Steiner Predator binoculars how good are they?

[enigma]

I'm looking to buy a pair of bino's for my 14 year old son, i'm not looking to break the bank. But i do like european optic's the price is not that bad on these steiner predator etreme 10x42 and there european.Has any body here used these bino's before and what do you think? I can get a pair for $380.00 thats not a bad price i dont what to pay over $400.00

 

[stomp442]

I have the 12 power predators and I love them. Steiners are the best binoculars going in my opinion. I also have the 20x80s and those things are just bad to the bone.

 

[lloydsmale]

ive got a pair of the 10x preditors. There good glass for the money. Especially if you find them on sale like i did at cameraland. There not 1000 dollar glass so dont expect them to compare to some of the better units but there a good solid performer in the under 500 dollar price range and one thing stiener has going for it is a reputation for being tough as nails.

 

[Gary Kaney]

I bought a pair of Stieners 30 years ago. They are 12/40's and are named Hunting. They are rubber coated and no longer made. They look like the current Military/Marine. At that time i believe i paid 500.00 for them. Don't be afraid of Stiener. I bought thier 2.5/10x42 Predator Extreme rifle scope 2 years ago. Best scope money i ever spent.

 

[enigma]

It seems like on here when people ask about steiner no one says any thing thanks guys.

 

[Gary Kaney]

I feel Stiener could do a better job of advertising thier products. I know the Predator Extreme scope is assembled by Burris here in the U.S.

 

[stomp442]

The thing with Steiner is they have military and government contracts and are selling and making plenty of money that way. Most of their line is centered toward that aspect and not really hunting optics. Although I will say the steiners are by far the most well made binoculars going. If they are designed to withstand the rigors of combat they can handle just about anythig any hunting trip can throw at them. I love both pair of mine and wouldn't trade them for any other big name glass maker out there. There is nothing finer than a nice pair of steiners.

 

[enigma]

stomp442 what are your bino's you have 12x50 or 12x 56 or 12x 40?

 

[stomp442]

I have the 12x40 predators and the 20x80 military.

 

[lloydsmale]

a little late but i figured id share this. I just got back from deer camp and had my 10x40 preditors and my 8x40 nikon monarch 5s. I fooled around one night at camp and as it got dark i kept testing. I got a result i didnt really want. My nikons which were about 200 bucks cheaper beat the preditors. It wasnt by much but without telling my brother in law which were the more expensive i had him check too and he agreed the nikons were better in low light.

 

[bruce_ventura]

a little late but i figured id share this. I just got back from deer camp and had my 10x40 preditors and my 8x40 nikon monarch 5s. I fooled around one night at camp and as it got dark i kept testing. I got a result i didnt really want. My nikons which were about 200 bucks cheaper beat the preditors. It wasnt by much but without telling my brother in law which were the more expensive i had him check too and he agreed the nikons were better in low light.

Not surprising to me. The exit pupil on the Nikon is 5 mm, vs 4 mm for the Steiner. That means the brightness of the Steiner would be 64% that of the Nikon in low light. I assume it was dark enough for your eye pupil to dilate above 5 mm.

That's why I prefer 8x40 binos over 10x40 binos for hunting.

 

[lloydsmale]

Usually though to my eyes identical glass one 8x and one 10 usually is about a tie. The extra magnification makes up for the smaller exit pupil in low light situations. I wish i had a 8x set of preditors to compare to the nikons but dont know anyone who has a pair.

Not surprising to me. The exit pupil on the Nikon is 5 mm, vs 4 mm for the Steiner. That means the brightness of the Steiner would be 64% that of the Nikon in low light. I assume it was dark enough for your eye pupil to dilate above 5 mm.

That's why I prefer 8x40 binos over 10x40 binos for hunting.

 

[FEENIX]

Usually though to my eyes identical glass one 8x and one 10 usually is about a tie. The extra magnification makes up for the smaller exit pupil in low light situations. I wish i had a 8x set of preditors to compare to the nikons but dont know anyone who has a pair.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce_ventura View Post
Not surprising to me. The exit pupil on the Nikon is 5 mm, vs 4 mm for the Steiner. That means the brightness of the Steiner would be 64% that of the Nikon in low light. I assume it was dark enough for your eye pupil to dilate above 5 mm.

That's why I prefer 8x40 binos over 10x40 binos for hunting.

The exit pupil on the the predator 10x42 is 4.2mm while the 8x42 is 5.25mm as noted by Bruce clearly gives the 8x the exit pupil advantage. I too am interested on the Steiner's esp. on its CAT lens technology --- my old eyes really like them.

Ed

 

[lloydsmale]

yup and at 57 years old im sure my old eyes probably dont see an advantage in an exit pupil bigger then 4mm and certainly dont allow me to see the differnce between 4 and 5mm. The extra magnification a 10x set has probably helps me more when trying to judge deer antlers in low light then 1mm of exit pupil. Where i hunt a deer has to have at least 3 points on one side to be legal. Exit pupil isnt the last word in low light. a real good set of 10x40s is going to be better in low light then a cheaper set of 8x56. In my experience the biggest factor in low light performance is glass quality. Im not saying the preditors did bad. Im just saying i could see horns on a deer better with the nikons watching them in a feed pile at camp past legal shooting hours and that considering the differnce in price of those two binouculars it surprised me. Im sure not happy about it as i paid money for both and would have liked the stieners to beat the nikons.

The exit pupil on the the predator 10x42 is 4.2mm while the 8x42 is 5.25mm as noted by Bruce clearly gives the 8x the exit pupil advantage. I too am interested on the Steiner's esp. on its CAT lens technology --- my old eyes really like them.

Ed