binoculars

U

unicorn

Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
52
I was given a set of Bushnell 8x21 binoculars. They are cheap, about $15. I like the size; I can carry them in my shirt pocket.

What do you use?
 
I had some Minoltas in the $100 range and they were acceptable for most purposes. As I got older and poorer in vision, I planned to get some high-end Euro glass for low-light hunting. However, I saw an optics lab test in which the $3-400 Pentax WPs gave the same exact resolution as the $1400 Zeiss Night Owls and other Euros (of course, the Euros may have advantages other than resolving power). I've been very happy with the Pentax binos.
 
European optics houses generally use mounts or cradles to hold the prisms inside their binoculars, while Japanese makers simply glue the prisms in place. So if you knock European binoculars hard enough, the prisms will be misaligned. The same shock to Japanese binoculars will probably have no effect. Obviously, if you hit the Japanese ones hard enough they will be permanently misaligned. The only good thing about the cradle system is that you can get the binoculars repaired by resetting the prisms. Forget about fixing Japanese binoculars that have their prisms knocked loose. The toughest binoculars that I know of are Fujinon Airdrops.

From the photography perspective, Zeiss and Pentax are reputed to have the best lens coatings. Steiners are not too far behind.

Power-wise it's pretty pointless to have binoculars over 10X, unless you're using some type of support. The Canon image-stabilized binoculars are superior in this respect, but you pay for it with added weight and size.

Personally I use a pair of Canon 8x32 WPs. Not too big, very clear and sharp, wide-angle, water-resistant, about $130. Top handheld Japanese binoculars would probably be Nikon Superior Es, and the best European ones would be Swarovskis.
 
I have been using a pair of pentax 10x24 compacts for many moons now. The quality of the "picture" is awesome.

Having said that, I want something bigger. For me, compacts are fine for CARRYING, but not for LOOKING. I'd rather have the extra size/weight and get a larger field of view and such.

Anyone looking for compact binos, though, could do FAR worse than Pentax.
 
I have a Nikon Sportstar II 10x25-very compact and light weight, but I usually carry a Steiner 8x30 when hunting. I wear glasses and the Steiners are easier for me to hold steady when glassing the woods.
Jim
 
I like the Brunton Eternas. Bak-4 glass. Guaranteed waterproof and fog proof. I have the 8x25's and they are great for backpacking. Cost is under $200 if you shop around. Check out the reviews on the internet.
 
I agree with Crayola about the compact binoculars. Ask me how I know? I now use Swarvoski SLC 8x30 and really like them for hunting. I've done lots of research and my next pair will be the Swift 8.5x42, very good quality for the price, though they are porro prism and are larger than most others.
 
Steiner 8x30 Military/Marine
Love 'em.
If they were lost/stolen/whatever, I'd immediately buy another pair. That's about the best recommendation a product can get, I suppose...
 
Thanks for the input. I like the Pentax 8x22 DCF and the Steiner 8x22 Preditor, but am leaning to the Nikon 8x25 (Nascar or Sportstar) because of the much wider field of view than the other two.
 
have gone the gamut on binoculars, finally settled on the swarovski 10X42. best glass i have ever seen, gathers a lot of light for the twilight hunting use. are small and compact and dont make you feel like general patton. i have the steiners 8X and 10X mil/marine, good glasses but fairly bulky compared to the swarovski.

alex
 
Amen on the Steiners. I have owned/used several pair of varying grades and have never found anything more durable and easy to use. Love that focus! These days I carry the 8x30 Night Hunter. Optical performance is comparable to my 10x50s, they are waterproof and lightweight.

I have been hesitant to pick up a pair of Swarovski etc. for concerns about focus durability (Steiners only get adjusted once, then are good at all distances). Sad to spend good money on binocs only to have the focus go out of sync or cause a fog problem.

Scott
 
strange that this post should come up, ive been eyeing up some steiner ranger 7x50 (i think in america theyre called something different, 7x50 military ?) they look really nice the 300 GBP price tag is hefty though, but one thing i learned from all the photography I used to do is that you regret buying cheap optics...

Ive had some tasco binos for about 10 years now, relatively cheap ones i put them away for a few months and when i got them out the other week all of the coating had cracked on one of the lenses one of hte eyes looks cloudy now so its time for a change i think...
 
I have only cheap binocs too, Tasco and another cheap brand I bought at Big-5, they really do not provide clarity of better glasses. I am looking for good ones, however, I also want something with wider field than 8X20 to X25, what is the best "bang for buck" higher quality binocs of 8X40-45 or 10X40-45?
Thank you,
Martin
 
If I was not fortunate enough to have been given my Steiner 8x30 Night Hunters as a gift, I would have gotten a pair of 8x30 Military Marines (same basic binocs, just without the good coating and waterproofing). They have a great field of view and are usually just under $200. A used pair that wasn't fogged would be fine too.

For wet weather, carry the binocs in a dry bag with something absorbent. Don't let them stay wet.

I don't mean to sound like a Steiner fanatic, but I am completely sold on that design. In my mind their 8x30 Military Marine is not only the most bang for the buck, but is also the only thing in that price range that will still work after 10 years of field use.

