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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mfunnell" data-source="post: 3407061" data-attributes="member: 134332">There are any number of excellent binoculars out there in your price range. As many others have stated, the Nikon EII porros are probably the best, optically, within your budget.  Whether they're the best for your intended use is probably a rather different question. I have a set of 8x30 EIIs which I like, a lot. But I seldom use them in the field (I use them a lot from my balcony). This isn't due to lack of weatherproofing, but because their rather bulky and awkward shape make them difficult to pack when compared with 8x30ish roof prism binoculars - since my binoculars generally end up in a camera bag where space is at a large premium alongside all my camera gear. I generally have a camera with me, and a camera bag of appropriate size (often a fairly small one if I'm not specifically going out with a plan to take photos). If it's convenient for me, I'll put binoculars in the bag along with camera(s), lens(es) etc. - so I've taken pains to make sure I have binoculars that do fit conveniently. Else I'd likely not have binoculars with me at all. And as with cameras, the binoculars I have with me are better than the ones sitting at home, no matter their optical qualities.That's just one example of usage pattern - so think about what yours will be. If you are likely to carry them with you on casual walks, in mostly decent weather, then something like the Nikon EII might be just the ticket. If you're planning to be wading through wetlands at dawn or dusk, in the pouring rain, looking to view waterbirds then you'd probably best look for something else (more like, say, a nice set of 10x50 waterproof roof prism bins).There are no doubt limitless variations. So think how you're likely to use binoculars, then look to buy the bins that best match your use. Or be like some of us here, who have different bins for different uses (and probably invent uses just to give us an excuse to buy different bins).   ...Mike</blockquote>

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