Howdy, I've been browsing these forums for some time and learned a great deal from them. Thanks to all who contribute! I thought I'd post my experiences with a recent acquisition of mine.
I bought these Steiner 8.5x26 Wildlife bins looking for something compact to hike, hunt, and spot birds with. I was attracted to them as I thought they would be brighter than the 8x20 format, seemed to have good field of view, and were still very compact. I have a good amount of experience with quality optics, I have a Kowa TSN-821 scope and several fine rifle scopes including Leupold and a couple fine vintage Redfields. I certainly know what I don't like when looking through glass. I found that they are excellent in all regards mentioned above, and have very good image quality, and color. The full field of view was quite sharp, and they were perfect in almost every way. Unfortunately only almost. They had one fatal flaw, and that was internal reflections that caused ghost images and internal glare that made them just about worthless any time you view towards a light source or in bright light.
I really wanted to keep these, as they were so close to perfect for my use. I even prefer the diopter adjustment on the left side. I emailed my comments to Steiner and expressed my sincere regret after returning them, and told them I'd happily buy them again if the problem were fixed. So far no response though but I do hope I hear back from them.
Does anyone else own a set of these and find them as objectionable as I did? Does anyone have any recommendations of other compacts a little brighter than the 8x20 format? I'm considering the Kowa 8x25s Pentax 8x28 and the Leupold 8x25. I'd like to stick to a roof as they are more compact, particularly flatter and easier to slip into a pocket.
In the mean time I've ordered a set of Kowa 10x32s. I'm still after a set of compacts to keep in the truck and for traveling, but the 10x32s will probably be my primaries for most hunting and birding. I'll be sure to post my impressions when they arrive. Unfortunately nobody has Kowas around here so I'm stuck with buying them to try them and exchanging them if I don't like them.
Thanks for the opinions!
Ahoy, TZ,
Welcome to Bird Forum!
You can simplify you choices greatly if you don't rule out Reverse Porro Prisms and decide that you really don't need 8.5X. Why don't you take a long, hard look at Bushnell's 7 x 26 Custom Classic. It costs 30 bucks less than the Steiner. It's brighter, has much better depth of field, better eye relief and a wider FOV. It's optics are MUCH better. For Instance, the Steiner doesn't have Phase Coating which is now a virtual requirement for any Roof Prism binocular. And, take it from me, a single hinged binocular is ALOT easier to use than a double hinged roof prism. It's much faster and more instinctive in aligning up your exit pupils. Size wise, it's a Jacket Pocket size binocular, which is about the same thing your Steiner is. You would be hard pressed fitting 2 26mm tubes into a shirt pocket with or without a double hinge.
I have a Bushnell 7 x 26. I also have a Leica 8 x 20 Trinovid. Optically, they are both great binoculars, but they are 2 different animals. The Leica, which cost twice as much is better suited for sports events, concerts and other events where size is a critical factor. The Bushnells ergonomics make them a much more serious birding binocular.
Cordially,
Bob
There really are not that many mid price 8x30s, but if you can get to a store that carries Bushnells, there may be a few 8x30 models worthy of note, and one 8x28 Excursion which I have not been able to see. The only other compact 8.5x out there is a Vortex Spitfire, which is not phase coated, have not seen it.
I use an 8x32 RedHead, a Bas Pro Shop store brand. Warranty is only 1 year and I wil never get anything back trying to sell them. They are adequate. Your stores may have similar models of various brands, and a few may be OK. ProMaster, from camera stores, is poor.