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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 20 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
excellent low light performance Sep 29, 2006
By D. MCKICHAN
I have the 7x50 Steiner Ralleye model, which appears to be identical to the Marine version. It is built like a tank and gives you a lot of confidence that it will hold up to abuse. In low light and night conditions this is an excellent performer. If you are using this is an area with a lot ambient light (such as a town) or moonlight, it will really bring a lot of detail out of the shadows and is a better choice by far then night vison equipment costing hundreds more. The 7x magnification is also a nice choice for avoiding lense shake. (I also have a pair of 9x40 Steiners, and that move from 7x-9x power is noticeable.) The 7x50 also allows you to better follow moving targets. The sport auto focus system works very well and the optics are excellent.
Edit: Oct 2009. I have acquired several other binos since this purchase and now primarily use a roof prism set of 10x40's as the weight is better and I wanted that little bit of extra power in the day light. However for low light and stability nothing beats these and they are still the best built pair I have. I would still recommend these.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Average Jan 05, 2011
By Ben
"Ben"
I bought these at the same time as a Steiner 7x50 Commander XP model. The Commander XP's use the same case but for triple the price have better eyepieces, coatings and optical specifications and a few additional or better accessories than the Marine model.
I compared them in terrestrial and celestial viewing but the easiest comparison is done with astronomical subjects since they really define performance clearly. The images in the Marine model merged effortless. In the Commander XP, I have difficulty merging the images. The XP's are obviously badly out of collimation. I don't care to fix this myself on binos in this price range but I was pleased that the much less costly Marine's appear to be flawless in this respect.
I evaluated the real and apparent fields of view as well as the sharpness near the edge of the field.
In the Marine model, the real field of view is reasonably wide but apparent field is quite narrow. It's not bad but it's not a spectacular vista either. In the Commander XP, the real FOV is only barely perceptibly wider. Steiner's website lists the specifications. The apparent field, which is not specified is about the same for both. The almost indiscernable extra width of real FOV does not contribute much to the value of the XP's for triple the price.
On the Marine model, I put Sirius and Jupiter in the center of the field. They each looked nice. Moving the binoculars so that the objects were farther from the center of the field I could see the image degraded about half-way to the edge of the field of view. Near the very edge, the image was appalling. Much more than half-way out of the center of the field of view, the star or planet turns from a bright point to just a smear. Near the very edge it's a dim smudge. I tried the same with the Commander XP. It was every bit as bad. I could have probably improved things a little by refocusing but that only means that the field isn't flat either.
Are the XP's better on dim objects? The optics are supposed to transmit 96% light compared to the Commander V's 95% and the Marine's 90%. I saw very little difference on dim objects like the Orion nebula or the background of the Pleides or Jupiter's moons. Again, I can't see the justification for triple the price, so I commend these Marine models over their far more costly cousins.
Both have generious eye-relief, 20mm for the Marine and 22mm for these XP's. They also have the same weight and dimensions. They're heavy but still reasonable if you're wearing a thick coat to pad your chest and a harness to keep them from swinging all over if you're moving. Also, at 7x they're reasonable for handholding. For me, 7x50 is about the limit for handholding. Heavier or higher power would be too shakey. 6x56 might be nicer if they were more common.
Where the XP is clearly better is with small details like the click-loc strap attachments (for use with Steiner straps and harnesses only), the better eyepiece covers, lens covers, focuser grips, shading eye-cups, and various doo-dads that come in the case. It comes with a flotation strap which the Marine doesn't, but I would still rather prefer a harness which neither comes with.
I bought these Porro prism binos because I thought for the high price, particularly the XP's, they should be outstanding. While roof prism binos might require fifteen hundred dollars or more to achieve optical exellence (or so I've heard), it should be easier with porros. With these, the optical quality is lacking nontheless. To be honest, I have nothing to compare them to. I've never seen better, but I was still totally underwhelmed by the performance which was only slightly better than I would expect from binoculars in the hundred dollar range. In the case of the XP's, it's a rip-off, no question. In the case of the Marine model, the value is closer to reasonable because of the far lower price. I didn't compare them to other binos in their price range. The Fujinon line would be the most similar but it would also be worthwhile to compare Nikons, even the well-regarded Monarch roof prism models which are in this price category but are totally different.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Great German optics for the price! Jul 04, 2007
By Joseph Carroll
The Steiner Marine 7x50 binoculars have met my (admittedly high) expectations. The Sports Auto-Focus is great -- even better on my Marine pair than the Predator models that I looked at in Academy Sports. It makes changing from viewing one object to another fast and easy. They are very clear too. With the focus set at the closest range I can read the buttons on my microwave from across my small trailer. Using them out of doors the foliage really pops out (even when overcast). In almost complete darkness they enable one to see things the naked eye cannot. I have used them at night when I could barely see to walk around. The view through the binoculars was hardly affected at all. Once I used them to look from my parent's back yard, across the (six-lane) interstate, into the parking lot of the local community college at night. I could see the bugs playing around the streetlights!
I hadn't seen this particular pair in person, so they surprised me with their light weight -- some people had called them heavy online. They must be very frail people. This pair is much, much lighter than the Sears brand ones my parents got me 15+ years ago that are smaller. Compared to all steel binoculars the Steiners hardly weigh anything. They are not so light that image-shake is a problem however. The weight combined with the 7 magnification makes for an easily stabilized view.
One other thing of note is the 22mm of eye relief. That is a very helpful feature to me since I wear eyeglasses. Other binoculars with less eye relief have been problematic for me -- even ones with 19mm eye relief made by Steiner. Of course, for those who do not wear glasses, the rubber eye-cups can be folded out to reduce the amount of eye relief. In that mode people with normal vision do not seem to have any problem with them.
So far I am pleased with the binoculars in every detail but one. The strap sucks. It is way too thin, and I could imagine that after a day in the field the binoculars would really dig into one's shoulders with the supplied strap. What is a little odd is that the case that came with them is rather nice and has a comfortable, wide strap attached to it... The package also came with a little cleaning cloth, which was kind of a nice touch.
For the price, $260 through Amazon with free shipping, I think the Steiner Marine 7x50 model is fantastic. It would certainly be hard to beat the performance in that price range!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Superb binoculars - Stunning image quality - Built like a tank Nov 06, 2010
By M. Evangelist
Last summer while visiting a friend in Germany I had a chance to try a pair of high-end Steiner binoculars. They completely reset my expectations of how good a binocular can be; the image quality was unbelievable. Unfortunately, they were the Commander series, which are way beyond my budget.
I'm so glad I discovered the Marine line of Steiner! They totally blow away anything else in the price range.
PROS -
* Incredibly bright and sharp image
* Made in Germany
* Very high quality construction
* Comfortable to hold
* Good eye clearance
* Nice carrying case included
* Waterproof
CONS -
* Heavy - over two pounds (doesn't bother me at all, but for some it might be a factor)
* Pretty large
* The neck strap is a little underwhelming, but it's functional
Steiner binoculars reinforce a view I've held for years: the Germans really know how to make lenses.
Don't even think about other brands if you're planning to spend $300 on binoculars. Get the Steiner!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Steiner Marine with floatation strap Oct 17, 2007
By Thomas E. Gregory
"tomgtv"
Very high quality product. It really brightens up the scene in
daylight and low light conditions. For those that don't know 7X50mm
is the preferred configuration for boating. You get a large field of
view which is important when you are on a moving/rocking boat. I find
the 7X magnification fine. I use these on my Jetski as an aid to
my GPS when out exploring in Florida waters. The waterproofing is
great and the rubber armor is superb. A great value, worth the price.
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