I hunted with two young men this year that both used Swaro Binoculars. I have always said that most of us would be well served by a less expensive/good pair of optics with no need for high end....but.

In the west you are looking miles away not yards and on both hunts I could see far better at long distance with my guides optics than my $300 Leupolds.

I still will not buy $2K optics but if I lived out there or made a living looking through glass all day I would.

the thing that changed my mind was a sheep / griz hunt in the NWT years back. we would glass for hours on end. i had a top grade pair of B&L's but after 2-3 hrs i'd start to get eye headaches. guide had leica's and with them i was fine. now my favorites are the swaro el's, which i can look through all day & count the flies on the bears azz

When you buy Swarovski optics, you are buying a tool that lasts a lifetime. When you are finished, you can then resell it for at least 50% of what you paid; more if they are kept in excellent condition. Therefore, they cost you less than the cheap optics.

Yes, good optics are a wonder - and, as mentioned above, an investment for a lifetime, which makes the sticker shock somewhat more bearable.

The good news is, that you don't have to spend multiple thousands of dollars to get first class optics. In these days of the Internet, and constantly changing product lines from the manufacturers, it is not that hard to find great buys for absolute 1'st rate optics. My personal approach is to look for last years models - which, after all, were top of the line until the latest gee-whiz product line was introduced. I remember when Cabelas first offered the Zeiss 10x40 for about $600 - an absolute steal at the time.

I don't know what exact attributes (magnification, objective size, weight etc) you are looking for, but here is an example of first rate optics at a very reasonable price - from one of the best dealers for such offers, check back regularly if you are looking for something different. Also, be a bit flexible, you'll be happy with pretty much any of the top manufacturers' products, be it Swaro, Zeiss or Leica...

http://www.cameralandny.com/op...age=swarovski8x30slc

- mike