Steiner Safari Ultrasharp 8x30

A truly excellent feature on these binoculars is Steiner Sports-Auto-Focus Plus hybrid system. The advantage of a fixed focus or as it is sometimes called, an individual eyepiece focus system is that once you have set them to your particular vision, no further focal adjustments are necessary. However, the downside to this is that in order to have such a long depth of view, the close focusing distance is very long (usually around 20 meters). For most uses, this is not a problem, however, on safari or birding adventure, there may be occasions when you need to view bird, animal or butterfly in a nearby bush. This is where the additional focus wheel comes in handy as it lets you adjust the focus right down to only 2 meters away.

At 8x magnification on these binoculars is perfect for close to mid-range distances and whilst you may not get the same level of detail as the 10x30 version, you do get a better low light performance and a wider field of view which makes it easier to locate and then follow any fast moving birds or wildlife.

Whilst the small 30 mm lenses are great for keeping the overall size and weight of these binoculars to a minimum, it is important to also understand that like the small windows in your house, they capture and let in less light than larger ones. This is absolutely not a problem during the day when there is plenty of light available. However at dusk or before sunrise, these will not offer quite the same level of performance as a binocular of equal quality and same magnification, but with larger lenses. Thus if you are planning on often going out in very poor light conditions, you may be better off with a larger instrument like the 10x42 Safari Ultrasharp.