Steiner Predator 8x42 vs Steiner HX 10x42
Quick take: The Steiner Predator 8x42 costs $37 less; the Steiner HX 10x42 reaches farther (10x vs 8x); the Steiner Predator 8x42 has a wider field of view (375 vs 326 ft @ 1000 yds).
Field of view, to scale
Top-down view · drawn to true scale — no exaggeration
Which one to buy
Better glass or the better configuration? That is the trade between these two Steiners, $37 apart. The HX 10x42 has the stronger optics by owner account: German-made, very bright and extremely sharp, a full tier above the Predator line in resolution and color, with ED glass and dielectric coatings. The Predator 8x42 has the friendlier format: a 375 ft field against 326 ft, a 5.25mm exit pupil against 4.2mm, and 17.25mm of eye relief against 16mm, at 26.6 oz to the HX's 28 oz. Both carry a lifetime warranty and Steiner's tough armor. The HX is discontinued, so it may be hard to find new.
Predator owners praise brightness through dawn and dusk, grippy ergonomics, a 6.6 ft close focus and durability measured in decades. They also relay mid-pack test scores for clarity and brightness, a stiff diopter, a fussy eyebox, and an eyepiece shape that makes glasses harder than the eye relief suggests. HX owners include one hunter who rated it every bit as good as a Leica, but they split on color fringing and note soft edges past about three-quarters of the field. Its 16mm of eye relief is borderline for glasses.
The 8x format makes the Predator easier to use in timber, treestands and low light despite its plainer glass. The HX's sharper image pays off mainly in open country, and only if a new one is still available.
Steiner Predator 8x42
For timber, treestand and dawn-or-dusk hunting, where a wider field and brighter 8x view matter more than the last bit of sharpness.
Steiner HX 10x42
For open-country hunters who want the sharper German glass and 10x reach, if a new one can still be found; it is discontinued.
| Spec | Steiner Predator 8x42 | Steiner HX 10x42 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$713 | ~$750 |
| Use case | Hunting | Hunting |
| Magnification | 8x | 10x |
| Objective | 42mm | 42mm |
| Exit pupil | 5.25mm | 4.2mm |
| Field of view | 375 ft @ 1000 yds | 326 ft @ 1000 yds |
| Eye relief | 17.25mm | 16mm |
| Close focus | 6.6 ft | 6 ft |
| Prism | Roof | Roof |
| Glass | HD | HD |
| Coating | Fully Multi-Coated | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Weight | 26.6 oz | 28 oz |
| Dimensions | 5.4 x 4.9 in | 5.4 x 4.8 in |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Lifetime |
Feature comparison
Steiner Predator 8x42
- ✗ED Glass
- ✓Phase-Corrected
- ✗Dielectric Coating
- ✓Waterproof
- ✓Fogproof
- ✗Image Stabilized
- ✓Tripod Adaptable
- ✗Magnesium Body
- ✓Locking Diopter
Steiner HX 10x42
- ✓ED Glass
- ✓Phase-Corrected
- ✓Dielectric Coating
- ✓Waterproof
- ✓Fogproof
- ✗Image Stabilized
- ✓Tripod Adaptable
- ✓Magnesium Body
- ✓Locking Diopter
What birders say
Steiner Predator 8x42
- ✓CAT (Color Adjusted Transmission) coatings are the signature feature - hunters report browns and reds of game popping against green foliage, which is exactly what whitetail hunters in thick woods buy this binocular for
- ✓Low-light performance draws consistent praise from hunting reviewers - dawn and dusk views stay bright and clear right through the prime movement windows
- ✓Legendary Steiner durability shows up in owner stories - one reviewer bought a second pair because his first was 'decades old and still awesome'
- ✓One long-time hunter on a major hunting forum put its sharpness and clarity 'right in there with my Leica and Zeiss V6' - high praise for a mid-priced binocular
- ✓Comfortable, grippy ergonomics with molded thumb rests and finger ridges that testers specifically called out - it stays planted in cold or wet hands
- ✓6.6 ft close focus is unusually good for a hunting binocular, rated highly in comparative testing
- ✓375 ft field of view is wide for the class, making it easier to pick up moving game quickly
- ✓Steiner's lifetime Heritage Warranty backs it, and multiple decade-plus ownership reports suggest you'll rarely need it
