Steiner Navigator 7x50 Binoculars - Magnification 7X - High Contrast Optics - Floating Prism System - Sports-Auto Focus - Delivers Excellent Image Clarity, Navy Blue (2342, New Version)

I enjoy traveling and this strange little device helps me see the places I visit. I am not an optics expert. I studied biological chemistry in college and worked in pharmaceutical sales and as a pharmacist. But I will try to give you my simple (possibly inaccurate) understanding of what a GOOD pair of binoculars are. I have 3 different pairs of Steiner binoculars including this one. Before I purchased Steiner optic viewers I had purchased 3 other brands, all cheaper than Steiner. I wear corrective lenses, so I need high optical quality in sharpness and resolution. One of my eye is farsighted and one is nearsighted, so I must adjust each objective (the barrel containing lenses for each eye) separately. If I have to adjust both objectives to the same degree simultaneously (as the case with most binoculars) then the binocular is always out of focus. Steiner binoculars offered me the best sharpness and resolution in terms of lens focus, and I can adjust each objective separately to match each eye. When you buy Steiner binoculars you will see 2 numbers. For example, this pair is labeled 7X30. 7 designate degree of magnification while 30 designate objective size. The greater the first number (or 7) then the greater the magnification. Which means the more detail you can see from a greater distance. This is ideal for a hunter who wants to see a camouflaged prey. I am a sightseer, so I am not seeking to separate a camouflaged green chameleon against green foliage. The greater the magnification the harder it is to maintain a steady field of vision. The slight movement of your hands, the more pronounced the visual field will shake especially at greater distances. Hand shaking can cause motion sickness. The other number is objective size. The objective is the 2 barrels containing the lenses for each eye. The larger the number the greater the barrel size. I have a 7X50 Steiner binocular. The objectives are almost twice the size of my 7X30 Steiner binocular. The field of vision is clearest with the larger objectives (7X50) especially in low-light conditions like early morning and dusk. Plus there is more lens area for your eyes to see. With the lower objectives (7X30) the slightest movement of your hands, your visual field becomes misaligned, and you see is the darkness of nothing. The problem with larger objectives (7X50) is they are twice the size of smaller objectives (7X30) and twice the weight. The inconvenience of carrying something twice as heavy and twice as larger become the deciding factors when you are traveling. The high acuity and high resolution at low-illumination of larger objectives (7X50) is defeated by the practical need for the nomadic lifestyle of a traveler. Nomadic people cannot carry a library of accumulated knowledge because of their lifestyle. Which handicaps their ability to build civilization.

I got that for my son who is a captain/mate on boats and who needed a specialized set of bins. We did A LOT of research and ended up picking this one. It was not the cheapest, but the quality was superb. Also, we got the model without rangefinder so it was not too expensive. Our son has been using it for several months now and he absolutely loves it. Quality was, I would compare them to my Nikon Monarchs - yes they are that good. The focus and image quality is superb, the lenses let a lot of light through and the built quality is top notch. We are very happy with our purchase.

I think that the positive reviews of these binoculars are made by people who have never looked through a good pair of binoculars. These Steiner Navigator 7 X 50's costing $600+ preform like something costing $100 or less. The individual eye focus is ok but the focus is not smooth. It's gritty and has some smooth spots and is hard to turn in other spots. This is unacceptable. Once you get the focus set up, the image is at about the same level as a 20 year old pair of Nikon 12x50's that I own and my pair of Canon 18x50 stabilized binoculars actually have a brighter image than these Steiner 7 X 50's. One night I took a look at the moon and there are internal reflections that interfere with the image. This seems to be a common trait of these binoculars. This is also unacceptable at this price point. Finally, these Steiners are made of PLASTIC! Yes, these are plastic binoculars but for some reason still weigh 4oz more than my old pair of 12x50 Nikons made from magnesium. As of this weren't bad enough, only the objective and eyepiece lenses are multi-coated. The internal prisms have no coating whatsoever! Oh and finally, guess where they are made: CHINA. No thank you, these binoculars are more like plasticky toys than real optical instruments especially for $600. I returned them immediately. Update: Just received my fujinon FMTR 7x50 that I ordered to replace the Steiner's. For the same price and man those fujinons absolutely destroy the Steiner navigator. I would say that the fujinon FMTR is even better optically than Steiner's Commander model and costs $1000 less. It seems that Steiner is selling really poor quality junk for insanely high prices.

As advertised. Built well, impressive glass, and light weight. I use them on the boat and also to look at the moon. All the things you researched are true. Impressive color pop, very comfortable to hold, decent neck strap and very good before dark considering they're only 30mm.

I agree with other reviews that Steiner quality seems to have suffered since they were acquired. For the price-point, there are better options. Steiner glass at the $1500+ category is still great, but better value can be found with Zeiss, Nikon, or Vortex

You cannot go wrong with a pair of Steiner binoculars. They feel, look and are amazing. This is my second pair and I wouldn’t use any other binocular on the water

Image clarity & build quality are unmatched

Got these for sailing. Fixed focus made it easy to use until eye cups started falling off. Not fun to try to grab them before they bounce into the ocean. Binoculars are useless without the eyecups. Under warranty but company sent me wrong size cups. Will change this review if company monitors these reviews and can get me right size eyecups so I can actually use the binoculars!

I got this as a mostly travel pair; nicely fit and finished, not a fan of those bridged ocular covers, replaced them with Kaiser 42mm caps. Otherwise top-notch coatings and grip - despite being larger and slightly heavier than some pairs, these actually are very easy to hold well and stable - Even with one hand at times! I highly recommend these. The IF (Individual Focus), also known as their "sport focus" works pretty well, but under changes of temperature, if using for star gazing do need a tweak once in a while, though once set to a good median range are pretty much set to go. Nice views, and work well in all scenarios. Thanks!

Excelente, super recomendo!

Came well packaged and as advertised, and works just fine. Sprt Auto-Focus when set to ~50m-80m distant can be used for objects from 50m to infinity. While star-gazing, I DO recommend refocus with eyes to get sharpest views, but images on terrestrial and marine are contrasty and in general sharp. Some minor field curvature but this is normal with short binocular optics. For general use, these are well made and work fine. Recommended

I like the auto focus. Comes in handy when the boat is moving.