Ghost images in Steiner Military/Marine

[johnniet]

I ordered a pair of 8x30 Military/Marines last week from an e-bay store with good feedback. They were said to be refurbished but in good condition. They arrived yesterday and a few quick looks in the daytime were clear and bright.

Today I took a look outside around dusk and saw some ghost images inside. At first I thought they must be coming from a car window nearby! But I moved around and tried different directions, and still saw additional ghosts like the ones coming from the glass over a mirror. (There also seemed to be a circle of "more light" inside the eyepiece--it filled almost all of the eyepiece, but there was a pretty definite edge to it also, and the light outside it was weaker. Weird.)

Is this typical for Military/Marines, or should I see about sending them back?

 

[MelancholyMutt]

Check for dust and smudges on the lenses during daylight and don't try to ue them though another layer of glass. If you still see images, send them back.

As for light transmission, it's normal for many binos to have a small degree of difference due to light sensetivity in each eye and the fact that you're looking through two different optical devices strapped together. The ring, you should be able to minimize by adjusting the eyepieces so that each ocular lens is centered on your pupils...
I hope you fix your problems. For the price, Steiners should be one hell of a piece, although Bino's are one of those things that you never wanna buy refurbished.

 

[johnniet]

Check for dust and smudges on the lenses during daylight and don't try to ue them though another layer of glass. If you still see images, send them back.

I really shouldn't have, but I stopped by a store today and checked their 8x30 Safaris (almost the same model). They also had internal reflections when pointed near a light. More than most of the other name-brand binos like Olympus or Minolta. The one with the least ghost images was the Zeiss Diafun (this store doesn't go above Diafuns).
I get the feeling this is just how it is with the Steiner 8x30s. Are they not fully multicoated? The Navigators cost a little more, and the Nighthunter costs a lot more; maybe one of them would have less reflecting.

 

[MelancholyMutt]

optics are still optics and anytime one takes light contrast and bounces it back and forth, you're gonna get a little reflection. it's like seeing the double image of streetlights on your car windshield at night. if it's just that, don't worry about it.

 

[johnniet]

optics are still optics and anytime one takes light contrast and bounces it back and forth, you're gonna get a little reflection. it's like seeing the double image of streetlights on your car windshield at night. if it's just that, don't worry about it.

It's clearly worse than in other binos at the same price point. By far the most ghosting happens around twilight--I assume it's the sun being low in the sky. I didn't get to try the other binos outdoors in the sunset.