- ✗Independent testers could not verify the CAT coating's game-highlighting claim - one review team found 'no difference' in wildlife visibility versus ordinary competitors, so treat the marketing with skepticism
- ✗Comparative testing scored the optics as mid-pack (around 73/100) - clarity and brightness rated 7/10, behind what the price suggests
- ✗A vocal contingent of optics enthusiasts on forums considers Steiner's roof-prism models overpriced for the glass, recommending a Vortex Viper HD or Diamondback HD instead at similar or lower cost
- ✗The diopter adjustment is stiff and awkward to dial in, a repeated complaint in hands-on reviews
- ✗The eyecup/eyepiece design has extended sides that make life harder for eyeglass wearers despite decent 17.25mm eye relief
- ✗Some owners describe a finicky eyebox - eye placement has to be just right before the view snaps in
- ✗Isolated durability gripes exist alongside the legend - one forum owner reported plastic components cracking
- ✗Street price swings wildly (roughly $300 to $600+ depending on retailer and moment), which makes its value proposition hard to pin down and fuels the 'wait for a sale' advice on forums
Steiner HX 10x42
- ✓One hunting-forum owner who compared it side-by-side with a Leica Trinovid and Zeiss Victory called the Steiner 'every bit as good as the Leica glass' - and that kind of above-its-station praise recurs around the HX
- ✓German-made optics that precision-shooting forum members describe as 'very bright and extremely sharp' - a clear, visible step up from the Predator line
- ✓Frequently found at $400-600 street despite the ~$750 list, where forum members consider it flat-out great glass for the money
- ✓Central sharpness is excellent across roughly the middle three-quarters of the field, which is where you actually glass
- ✓Classic Steiner toughness - rugged rubber armor, waterproof, nitrogen purged, and a lifetime Heritage Warranty with customer service stories going back decades
- ✓Low-light performance benefits from ED glass and enhanced coatings that reviewers note give a real bump in resolution and color fidelity over cheaper Steiners
- ✓Grippy hunter ergonomics and a fast, positive focus that owners say works well with gloves
- ✓28 oz is reasonable for a rugged German 10x42 - lighter than a Vortex Razor UHD
- ✗Steiner lists 16mm of eye relief, which is borderline for eyeglass wearers, so glasses-on viewing is compromised
- ✗Chromatic aberration reports are genuinely mixed: some hunters report noticeable color fringing they couldn't tune out, while others see none - suggesting sample or eye sensitivity variation
- ✗Edge softness sets in beyond roughly 75% of the field - fine for hunting, but flat-field birding glass like the Nikon Monarch HG beats it at the margins
- ✗The eyebox demands fairly precise eye placement compared to easier-viewing competitors
- ✗At full $750-1000 retail some owners question the value versus a Vortex Razor HD or Maven B1.2 - the HX only becomes a bargain at its frequent sale prices
- ✗Brand perception cuts both ways: optics-forum enthusiasts still associate Steiner's roof prisms with mediocre value, so the HX gets less discussion and slower resale than Vortex equivalents
- ✗The diopter and mechanical refinement, while solid, don't match the silky feel of similarly priced Japanese-made competitors
- ✗No flat-field or field-flattener tech at a price where some rivals offer it
Steiner Predator 8x42 vs Steiner HX 10x42: common questions
Is the Steiner HX 10x42 sharper than the Predator 8x42?▾
Yes, by owner accounts. HX owners describe very bright, extremely sharp optics with ED glass, a visible step up from the Predator line, while Predator owners relay independent test scores that put its clarity and brightness mid-pack for the price.
Which Steiner is better for low-light whitetail hunting, the Predator 8x42 or the HX 10x42?▾
The Predator 8x42 for most hunters. Its 5.25mm exit pupil and 375 ft field help at dawn and dusk in cover, and owners praise its brightness through legal light. The HX's better glass partly offsets its smaller 4.2mm exit pupil, but the 8x format is more forgiving.