Whether a 32 mm will do or not is really not the point. The point is whether or not the user can eliminate specification anxiety and just use the binocular. Do your due diligence, buy the 32 mm glass that checks the most of your points. Take it out and just go use it. Don't start with...geez, what if I'd got a Swarovski....geez what if I would have looked harder for an EDG, ...geez, what would a warmer tint of a Leica have done foe me...geez, maybe I really do need a 43 mm glass....geez I just have a crummy Conquest HD, what if I saved for a new Victory SF...This goes on forever here, around and around the mulberry bush. This is the start of the road to perdition.
I don't want to unduly demean the phenomena, it is a simple expression of human nature. After all these years, there is one thing thing that really stands out to me. Yes you get what you pay for, but after you spend $1,000 the extra benefit is simply not worth the cost. Is the Victory a better glass than the Conquest? Yes if you look hard enough and pick apart the requisite nits, it is a better glass. The subconscious realization of this is not worth it to me, but it is to some. Personally if I had nearly $3K to spend, I'd get the Conquest and use the rest on a better trip. I would be secure in the knowledge I'd not miss a thing because of an inferior glass. Heck, I even use my Maven B 3 with the same secure knowledge. There is a reason I have it.
It is your gear, your use , and your money. I have no quarrel with how you spend it.
Jerry referenced my signature line from Teddy Roosevelt. This is one reason I choose to use it. Gets back to the best binocular is the one you have with you.. Just use it and enjoy yourself. Even if it is a 32 SF
We are not quite on the same page. First, I am all about you get what you pay for in optics (quality in optics but in the intangible too) but doesn't imply you buy the most expensive. You can buy a nice looking pair for $500 or even a $1000 and depending on the manufacture you end up playing with the lifetime warranty. No thanks. So for me, the 'mulberry tree' you mentioned is playing that lifetime warranty or dealing with a pair of bins that don't quite feel good, work well....IE: Little things that bug me (slow focus, or eyecups issues or bins collapsing on you etc)
Birding involves not only optics but many intangibles. For instance, it is 'free' to walk the land for the most part and get fresh air. Silence, nature etc. That is an intangible that has nothing to do with the binoculars. But to connect back to the actual bins, there is the intangible of the ergonomics of the binocular, how it feels in your hand, against your face, the rubber coating, the ease of focus and the smoothness of the focus wheel.
I have held up the Swarovski's to my face and even though it is '$$$$', the intangible of what I just spoke to isn't there. So dollars in that case didn't win over. I have a pair of Zeiss HT's and love the intangible....the intangiblel won me over, beyond the optics. I can't get that same' intangible' with the lesser priced Zeiss Conquests.
Now, I do want a 8x32 or 8x30 pair of bins for travel and regular birding in Arizona, and keep my 10x's for the coastal area of jersey for they are excellent in low light and the 10 power is great for shorebirds. So when looking at Zeiss lineup I am drawn to the 8x32 SF's, dollars or not. The optics will most likely excel and the 'intangible' exists since the SF's are pretty darn close to the HT's in the physical end of things. But this remains to be seen.
Today, as opposed to 20 years ago, I am comfortable in paying a few thousand for the binoculars while I recognize that not all are in that same comfort zone for whatever their financial or intangible reasons are. I can have the price + have the travel.
My main question in this forum has long been replied to by many. Can I rely upon a 8x32 or 8x30 as a main pair of bins and I can see that yes, they can be. I could opt for the 8x42SF's but they are bigger and a bit overpriced in my thinking. If someone had an older pair of 8x42's HT's, I would think seriously about that though if they were in good shape since the price would be less, the intangible would be there and while a bit larger than the 8x's, I might accept.
Anyone have a pair of 8x42 HT's they want to sell ?
Otherwise.....I will await the 8xSF's and see how they end up. If I was closer to a store that allowed me test drive multiple binoculars such as Nikons, Meopta's etc...perhaps the ergonomics of other pairs might entice me and for a lesser price, but for now, I don't have that as an option. I want 'ergonomics' that fit what I am looking for in an intangible, and for now, that is the Zeiss line. Notice I didn't mention specs.