Are Steiner Binoculars that good?

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  • MattTheGunslinger

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 26, 2010
    1,373
    Baltimore county
    I'm looking at a pair of Steiner 2038 Military/Marine 7x50 binoculars for my next purchase. I don't really need them, but Ive just always wanted a pair since I was a teenager just for the military heritage and cool looks. I currently have a few pair of Action(8x30) and Aculon(10x25) binoculars from Nikon that are fantastic for the price. I also have a Bushnell Legacy 10x50 that has really nice glass, though my experience with Bushnells is that they dont take bumps too well. All of these binoculars are $110 or under, so the $300 price tag of the Steiners is a big jump for me. I understand that the current Military/marine line is the civilian version of the real military binoculars. Is the glass that much clearer and are they that much tougher? Does anyone have current experience with this model Im looking at?
     

    nedsurf

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 8, 2013
    2,204
    I used their full size ones in the military and other jobs. They're clear, robust and have good light gathering to be useful up to moonlit nights. I bought for myself a pair of Stiener brand compacts and wasn't so satisfied. They are just as robust so I don't have to baby them but definitely not as clear with clarity significantly falling off around the edges of the FOV. Maybe if you buy Stieners that have a NSN you will get a pair that meet .gov standards.
     

    MattTheGunslinger

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 26, 2010
    1,373
    Baltimore county
    Yes. Worth the cheddar.

    Don’t look through Leicas or Swarovski. You’ll never ask again if it’s worth it.

    Optics is a fascinating world. $ talks.

    I have a couple of Steiners. Love them.



    Years go when I first started buying higher quality binoculars(meaning, not ones found at walmart, lol) I made the mistake of looking through a pair of Swarovskis before looking at the price tag. Im slowly working my way up the $$ ladder for optics. What models do you have from Steiner?
     

    MattTheGunslinger

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 26, 2010
    1,373
    Baltimore county
    I used their full size ones in the military and other jobs. They're clear, robust and have good light gathering to be useful up to moonlit nights. I bought for myself a pair of Stiener brand compacts and wasn't so satisfied. They are just as robust so I don't have to baby them but definitely not as clear with clarity significantly falling off around the edges of the FOV. Maybe if you buy Stieners that have a NSN you will get a pair that meet .gov standards.

    I think the compacts are the only ones I have really heard negative feedback for. The same issue with clarity that you mentioned too.
     

    Alea Jacta Est

    Extinguished member
    MDS Supporter
    So, you would make me hunt shit down...

    It’s all good.

    Found 2/3 and pretty sure what the other pair is.

    Big boys. 10x50 LRF
    Hunting, etc. 8x30 Military
    Baby’s 8x22 Safari

    As mentioned elsewhere, the smaller ones aren’t the best but they serve me well.

    The big boys are kinda specialty. Laser range finding is awesome. The two sherpas who carry them can eat a ton.

    The 8x30 Military are what gets used most when I can’t lay my hands on my Swarovski. I bought my Swarovski used and have sent them back once for a spruce up.

    My Steiners have always served me well. You can’t go wrong.

    Hope that helps.
     

    MaxVO2

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    ****Remarkably inexpensive for the optical quality. They are not high end Leica, or Swarovski, etc.. which cost a LOT more, but it should satisfy most folks used to looking through cheaper glass on binocs usually sold at Walmart, etc.. at a lower price point.

    Worth the money for sure.
     

    Bob A

    όυ φροντισ
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Nov 11, 2009
    30,691
    In optics, you get what you pay for. If Steiner is selling these for significantly less money than their military examples, there's a reason for the lower price.

    Which is not to say they aren't worth it. A lot depends on the requirements of the user.

    BTW, I've picked up some very nice used Leitz binos for reasonable money. But you have to be careful about things like poor collimation, fungus on the inner surfaces of the lenses, and general damage. Beyond a certain age limit, they will not be properly repairable.
     

    STeveZ

    Thank you, Abelard
    Sep 22, 2011
    779
    Aberdeen, MD
    I've had a pair of the older 8x30 Safari's for a while now and like them. Their low light performance is noticeably better than the Pentax compacts I had favored, and I really like the auto-focus. Since then I've found Vortex Diamondbacks deliver a lot of bang for the buck.
     

    MattTheGunslinger

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 26, 2010
    1,373
    Baltimore county
    Trying to read up more on these binoculars. Unless I am missing something, which isn't only possible, but likely, Steiner doesn't claim their Military/marine line to be fog or water proof. Did they change that line of optics in the last few years? I seem to remember back in the 2000s that they were more similar to the military line both in looks and features(less the reticle and LPF) than they are now.
     

    sundaeman

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 16, 2008
    999
    I had a pair of Fujinon (not Fuji) 7x50 Marine Binoculars several years ago (stolen late 2010s), they were clearer/brighter than the Steiner in my opinion.

    May want to check around here for some extra binocular info too.. https://www.cloudynights.com/ it's the only one I remember offhand.
     

    atblis

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    2,011
    Save money and get to the $500+ mark
    Get a set of 10x42 or perhaps 8x42
    Maven C1
    Used Meoptas
    etc. etc.
     

    ChannelCat

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Yes. Worth the cheddar.

    Don’t look through Leicas or Swarovski. You’ll never ask again if it’s worth it.

    Optics is a fascinating world. $ talks.

    I have a couple of Steiners. Love them.

    Dittos for Zeiss Victory. Optics is a personal thing though, and when I upgraded to the big leagues for birding, I looked though a bunch of high end, and the Zeiss fit me the best.
     

    joppaj

    Sheepdog
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Apr 11, 2008
    46,459
    MD
    A couple of years ago I went through this at work with lifecycle replacement for some of our binoculars and our night vision stuff. We brought in a bunch of vendors, consulted with other departments and did a pretty fair amount of field testing. We eventually went with Steiner for the laser rangefinder requirement and for our "big eyes" requirement.

    The other major contender was Zeiss. In our case it was decided that while the Zeiss were likely objectively better, the Steiner were a massive upgrade from our old equipment and frankly more than sufficient for what we really needed.
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    Watch for fakes and some of the Steiner low end stuff. They make a few models on the lower end which I would not do.

    Research before you buy. Don't expect a "killer deal", rarely happens with optics.

    SWFA is my go to for glass, check there. They have a discount page of demos which is worth checking.
     

    MattTheGunslinger

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 26, 2010
    1,373
    Baltimore county
    Thanks for all the input, guys. I really appreciate it. After careful consideration, I think I have settled on 10x50 binoculars. I know 7x will have less image shake, but that's never been a huge issue with me. Out of all my binoculars that I have owned, I keep going to a 10x, especially my 10x50s. Does any one know of a brick and mortar store that carries the 10x50 military/marine Steiners? The only place I see on Steiner's website is West Marine and they don't carry that model from what I see online. Id really like to take a look at the current production before I make a final decision and put that much money down on something. I will still be looking at other brands that are in the range of what the Steiner M/M 10x50s go for, but so far in set on the Steiners.
     

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