New Bins day (1 Viewer)

[Rg548]

So I've just taken delivery of these M830R Steiners.
I have been looking for a pair of bins mainly for paddleboarding. My Swaro CL8x25's were great as far as weight and size went, but awful for one handed use, with a paddle tucked under one arm, struggling to open and focus them!!
Out on the water is where I see so much nature, and always want my bins with me.
I bought some Leica 8x32 BN's, but love those so much, i decided i wouldn't go on the water with them, so a fail in that dept!!
I was also in Albania earlier this year, and again, I was getting quite precious about my bins in the hot and dusty environment.

Anyway, after much research, I thought these may well be the 'G-Shock' of the bino world. Waterproof, shockproof within reason, few moving parts etc, and very light, at just over 500g, again quite important for paddleboarding.
They are the 'Military Spec' whatever that means, but do appear to be very robust.
They are brand new, but I got them for just over £400. I couldn't do the RRP of £1000 for a 'chuck about' pair, and I do wonder how they justify that for a simple Porro binocular!!
Anyway, the 'no focus' arrangement I hope will work well out on the water and ergonomically they are superb single handed, which is important for this particular application.

Optically, centre field very good, better than expected, less so at the edges, but this is no concern, especially at the price I paid.
So we'll see how it goes, but I'm hoping that these will be a superb 'chuck on the board' pair of bins.
Also I will be quite happy for my lad to pick these up, not so my Leicas!!!
Apparently one of the advantages of I.F. bins is that they are easy for children to use, once set up.

Cheers all

 

[William Lewis]

Love new bins day. That look just the ticket, now all you need is a flotation strap. Oh and don't bang them around too much, I'm not sure they can be re-collimated (cemented prisms if memory serves but I could be wrong)

Will

 

[Rg548]

Love new bins day. That look just the ticket, now all you need is a flotation strap. Oh and don't bang them around too much, I'm not sure they can be re-collimated (cemented prisms if memory serves but I could be wrong)

Will

Cheers....I think these are designed to take the odd knock... but anyway, I'm always careful with my stuff, binocs or anything else for that matter.

 

[[email protected]]

I have tried a lot of Steiner's and never found one I liked, except for the Steiner Nighthunter 8x56. It is a pretty nice low light binocular. It is really different in design than most binoculars you see.

Steiner Nighthunter 8x56 (2016) - binoculars specification - AllBinos.com

The best binocular tests on the net. The comprehensive database of binoculars with their parameters and users opinions. Interesting articles and comparisons.

www.allbinos.com

 

[dries1]

For those excursions I take the older Hensoldt IF 8X30s, which are also my truck glass.

 

[Maljunulo]

Oh and don't bang them around too much, I'm not sure they can be re-collimated (cemented prisms if memory serves but I could be wrong)

Will

Comment withdrawn ……. ungracious on New Bins Day.

 

[William Lewis]

Big, giant, enormous, red flag there.

I wouldn't go that far! I'm sure many have been in service for a good few years - can't be too negative on new binocular day! Just forewarned is forearmed if they are cemented, they'll be a warranty in any case.

Will

 

[Rg548]

Can anyone tell me why these 'military' spec Steiners sell for about $1000, if you can get them, and the ordinary ones about $550.
My research led me to believe these m830r's are pretty robust, I was hoping it partly accounted for some level of build quality.

 

[Rg548]

Just done my own research..... these military ones contain a floating prism system to absorb shock.
So we will have to see..... $1000 is a lot for porros..... they've got to offer something in return.

 

[Mono]

All Steiner binoculars seem a tad overpriced for what they are, may be there is some secret sauce but the few models I have tried don't seem to have any.

Military spec just means they match the specification that some military has requested. Sometimes that spec is exacting, sometimes that spec is not, sometimes the spec is just odd. There was a thread a while back on such specifications. As for the price reduction who knows. I can't imagine there is much of a civilian market for small IF binoculars with a reticule. Maybe these are unissued surplus or they fell off a supply truck. The ones you have bear a NATO Stock Number indicating they are issue ones rather than those sold directly into the civilian market.

