Steiner 7x50 Commander V Binocular

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Product Feature

• HD Nighthunter optics deliver 96 percent peak light transmission - the highest ever recorded
• Ergonomically shaped wrap-around eye cups with ventilated oculars to protect from side light
• 385 feet at 1000 yard field of view
• Built to military standards for shock resistance, humidity and waterproofing
• 30-year limited warranty

Product Description

Steiner Commander V 7 x 50 mm Binoculars... world-class professional ocean yacht racers agree they're the best! Take it from legenday skipper Dennis Conner: "We've used a lot of binoculars over the years, but when we outfit a boat for the America's Cup or the V.O.R. Round-the-World race, we choose Steiner for reliability, brightness, and their exceptionally stable and accurate compass." Talk about high praise from an informed source! If you're after the brightest optics for unparalleled performance at night or in low light conditions, here are the brightest Binoculars made: the Steiner Commander V. With "HD" High-Definition Nighthunter technology that delivers 96% peak light transmission, the highest ever recorded. You choose a standard model, or one with integrated high-performance illuminated compass. The analog compass and ranging reticle are reliably precise and don't impede your view. Compass-illumination button is easy to operate even with gloves on (uses 2 watch-type alkaline batteries for the illuminator). Each Commander V is hand-built to be mil. spec. waterproof and shock resistant, with a Steiner 30-year limited warranty; Special BaK-4 prisms and unique coatings ensure unsurpassed light transmission for sensationally clear, high-contrast three-dimensional vision. Internal stray-light-prevention system (a series of baffles) helps create the 96%-plus peak brightness; High-quality Makrolon housing protects the inner workings. Guaranteed shock-resistant and 100% mil. spec. waterproof (tested to a submersion depth of 5 meters). Rubber armoring offers toughness and a great grip; Nitrogen pressure purging completely eliminates inner fogging from -40-deg. F to +176-deg. F (-40-deg. C to +80-deg. C); Intelligent prism suspension with special silicon carriage keeps your view completely aligned, even in rough conditions; Steiner Sports Auto-Focus... you set the focus once and then everything from 20 yards out is sharply defined, without further adjustment. With memo

Steiner 7x50 Commander V Binocular Review

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I will highlight much of what I like about these binoculars, and some of the shortcomings. If some of what I write is not clear, please read my review of the Canon 10x42L binoculars, as it is a detailed explanation of binocular selection in general, and some of the terms I am using below.

As many know, Steiner is a world class Binocular maker from Germany. They provide many militaries with binoculars, so they know optics well. Probably only Ziess and Leica have a stronger reputation, but they represent the zenith of pricing also. The packaging of this product was the nicest I have ever seen. The box was very professional, the storage pouch was well made, and the binocs come with a 30 year lmtd. warranty. Here is what I like about 7x50 binocs in general, then, I will comment on the specifics of these Steiners...

1) Very hand-holdable if you have relatively steady hands. 7x magnification IMO is the highest magnification you can acheive with relatively steady images. After 7x, for the average person, I would reccomend IS (Image Stabilization system) or Tripod / Monopod, unless you have a high tolerance for shaking images. The weight is only 30 oz. (just under 2 lbs) without the compass.

2) 7mm exit pupil Diam. Although during daylight hours, much of this exit pupil is wasted, so the binocs appear no brighter than the 10x42's. However, when the light level becomes low, the difference in apparent brightness is HUGE. (assuming your eye pupils can dilate open wide enough to benefit from this, see chart above) This is also called the twilight factor. However, even during daytime use, these large exit pupils do not got to waste, as they provide tremendous "ease" of viewing as the circle of light bathing your small eye pupil allows you more "eye placement leeway" AND, it also allows your eyes to swivel inside this large exit pupil diam., which is a very natural feeling. With the Canon 10x42's, you must keep your eyes centered, and move the binocs to keep the subject of interest in the center of the image circle, to avoid the annoying black-out condition, caused by the exit pupil from the eye lens missing your eye pupil opening. This is a VERY underestimated value of large exit pupil binocs. (again, exit pupil is objective diam., / magnification, so 50/7 = 7mm.) This issue is somewhat age related. If you want to understand this further, read my explanation of exit pupil diameter under my Amazon review of the Canon 10x42L binocs. If you are an older person, and your eye pupils do not dilate past 4mm, then you are wasting a lot of exit pupil diameter and can probably use the smaller Steiner 7x30's and get equal results in a lighter, and smaller binoc.

3) Astronomy use - 7x50's see a wide field of view. For astronomy use, the large exit pupil of the 7x50's is immediately apparent with producing very bright stars, and the ability to hand-hold, WITHOUT so much shake. With too much shake, the stars would appear like bouncing specs of lights. The difference between 7x and 10x is huge when hand holding. At 8x, I still find it hard to handhold for astronomy. Hence the value of 7x. It's best to "try" these variables out with the proposed binocs in your hands, because not only does everyone have different "hand stillness", we also have different tolerance levels for shaky images.

