The best advice has already been given. Even if you have to go to several places, look through all the brands and models you are interested in. Everyone's face contour is different as well as your eyes. Find the ones that fit you best and look the clearest to you. I tried a lot of different ones and settled on the Nikon Monarch 8 X 42 because to me they fit and were just as clear and sharp as some that were twice the price. I hAve had them for 5 years and never been disappointed.

TTT

I bought these and couldn't be happier,


 http://www.cabelas.com/product/Hunting/Optics/Binoculars%7C/pc/104791680/c/104752080/sc/104217480/Cabelas-Compact-Alaskan-Guide174-Binoculars/720440.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbr owse%2Fhunting-optics-binoculars%2Fcabelas%2F_%2FN-1100054%2B1000002949%2FNe-1000002949%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104217480%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104791680%253Bcat104752080%26WTz_st%3DGui dedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU

check out the leupold mojaves.  I looked through some monarchs and wasn't impressed. The glass was a lot brighter in leupolds casades than nikon monarchs but i didn't like the cascades eye pieces.  So I went the next model up.  They are fantastic, reasonably priced, light and all the glass i'll ever need in a 10x. 1000$ more isn't going to buy you much more optical quality. check out their reviews,  ratings that high are very rare.  You'll do yourself a service to go handle lots of binos before buying,  High end binos are a great education tool in choosing sub 500$ glass!

You do really get what you pay for with optics, I would personally buy as much binocular as you can afford. The Vortex line is great and I have used several of them with great success. Pick a binocular with a good warranty also. As we all know stuff happens and having a warranty to back up your investment is a great idea. I would personally look at the Vortex Talon HD or the Viper HD. I have used the Viper the last year or so and love this bino. Just my 2 cents

Vortex and Zen Ray offer great performance for the price. I'll second the cameralandny comment. Great prices and service.

Zeiss Rules.

I agree, buy the best you can swing, you will never be disappointed with buying good glass. (Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, and Nikon EDG are obviously the best). but there are a lot of midrange good glass too.

I have Vortex Viper HDs 10x42, they are great and Vortex has the best warrenty on the market.

I will have Swaros eventually, but for now i wouldnt trade these Vortex for anything under Swaros, they are that good.

I love my Eagle Optics 10X42's. About $325.

Can't thank you all enough for the advice and opinions. I went by a local hunting shop today, was able to look through a good many. They didn't have the Nikon 8x42 I wanted to see, but did have a Burris Fullfield 10x42 camo pair, also the Swift Audubon 8.5x44 #828. Liked them both, but the Swift was as bright and crispy clear as the several I looked at that were priced well over a grand. Gonna go by Bass Pro and look at theirs. The Swifts really felt good in the hand, also had individual eye adjustments that I liked.

Froggy

I am partial to Bushnell for a couple reasons.  1 the price is right.  2 you cant mess with the warranty ("lifetime no questions asked warranty")  I have looked through some nice glass that were significantly more costly and for all that extra money,  I didnt see a big enough difference that would make me spend all that extra money!  You could buy another bow with the price difference!