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Whatever you buy, make sure they are waterproof. Amazingly, I bought a pair of Redhead brand binoculars 7 years ago and they have never had any issues with moisture. At the time they had a special for the spotting scope and binoculars for around $100.
10 X 42 close focus 3 meters. These would get you by until Santa gets you a better pair.
Steiner
At the $250 price point, I would buy these. My buddy dropped his out of a treestand and Vortex gave him a new pair fully knowing what happened.
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/...8x42-binocular
I picked up a pair of Vortex Diamondback 10x42s off Amazon and I love them. As mentioned previously, the warranty is outstanding and they are well constructed. I don't have much to compare them to as they are my first pair of quality binos, but I did a lot of research beforehand and it became clear they are regarded as an excellent choice at the $200-$300 price point.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
(though it seems they are temporarily out of stock)
That reminds me, I have a $500 amazon gift card coming to me as a "promo" gift from a course I took, that could work!
I was looking for a good pair of binocs also... I got these with my Airmiles... oh what a pair:
https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/Reward...-_-prod2094601
Mine are the 8X42... These 10X42 are great also. The glass is amazing. Makes me what a Zeiss scope.
Big fan of Zeiss, Nikon Monarchs.
I was a bit insane and went for really high end Swaro's which I LOVE but for the price range you are looking at the Vortex Diamondbacks are a fine binocular.
I had a set of Vipers as well which were really nice but something about my facial structure, the Swaro's and Meopta's are the only ones that seem to fit me well.
Get the Vortex Diamondbacks; hard to go wrong at that price.
I've tried many binoculars, in fact, i try all that fall into my reach. The only one pair i really liked and kept are the Bushnell PermaFocus, 10x50. In fact, i am looking at getting them in a 8x40 if i find them. Just my two cents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurkeyRookie
You might be able to find a pair of Nikon Monarchs for around $280. If not the Nikon's one step under the Monarchs are pretty damn good as well.
Ditto on the Diamondbacks. I now have 2 pairs. I've had Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Bushnell, and Steiner. These Vortex binocs are almost as good as the $2300 Leicas for optical clarity. Nothing that Nikon, Bushnell, Burris, make that I have used even come close. A steal for the price.