Steiner Navigator Pro 7x30 marine binoculars - Extremely rugged, sharp images, 5m water proof - Outstanding viewing quality for beginners and professionals, Blue

Product Information

I did not start out wanting to like the Steiners but I did so immediately , in the first ten minutes of use.

Steiner markets this as their "Nano-Protection" which repels water and thus maintains a better view in wet conditions, which if you are involved in activities like sea kayaking for example is important.This version of the binoculars comes equipped with a large, illuminated compass that is fluid damped, shock-absorbing and the most precise in its class. I wonder how good they will still work when I am 60 -- however on the Komz there is a simple trick to make them CF -- just get a big rubber band and put it over the barrels. The simple design means there is less to go wrong, and less to break should you drop your instrument. In addition, a new bag is included to ensure that your binoculars are always optimally protected even when not in use. Nothing to worry about plastics and modern glues being used, companies like Zeiss and other high end makers have been useing this form of construction for ages, the plastics are reinforced with graphite, fibreglass or the like, modern adhesives are used for aircraft construction subject to extremely high loads,DA.

Often rather erroneously described as an " Auto Focus" system which Steiner markets as their "Sports-Auto-Focus" system, I prefer to think of them as an "Always in Focus" binocular as once you have adjusted each of the diopters to complement your particular vision the image you see remains sharp and in focus from about 20 meters away right to infinity and no further adjustments are ever required. The durable rubber casing with ribbed profile of these binoculars resists the effects of oil, acid and weathering. I have had several of the more entry level versions and quickly on sold them as they were nothing remarkable. This allows them to hang down in the center of binocular and completely out of the way when not in use, but always there for you to easily replace when needed. Rather unfairly, they all get tarred with the same brush and I will admit to often stating in my reviews of binoculars using folding cups that I would have preferred to have had the twist-up type instead.Throuh durable polycarbonate Makrolon housing that withstands 11G of impact, Floating Prism System that uses flexible silicon to absorb severe shock, impact and misuse without damage, Water Pressure Proofness up to 5 m, Nitrogen-Pressure-Filling into the optic against fogging up inside at temperature range between –20 °C to +60 °C and the protective, hydrophobic STEINER Nano-Protection on the lenses makin However if you need a very good low light performance, you would still have to sacrifice on size and weight and go for a larger instrument, so something like a 7x50 for example that produce massive exit pupils of more than 7mm. As well as this, I know from a tour of their factory, that Steiner uses excellent quality glass (either Hoya from Japan or Schott in Germany) on all their higher-end instruments and so this combined with the knowledge that all the lenses along the whole optical pathway on the Navigator pro have multiple layers of anti-reflection coatings applied to them (fully multi-coated) meant it was no surprise to find that the image brightness, in general, and especially in the good to average light conditions that we mostly experienced on our trip was excellent.

The only real downside to this is the fairly long minimum focus distance, but in this situation, I found I was mostly looking at the bank, up at the tops of trees, cliff faces or further up the river to navigate the best route and thus this was not often an issue for me. For me, pretty much the very first binocular brand to spring to mind, and indeed ended up being the first I contacted was Steiner.Every 7x30 binocular in the world has similar depth of field and works the same way without any imaginary “autofocus” necessary. Disclaimer: I own roughly a dozen Steiner binoculars, some of which I like very much, some I like, and a few I really don’t like. Efficient use of the light gathered is particularly important at high magnifications where images appear darker or for applications were colour identification is essential. If you need to, you can actually reduce the minimum focal distance a fairly long way by adjusting both of the diopters. Not only does this make for a much cleaner, integrated look, but it is far, far quicker to add an remove the strap should you wish.

If I were allowed a last wish: Steiner Optics, a number of your binoculars are actually quite usable, please stop devaluing them with claims about “autofocus” that are clearly incorrect. My two most memorable encounters with models of similar size/magnification could hardly be more different from each other. No I don't have an Action 7x35, I wouldn't mind trying one of them though or maybe the new Aculon version. So whilst it is fine for short periods, I found that it would dig into my neck and thus become uncomfortable after about an hour or so. The covering makes the binoculars pleasant to hold and provides a comfortable and intuïtive viewing experience.

The STEINER 'Auto-Focus' optics guarantee always-sharp images, even while handling the product with one hand.