Well, there's eating crow, then there's....eating crow. Neither is pleasant....
I once called the Elite 7x a "looser",when I learned that Bushnell didnt improved the weatherproofing in this new version..I still think that is a shame on the part of Bushnell not to have pushed this version to that level.But I gladly Would Eat crow,and say that this binocular IS NOT a looser...
This binocular now more than ever deserves to be weatherproof,but ,this fact aside,the new elites 7x are among the best binoculars You can imagine.I have used them everyday now for a month.and Yes a little dot of dust made already its way in,and can be seen if you do close scrutiny the inside through the objective end,but this of course ,doesnt have the slight impact in performance.A tiny piece of thin,thin fiber or hair ,is also visible,and it was there since day one.I almost returned the bino to Optics Planet for this reason.But since Has no effect in the view,I opted to keep the binocular,because I am astonished about sharpness in this unit,and dont wat to risk receiving something different.
There is a thread about the best porro and roof models ,for people to vote,Most folks give the SE series a vote in the Porro section,..Well,....I LIKE THE ELITE 7x26 BETTER....I have owned the SE 8x32 ,and yes,What a wonderful image they create, but there is Something about getting SO MUCH (sharpness,contrast,DOF,glare control..etc)out of something SO SMALL,that is beyond Optical perfection.
Is called a Great Compromise.:t:
( I still URGE bushnell to review this binocular ,and try to waterproof it,without Changing its design,then send it to the Cornell folks to review,I imagine thumbs up all over the birding community,.After all this glass always was Bushnell's best)