Born from the ashes of World War II, Steiner Optics has a long history of performance and durability—and its latest offering, the new Military/Marine line of binoculars, speaks to the company’s continued commitment to these traditions.
The new line comes in three models: a small and lightweight 8x30, and two 50mm-objective versions, one with moderate 7x magnification and another with high 10x power. Regardless of the model, all three share many of the same design features that make them excellent for most glassing needs, including Steiner’s Sports-Auto Focusing System, a floating prism system, and a durable Makrolon housing that is wrapped in NBR synthetic rubber armor.
Eschewing the traditional center-focusing mechanism for individually focusable eyepieces, the Sports-Auto Focusing system provides for much more precise focusing, regardless of your individual eye prescription, and lets you set the focus just one time. Once focused, you won’t have to readjust it no matter how near or far the subject is past the minimum focus distance—even if the subject is moving. This makes finding and tracking subjects fast and easy while allowing you to direct all your attention to observing and not fumbling for focus knobs or diopter rings.
Complementing the optical performance are two primary construction details that will help keep the Military/Marine performing for years. These include the floating prism system, which uses flexible silicone mounts to absorb shocks and impacts without damaging the components or causing them to move out of alignment. This ensures that the binocular will be able to achieve tack-sharp focus despite a lifetime of use and abuse. Next is a Makrolon polycarbonate chassis. The material is lightweight and impact resistant, and remains a comfortable temperature for easier handling in extreme weather conditions. Makrolon also resists the expansion/contraction common in metal chassis that can cause the optics to move out of alignment over time, which can also affect their ability to focus the optic sharply. A third feature is the use of an oil, petroleum, and chemical-resistant NBR synthetic rubber armor, which offers improved grip security, especially in cold and wet weather, while protecting the binocular from harmful environmental agents.
With a weight of just 17 ounces and compact 30mm objectives, the 8x30 model is ideal for fast glassing on the go. Whether you’re out moving on the trail or performing surveillance on active targets, they won’t weigh you down or cause excessive fatigue hanging around your neck—and the included padded strap only makes it more comfortable.
For those who need low-light performance, such as at dawn and dusk when animals tend to be more active, or when peering into thick brush or under heavy cloud cover, the larger 50mm versions might be more appropriate. The oversized objectives draw in copious amounts of light to boost its capabilities and usability, while helping to maintain a competent field of view and exit pupil. The 7x model has an ultra-wide 7.1mm exit pupil that will completely cover pupils when they open and become fully dilated in low light to keep views bright and clear without vignetting. The 10x version has a decent 5mm exit pupil that maintains its low-light use, while also producing a field of view that approaches wide angle, to help minimize the appearance of visible hand shake that is common when handholding high-power optics such as these.
Whether you need a small binocular for fast observations, or large objectives to use during the pre-dawn and dusk hours, the new line of Military/Marine binoculars have the perfect combination of magnification and objective lens diameter for your needs or the mission at hand.
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which tripod can be use with Steiner binoculars?