I know there have been some rough things said about GPO, their naming of a line “Passion”, and their production arrangement, etc.
It’s beyond goofy to me that they’d call their product GPO, German Precision Optics, be based in VA and build product in Asia. I’ll give you that. Pure goofy! And, IDK if they’ll be in business next year or even next month. (In fairness who thought Nikon would be out of the scope business?)
Call me a certified weirdo because I just had to have one.
I bought a Passion 4X 3-12x56 with a German #4 reticle. I have not shot it yet at the range. But, I can say based on first hand comparison it’s more impressive build wise and optically than my Zeiss V4 of the same configuration. The V4 does have illumination, however.
I really like Zeiss. I’ve owned or do own Victory HT, Victory FL, Meopta Meostar and Optika6: all with large obj 50-56mm. I may get raked over the coals and slandered for these assessments. But, here goes anyway.
To my eyes the Passion 4X falls between the Zeiss Victory and V4, but is much closer to the Victory. All 3-12x56 fwiw.
The clarity, definition, color and brightness are awesome. Looking at individual leaves on oak trees 100 yards away on 3x is impressive.
The Passion is definitely superior to the Meopro to my eyes and very close to Meostar, maybe equal. All 56mm obj.
I’d say this scope is near the Leica ER5 line but not the Magnus line.
Some background of how I use glass: I am a still hunter. I hunt whitetail deer in AL so lowlight is HUGE for me. I do reload. But, I don’t gong shoot, yet. Dialing isn’t an issue for me usually. I use binoculars for scanning and use scopes for shooting.
This Passion 4X is very impressive. I can say if you’re a deer hunter like me and want great glass in a well built scope that’ll get you well past “legal” shooting light, this is a legit scope. It’s A LOT of glass for $600.
I hope this helps someone who may be interested in trying one of these scopes. I’m an unsponsored guy who enjoys the fun of our chosen hobby.
I’ll close by saying I think a lot of what we like in lowlight scopes has a great deal to do with our eyesight. This scope is a really good optical fit for me.
If you’re a guy who doesn’t want to hear about glass until you’ve put a scope through its paces dialing and/or dropping on the ground; I know this review isn’t for you. But, maybe it’ll be good insight for someone thinking about one of these scopes.
Have a great day!
