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Message: <blockquote data-quote="longboat" data-source="post: 3367328" data-attributes="member: 129532">Optics have definitely improved in the photography business, but they had to.  As digital cameras get higher and higher resolution sensors (50mp), imperfections in old lenses are showing up.  Manufacturers have responded with better lens to keep up with the high-resolution sensors.  Some of the newer lenses are VERY sharp, compared to older lenses developed for film cameras, then used on modern digital cameras.It's not that the old lenses were bad.  They were quite sufficient for the equipment they were used on.  Modern equipment just demands better glass.I doubt that any of that applies to binoculars, as they are apples and oranges.  However, when mfrs. revisit digital binos with hi-res digital EVFs, it could come into play.As far as audio, I've escaped that bug for the most part.  I remember my older brother's 1970's vintage $10,000 50-watt stereo system completely blowing away most "500-watt" all-in-one home systems being marketed in the early 80's, both in volume and sound quality (especially sound quality at high volume!).  That was quite unobtainable for me back then, so I put it out of my mind, and it has stayed there, fortunately!I was surprised to recently learn that copies of my early-80's boombox is now selling on the bay for what I paid for it back then...$200.  Quality equipment can eventually pay for itself and then some!</blockquote>