Steiner Nighthunter Reviews

I have owned the night hunter binocular's for more than 20yrs. Have distinguished more than 10,000 wild pig's on the Brazos River while using them during the hunt's. Most rugged with the NBR rubber armoring. Absolutely awesome seeking warranty now to have NBR rubber armoring replaced or repaired.

I bought a pair a couple of years ago (although they're called NightHunter in my country, rather than ShadowQuest) and would recommend them to anyone. They're amazingly versatile even beyond the low-light hunting conditions that they're designed for. A key point I'd highlight is just how enormous their field of view is, which has lent them to multiple other applications for me: Astronomy - can get a great picture of a large section of the sky. Can either be enjoyed standalone, or as an aid for dialling-in telescopes with much thinner FOV. Fishing - I've taken them out on boats a couple of times, and the large picture also means that they work very serviceably for casual marine applications as you scan the horizon. Motorsports - Likewise, I've now taken them to the Formula 1 and other series several times, and the huge FOV really comes into its own, you can see huge sections of the track all at once which makes any wheel-to-wheel battles seem so close you can touch them. The 'sports auto-focus' is also great for motoracing, as you basically keep a crisp focused image all the way down long straights as the racers approach you - they're just as clear at half a mile away as they are at 50 metres. At F1 speeds especially, there would be no way you could adjust the focus manually without it being a big distraction, so that's also a great feature that other binoculars don't have. They've got a pretty rugged, rubberised exterior so they travel well, although I'd recommend getting a different case for them than the ones they come in, which is a bit basic/boxy/unpadded. All in all just a great all-rounder pair of binoculars - if you can only buy one set and want to use them for various purposes, look no further.

My interest is in stargazing/astronomy and in this regard the ShadowQuest 8 x 56 (ShadowQuest) are outstanding, one of the best binoculars I’ve used! The ShadowQuest has, in my opinion, the best design for stargazing/astronomy, Porro prism design with individual focusing on both eyepieces – tack sharp - and they are comfortable to hold. The 8x magnification is easier to hold steady than a set 10 x 50 (the binocular much referenced in astronomy). The brightness/light transmission of the ShadowQuest is superb as is aided by the 7 mm exit pupil and the sculptured eyecups/eye guards that help block out sidelight. I wear reading glasses, but I don’t wear them when I use binoculars, and the rubber eyecups allow me to custom position the binoculars to my face, something that is only marginally accomplishable with “twist up” style eyecups. They do weigh about 2.5 pounds and I would recommend a harness as the included neck strap isn’t up to the job, especially if you wear binoculars – while standing – for an hour or longer. They are expensive but for a lover of stargazing/astronomy these binoculars are worth it.

I purchased these binoculars primarily for astronomy viewing.. The larger 56mm lenses along with the lens coatings provide 96% light transmission in a unit still light enough to use without a tripod. The low light performance is superb. Stars are tack sharp without halos or aberrations. The auto sports focus system makes focusing a one and done process. I recommend taking your time and getting the focus exact on for each of your eyes. I used a street sign at 50 yards for focusing and at that distance I can see the screws on the sign. At 100 plus yards I can see buds on tree branches easily. The glass and optics are superb world class. At this price point you would be hard pressed to find better. Best binoculars I have used highly recommended!

This is one of only three binoculars that allow people wearing glasses to see the full view due to their long eye relief. We need a minimum of 20mm and this one has 24.4mm. Most other binoculars average 17mm.

I acquired these binoculars primarily for the following niche purposes: 1. Low light/nighttime wildlife observation (I study nocturnal animals professionally) 2. Astronomy (a budding hobby) In these capacities, the Steiner ShadowQuests excel. When set to my eyes' variant of the default "Sport Focus" setting (more on that later), these binoculars are great for crepuscular and nocturnal wildlife viewing. On a few treks from dusk to nighttime under ~1/3 crescent moon (and fairly light polluted skies), I was, at relatively close (~30m/yards) distances, able to distinguish bucks from does, and owls from squirrel nests, so the glasses get a solid 5 stars there. Likewise, after tweaking the focus to my "astronomy" setting, the stars and moon are stunning in their brightness and sharpness, and the moderate 8x magnification makes exploring the (again, light polluted) skies a pleasure. They easily fit my universal strap type tripod adapter. I was surprised to find that the ShadowQuests are decent general use binoculars as well. I've taken them birding during the day (my primary binoculars are off for service right now), and the Steiners (on the default setting) are great at spotting and identifying anything farther away than about 25 yards. I did have to deploy my pocket 8x25 binoculars to help with close sparrows and such, so I wouldn't recommend these Steiners as primary birding glasses, but they'll do in a pinch or medium+ distances (and the sharpness, colors, etc. within their range limitations are excellent). I wasn't expecting them to be so good in this realm. Given their size, they are also comfortable (I like the winged eyeshields, but see below) waterproof, fog proof, comfortable to hold, not too heavy, and well made. Furthermore, you can read in countless other reviews how great the optics are, and I concur. So why 4/5 stars? Well, there are a few drawbacks. First up, the marketing gimmicks. 1. Sports Auto Focus. This is jargon for individual focus. The default focus setting works well for medium to long distance birding, wildlife observation, and quick glances at anything else, but will probably not be comfortable for long observations at a given distance, and will be mediocre for astronomy. 2. Lumiclips. These are just glow-in-the-dark bits of plastic that take the place of your objective covers. I wanted to retain the objective covers, so I just attached the glowing doo-dads to the strap ends (pic attached: I use these binoculars on a harness too) in case I need them (though I haven't yet). Anyway, these are an oversold "feature". 3. They are big. They are dorky. Their shiny logos and marketing festoons (e.g., "Steiner Nanoprotection") make me feel like they're compensating for something. They are not. They're great binoculars, and would be even better without the visual shouting. Next, the ergonomic niggles. Now that we can admit these are individual focus binoculars, we should acknowledge that that focus mechanism is pretty stiff. It's difficult to adjust focus on a target "on the fly", so be warned. This is exacerbated by the winged eyecups, which turn with the focus rings, so what was a comfortable, "zen" experience at one focus setting is now an awkward exercise of rotating or folding the eye shields at another (or you can leave them folded all the time, and miss out on their benefits). Note too that the best focus setting for astronomy and truly distant viewing is quite different than the default setting. Sine I use these binoculars in two distinct capacities (wildlife viewing and astronomy), I've memorized the first use's focus settings, and marked the second's on the focus rings in pencil. Switching between uses is easier now, though I still need to fiddle with the winged eye shields each time. So these binoculars are best when you can "set and forget" the focus for your intended use, and cumbersome if you can't. Anyway, these Steiners are great for their specific purposes, and I generally love using them!

I purchased these to replace a 30 year old pair of 8x56 Steiner porro prism binoculars that were deemed unrepairable by the US service department. They are very clear under low light conditions. Hopefully they will last longer than the last pair.

My go-to binocs are Steiner Ranger Pro 10x56mm but the 8x56mm Shadowqst are brighter and lighter weight. A bit bulkier. I don't mind since the poro-prism is pretty efficient and the strap is comfortable. I hunt wildboar late into the p.m. and these Shadowquests are effective.

I've had a few different brands of binoculars. The ShadowQuest 8x56 are amazing. Very clear glass. Easy to focus. Best at lower light viewing too. They are BIG in your hands. High quality construction. Glad I purchased them. Would recommend!!

I have owned a pair of these for several years and love them.