The neck strap is kind of cheesy though. It hooks on to the binocular with some cheap plastic tabs. (I'll probably end up replacing this.) Otherwise I would have given this a 5-star rating. All in all, I definitely recommend these binoculars.

You can buy binoculars for $20 or for $2,000+. It's amazing the range of prices and quality. As such, it's important not to compare apples and oranges when rating a particular pair.

I have never used expensive binoculars. I have only used basic consumer grade binocs. The kind that your grandpa throws in the back of the truck on hunting trips.

Furthermore, I wasn't looking for a pair that allow me to count the feathers on a bird from 400 yards. I was looking for a pair of all-purpose binocs that I could view birds in my yard, look at the hills, take camping, and take hunting.

These binocs are great. Very clear -- much criper than anything I've ever used. Great wide view -- really makes a differnce in trying to locate objects. The close view focus of 10' means I can get extremely close to objects and still magnify.

The strap is weak, as mentioned. But it's no big deal. The case is also sort of weak. Remember, this is marketed as a ~$180 pair of binocs (check around on the web, that's what others sell for) -- Amazon's price makes this a steal.

This is clearly the best value on the market. This is a premium set of binocs at a casual/consumer price.