 

[fazalmajid]

Aren’t military spec binoculars equipped with anti-laser anti-dazzle filters, which also make the colors off?

 

[dries1]

Aren’t military spec binoculars equipped with anti-laser anti-dazzle filters, which also make the colors off?

Not in the commercial optics, only for actual military optics. Military spec on commercial glass is a marketing term.

 

[Rg548]

Gotta love this forum....

These binos were a cheap buy to 'throw' into my paddle board bag.
They need to be waterproof, light, robust, cheap, good ergonomics, but importantly... good optics.... or I won't use them.

Reports have these military issue ones down as fairly bomproof, and there is a warranty anyway.

They were not bought for days out nature viewing, I have others for that.
I don't really care about 'colour'..... and on yesterdays' viewing, there was nothing noticeable there anyway.
The 'set focussing' and ergonomics i feel will be perfect for one handed use on the water.
At £400 I actually really don't care about these binos in a way I would with any other pair I've owned, and my 10yr old lad can use them, without me sweating.

They are an interesting and fun pair of porros bought for a VERY SPECIFIC PURPOSE.... and I struggle to think of anything else I would be happy to take out on the water, chuck in a bag with no case, and not cry if anything happened to them.

I'm thinking at the moment i have 'nailed it'..... time will tell.

And NO.... theyre not as nice as Ultravids, SF's etc.

And I am thinking of getting my wife to drive me through the town, whilst I stand up out the sunroof, so I feel like a tank commander😅

 

[Will K]

getting my wife to drive me through the town, whilst I stand up out the sunroof, so I feel like a tank commander

Great idea 👍 perfect binos for that purpose, too. They’d suit General Patton, at least when he was on his way to go paddle boarding.

 

[Thotmosis]

Nice bino’s for the job! When i lived on Crete one of my neighbors had an old Steiner Commander 7x50 which he used on his sailing yacht and was dropped many times on his boat as well from his kitchen table (he likes a stiff drink) and it took the beatings without getting out of collimation. Good find for that price and i like the form factor as well. If I’m correct Steiner gives 30 years guarantee. I bought a Swaro 8x30 IF as my binocular for rough hiking but in the end prefer to take my Leiva UV 8x32 with on those hikes because i like the ability to close focus. So now i have to buy a canoe or a tank to proper use my Swaro.

 

[Rg548]

Nice bino’s for the job! When i lived on Crete one of my neighbors had an old Steiner Commander 7x50 which he used on his sailing yacht and was dropped many times on his boat as well from his kitchen table

That's great to hear.... and what my research led me to believe

 

[Scott98]

That's great to hear.... and what my research led me to believe

I thought you only wanted to discuss Swaro?? Good to see you've expanded your horizons...Steiner makes some good stuff, I've had 2 excellent binos from them

 

[Rg548]

I thought you only wanted to discuss Swaro?? Good to see you've expanded your horizons...Steiner makes some good stuff, I've had 2 excellent binos from them

No.... I've had binos from all the big three, and nikon, and Meopta, all up for discussion. And now Steiner.

 

[Maljunulo]

I had a Steiner 15X80, which I really liked. It would easily split Mizar, with a separation somewhere around 14”

I was delighted with it until I knocked the tripod over on my way out the door one night. The tripod was all the way closed, so it wasn’t a very hard bump, but they were deemed not worth repairing, so down the drain went the money.

They weren’t cheap. That left a bad taste behind, and I permanently lost all interest in Steiner products.

 

[Dave3006]

The 8x56 Steiner Shadowquest and 7x50 Nighthunter are some of the best binoculars made.

The Military Marine versions are decent for the price. I have a 7x50 Military Marine in the truck of my car that is perfect for the role. It was $212 and has an awesome view. I don't worry about them being stolen. The MM isn't perfect. There are some internal reflections that happen under certain circumstances. But, for $212, they are a good value! They are as good as many $500 roof binoculars.

Not everything needs to be an NL Pure.