Saga of the Steiner Shadow Quest

[@davidlytle3974]

Hotdog! Please, please, let me know if they are being consistent in their quality. I would love to hear your evaluation.

[@Robert-yl3mo]

Hi can you advice me.. Fuji 10x70 or nighthunter 8x56 ? I have already 10x50 and 8x42

[@kerryfry1857]

Marketing is everything. I really enjoy your content. I could watch you for hours. I'm convinced unless I'm missing something. Optics are just done. Zeiss introduced the first porro prism binoculars. Held the patent for 15 years. I think Binolux introduced around 1950 coated lenses. This is from memory i could be wrong. Clearly there has been development in optics. But... How much better can it get? I've got a pair of Helios 10×42 roof prism binoculars. That are near focus. Two flowers an inch apart, can be in held in different focus. Plus same binoculars can pick out a sheep at 4 miles. I paid £36 on eBay. For these binoculars. Does a £1000 or Dollar binocular justify the price? I'm guessing no. It's just marketing. BTW Attorney Bose sucks and should cut his nails.

[@davidlytle3974]

Ha! Thanks to you for the humourous comment and generally astute observation. I do believe that some of the more expensive glass out there delivers superior performance where flat fields and reductions of aberrations are concerned. However, I'm beginning to think that there is a vast field of wannabe premium glass out there that demand the big money without delivering performance that is significantly better than some vintage classics or new bins of humble but earnest origin. A fancy way of saying that I have a $150.00 8x32 that gives me as pretty a view as a $900.00 8x42, just with a wider field. Go figure. Thanks again for the input. By the way, I welcome any ideas for further reviews. What is the next bin to review that hits above its weight?

[@wrighty338]

$738 is basically stealing these, thats £592 GBP, i cannot find these any cheaper than £840/$1050. Im interested in adding this to my collection, but not at the suggested price. The general consensus on steiner is they are over priced and under perform. A shame because their open designs on the 7x50/7x30 look great. Got the zoin in my aliexpress cart

[@davidlytle3974]

Well? Any report on your Zoin purchase? Also, if you want a Steiner you can have mine for $750.00. I'm tired of the independent focus that doesn't snap in fast enough for my taste. I think that I will be hunting for a Noctavid to review (and keep?).

[@wrighty338]

@@davidlytle3974 Zoin still in my cart, picked up the Meade Masterclass Pro ED 10x56 (on sale) to try out instead. Well worth a look at its price point with its field flattener. Im primarily an astronomer so smaller bino's are just for fun as they cannot compete with my 70mm Binocular telescope under light polluted skies.

[@davidlytle3974]

Let's see what the new year brings.

[@davidlytle3974]

Well, of course you could. I would take good care of it. I do have a review of the Kowa Genesis 44 Prominar 8.5 x 44 coming up. In it, I'm going to be backpedaling on my criticism of the Steiner. Thank you for all of your recent contributions. Funny and informative. While S-P prisms can give plenty of contrast, sometimes you can have more contrast than is beneficial for your purpose. Black bucks hide well in black trunks and branches.

[@davidlytle3974]

By SP prisms, I was referring to Schmidt - Pechan prisms. The ShadowQuest has OK contrast but not the best. I just want to go on record that when contrast renders branches black to the point of no detail then I am not happy. 😢 That's what I experienced with the 8.5x42 EL SV. Does the Swarovski have poor contrast, since I couldn't make out slight shadings of shadow? It made for a beautiful picture but there were areas of darkness at the base of pines that a deer could have been standing in and I wouldn't have been able to recognize him. But, I would have if I had had "The Toy". It's possible to have too much of a good thing for certain purposes, just as too little. As an aside, I don't take offense at your reluctance to risk your equipment to the postal services. I think that I will be committing to picking up a Maven B5 in 10x56. Too good for the price, even if it wouldn't be a ballanced comparison to an 8x56.

[@Robert-yl3mo]

Hi can you advice me.. Fuji 10x70 or nighthunter 8x56 ? I have already 10x50 and 8x42

[@davidlytle3974]

Do you want to hand hold your dark sky binocular? Or, are you committed to mounting it for viewing? The Steiner is super comfortable to hold and only weighs about 2.4 pounds to the Fujinon's 4.76 pounds. Also, as far as I am aware, the Steiner is no longer in production while the Fujinon is. The Steiner is only going to become harder to find in new condition and will start to command more and more money. Get a Steiner and then compare it to a Fujinon when one conveniently appears. If you like the 10x70 more, sell the Steiner at no loss, or even at a profit. So much for the practical. Now for the subjective. No matter how much I nit picked over the Steiner, I am continually surprised by how well it holds up next to the latest and greatest binoculars that I pick up. I absolutely love the 10x42 SRBC that I recently received as it fully equals the performance of my Fujinon 10x50, yet with a wider field. I recently pulled my Steiner out of its dark box and compared it to the Banner Cloud. I came away with the impression that I enjoyed the Steiner experience more. 😮 Below is a review that seems to echo my experience with the Steiner. Does any of this help? www.cloudynights.com/topic/632798-observing-report-shadowquest-8x56-vs-fujinon-10x50-vs-swarovski-el-12x50-vs-fujinon-16x70/

[@Robert-yl3mo]

@ is Fujinon better if not look on weight ?

[@davidlytle3974]

You will be buying extra light with the 70mm (good for dimmer stars) and greater absolute detail with 10x. As for general quality of the glass/build/practical sharpness, I don't see much difference between the Fujinon and Steiner - considering their different construction concepts. The Fujinon will definitely feel more substantial in your hands. I don't mean that it will feel heavy, ( though it will). It's just a tank. The Steiner definitely feels like a plastic bodied binocular. If weight isn't an issue and star gazing is your thing, go Fujinon. Your skies will be darker.