Steiner binos

[McStalk]

Does anyone know anything about these glass...
the guy in the gun shop nearly talked me into a pair this evening... he says they are better than swars...
still toying with the idea , i might splash out....
the nighthunter range are very expensive and out of my price range , but the ranger pro 10x42 look good and are a good bit cheeper... are they any good in poor light...
Any help will be very welcome..

 

[camathias]

Different glass sites different people. What i like might not suite you.
The only way to find out if you can live with them is go out and try loads of different ones. get out of the shop and try them down the street.
When you are making an expensive choice don't just think about the quality of the glass all so think about the guarantee and what kind of back up the manufacture gives you.
Zeiss swaro have second to none customer service. and top quality optics.
I think you should concentrate on how good the bins are in day light as you will be looking through them for quit some time. i have found them all to be very very similar in low light ( dusk & dawn )
So before you buy get out and spend a lot of time looking through as many bins as you can.before you spend your hard ernt cash on mine or someone else's opinion on glass. i would disregard the shop keepers opinion and go with what looks best to you.not in his till
Have a look at meopter Leupold as well good value

ATB
Cam
PS i have Zeiss range finding bins. and have looked through a lot of glass and owned nearly all the top end ones. the new glass out now is exceptional

 

[Thar]

I looked at some at the IWA show in Germany they looked top notch, here in the UK we tend to get go for Zeiss, Lieca or Swaro, and think that is the only top quaility glass worth looking at. If you look else were, Germany the USA ect you will see that they have a broader mind to other top makes.

I have a pair of Minox (made in Germany) they weigh less and are more compact that a set of Swaro ELs and optically anybody who has looked thought them as said they are as good. The Steiners get a good rep’ in the USA.
I got my Minox for £300 from the USA brand new, £600 over here. Here is a link to a pair of Steiner on US e-bay brand new again for similar money.
http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-STEIN...in_0?hash=item3ef35077cb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Photo of some Steiners at the IWA

Best rgds

Tahr

 

[McStalk]

Thanks for the advice lads.
I had a look through the night hunters like the ones on tour photo Thar...
the field of view is amazing , and the picture is clearer than my own eye sight if you know what i mean..
giong to get the man in the shop to let me take take them out before i give him a handfull of hard saved cash...

 

[willie_gunn]

McStalk

I use a pair of Swaro's 8.5x42 EL's for my stalking, but have a spair pair of old Steiners (like the old model of the current Wildlife Pro - http://www.steiner-online.co.uk/prdwildpro830.htm) as well as a pair of Zeiss Jena DF7x40's (the old Checkpoint Charlie binos) that I keep in the car or with the stalking kit in case someone else forgets theirs.

The Steiners are nice binos, and the newer glass is a lot better than my old ones. My one criticism would be that you need to check carefully on the after-sales service. With my old pair I was told that they were not maintainable, so when the collimation went all I was offered was a discount against a new pair. Again, this might just be the model I've got and the newer models might be better, but I was a bit hacked off as I have several pairs of older binos that I've been able to get repaired with no problem.

I have to say that with the amount of time we spend looking through binos it is one of those areas where paying for quality really works. My Swaro's have been faultless. Zeiss and Leica are equally good, but as someone else said, try to look through them all to find the ones that best suit your own eyes. If you have the chance, go to an outlet that specialises in birdwatching rather than shooting. Ace Optics in Bath are excellent http://www.acecameras.co.uk/

willie_gunn

 

[Frax]

I've used Steiners for years and love them. I had a pair of 7x50 Military Marine which were stunning (and now sadly lost) and my current pair of 8x30's were bought in Canada in 1996. They have had almost daily use since then. I did however notice a stain inside the other day so I guess they may be on their way out. Still, not a bad innings.