Steiner Predator 10X42 green "shadow" (1 Viewer)

[Acidbraker]

Hi folks, first post here. So, I'm first and foremost a hunter. I just bought a set of Steiner predator 10x42 roof. I had three sets sent to me and kept (what I thought) was the best example. Today I was taking a drive and figured I would park along the scenic skyline and let the binos stretch their legs. I live near Duluth MN, and we get tons of hawk/falcon migration along the steep hillside that parallels the north shore of Lake superior. I leaned against the family van and had some talons in my eye holes within seconds. Pretty cool. Up until this point in my life I have only really watched birds at the feeders in my back yard. Seeing raptors with their claws out fighting off smaller birds, mid-air was pretty dang cool. I think I could get into this. Anywho, I immediately noticed that when I have a bird in my view with a slight overcast sky (possibly any sky...haven't compared) I get a green glow around the right side of the target bird. Looks like the "Slimer" ghost. The glow isn't enormous, maybe protruding a fifth of the size of the animal, always along the right side of the target. It looks like the target is being highlighted. My question being, is this a normal feature of the Predator series, being aimed at hunters? I could see this being awesome at making a deer "pop" from its surroundings. I know its far less than ideal for birding. I still have about a week left on the return policy window if this sounds like something is broken. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated. On another note, I have appx $600 I'd be interested in investing in another set of binos with more accurate color reproduction. 8x or 10x. I'm kinda thinking about trying the peregrin 8x42. Any suggestions would be fantastic. Thanks folks, Steve.

 

[Rob from Texas]

Looks like you are describing "Chromatic Aberration". Some binoculars show more of it than others. A good test is to look at a pole or even electric lines on a bright day. The resulting Green , blue or purple shadow outline is CA (as it's called).

This is related to the glass and coatings or (lack there of) in the binocular build. This really bugs some people, ....others, not so much. I have had several pair in the past that featured CA. My present pairs do not have any to the level that I can notice. (Votex Viper, Tract Toric HD and Leica HD.

The HD stands for High Density glass, usually a Fluorite product that claims better prismatic re-constitution. The Tract Toric is a $600 bino. The Leica a bit more at $900 on sale.

 

[Acidbraker]

Ah. Darn. I wasn't thinking CA because I had only heard of it appearing as purple, not highlighter green. Welp, I think I'll be sending these back to their maker as well. Thanks for the insight. After the refund I should have about $900 to play with, maybe a little more, and I'll be looking for a 10x replacement. Thanks again. Really glad I found this place.

 

[Rob from Texas]

Well, it wouldn't hurt to test them with a pole or power lines tomorrow in daylight. If you feel the CA is intrusive, there are a lot of great candidates in the $900 range.

You will have a tremendous advantage from the experienced users here. Be sure to state rather you prefer to wear eye glasses or not while in the field as finding the most comfortable eye relief is high on the list. (Glasses users generally look for a bigger eye relief 18-21mm while non-glasses users do better with 16-18mm...just a generality.)

Our members have experience with different models. I know I like my Tracts, while other don't. I like my Leica as well, but not sure about the extra $300.
The Zeiss HD gets a lot of play for $900, as does the Kowa 10.5x44.

 

[Maljunulo]

Optical and mechanical compromises become more numerous and greater as one moves down in price.

 

[pat mitchel]

Can chroma be seen with otherwise decent binos if the IPD isn't set correctly to eye width or if the eyes are slightly mispositioned in relation to the eyepieces? The only pair of roofs I have (eagle optics 8x32 ranger platinum) doesn't exhibit chroma but many of the classic porros I've used will sometimes show it if I don't have the settings correct re: IPD or eye placement. Pat

 

[Acidbraker]

Thanks for the replies so far. Pat, I thought I had them set up pretty well for my stupid face. I'm going to head outside and try them against some power lines to see if I can replicate the issue. Its strange because I only noticed it while checking out birds in the sky. Trees, plants, chickens, etc all looked good.

 

[pat mitchel]

I commonly get it also on powerlines (power poles too), also crows perching at a distance on the wire or corner of house. Apparently some observers are more sensitive to chroma than others. I'm a star guy so the chroma is primarily a daytime irritant. The reason I brought up alignment of the binos to the eyes, I have a pair of canon 7x35 porros that are really good older glass but when I have them a little offset I can see the chroma, I move my eyes just a bit and the chroma will be absent then potentially flip sides - the yellow on one side the blue purple on the other. I seem to recall one well known observer stated that if you look for chroma, you will find it. The trouble then becomes you see it everywhere. You can't "unfind" it! Regards, Pat

 

[Acidbraker]

Followup: I was able to replicate the issue with a powerline/powerpole. The CA would always appear on the "inside" of the image. If the pole was on the right side of FOV, the CA would appear on the left side of the pole, and vice versa. This was occurring with what I felt was a comfortable hold and IPD. I squeezed down on the binos, just a tad, and reduced the IPD a hair and the CA all but disappeared. I never would have thought to do that. Thanks Pat. I'll be keeping the binos after all. On a side note, I was also able to get the green CA with a pair of Leupold BX1 8X25 I use for backyard birding. That too pretty much vanished with a little tighter IPD.

Now for some off topic, OP has a pair of steiner 8x56 nighthunter xp, and some 8x42 peregrines. Any thoughts on either of these?
Edit: I do not wear glasses or contacts and my vision is excellent usually requiring zero diopter adjustment. My IPD is on the narrow side...stupid Norwegian face.

This place is awesome. Thanks again.

 

[rpg51]

My wife has a Nikon Monarch HG that is in that price range. I like them. Nice clear view. There are many other offerings that will serve well in that price range. The other thing to keep in mind, as I think you know, is that within the same model individuals do vary some. My suggestion is to buy the best you can afford. You will save money in the long run.