Leupold and Steiner

T

Temper

Joined
Oct 30, 2002
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Guys, sorry another bino thread. I have searched and while there is some mention of the two, it is usually very brief and then Swarovski steals the show :D

If any of you have either a Steiner or Leupold pair of Bino's I would appreciate some feedback on them.

I am not looking to buy them for myself, only stock them. I have made a point of only stocking quality things and dont want to drop the ball with the newly added optics section. I will be inquiring to Swarovski too, but not that many can afford to drop a grand on a pair of Binos.

Cheers
 
I have used the same pair of Steiners 8X30 military marine since about 1982. They have been a great binocular and I have no complaint. I've used them hard, and they have been in every terrain and weather you can imagine.

In 1992 I bought a pair for my wife and they were even better. They made the exit pupil a bit larger, and Karens Steiners have a bit better brightness than mine in bad weather.

Really great glasses.
 
In my experience the Steiner 8x30s have more ghost images than most other binoculars. I've seen this in my own (refurb) pair, in another pair in a shop, and I've heard other people mention it (see last review).

Otherwise, I think the ergos are good, brightness and clarity are good. A lot of people like them a lot.
 
Steiner individual eyepiece focus porro prism binos are world class in their niche,which is military,marine and lately,hunting.


They are the choice of 80+ militaries around the world,Americas Cup Yachtsmen,working and pleasure boaters and increasingly hunters.

Where they fall short is for birdwatching.Two priorities that birders demand are close focusing and color fidelity,most (of my) bird watching is between 4 and 40 yards and color is paramount in discerning small differences in similar birds,terns for instance.

Steiner makes it a selling point that their coatings emphasize reds and browns and deemphasize blues and greens,an obvious plus in a Coast Guard helocopter looking for a liferaft,not so hot for warblers.

You also focus this type of bino once for your eyesight and everything from 40 yards,say,to infinity is in focus from then on with no further fiddling,again a huge plus for their target market,not so hot for a hummingbird feeder 15 feet from your sofa.
 
Wow, thanks guys, some good input here. I am stocking them for outdoor people so I'm still not sure if they are really suited due to the coloured lenses.

Would you say they are great for getting knocked around and most typical use but not really a birding glass? Would that sum it up?

Thanks agian.
 
The Steiners are not a great choice for bird watching. For general use they should be way more than adequate. I use mine for hunting.
I use a Swift 8X42 Ultralight for birding.


Paul
 
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