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Night Vision The Official: Steiner C35 Thermal Clip-on Review and User Thread!

Like the above message if you would be interested in one so I can get an idea of quantity for the first order.

I would definitely be interested if there's a version where the handle isn't so close to the lens, I run mine close up to my objective lens on my day scope and the lever would get in the way.
 
Nice. Speaking of the focus, some guy mentioned to me that when you change the focus on the thermal it also changes the zero. That doesn't make much sense to me, does it actually change the zero when you move the focus knob?
It potentially can. This is why many clip-on devices have a non-rotating objective lens (whether it is focusable or not). I've even seen some advertise that their objective focus does NOT actually rotate the lens, presumably for this reason. I did not notice the POI change for my LWTS some years back, but have not gotten to test it w/ my C35. Checking this on my to-do list over the next couple weeks. That said, so far I don't have a great deal of concern as the C35 seems to have a relatively generous depth of field requiring no focus adjustment within my intended use envelope (~50-300 yd).

Another note I forgot to mention earlier was that it seems to work as a handheld just fine, not necessarily requiring magnification behind it for use. The only negatives I can think of for using this as a handheld is the relative bulk (my current L3/Eotech X640 handheld fits in a coat pocket and takes AA batteries) and weight of it compared to most dedicated scanners as well as lack of a digital zoom function. Many would probably also prefer a wider FOV than this 35mm lens system allows for, but that is fairly subjective.
 
Is model #9522-B in the link above a clip-on with mount or does the mount come separate. If it is separate, where do you find it? Might be too good of a deal to pass up.
 
The only negatives I can think of for using this as a handheld is the relative bulk (my current L3/Eotech X640 handheld fits in a coat pocket and takes AA batteries) and weight of it compared to most dedicated scanners as well as lack of a digital zoom function.

The manual says long pressing the up/down button control the zoom. Are you saying that it doesn't?
 
The manual says long pressing the up/down button control the zoom. Are you saying that it doesn't?
The manual mentions something about a zoom function but I think earlier in the thread it was confirmed that it's a typo. From my testing the c35 does not have zoom, but the s35 does.
 
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Not worth it.
Yeah, I registered for notifications on the blems.

@DustBun there are several places here on the hide and online that you can get them for a good bit less than that.
I HIGHLY doubt you'll see that again. I didn't even bother putting in for notifications. And if it does comes back, it'll be 1k+ more.
 
Not worth it.
I HIGHLY doubt you'll see that again. I didn't even bother putting in for notifications. And if it does come

@jstokes1 lol, it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they have more demo's.

Steiner will continue to market them at trade shows and range sessions, only way to get market share in an already competitive market.

$1k more would put it at what you can get a new one for with discounts.
 
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@jstokes1 lol, it certainly wouldn't surprise me if they have more demo's.

Steiner will continue to market them at trade shows and range sessions, only way to get market share in an already competitive market.

$1k more would put it at what you can get a new one for with discounts.
Not saying that there won't be more demo units available, but if you expect that price of 2k again then you'll be mistaken. I hope I'm wrong.
 
That was a good deal! I saw it super early this morning but it was not clear whether it came with a mount or not so I didn't pull the trigger. Also, they say "sold as is" so I figure there is no warranty, but I could be (hopefully) wrong. In hindsight, I should've bought one anyways even if it was for use as a handheld.
You would assume correctly. At 5k, I would choose a super yoter 10 out of 10 times. At 2k though, there isn't anything else like the steiner on the market that isn't a piece of shit.

I've never used a Yoter, can you please explain why you prefer it to the C35 if price was comparable? I've seen deals on used ones in the past, but didn't bite because of seeing problems with Bering thermal products on the forums and people saying that they felt "cheap."
 
I assume it still comes with the mount as most stock images don’t show it with the mount. Also, I’m not sure “as is” applies to the C35 as under the blem definition that seems to only apply to the binoculars so it seems the warranty should apply albeit not for cosmetic issues. Additionally it seems their return policy should apply (30 days) as I can’t find anywhere where it is marked final sale.

Did anyone confirm any of these points with Steiner?
 
That was a good deal! I saw it super early this morning but it was not clear whether it came with a mount or not so I didn't pull the trigger. Also, they say "sold as is" so I figure there is no warranty, but I could be (hopefully) wrong. In hindsight, I should've bought one anyways even if it was for use as a handheld.


I've never used a Yoter, can you please explain why you prefer it to the C35 if price was comparable? I've seen deals on used ones in the past, but didn't bite because of seeing problems with Bering thermal products on the forums and people saying that they felt "cheap."
The Super yoter has a smaller FOV and more back end demagnification, making it a better clip on. The Steiner seems to be built better, but the weight is pretty determental to carrying it around (in my area at least). The Super yoter punches above its weight class, but to be fair, I haven't had the steiner in hand (hopefully soon though so I can do a review).
 
