Everything You Could Ever Hope For In A Compact!!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Little guy performs like a big guy

Cons: CAT lens coating not optimal for all uses

Author's Review
Can a binocular be described as fun?? Now it can. Steiner's 8x22 Predator is a high-quality, compact, slick little unit that is so light, you don't even think about it as it dangles around your neck. With its bright, clear image, and a mail-order price of just $115 plus shipping, this binocular easily rates 5 stars.

PROS: Everything. Start with the design: the biggest gripe about compact binoculars is that they don't fit your hands or just don't "feel" right because they are so small. Even though "small" is why you buy them, they feel awkward and their light weight makes them hard to hold steady. In the end, you often end up looking at a dark, low quality image, that bounces around like a beach ball in the crowd. These negatives offset all the advantages. The Predator 8x22, however, adjusts to fit all hands and the raised bumps on the body of the binocular make it feel bigger as you grip it (don't ask me why, just try it for yourself).

As with all roof prism binoculars, the Predator 8x22 has a center-focusing feature, which means one centrally located knob focuses both barrels of the binocular. The focusing knob has sufficient resistance so you don't tend to "over-focus" like most people tend to do with compact binoculars.

After you finish marveling at its ergonomics, you will immediately notice the incredible image quality. A couple of times, I actually forgot that it was a compact binocular. The field of view is almost 370 feet at 1000 yards. Some full size binoculars don't match that figure and most compacts don't even reach 300 feet. (Field of View is the distance you can see left to right without moving the binocular. The industry standard test is performed at a viewed distance of 1000 yards).

Steiner just doesn't mess around with its optics. The image in the Predator 8x22 was bright and crisp. There was no fading of the image at the edges of the lens picture. I tried to test how fogproof the binocular was by heating it up in my vehicle and then suddenly taking it out into the 40 degree weather. It didn't fog. Of course the binocular is also waterproof and shock proof. Steiner claims it will function normally in temperatures ranging from -20 to 140 degrees.

As for the CAT lens coating, I found I enjoyed it very much. The coating is specially designed to enhance the contrast between woodland colors (browns and greens). The binocular is specifically marketed as a hunting binocular because the added contrast will assist hunters in spotting game. Everyday binocular users may not like this unit because of the unique coating, not wanting the added contrast. If you don't plan to be in the wild, this is not the binocular for you.

After nearly 30 minutes of continuous use, I did feel just the slightest bit of eye strain, which would normally be much more severe from a compact binocular. Extended glassing at various distances was enjoyable with the Predator 8x22.

CONS: None when comparing this model against other compacts. However, one needs to remember with an objective lens of just 22mm, light transimission is greatly reduced. At dusk there will be no question that you are using a compact binocular. I brought along a set of Pentax 8x42's when I tested the Predator 8x22 and was able to effectively use the Pentax a full 12 minutes after the Predator became useless. In hunting terms, that's an eternity because that's primetime for the sport. But for a daytime hunt through patchy cover, this 8.5 ounce unit will be your best pal.

CONCLUSION: Buy it. If you need a lightweight binocular for hunting, camping, outdoor use generally--buy it. It is a blast to have so much quality stashed away in such a little case. I had a great time putting this binocular through the paces. I continually kept going back to the fact that this binocular costs only $115.00. Amazing. Rating it as one binocular against the world, it would get 4 stars; but as one compact against all other compacts, I give it 5 stars without hesitation. My highest recommendation.