Steiner Binoculars

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I'm not sure that having a compass is essential for a binocular to be classified as 'marine'. It's the very last feature I would be interested in....

Well, the main thing is that it is of the right size and format for hand-holding, since a tripod is useless on a boat. Also should be reasonably rugged and at least splash proof. That's what makes a marine bino.

As to the compass -- to each his own, and my favorite Meibos don't have a compass. But good compass binos make the best HBC you can have. And what percentage of stuff you peer at with binos, do you end up needing a bearing to anyway? Makes sense to have a compass in your most used binos, at least for me it does. Saves keeping a separate HBC handy and is far more accurate.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I don’t know now, but Zeiss used to supply lenses for most best cameras, Hasselblad, Leica etc. same for Rifle scopes, spotting scopes and I assume binoculars.
Then the Japanese started making some very good glass, for very low prices.
That was honestly decades ago, so it’s not likely applicable today.
Only point was that optics is to a great extent what makes Cameras, scopes, binoculars etc good, and the best back in the day went to Carl Zeiss for their optics.

I have used Zeiss and Leica lenses for decades; I owned and used Hasselblads and Leicas and still own and use a bunch of Zeiss and Leica lenses. I also owned Nikon F's and a cheap Fuji ST701 and still own and use some Nikon lenses including a Nikon shifting architectural lens. Of all of these, the worst optics by far were the Nikons and the best by far were the Leica lenses. The old Zeiss lenses (Planar, Biogon, Distagon, Sonnar) were great, super sharp, but they have a kind of "clinical" look with less tonal scale and much less attractive than images from the Leica glass. Interestingly, the modern Zeiss-Sony lenses I use on my full frame digital camera (Sony A7R) have exactly the same look. Judging from my own experience with Fuji camera lenses, I would never have expected something exceptional from their binos, but on the other hand, a good friend of mine and sometime crewman is a well-known photographer who mostly uses some funny Fuji fixed lens cameras.

At any rate, Fuji binos, as optics, look a lot like Leica camera lenses. Oddly enough the Leica binos don't look like that at all! They are very good, but not as good as the Fujis. I have a pair of Nikon binos which are total carp; admittedly not the top model, but they are surprisingly terrible with huge chromatic distortion and obvious spherical aberration.

I used some Russian cameras and camera lenses back in the '90's when I was still doing chemical photography which were amazingly and unexpectedly wonderful optically. Makes me wonder about the Russian binos, which I've never tried, but must be available somewhere and probably cheap, too. After the war, the Russians packed up the Zeiss factory, which was in Jena, in the Soviet zone, and shipped all the tooling and equipment to a couple of different factories across the USSR, and continued building on Zeiss technology.

I've never tried these, but they get good reviews, e.g.:

Review: Kronos BPWC2 6x30 binocular

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Cheapskate!!!!

.....

I don't think so!

Here is great little offering for a quality binocular - yours for 14,000 of good old Aussie dollars. Free shipping for you El Ping.

Not sure if they rate as "marine" but could be a great buy anyway; might not have the same great after sales service as the OP Steiners but do you really need it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Binoculars/....c100005.m1851

[RaymondR]

I've had a pair of Steiner 7 x 50s for about 30 years and have found them to be pretty good glasses. Having read these posts I'm going to send them to Steiner for service. I also have a set of cheapy cockpit glasses, mainly to keep other folks from messing with the Steiners. Now that I'm a senior citizen without youthful steady hands I would like to have a set of image stabilised glasses.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

.....a tripod is useless on a boat. ...

Really? I didn't know that.......

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Really? I didn't know that.......

You use binos on a tripod on a boat? At sea? I'd sure like to see how you do that . . .

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

You use binos on a tripod on a boat? At sea? I'd sure like to see how you do that . . .

Pretty straightforward, stick the tripod in a wheelbarrow, wheel it up from down below, set up the tripod in the cockpit, set up the umbrella to keep the spray off it and affix your image stabilised binos.

No so great with trad binos unless you have an outstanding helmsperson.

Well that's how we do it down under, not sure what those northerners do.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Pretty straightforward, stick the tripod in a wheelbarrow, wheel it up from down below, set up the tripod in the cockpit, set up the umbrella to keep the spray off it and affix your image stabilised binos.

No so great with trad binos unless you have an outstanding helmsperson.

Well that's how we do it down under, not sure what those northerners do.

LOL.


But even image stabilization is not going to help you there if the boat is pitching or rolling through more than the 2 or 3 degrees of compensation possible with IS binos.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

LOL.


But even image stabilization is not going to help you there if the boat is pitching or rolling through more than the 2 or 3 degrees of compensation possible with IS binos.

Fuji specs say they'll give 5 degrees...

Some of the guys on trawlerforum who had used both Canon and Fjui IS binocs recently said that was why they thought Fuji were much better for boating... given both platform and target are "moving"...

On topic, wifey bought me my first Steiner Commander 7x50s (with compass) in approx '83 when we lived in Germany. Since replaced (sent for repair in maybe '96 or so, new one returned, free), and since replaced again by the new U.S. importer with a newer Commander XP marine model (illuminated compass) at a seriously reduced cost. Latter deal also included a smaller 7x30 Navigator Pro C 7x30 (with compass) for wifey, since the reduced weight is better for her.

-Chris