I assume it still comes with the mount as most stock images don’t show it with the mount. Also, I’m not sure “as is” applies to the C35 as under the blem definition that seems to only apply to the binoculars so it seems the warranty should apply albeit not for cosmetic issues. Additionally it seems their return policy should apply (30 days) as I can’t find anywhere where it is marked final sale.

Did anyone confirm any of these points with Steiner?
According to a buddy, it should come with a mount, yes. I believe it still has the 5 year warranty as well.
 
I was able to get some rounds under my new C35 today. I'm impressed with the image and how easy it was to zero to my setup this afternoon. I confirmed day scope zero on my AR22 at 50 yd, then added the C35. Out of the box, POI was 2 MOA low and 1 MOA right. After two adjustments and six rounds, it was zeroed. I then pulled it off and put it back on the same rail slot to test RTZ. It worked perfectly, no shift. I've saved the AR22 as profile A and recorded the X/Y coordinates and rail slot number to keep w/ that rifle's data and on a card with the clip-on. I'm glad it provides the X/Y coordinates since that allows you to save zero data for more than just the three profiles in the menu. I brought out some foil to use on the target like I've done for thermals in the past, but this one did not need it despite it not being particularly sunny. I was able to use a standard paper target w/ a darkish bullseye just like I was w/ my LWTS when I had that. I ran out of time to zero it on my lightweight 16" 6.5 Creedmoor gas gun since I wanted to get home for the kids' bedtime, but will do that in the next couple of weeks.

Also, people are saying these are enormous. It is about the same size/weight as my LWTS was, so I don't really notice it. It feels sturdy and I like how non-cheap the battery compartment/door feels. I am extremely happy with it so far and feel like I got WAY more than my than my money's worth on this scope, just like my PVS-27. I've not used the Oasys/now Trijicon stuff before so will have to defer to Horta's earlier comparisons, but I do believe it has a better image than my LWTS (which was, itself, spectacular) did and I LOVE having the ability to adjust screen position and take pictures/videos. As others have mentioned, a 75-100mm lens version of this optic would be spectacular as long as they don't cheap out on lens quality.

TL/DR: So far, I love it.
More thoughts on comparison to LWTS ?
 
I really wish we could abandon chambering designations as recoil tolerance standards. It's incredibly uninformative and misleading. Weapon system weight, the presence of a brake/suppressor and all kinds of things are involved. What we really need is a value expressed as a maximum 'g' tolerance. Then we could quite easily calculate it. A 7lbs .308 unbraked hunting rifle shot from a standing offhand position has a dramatically different recoil velocity and momentum than a 17lbs .300wm with a brake shot from a sandbag on a bench. /me stops complaining and wanders off to shake his fist at some clouds.
Brakes are hard on optics. The push pull hurts them
 
It clears an 5-20 ultra short on a 1.5 inch mount with plenty of room.
 

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Love the lever. Events have conspired to keep me from getting out with this little gem, but the focus has been my issue when playing with it in the basement. The lever will go a long way toward solving the problem. Any idea when you'll have them available? I'll be down for one.
 
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More thoughts on comparison to LWTS ?

More thoughts on comparison to LWTS ?
Sure thing. Please consider the fact that it has now been 4+ years since I've looked through the LWTS that I owned, so take the below with a grain of salt.
I loved my LWTS but felt the performance for IDing to be lacking compared to what I was expecting. It wasn't my first thermal by a long shot, but I was hoping for more in the details at distance. Perhaps that was just me having unrealistic expectations. The POI/POA was off by more than what I was expecting, so it went back to L3 since it needed a firmware update anyways. When it came back it was fine, but image was still not what I was hoping for under magnification. I sold it because I moved and could no longer hunt hogs. This image, to me (not side by side), is AT LEAST as good as the LWTS. It may even be a bit better, but that is going off of memory. It cost me a small fraction of what the LWTS did, so this device has wildly exceeded my expectations. I like the metal housing also, and the fact that the removable battery is rechargeable. The LWTS functioned better as a handheld than the C35 I think, but that is subjective. Both have intuitive controls so that is a wash for me. The pic and video capability of the C35 makes it a lot more fun to use since you can instantly capture what you are seeing. Both devices are wonderful, but so far I'm glad I've got the C35 and it does everything for me that the LWTS did except for the stand-alone gig that I rarely used anyways.
 
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Not sure if this helps anyone, and I'm now realizing I should've also recorded the image itself, but here's a video shooting a hot rock at 940 yards at night through the c35. Was probably a 3 MOA sized target give or take, so not super impressive, but it was still so fun to make hits at all at night.



You can hear the report of the impact about a second after the shot.