Hey preacher.... I have a great friend who spent $1K on his binos (10-12 yrs ago). I wouldn't trade him straight-up for mine. I guess cheap is relative.
I set my eyes on some swarovskis years ago .... I could not believe how awesome they were ... I wish I could afford a pair .... send me yours and I will let ya know how they compare
What ever you do, don't look through any Swarovskis.... you'll be spoiled for life and nothing will ever compare! i'll never go back!
Jeff - Trust me on this..........you can spend a boat load of $$$ and still end up with a pair of mediocre binoculars. With that said, you can also spend $400-$800 on a pair of binocs that will compare optically with the very best out there. Not all $200, $500, or $1000+ dollar pairs of binocs are the same quality as others in there price class. If you looked through your Nikons next to a pair of Swarovski EL's, Leica Ultravid HD's, or even a pair of Vortex Vipers or Zen Ray ED2's in a very low light situation, you would absolutely know and realize the difference between middle of the road vs. top end optics. Top end optics will spoil you in a hurry, I couldn't justify $2k+ for a pair of EL's though......but I was able to get pretty darn close to their quality with my current Zen Ray ED2's.
Save your money and get the Swarovski SLC. I have the 7x42 pair and they really are terrific at dawn and dusk. They are actually great anytime. I am very happy with them but they are pricey.
