The original Barr & Stroud company in was founded in1913. Archibald Barr and William Stroud had been associated from as early as 1888 when the two men were professors of, respectively, engineering and physics at the Yorkshire College (now the University of Leeds). In 1891 they were approached by the Admiralty to submit a design for a short-base rangefinder for trial. By this time, Barr had returned to Scotland and taken the post of Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics at Glasgow University.
Although now apart Barr and Stroud kept in close touch and in 1892 they were awarded with a contract for six of their rangefinders.

In 1895, Barr & Stroud's Patents Ltd was renting workshop space at 250 Byres Road, Glasgow but demand for the product soon necessitated a move to larger premises in Ashton Lane, Glasgow. By 1904, 100 men were working for the company in a new purpose-built factory in Anniesland, Glasgow. Shortly thereafter, in 1909, Stroud resigned his chair at University of Leeds and moved to Glasgow to work for the company full-time. Barr, in spite of a distinguished teaching career, followed his example in 1913. Together they formed Barr & Stroud Ltd. In 1914 they began extensions to the Anniesland works in order to meet the sharp increase in demand for their rangefinders that followed on the outbreak of the First World War. The war years saw the development of other products, including a torpedo depth recorder, a periscope rangefinder and a dome sight for aircraft. During WW1 there was a problem with the supply of binoculars to the armed forces and apart from the British makers, binoculars were bought in from various sources. So it was only natural that the military would be looking to rectify this problem. At the time Zeiss was probably the leading makers and the military thought this may cause a problem in the future.

The Yearning to be Able to See into the Distance

The human desire to see clearly beyond the limits of the naked eye and to be able to see into the distance is as old as humanity itself. In no small part, it was a fascination for the stars and planets that led to the development of mathematics and geometry in the days of antiquity. Early in the modern age, these principles were applied to the lens systems used in the very first telescopes. Most notably the first simple lens systems were built by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and his Austrian counterpart Johannes Kepler. Today, binocular optics are still based on Kepler’s invention of 1611. Frequently regarded as merely a convenient, everyday device, this instrument born out of humankind’s reach for the stars in fact made the age-old human dream of achieving a near-to godlike power of vision a reality

Steiner Germany - over 50 Years of Success and Innovation!

With a true passion for business, optics pioneer Karl Steiner establishes Steiner Optik GmbH in 1947. Despite the difficult economical post-war situation the newly found, innovative company grows from a one-man factory to a more than 50-employee company within 6 years. Offering products from small cameras to binoculars and special lenses, Karl Steiner soon realizes that the company’s future lies within the production of professional high-quality binoculars. This revolutionary idea set high standards within the optics industry and Steiner Optik soon becomes the world-leading quality binocular manufacturer. It is the year 1973 when father Karl steps down and his son Carl Steiner continues to run the family business. Putting his heart into further developing his father’s innovative product ideas, Carl Steiner manages to strengthen the company’s position and Steiner Optik becomes the world’s leading company in binocular production with products available in over 45 countries.
Since the beginning, Steiner has always focused on creating new optics technologies. Many revolutionary innovations were not only developed by Steiner, but set the standards for future products with all binocular manufacturers. Steiner innovations include rubber armoring, the first binoculars ever with an integrated compass, the first binocular with special optical coating to protect against harmful UV radiation, the pocket-size binocular, and the new Predator lens coating to increase contrast of animals against wooded backgrounds.
Faithful to the traditions upon which his father founded the company, Carl Steiner held on to his commitments of unsurpassed quality, to keep the production location in Germany, to create new jobs and career opportunities for his employees, expert training of his staff of now approximately 300 and a constant investment in research and development. Today, Steiner manufactures binoculars for the military, marine , hunting, outdoor, birding and leisure activities. The name Steiner stands for performance optics.
From its humble, post-war beginnings, the company has made it into the league of the largest manufacturers of high-quality optics. Generations of devotion resulted in the highest level of technology, for a lifetime of dependable performance!

With years of experience as a world leading optical instrument manufacturer, Pentax offers a wide selection of top-grade binoculars featuring a variety of optics, magnifications and styles. Whatever the application, you'll find a pair that best suits your requirements. With Pentax, proof of top-quality performance is right before your eyes.
PENTAX Binoculars – there is so much to see.
The world is full of surprises, with new aspects to discover. The planet offers an infinite number of sights and it's always worth a closer look to understand them. Binoculars will help bring you closer to them. If you opt for a pair of PENTAX binoculars you'll never be to far away.
The world is a fascinating place; what people do, how animals behave, how plants grow, it's what makes a landscape alive, why things are the way they are. There is always something to see and with PENTAX binoculars each viewing becomes a new experience. For every situation there is the perfect model with just the right characteristics: be it waterproof, compact - the list goes on. With PENTAX binoculars you are always ready for anything.

Watching wildlife
Outdoors pursuits
Travel and recreation
Sport and action
Culture and opera
Bridging the distance: proximity by performance.
Behind a simple idea lies state-of-the-art engineering. Binoculars are designed to magnify an object seen over a long distance. For a scene to be viewed with brilliant results in poor lighting conditions and in different environments a number of precise optical components must work in harmony. With years of experience and commitment to precision PENTAX builds binoculars for one thing: to be the perfect companion for any situation.