Sightron SIII 10x44 MMD - First blush review...
I received my new Sightron SIII 10x44 MMD this morning and thought i'd post a "first blush" review.
Any product experience begins with purchasing, this is especially true with high-end items, and the experience with AIM fieldsports was as good as one could hope; the lady who aswered the phone was polite and helpful and John is clearly a subject matter expert who listened to my questions and answered them well.
The scope arrive really well packaged, with a cap, a sunshield and the usual cleaning/storing cloths.
I'm going to compare this scope to my current favorite, the Lightstream 4.5-14x44, which is a fan-bloody-tastic scope in it's own right!
The finish is a bit different, the Lightstream has a semi-gloss finish whilst the Sightron has what appears to be a much thicker matt finish. The Lightstream finish looks like it might be a dip/paint whereas the Sightron appears anodized - I use these terms to describe their appearance not how the actual finish is applied.
The overall heft and finish on both scopes is first class and I for one would find it difficult to discern which is "better" - they are different in their approaches but each is executed really well. I would say that the clicks of the turret adjustments are more precise and solid on the Sightron.
Setting the Lightstream to 10x I compared the performance of the glass between the two. It should come as no real surprise that a top quality fixed power has better performance than a vari-power scope but lets talk some specifics.
To MY EYES (note the shouty text... 
) the Sightron provides not only a brighter image but also truer color seperation and presentation that makes details easier to see. It's field of view seemed to be a bit narrower to me but the image crisper edge-to-edge.
It's PX adjustment is to the rear of the scope and is very nicely executed, in fact I think I prefer it to AO and not having Side focus means the scope's a tad less clunky. It works really well and is smooth and reassuring, also pretty darn close to dead-on too.
The Lightstream, being a FFP mil-dot vari, does have a reticule that looks more substantial at 10x than the Sightron and it doesn't have 1/2 mil marks either. That said it does have the distinct advantage of being a vari-power with a broad range of mags that make it more generally useful for close range to long range applications. A fixed 10x is probaby not a best choice for ratting in a barn
I bought the Sightron to go on the SFS Spectre that I have being built, the 1/2 mil will be useful given it's a .22 and I fancied a quality fixed power...well....just because really!
On balance it's tough to pick between the two, the Sightron is definitely the better scope at a fixed power but the Lightstream has the benefit of more utility. Pays your money, takes you choice
(and I might end up putting the Lightstream on the Spectre and the Sightron on my .177 Airwolf to complete the "tactical look")
I hope this is of some use to those considering nice glass for their pride and joys. I will say that, also owning MTC-priced scopes that you do get what you pay for with glass but, much like true high-end HiFi, there are price/value brackets (<100, 150-250, 500, 1G) and that moving from the first to the second provides a bigger performance jump than from the 3rd to the 4th but it has ever been so, that last 10% costs 10x as much
Russ.
I think and therefore...... I refuse to steal someone else's quote to try to sound more erudite or profound than I actually am.
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