nksmfamjp

Anybody hunt with the higher grade of Steiners? I'm looking a the Commander V, but will have to buy sight unseen. Anybody use these or the military R. What is your opinion? If you looked at them and chose another $700 bino, why?

BTW.. looking at 7x50 Commander V w/o compass

okcmco

I sometimes use a set of Steiner Fero 12 German army 8x30 binos. They are made of poly carbonate and are very light. Which is why the German army went back Hensoldt. The light weight Steiners didn't hold up under hard use. but they are very clear and have served me well for a year, although the eye relief is not great for glasses wearers..
I would say that the Commanders will be more suited to Marine use than hunting. They have excellent eye relief and optical performance. But they are Pretty heavey (37 oz) 7x50 porro prism binos usually have a large field of view. These are somewhere between 390 and 400' at 1000 yards,I think. But 7x50 porros usually have a softening of resolution towards the edges so usable field is a little less.
Consider the Merlin 8x42. Should be around 475 bucks. This is a very good roof prism bino and 3 OZ less than the commander. Or Maybe the Steiner Perrigrine 8x42. But is is about 140 bucks more than the Commander. But the Perrigrines are a pretty incredible piece of glass. Optical performance is very nearly on par with the big 3 (Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leica). I was really impressed when I looked through them.
8x42 is the most versatle size of bino for birding and hunting.
Also there are alot of good choice in the 500-800 bucks range from other makers. But Steiner is an awful lot of glass for the money.
Let us know what you get
okcmco

nksmfamjp

I'll post a review when I break down and get a pair. I'm also looking at Minox 8x44 Porros and maybe breaking out the big bucks and paying over $1000. I'm just not sure in the end how much it matters to me.

Dan in Alaska

I was just checking some Steiners out the other day. I wish I could remember the model...the price tag was a $930. Right next to them was a set of Ziess Conquests. In my opinion, the Zeiss were MUCH better both in brightness and clarity.

I have a set of Steinder 8x30 Millitary/Marines that I plan to upgrade in the coming year. I think the Zeiss Conquest 10x40's will get my nod.

nksmfamjp

Dan were they a Steiner roof prism model or a porro prism model?

Dan in Alaska

I looked at them again today. They were a roof prism design. If I remember correctly, they were 10x42 Predators.

nksmfamjp

Yea, I'm not overly impressed with Steiner's roof prism models and they haven't done well in some reviews. I shouldn't even post that opinion, because I haven't really tried them enough in the right conditions. Once inside the store is all and I was comparing to Swaros. Funny how I did think the 8x30 military/marines were pretty good under those conditions!