Ross Steptron 8x30

Mfr: Ross, London, England

Date: circa 1960's?

AFOV: ~66 degrees

TFOV: ~8.2 degrees

Eye Relief: ~10mm

Prisms: high index

Serial Number: 24758

The Steptron seems to be a 8x30 version of the Stepnada.  Its body is somewhat different but optically it is very similar.  There is some field curvature, plus a bit of astigmatism and distortion are noticeable towards the edge of field.   Otherwise, the image is good with no noticeable light leakages.  With the higher magnification, the eye relief is reduced a bit, but the eyepieces are not as deeply recessed as on the Stepnada.

The sample shown here has what I believe is the later "doublet" shaped Ross logo, but the serial number is lower than on my older units.  It may be that Ross resequenced the serial numbers at some time.  If anyone has information on Ross serial numbers and dates, I would like to hear from you.