Scott
 
Another vote for the Steiner 8x30 Military-Marine.

At under $200, they are perfect blend of performance, durability, and economy.

I've owned more expensive, but when it comes to taking to the field, the Steiner gets the nod--relieving me of the over-concern for losing or damaging my binocs.
 
Originally posted by beezaur
If I was not fortunate enough to have been given my Steiner 8x30 Night Hunters as a gift, I would have gotten a pair of 8x30 Military Marines (same basic binocs, just without the good coating and waterproofing). They have a great field of view and are usually just under $200. A used pair that wasn't fogged would be fine too.
Click to expand...
Just wanted to throw this in:
I know the Military/Marines aren't listed as waterproof on the Steiner site, and don't know what the difference in construction is between them and the ones that are.
This may sound a little nuts to some people, but any kind of gear I buy gets "tested" before I'll carry it camping and stuff. I threw my 8x30 M/Ms in the deep end of a pool at a friends house, and left them there for an hour with no problems. My gear has a tendency to get slung around, thrown in the back of the truck, things like that, so I swung it by the camera strap (aftermarket), and banged them into a boulder a few times. Not as hard as I could or anything, just hard enough "to see". Harder than they would get banged off a rock while climbing around, or falling on them. There's a scuff in the rubber coating as a result.
They've been going strong for five years or so, since, and stay in the truck when they're not in a pack or around my neck.
My only complaint is that one of the rubber lens covers won't stay in place.
Think I paid $185 or $189 for them at a local gunshop.
Can I tell the difference between these and my buddy's Swarovskis? Yeah, his 8x40s are a little clearer and brighter. They also cost over $1K.
I completely sold on them, too, Scott:)
 
These are all GREAT votes of confidence for Steiner 8X30! Can you comment on size ( bulkyness) and weight ? They LOOK bulky and heavy but pictures can be deceiving, also can you explain designwise, why are the lenses set apart so far compared to eye lenses (sorrt I dont' know proper terminology), this is very different in design from Steiner 10X42 Wildlife which is designed like "typical" binocular. I hope that makes sense?!!!!
Thank you,
Martin
 
The following are the weights of 2 Steiners and a pair of shirt-pocket binoculars for comparison:

Steiner 10x50 Senator: 1170 g
Steiner 8x30 Night Hunter: 620 g
Brunton 8x21: 215 g

You can see that the 8x30s are more of a mid-sized pair than a compact pair, so a lot of portability is lost. The catch is this: those Bruntons are the second pair I owned (sent the first ones back after a year with rattling prism). Both Bruntons only gave a year of service; the current pair only focuses with great difficulty and tends to hurt my eyes for long glassing times. Basically, all the pocket binocs I've had contact with do the same. In time, the focus wears and each tube focuses differently - very annoying. Center focus designs just aren't sturdy enough (for me). I have never used Zeiss, Swarovski etc. at great length, so cannot include those here.

The difference with *most* Steiners is that they lack a center focus altogether. Instead, you set each eyepiece individually to your eyes and they are forevermore in sharp focus from 30 ft or so to infinity. If you have ever tried to build a telescope, you know that is quite a trick. In fact, I don't believe it will work with roof prisms (those give you the "straight through" tubes). Steiners like the 8x30s use porro prisms, and older and arguably more robust design. You end up with much better optics (more durability, focus range, farther separated objectives = greater depth perception, wider field of view) and very rapid viewing, i.e. no focus time, with a cost of greater weight and bulk. In practice, my 8x30s are an "around the neck" or "coat pocket" pair while my Bruntons were truly a "shirt pocket" pair.

As a result, Steiners are extremely comfortable to use. When I am glassing a canyon or whatever, I can literally look through them for 15 or 20 minutes straight with no eye fatigue. That's saying something.

Other relevant onsiderations are waterproofing and lens coating. The difference between standard (magnesium flouride?) and the top-quality coating is surprising. My 8x30s are literally as bright as my standard-coated 10x50s at night, plus don't suffer glare as bad from things like street lights.

Nitrogen filling and mil-spec seals are worth the cost if you are me, living in the wet northwest, but not everyone is so moldy.

So that's why I like Steiners far better than any other design. If I were to go back to shirt pocket optics, I would get a good monocular, possibly a good independent focus pair of binocs.

Scott
 
http://betterviewdesired.com/ has the most comprehensive evaluations of binos (and spotting scopes) I've found on the web, bordering on 'too much data'.

Birders are the most demanding 'casual' users of optics, and will spend money.

The best part: BVD doesn't sell optics.

db
 
For those interested, the latest "Sportsman's Guide HQ" Flyer (The Sportsman's Guide) has Steiner Military 8x30mm (German military surplus, brand new, never issued) on sale right now for $129.97--pretty tough to beat for a pair of Steiners.

Its such a good deal, I'm thinking of picking up a pair for use as a "beater". But, I wonder if I need a "beater" to back up my "beater"...

Anyway, I have no connection to SG, just a satisfied customer.
 
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