Steiner Ultra Sharp Line (1 Viewer)

Okay I know Steiner's history and have even posted that I didn't care for them for birding in previous "Steiner" threads.

I have however noticed a new line they have called Safari-Ultra Sharp"... These feature a focus wheel and new coatings (?).

Just wondering if anyone has found a chance to look through them or better yet use them?

David

I tried an 8x30 U-S when they were on sale at DVOR. They were not that sharp, and like all the other Steiner products I've ever used, came as a disappointment. A $55 Redfield Renegade 8x36 is just as sharp, and a lot brighter, and with more FOV......

I tried two copies of the 8x30 ultrasharp, but had to return both for the same defect, a loose internal focuser lens cell on one of the sides. The second one was so bad that if I shook the bin, I could hear the lens cell rattling. Also on the second one, the sweet spot on one side was noticeably smaller than on the other side. Not sure if I would try a third copy.

My impressions from limited use: sweet spot is medium sized (except as noted above). Sharpness was not bad, fairly close to the 8x30 Wildlife Pro CF, although this was difficult to really judge with one side's focuser cell moving around. Edges were pretty soft in both examples. As far as coatings, the dominant tint on the objectives is amberish, but I also saw some violet (maybe on the inner surface). The eyepieces look multicoated. I could not see any coatings on the prisms (white reflections). Overall, the view through it had a somewhat cool color caste. The brightness was average at best, and somewhat disappointing.

Mechanically, these ultrasharp CF porros (there is also a 10x30 version) have been reworked from the older Wildlife Pro CF. The diopter control is much simpler mechanically (probably to lower the cost). And the internal objective barrels seemed to have been painted black to improve contrast. Too bad about the defective lens cells in the examples I tried.