Thread: Steiner Scope

Originally Posted by widerange

Hi All,
I interested to hear opinions and experiences with steiner scopes.
I'm looking for a scope in the range of 3-12x42,had a look through a steiner 2-8x42 and was impressed with the brightness.
30 mm tube helps too.
I was looking for a bit more magnification but it does seem like a nice piece of glassware.
So yea,what say you

1. I have a pair of Steiner binos. Steiner is German, so naturally its products are high quality. The question is really are they as good as others in the same price territory. Based on my own experience with the binos and reviews of scopes on the web, I think Steiner is not as competitive as similar priced alternatives. For example similar euro scopes such as Zeiss, Khales or Swaro, or high end range of the American brands such as Leupold VX5/6HD, Vortex Razor, etc.

2. 2-8x42 would be very bright because your pupil is at largest 7mm (for most people past 30 years of age, it is less). At 8x zoom the scope's exist pupil is 5.3 mm, at 6x zoom the scope's exist pupil is 7mm. At anything less than 6x, exist pupil is larger than 7mm and the scope is passing more light than a human eye can handle. This scope is bright but it is not as much of a technical achievement as it is the result of the design choice. Most scope makers do not use 42mm objective for sub 8x zoom as quite quickly as you zoom out some light becomes wasted and you just end up carrying the extra weight. This scope is 585 grams. Most scope makers use 40-42mm on 10x scopes. Arguably that is a better balance of brightness and weight. Vortex Razor HD 2-10 uses 40mm and is only 436 gram, Leupy VX-5HD 2-10 uses 42mm and is only 465 gram. Zeiss Victory 1.1-8 uses 30mm, but is heavier at 600 grams due to the larger zoom range.

3. The 30mm tube does not affect light passed, it does however make the scope slightly stronger and has more room for more dial range.

In the end of the day however, these issues may not be a big deal and Steiner's are certainly still high quality and high precision products. Years down the line the minor differences at time pf purchase will be forgotten. You will only end up enjoying your scope.