Steiner 7x50 Marine Binocular

by Steiner

Product Features

• Waterproof, shockproof binocular with 7x magnification and 50mm objective lens
• Sports-Autofocus system puts everything into focus from 20 yards to infinity
• BAK-4 prisms, fully multicoated optical surfaces, and 20mm of long eye relief
• Light transmission peaks at over 90 percent for viewing in low-light conditions
• Measures 8.2 x 2.8 x 5.2 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 37 ounces; 10-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Big on performance and generous on economy, Steiner's 7x50 Marine binocular is ideal for both boaters and shore-bound users. The binocular is equipped with marine glass that's built to traditional Steiner navy/military styling, from its sharp and incredibly bright optics to the easy-to-grip exterior. The Sports-Autofocus system, meanwhile, puts everything into focus from 20 yards to infinity once calibrated to the user's eyes. Most importantly for boaters, however, is the binocular's waterproof and shockproof housing, which protects the optics should you accidentally drop the binocular into a body of water. Other details include BAK-4 prisms, fully multicoated optical surfaces, an easy-to-grip exterior, outstanding light transmission that peaks over 90 percent, and 20mm of long eye relief. The 7x50 Marine binocular--which comes with a web strap, a rain and spray guard for the eyepieces, and an attached objective lens cap--is backed by a 10-year warranty.

Specifications:

• Objective lens: 50mm
• Magnification: 7x
• Field of view: 354 feet @ 1,000 yards
• Eye relief: 20mm
• Dimensions: 8.2 by 2.8 by 5.2 inches (W x H x D)
• Weight: 37 ounces

Product Description

Steiner Marine 7 x 50 mm Binoculars... clear, bright, powerful and field-rugged! Versatile, with astonishing optical performance, the Steiner Military / Marine Series. Featuring rugged construction like the legendary Steiner military models that have been selected by the US Army and over 40 other nations. Hunting, wildlife observation, boating... these are ready, and a great value. All in the series have a 10-year limited warranty, rainproof construction, and Steiner 20-yards-to-infinity Sports Auto-Focus system. You set the focus once and then everything from 20 yards out is in sharp focus, without further adjustment. Tech specs on the excellence: Fully multi-coated lenses and BAK-4 prism for outstanding brightness, glare-fighting and clarity; Fully waterproof, shockproof, fogproof; Tough rubber armoring; Field of view (F.O.V.) is 354' @ 1,000 yds. 22 mm eye relief; Come with web neck strap and lens covers; Weigh 37 ozs. Measure approx. 5 x 8 x 2 3/4". German-made Steiners are the gold standard in optics... order yours today at the best price going! Steiner Marine 7 x 50 mm Binoculars

Product Details

Product Manual [2.96mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 5.6 inches ; 2.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008ZPGS
• Item model number: 575
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,600 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent low light performance, September 28, 2006

By 

D. MCKICHAN - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Steiner 7x50 Marine Binocular (Electronics)

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.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average, January 5, 2011

By 

Ben "Ben" (Western USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Steiner 7x50 Marine Binocular (Electronics)

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 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great German optics for the price!, July 4, 2007

By 

Joseph Carroll (Tallahassee, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Steiner 7x50 Marine Binocular (Electronics)

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!