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Stenier Peregrine XP 8x44- First impressions

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Roy Finn View Drop Down
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    Posted: July/08/2008 at 16:16
Today, I received a brand new pair of Steiner Peregrine XP 8x44's and I thought I would share my first impressions with all of you. While I have only spent an hour or so with these, my first thoughts were that they are as sharp and accurate in color as anything I have previously used. From the exterior they appear to have a very high quality of fit and finish. One thing that jumped out at me was the unique thumb rests under each barrel that have a gel like feel to them. Nice touch. The rest of the armor, which feels like some type of high quality rubber, makes holding these a pleasure. Soft, comfortable and quiet, perfect for a hunter like myself. The focus wheel is silky smooth with no backlash and goes from lock to lock in about 1 1/2 turns. This is slower than my Peregrine 8x42's, but it makes fine focusing much easier. The focus wheel is is large enough to provide a solid grip with or without gloves on and has raised ribs for positive focusing adjustment. The diopter adjustment is on the left barrel and has audible clicks which is a nice touch in my opinion. Overall, they have all the whistles and bells you would expect for a premium binocular, including a rather unusual, but very high quality, neoprene ocular cover that not only protects the oculars but the focus wheel as well. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that a lot of thought went into the ergonomics of this binocular and it shows. These primo binoculars also have a hydrophobic lense coating that Steiner dubbed as "Nano Protection Optics" that also provide durability or so they claim. I won't test the durability claim, but I will give them a good soaking and report those findings as well. If these perform in low light as I fully expect them to, they will be finding a new home with me.


Edited by Roy Finn - July/08/2008 at 18:36
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 16:53
Nice report, Roy!  I handled and looked through these bins inside a few months ago, and although the inside of a store with artificial lighting isn't a great place to evaluate optics, I thought they were optically impressive.  I also thought the gel filled portions of the armor was a nice touch, and I thought they were very comfortable to hold. 
 
I look forward to hearing more about these bins!
Ted


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Roy Finn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 17:14
Thanks Ted. I just added a couple of pics to show the rain cover and underside as well. And yes, I will be updating this as I get to spend more time with these. So far, I'm real impressed. For all the people over the years I have heard say that they didn't like Steiner's for their optical qualities, they should take a look through these. Of course, most of these INTERNET opinions were based on casual glances through a 8x30 Military/Marine or something similar. Not sure why folks try to lump optical qualities with a 300 dollar utility binocular and something from the "Big 3" costing 1000 dollarsor more. I would truly like to see the binocular that "blows this away". I haven't stacked these against the Zeiss Classic 7x42 or the Leica Trinovids that everyone gets so lathered up about but I will. Personally, the 8x42 Trinovids feel like your holding a log in your hands compared to these. As I stated earlier, someone was really doing their homework with these with their attention to ergonomics. I don't think that I will be setting up eye charts to test for resolution as I much prefer to try to simulate field conditions. Not saying that using eye charts is not useful, just that I can think of other ways and conditions to test for resolution. The low light testing will begin tonight. Thanks again Ted.
 
Roy


Edited by Roy Finn - July/10/2008 at 13:55
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Klamath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 17:14
Roy,
 
What's the deal with the diopter arrangement?  In your picture it looks like there is a diopter adjustment on both barrels, sort of like what you'd expect from a IF.  Are they both functional so we have an IF focusing binocular that has a CF adjustment too? Or is one of those knurled diopter rings just cosmetic?  Or is neither one really the diopter at all and that is part of the focus wheel setup?  I looked at a 8x42 Peregrine once and really liked it.  I think the angled eyecups are a neat ferature.  How much better is this one than the 8x42 Peregrine?
Steve
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Roy Finn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 17:44
No, that knurling is just cosmetic. I have a pair of Peregrine 8x42's and I like these much more. The standard Peregrine has a faster focusing mechanism than these which have their benefits as well. The one thing that really is standing out to me from an optical design standpoint is the really deep focus windows that they have. Some also just call this depth of field, but it is more accurate to describe them as focus windows which simply means if you focus on a specific object there are areas in front of and behind the object being focused on that are still sharp and clear. That is a big plus for scanning  wooded areas much like I typically encounter while hunting whitetails. Probably would not be as noticeable in open area type glassing. This isn't a a usual trait of roof prism bino's so it is certainly nice to see. These are definitely sharper than my 8x42 Peregrines.
Roy
 
The rest of the Steiner gang except my 6x30 Whitetails.
 
 


Edited by Roy Finn - July/08/2008 at 18:03
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Tero View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 19:25
Good name for a binocular. I like the Vortex names too. Who needs a Monarch? Plus it was the name of the moped I once rode, borrowed.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SChunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/08/2008 at 21:36
good review!  Look forward to your comparison to other binos in your fleet!
Yippee
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Klamath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/24/2008 at 17:43
Amazon has these for $750.
Steve
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Klamath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July/24/2008 at 21:42
Well that didn't last long.  They're back to $1545.
Steve
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted". William Bruce Cameron

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