Thread: Steiner binos, how do they rate.

Thought I'd talked myself into some Swaros but keep getting cold feet. What are the Steiners like. Any feedback would much appreciated.
Holiday in America coming up, are there likely to be better deals on Swarovski over there I wonder.

I have some older steiner predators 10x42 and they are pretty epic. Late arvo watching a sika on a slip at 550~ but really struggled to find it in my vx3 leupold which isn't a shit scope.

Can't compare my swaros to steiners sorry but I can compare them to top leupolds and top sig sauers and the likes . And even at the cheaper model of the swaros I absolutely love them . They are only the 8x30 older models small as . But my Mrs could spot wapiti cows with them at like 4 to 5 km away just in our recent wapiti block. And on previous tahr blocks I can identify nannys and tahr that normally blend in with the rocks. In my mates leupolds they looked like rocks and in my binos could see they were tahr by the colour shade difference . Super bright and vibrant colours . I can't rate swarovski glass enough

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I got a pair of 8x from @Sarvo. They’re bloody good for the money, only fault is a bit of haziness around the perimeter, reducing the functional field of view quite a bit. I spot plenty of deer with them tho, and they are good in low light. @Moa Hunter has looked through them and owns some Swaros, he should be able to comment. IMO the Swaros are definitely awesome but I could never justify the massive difference in cost for a small amount of gain (at ranges I’m not likely to be hunting at!).

If you get a chance have a look through some Kowa’s, punch well above their weight.

Doubt you’ll get new Swaro cheaper in the states than here it’s one of the very few things we actually do alright on and we get Swarovski stuff at pretty competitive prices here in NZ compared to the rest of the world. There is however a much better second hand market over there and you could very likely pick something up from EBay or other hunting forums like Rokslide at a good price. If I was to look at anything “a tier down” from the alphas I would be looking at the Nikon monarch HG before anything else.

Originally Posted by mopheadrob

I got a pair of 8x from @Sarvo. They’re bloody good for the money, only fault is a bit of haziness around the perimeter, reducing the functional field of view quite a bit. I spot plenty of deer with them tho, and they are good in low light. @Moa Hunter has looked through them and owns some Swaros, he should be able to comment. IMO the Swaros are definitely awesome but I could never justify the massive difference in cost for a small amount of gain (at ranges I’m not likely to be hunting at!).

I found the Steiners very good for the money but they give up field of view width for definition in the centre. The effective FOV is reduced because of the distortion on the outside. I compared Robs binos at what would of been 2 - 2.5 km onto a sunny face and then at 800 - 1000m onto shade and their were no animals seen with the Swaros that were missed with the Steiners. They would probably be tiring to use for an extended glassing session. The Monarch HG's are really good and If you can afford them I would go that way. I would not by Leupolds or other US brands - the colour and detail definition is not there and animals remain unseen that are obvious with good binos.

Thanks for the feedback guys, Nikon is one I hadn't looked into, Kowa also. I'm in no rush.

German Ebay used to have alot of ex Army Steiners for sale .

I've always like porro prisms in general since you get good optics but more bulk - Steiner one of the few makers of high quality porro. Their lower lines like the 8x30 Military Marine as still made in Germany but NOT nitrogen filled, but most people seem happy with them as far as fog proofness.

I've never looked through a set and always wondered how my "older" eyes work with the fixed focus system. I wear glasses and normally for binos I just flip up my glasses as I find that much more comfortable.... In the end I just went with a standard Nikon Monarch M7 8x30 (the latest model about $480 USD, but they're below the Nikon HG which are double the price of M7!).

If you are heading to the USA, definitely check out this article: https://backwoodspursuit.com/26-best...s-for-hunting/
They did very extensive tests across a whole bunch of people and at the different price points, so you can find the one that suits your budget... not everyone wants to put the money down for the Swarovski NL Pure for $3000 USD!!

Wow that's a pretty thorough comparison article there @ Daniel L thanks for that, with a few saying the Steiners are a bit fuzzy round the edges I think I'll stay away from them, my eyes are already going fuzzy around the edges themselves! Will keep saving for some Swaros me thinks. And will definitely be on the lookout in the states for second hand ones.

I bit the bullet and bought a pair of Swarovski binoculars. Have not regretted. Gritted my teeth for a few days with the price but once I broke through that I have not been happier with them. Once you buy the best you stop looking at the “ next step up” which means you probably end up paying the same over time.
That’s my opinion anyway…

I had a pair of Steiners but they fell apart with the rubber eye pieces. Got upgraded for free because of issues at HF and have had the new 8x32 for maybe two years and already same again. The rubber eyes I find are a pain and spin around and fall off. To be honest I find my misses cheap Leopolds better. My 2c anyway.

My pair of 8x30 were ok , self focused tinted model very lite , they lasted well and id buy again . The eye cap stem broke off and i fixed it then the other went so binned them , you have to treat that model gently as not robust . Value for $$ imo.

I was up at the lake a few weeks back and using my Leopold spotting scope on 45 power i could hardly make out the Bushline hut up on Mt Robert ridge but with my 10x42 Steiner `skyhawks I could see the hut with the flue on the roof as clear as a bell.