Steiner Predator Bino's

gonzaga

New member
I have kicked around for a few years and have pretty much decided on buying the New predator bino's C5 in the 12X42. I have a friend that can get them at a really good deal. I can't afford Zeiss, Leica or Swarovski's. I have the 8X30 military marine kind and I love them, but I need something that will work better in the early and late hours.

Do you guys think that their is an advantage of the 12 power vs the 10 power?
 
Ditto what Jack said about low light & bino power.


Have you looked at the higher grade Zen-Ray binos? I haven't personally tried them, but I see lotsa great reports out there.
 
What has you see better in low light conditions is quality of optics, and lower power.
I've been preaching on other hunting sites about lower power as opposed to the higher power craze that's infecting our sport. It is extremely difficult to hold a pair of 10x, or higher power steady enough to see well with them, without using a tripod.
I personally have two very good pairs of binox in 7x42 power, Meopta and Swarovski SLC's. If someone made a good pair of 6x binox, I'd be using them almost exclusively. The benefit of low power binox is ease of use, huge field of view, and if the glass in them is good, you can see detail much better than high power alone. Looking through either pair of 7x42's in low light is simply awesome, as compared to even the 8x30's I have, which is only one x higher.
My words would be to get to a store that sells different binox and actually look through them in low light conditions.
 
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"It is extremely difficult to hold a pair of 10x, or higher power steady enough to see well with them, without using a tripod."

Stieners are pretty good for the money with a perma focus that is convenient. Some models are very bright by achieving a factor of 5 or higher when dividing the low power into the high, example 8x30 divided =3.75, 7x35 divided = 5. 8x56 divided =7.

Beyond quality of glass the higher factor will give better low light performance. A normal human eye equals a factor of 5 so matching or exceeding this will give good low light viewing. Aging eyes are often better served by a higher factor.
Many older hunters swear by 7x50 and 8x56 for this reason.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I had used 10 power for alot of years when I had lower quality binos. The 8 power steiners were the first pair of binos that I had actually spent more than 50 bucks for. I have used this pair for 10 solid years with not 1 problem. My buddy has used the 15 power swaro's and his new Leica BRF and swears by the higher power.
By what you guys are saying I really don't see an advantage to the 12x other than the obvious. I am leaning to the 10x now.
 
I agree with "go lower power" advice. Personally I can't hold a pair of 10X binoculars steady enough to be of any use to me and especially after climbing up the side of a mountain. I have 2 pair of Leupolds that are at least 25yrs. old. One is a 6X and the other pair is a compact 7X. Recently I bought a pair of Steiner Wildlife Pro 8.5X26 and I really like them. Plenty of power for me, but at times, they are to much magnification. The clarity is close to equal to the Leupolds, but I prefer the individual eye adjustments that the Leupolds have over the center focus adjustment that the Steiners have.
 
Originally Posted By: gonzagaThe 8x30's that I have are individually adjustable. Each eye piece has a knob to turn + or -.

Your right, I didn't explain myself well enough. I meant to say that I prefer individual eye piece adjustment, but the model of Steiners that I have didn't have that feature. And not all Leupolds do either.
 
It depends greatly on what you are using them for. I cannot stand up and use 10x and 12x would make me sea sick. 10x must be better glass than 8x or the extra power does not seem to help much. In my experience if you do not go up in qualty and objective size as you go up in power you just get big fuzzy dark objects.

Steiner has several classes of glass. The MM that go for about $400 are very nice.

I hope that helped.
 
I agree with the lower power, expecially in lower light conditions...

I have an old (made in 1943) pair of Navy 7x50 binoculars that I've had since I was about 18...The quality of glass is extremely high and I've used them for surveillance work (quite a bit at night) for years, as well as my personal use.

I've tried the higher power ones normally available and found they cause excess eye strain, and are much more difficult to hold for long periods of time,,,Tripods don't help that much either..In low light situations they are not as sharp and clear as the lower power ones..
 
Well the new Steiners have been ordered. Settled on the 10x, just for main reason that we live in the wide open West, and I spend alot of time glassing.

Now the worst part, WAITING!!!!!
 
I've read that the 7x50's are ideal for night or low light glassing. The reason being the exit pupil matches the eye's pupil size when dialated in low light settings.

peace.
unloaded
 
Originally Posted By: unloadedI've read that the 7x50's are ideal for night or low light glassing. The reason being the exit pupil matches the eye's pupil size when dialated in low light settings.

peace.
unloaded

It matches the pupil of younger people, under 30. Over 30 the pupil does not dilate that much and that big an objective is not needed.

Jack
 
Got the binocs in today. All I can say is that I am happy. I really didn't get a chance to look thru them very much, I was too busy driving.
 
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,88050_Steiner-Predator-Binoculars-8x30-Waterproof.html

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,88139_Steiner-Predator-Pro-Binoculars-10x40.html

I have the 8x30 pair and love them.

Sierra Trading Post has a good deal on them right now.
 
My wife bought me a pair of Merlin 10x binos.and they are great. The Merlins have a center focus and it is much better and faster to focus at different distances than the individual eye adjust.I have both and I sat down at the kitchen table the other evening and watched an 8 point buck in the woods behind my house at the deer cain hole until dark and I tried several pairs of binos and the Merlins were top notch.My wife has very bad eye sight at dark and she was amazed at being able to see that late.
 
Took them out last night for the maiden voyage and they did great. We were out calling until just about complete dark and I could see the bulls milling around. I called in a spike and a cow to within 30 yds from us, and I was parked next to the road up an embankment. My son really got juiced up from that trip last night. I guess I'm gonna have to start bow hunting again.
 
Well I have had these for a couple of weeks now and I have passed them around to a bunch of my buddies, one of them which was dead set on buying some Leicas, and they all have loved them. The guy set on buying the Leicas has them right now to see how bad he really wants a pair like them. I figured I would let him look thru them to decide what he really wants.
 


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