Steiner 8x56 Shadow Quest Binocular

I bought these to see if I could find something at 8X instead of most offerings at 10X so the image wouldn't be moving so much when hand-held.With a huge 56mm objective lens, I figured these had to be the bee's knees. And with the description suggesting that I could focus once and everything would be in focus, I was truly expecting that a well-known and reputable builder of field glasses would have gotten it right.After getting the clunky focusing rims adjusted to something acceptable to me, viewing the scenes both near and far for just a few short minutes, they started making my eyes hurt and I could feel a headache coming on as well.I asked a friend with a pair of older 8x32 Steiners that are wonderful little glasses to try these. After getting the focus set up for himself, which was quite a chore for him as well, he handed them back to me almost immediately. He has issues with his eyes and is susceptible to getting migraines. These were close to causing him one, so my "normal" eyes starting to hurt must not have been a red herring.For the price I expected something that I could have kept, but my old $20 cheap-o glasses that I have since thrown away were better in that they didn't hurt me.I found other glasses and moved on.

I have two different pairs of Steiner 56mm binoculars (Ranger Pro 10x56 and Shadowquest 8x56). I hunt wild boar in Germany where late-night sitting requires constant scanning of the wheat and corn fields for "schwarzwild." The Ranger Pro's are excellent but require constant focusing, while the more expensive Shadowquests are superior for a few reasons. First, instant focus beyond 20 meters. Yes, images are blurred when looking at objects under 25-30 meters, but that's not what 8x binoculars were made for. Second, the 56mm "windows" are ideal for low-light conditions, even when there's no moon. Ambient light gets sucked into these larger-than-usual optics and beyond-twilight (night) hunting benefits from this wider window. But even if you have a full moon or daytime conditions, the clarity and contrast are unmatched in this price range. A 1000 clams spent on a pair of bino's may seem high. Not if you rely on quick visual acquisition, high contrast, and crystal-clear images as the sun goes down. I've been using my Steiner Shadowquests (Nighthunter, when marketed in Europe) for more than a year. I can't remember if i bought them from Amazon or Optics Planet, but both sites change about the same. For serious hunters, it's money well spent. Oh, and if you drop them from a hunting stand at night and they bounce a few times before hitting the ground 10 feet below, they'll hold up fine.