Thread: Steiner Binoculars Good,Bad or Ugly?

Originally Posted by Tahr

Mid class binos in the $800-1000 range are fine. I used self focusing 8x30 Steiner Hunters for many years and they were fine. Top shelf are fine if you can afford them, but knowing where to look for animals and getting a practiced eye is far more important than having pissing contests about who has the flashiest and best euro glass.

Yes, self focusing binos are both lighter and easier to waterproof, what with no central mechanism which extending into the sides of each tube. OK, they may not be good at less than 10m, but this is not a birdwatching forum.

I have a pair of Steiner Ranger Extreme 10x42 binoculars that I bought new around 2 years ago from H&F for around $900, which at the time was pretty much the same as US pricing. The optics are very good and perform well in poor light, focus on 10x binoculars requires finer adjustment than on the 8x version. I have used them in all kinds of weather, did 10 days in Fiordland back in March, been dropped a few times, always carried without a case or unprotected in a backpack, and apart from having to replace one of the objective lense covers due to it detaching they perform like new. The lense cover system works very well keeping the lenses dust and moisture free.