Steiner Binoculars

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Best bang for the buck maybe, and best general purpose 7X50... I think Swarovski make better bins but at a far higher price.... or if really keen you could spring for a pair of Nikon WX IF 7x50's.... only $US6000.... Nikon 7x50 and 10x50 WX binoculars
and according to that reviewer 'These are the best binoculars ever produced, and as such they are, at least to me, the most exciting introduction to the binocular market of the century.'

A bit more Field test: Nikon 7x50 and 10x50 WX binoculars

'Even when compared to the best of the best, the Swarovski 10x50 EL WB, which has 6.6° and is close to perfection within 90%, the WX still offers almost twice an area of perfect star images. Similarly, the 7x50 has 10.7°, 9.6° (again 90%) showing pinpoint stars. The closest competitors, Nikon SP or Fujinon FMT-SX, have 7.3° and 7.5'

For the average punter... do you get an extra $5400 worth if bino? Probably not.

My current 'go to' bins on the boat are a pair of Nikon Monarch 7 10x42s.... but not at night or if there is a sea running...

Those are all astronomy binos, intended to be used on a tripod! Not at all the same thing.

For the boat, I'll take the Polaris, please. I've tried all the comparable Nikon, Steiner, and Leica binos, and they don't compare to the Polaris. I have not however tried the Svarovski so can't say anything about that one. Do they even make a 7x50 with a compass?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Cheapskate!!!!

The Fujinons run at 1.42 kg .... which is why I tend to reach for the Monarchs ...

Buy the Fujis... you wont be disappointed ....

Apologies to the OP for the thread drift...

I have procrastinating for over a decade now about new bins. I used to have a pair of middle of the road ones (Bushnells IIRC) way back when but they were stolen off the boat in Darwin. I had replaced them with entry level Tascos; at the time money was tight (isn't it always) backed up with some daytime Nikon travel bins (8x25). That was maybe 25 years back. About a decade back I started to seriously think about upgrading and since then, I had read every CF post about bins and half the other stuff on-line.

Boils down to either get 7x50 Fujis (Polaris) / Steiner Commanders OR 14x40 IS Fujis. I have never been able to decide which way to go - traditional 7x50 or stabilised.

The traditional route will sure to be good and will last my lifetime and probably another one after that. Simple, robust and dependable. However I'm sure the image stabilised route will allow me to see more and in greater detail. I have used a mate's Fujis 14x40 IS once and they were really good. I just don't see them lasting a lifetime or two; I can't bring myself to believe the electronics won't fail sooner or later and perhaps not be repairable in 20 years - not that I will using them by then...

So better to just procrastinate some more, save me dosh and put up with tired entry level bins...

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Those are all astronomy binos, intended to be used on a tripod! Not at all the same thing.

For the boat, I'll take the Polaris, please.

No they are not... 7x50 is 7x50

And in that review he compares the Fujinon quite favourably with the $6k Nikon... maybe you missed that bit... and the point that I was trying to make..

'Similarly, the 7x50 has 10.7°, 9.6° (again 90%) showing pinpoint stars. The closest competitors, Nikon SP or Fujinon FMT-SX, have 7.3° and 7.5°,'

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Apologies to the OP for the thread drift...

I have procrastinating for over a decade now about new bins.....
Boils down to either get 7x50 Fujis (Polaris) / Steiner Commanders OR 14x40 IS Fujis. I have never been able to decide which way to go - traditional 7x50 or stabilised....
So better to just procrastinate some more, save me dosh and put up with tired entry level bins...

Nothing wrong with a bit of procrastination.... but a decade? Oh well...

Spring for the Fuji 7x50's ... check out Jim's Fujis when you next see him.... or catch up with Steve on Beldisha ( up near Triabunna ahora but back in your part of town soonish ).

Steve bought his on my recommendation about a year ago..

a decade? golly...

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Nothing wrong with a bit of procrastination.... but a decade? Oh well...

Spring for the Fuji 7x50's ... check out Jim's Fujis when you next see him.... or catch up with Steve on Beldisha ( up near Triabunna ahora but back in your part of town soonish ).

Steve bought his on my recommendation about a year ago..

a decade? golly...

If I wait a couple more days, someone on CF will sing the praise of IS bins and I will happily return to a little more procrastination.

I did try Jim's ageing Cannon IS bins (12 x32?) and although well worn, they worked well. Should have prised his beloved Fujis out of their hidey hole when he was't looking

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Nothing wrong with a bit of procrastination.... but a decade? Oh well...

Spring for the Fuji 7x50's ... check out Jim's Fujis when you next see him.... or catch up with Steve on Beldisha ( up near Triabunna ahora but back in your part of town soonish ).

Steve bought his on my recommendation about a year ago..

a decade? golly...

+1

You won't regret it.

Stabilized binos are not really INSTEAD of a solid pair of compass binos for general use and taking bearings. Rather IN ADDITION TO.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

No they are not... 7x50 is 7x50

And in that review he compares the Fujinon quite favourably with the $6k Nikon... maybe you missed that bit... and the point that I was trying to make..

