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Message: <blockquote data-quote="brocknroller" data-source="post: 1251309" data-attributes="member: 665">Rich,If you look close at the devil near the front of the photo, he has a pair of roof prism binoculars in his hands (the contrast isn't good so you have to really look for them). The other devils have various objects in their hands (IOW, one for whatever your addiction is <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />. As far as prices go, while it's true that there will always be a market segment for Top Gun roofs, I've been a long-time Nikon fan, and have bought Nikons ranging from Action porros to an LX L roof, however, with the new EDG, Nikon has finally priced me out of the market. I don't even want to look through them, because I don't want that roof prism devil to tempt me into buying $2,000 binoculars. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />As the saying goes, "Everybody has their price" (that's probably attributable to some devil). A variation is, "Everybody has their limits". For me $1,000 is it for roofs. $500 for porros (I've stretched that a bit in a couple purchases). Given this downturn in the economy (which isn't going away anytime soon-- I'm writing an article about the fallout from the mortgage crisis, and the mortgage bankers I talked with said it's going to take years, perhaps as long as 7-10 years, for the housing market to fully recover). Although oil prices are coming down, being that legislators didn't close the "Enron loophole" on energy speculation, that's subject to spike back up with the next hurricane, earthquake, war, etc., because demand is going to increase as China and India continue to industrialize and modernize.My guess is that the Top Gun roof companies will experience declining sales, as mid-priced roofs improve and the middle class erodes. However, by increasing their prices and perceived quality (and thus, prestige, as they become more exclusive), they are counting on compensating in cost per unit for what they lose in total sales. Except for Zeiss, which has mid-priced roofs (though not a good selection in terms of configurations with their Conquest series), Leica and Swaro will probably remain exclusively premium niche market companies. Whereas other companies are hedging their risks by offering different pricing segments (Nikon is a good example, and even BMW is reaching downward with its new "1" series), Swaro and Leica seem to relying on the dictum that deep pockets will continue to deepen (aka "the rich get richer"). After Leica ran into financial troubles, this move toward higher prices surprised me. I thought they would do as Zeiss had done, come out with a more affordable line of binoculars so they could boost their per unit sales to offset a potential slow down in premium bin sales. But they played it differently. Only time will tell if their strategy will pay off for them.Entry level products help build brand loyalty. If a person buys a Conquest and likes it, as he (or she) moves up the corporate ladder, he is more likely to buy a premium Zeiss roof rather than a Leica or Swaro or Nikon. At least that's the marketing strategy. Let us know if you can see around corners with that B & H. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />Brock</blockquote>

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