Steiner Merlin 8x42 Binoculars Review

The Steiner Merlin 8x42 Binoculars were designed with birdwatchers in mind with the help from Steiner Optics� championship birding team as well as experts from the American Birding Association and are for me an excellent all round binocular for most birding applications as well general wildlife and nature use.

So what makes these Steiner Merlin binoculars so good as wildlife and birding binoculars? To start with they are lightweight, as well as being pretty compact for their power and brightness, thus making them very easy to carry around the field, allows for extended use without arm fatigue as well as easy to pack away in your luggage.

The 42mm objective lenses on the 8x42mm Merlin's make ideal bird watching binoculars as they gather plenty of light which allows you to view birds in shady wooded areas and other low light conditions without becoming so large as to make them difficult to carry. Because of this 42mm's is the most popular size of objective lens for birders around the world.

The field of view is excellent: 342 feet at 1,000 yards which is important as this will allow you to easily follow fast flying birds or birds that hop about quickly in the trees. A wide field of view is also great for viewing large flocks of birds all at once or for bird or game counting.

The quality of Steiner optics is well known and these roof prism Merlins will not change that reputation, they are made with premium optical glass and are coated with Steiner's own natural color transmission multi-coating which is said to boost light transmission much more than similar binoculars in the same price range, which is what helps produce the excellent clarity, resolution and color fidelity.

The 8x42 merlins have a soft rubber eyecup that is also angled, which will keep distracting light away from your eyes, but which can also easily be folded down making them perfect for people who wear eyeglasses.

Focusing was quick, smooth and precise as all the binoculars in the Merlin series from Steiner use their "Fast-Focus" system which go from close focus to infinite distance in two full turns of the focus wheel.

The Merlin binoculars are also waterproof for even the rainiest days and are guaranteed not to fog or leak. They come in a unique earth tone brown color which was specially chosen by Steiner's development staff and expert birders as the color least noticeable to birds, so as not to frighten skittish species away with a sudden flash of color. It must also be noted that the rubber armored exterior makes the Merlins very robust, durable and provides a good comfortable grip.

Features of the Merlin 8x42 Binoculars:

• Fully multi-coated optics assure optimal brightness in low light situations
• Rubber armored exterior makes the Merlins very durable and provides good grip
• The rugged armoring also makes them silent for up-close glassing or stalking
• The unique earth-tone dark brown color exterior was especially formulated to not reflect light, but rather absorb it and make the binoculars almost transparent to wildlife
• Water resistant; guaranteed not to fog or leak
• Phase corrected roof prisms.
• Soft, angled eyecups keep distracting light out of your eyes on bright, sunny days and fold back for better viewing with eyeglasses.

So to summarise, the Merlin 8x42 Binocular offers excellent high-end optics, fantastic 42mm objective lenses with a wide field of view, a precise focus with close-focus range to within 6 feet, is lightweight, waterproof, robust and sit in the middle tier in terms of cost and therefore make perfect wildlife and birding binoculars.

The Steiner Merlin 8x42 Binoculars also come with:

• Carry case
• Rainguard
• Neck strap
• Steiner Ten-Year Limited Warranty