'Similarly, the 7x50 has 10.7°, 9.6° (again 90%) showing pinpoint stars. The closest competitors, Nikon SP or Fujinon FMT-SX, have 7.3° and 7.5°,'

Optically, 7x50 is 7x50 -- sort of. But physically, no. Those Nikons weight 2.4 kilos!!



Yes, those are the 7x50's!

They are intended to be used almost exclusively on a tripod, for astronomy. They are gorgeous, but definitely not boat binos.

"Discover the jewel in the crown of a hundred years of optical excellence –Nikon WX state-of-the-art astronomy binoculars, boasting an unprecedented super-wide field of view.
Designed for discerning stargazers, the WX series’ phenomenal optical performance takes you to deep into the starry sky, revealing fresh details and colour nuances. A Field Flattener Lens System gives outstanding edge-to-edge clarity, while Abbe-Koenig prisms offer a brighter field of view. The finest of materials ensure striking visuals, with three ED glass elements per tube and a high-quality multilayer coating on all lenses and prisms.
See the stars come to life through exceptional optical design and craftsmanship"

https://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/p.../wx/wx-7x50-if


I'm not a stargazer, but these optics do make me drool a little, though.

[406Columbia]

I have had similar experiences with Steiner. Broke my safari pair center hinge twice with warranty replacement each time. Also I have a very old pair of fujinon military forward observers with a milradian based reticle which has been amazing.

Without a doubt the old fuji has better construction but Steiner has better glass. Although my favorite go to bino at the present time (and I don't expect this to change) is my swarofski glass. They have both an amazing warranty and the best glass i have ever looked through regardless of price. I own leica, steiner, fuji, Schmidt and bender, leupold, burris, bushnell, etc. The tops for me is swarofski but hard to be upset with the exceptional value of Steiner and the customer service.

[hellosailor]

Yes, folding the rubber stresses it and makes it fail faster, on the stressed lines. But no, I didn't get that backwards. The HOODED rubber eyepieces, the ones that extend out over the sides of the eyes, cannot be used with glasses, because the "hoods", the part of the rubber that normally extends over the side of the eye, strikes the glasses and prevents you from putting the eye to the eyepiece.

If you've seen the leather side shields on glacier glasses? That's along the type of extension I mean. Plain folding rubber, not a problem.

Funny thing that no one in the business seems able to explain, why the viewing angle is different on different "same" glasses. If a 7x50 with a 6mm exit pupil really IS that, then geometry should dictate the field of view will have the exact same width at any particular distance, for all such glasses. And yet, somehow, they all differ and none can explain how they are changing the laws of trigonometry.

[a64pilot]

Leica and Swarovski have always had such excellent optics, because they use Zeiss lenses, or used to anyway.
Swarovski rifle scopes used to be an affordable alternative to Zeiss, cause they used Zeiss glass.
Now my data is pretty old, so I don’t know now.
I believe most, or all of the super spy cameras carried by the U2 and SR-71 aircraft, all had Zeiss optics.

[hellosailor]

I was under the impression, perhaps mistaken, that Swarovski was making their own crystal (leaded glass) in their own crucibles, and applying their own coatings. And that at some point someone in the company said "Hmmm....what other markets can we expand this into?"

So their lenses "should" be made from their own glassworks, their own formulas. I've never seen their products marked as using Leica lenses, but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough.

[a64pilot]

I don’t know now, but Zeiss used to supply lenses for most best cameras, Hasselblad, Leica etc. same for Rifle scopes, spotting scopes and I assume binoculars.
Then the Japanese started making some very good glass, for very low prices.
That was honestly decades ago, so it’s not likely applicable today.
Only point was that optics is to a great extent what makes Cameras, scopes, binoculars etc good, and the best back in the day went to Carl Zeiss for their optics.

[a64pilot]

Of course Zeiss binoculars are likely much more expensive than Steiner or Fujinon.
More than I’m willing to pay now that I’m retired anyway

[El Pinguino]

Interesting that neither Swarovski Swarovski SLC 7x50B, our independent unbiased binocular reviews. or Zeiss https://www.zeiss.com/sports-optics/....html#features are making 'marine' 7x50s any more.... I think I can guess the reason why...

I have a 30 or 40 year old (?) pair of Zeiss Jenoptem 7x50 glasses..... brilliant optics.... hard to compare with my Fujinons..... esp as I keep them down on the campo and the Fujis are down on the boat.....

I think the biggest recommendation for the Fujinon FMTRs is that they are the bino of choice for the USCG, Armada de Chile, and lots of other navies.....

Even the US Army uses the M22 Fujinon which is based on one of the lesser Fujinons but has the laser filters fitted by Kama-Tech in the US. Nice enough but I use mine rarely...

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Those are all astronomy binos, intended to be used on a tripod! Not at all the same thing.

For the boat, I'll take the Polaris, please. I've tried all the comparable Nikon, Steiner, and Leica binos, and they don't compare to the Polaris. I have not however tried the Svarovski so can't say anything about that one. Do they even make a 7x50 with a compass?

I'm not sure that having a compass is essential for a binocular to be classified as 'marine'. It's the very last feature I would be interested in....