4) Eye Relief. Most 7x50 binocs have longer ER, which maybe very desirable for those who wear corrective eyeglasses. Those with astigmatisms would benefit greatly by using their corrective eyeglasses when using binocs. As most binocs with diopter correction can correct for refractive differences between the eyes, but no visual optics can compensate for astigmatism, except your custom made corrective eyeglasses. Of course, if you wear contacts, you eliminate these problems. These Binocs are very eyeglass friendly.

Now, specifics about the Steiner Commander V which I like.....

1) Image quality is superb. I would rank them as high as the Canon 10x42L's which is about the sharpest binocs I have ever seen. Steiners web site boasts HD technology (High Definition) utilized in the design.... I have no reason to doubt their buzzword, as the image is super sharp with NO distortion. They also boast a 96% light throughput, which I have no way of testing, but have no reason to doubt their claim. Distortion is practically non existent.

2) Eye cups are superb, they are perfectly designed to rid side light. If you wear your glasses, you can fold the side part of the cups back.

3) Focus is done by each individually. Normally a nuisance, but Steiner has included a set of scales, so you can set the binocs at infinity focus, then lift and set the marker, for easy return to infinity setting after you had focussed close, or someone else used the binocs and changed focus. Brilliant feature.

4) Rugged build. Steiner knows how to build rugged binocs, these are no exception. Nice rubber feel, great in cold or hot weather, as they the surface temp does not vary greatly.

5) Lens caps are very use friendly....the snap into place, and can be easily removed, but yet remain captive on the binocs, making them easy to reinsert. The eye lens caps are the best I have ever seen design. They fit snug, regardless of the last IPD setting. They attach to the neck strap for easy return. You must flap over the side lips on the eye cups to use the caps.

6) Focus has very fine adjust. Provides leeway for good focus.

7) Excellent collimation - Steiner has had years of experience to perfect good collimation. It is part of the reason you pay more for their quality. To learn more about how to test for collimation and its effects, read my Canon 10x42L review.

8) Matched fl's. Steiner seemed to pay a lot of attention to assuring the fl's of each optical train, for each eye, are matched in magnification... .this is another very high-end feature which is often not a concern in lower priced binocs, sometimes creating mis matched magnification in each eye, creating a condition called retinal rivalry, i.e. the brain is battling two different sized images, which creates mental stress. Often these subtle differences create eye strain as well. If the problem is extreme, you can see this in the blink test as explained in the Canon 10x42 review. I will have to assume Steiners QC is too good to allow shortcomings such as this.

8) From the Steiner web site... some other great features.... Guaranteed shock-resistant and absolutely mil spec waterproof (tested to a submersion depth of 5 meters). The rubber armoring offers a good grip, protects the binocular and prevents slipping on wet surfaces. The optional flotation strap will keep the Commander V safely afloat. The nitrogen pressure system completely eliminates inner fogging from - 40 �C to + 80 �C. And the intelligent prism suspension with a carriage made of special silicon will keep your vision completely aligned.

Some things I don't like, or would like to see improved....

1) AFOV - Steinder does not list the AFOV. If I had to guess, I would suspect about 50 degrees. I would not call this a shortcoming because I have never seen any wide angle binocs with wider AFOV. But if you like big image circles for that WOW effect, you will notice a big difference between these Steiners and the Canon 10x42L's 65 deg AFOV. Canon clearly advertises this, and they should.

2) Focus - Steiner did a nice job with the dual focus arrangement.... however, I still prefer a center focus that focuses both sides, used in conjunction with a Diopter adjust for one eye. This allows for fast focusing on the fly. Of course, if you remain focused at infinity most of the time, this is not an issue.

3) Slight edge softness, but only at the very extreme edges, so not a huge deal, but slightly noticeable if you have sharp vision.

Well, can't find too many shortcomings, these binocs are that well made....

Bottom line.... if I had to choose ONE pair of binocs for hand-holding, it would be a toss up between the Canon 10x42's and these Steiner Commander V's. It comes down to the application.... for daylight use only, the Canons win for their larger AFOV (assuming you can afford the extra $ and can handle the weight), for mixed use (bright day and twilight) the 7x50's Steiners would win by a hair, and if it was for mid day and / or twilight use, combined with star gazing, the 7x50's would SURELY win.

Binocs are highly personalized visual instruments. It's important to understand the variables so you can choose the right binocular size first, i.e. magnification and objective size, then choose the quality of the binocs. within this size. The old adage, Horses for Courses, certainly applies in binoc selection :-)

Hope this helps with your buying decision....

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