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Message: <blockquote data-quote="denco@comcast.n" data-source="post: 3556916" data-attributes="member: 25300">"A top 8x32 may be as good as a lesser 8x42 "I agree with that mostly. A higher end 8x32 will probably have better coatings and better quality glass than a less expensive 10x42 so it will be brighter in some cases because of higher transmission but there always exists the optical advantage of that bigger aperture with the 42mm especially in low light situations. Of course the 42mm even in a less expensive binocular will have a bigger exit pupil so they have an advantage when it comes to easy eye placement but the more expensive 8x32 binoculars can make up for this advantage with more complex eyepieces such as in the Swarovski 8x32 SV and in their optical design. SV's are well known for having comfortable eye placement relative to their exit pupil size. I have heard that Swarovski even limits the baffling as a design parameter to increase eye placement comfort at the expense of more glare in certain situations.That being said from practical experience which is always the best teacher I have found 8x42's in general to have easier eye placement than 8x32's regardless of price. A big reason I preferred my Tract Toric 8x42's over my 8x32 Swarovski SV's was easier eye placement with the bigger 5mm exit pupil. Especially if you have a limited budget you are probably better off looking at 8x42's as a good all-around binocular. For a lot of reasons it seems it is easier to make a good inexpensive one. So I guess I am in the 8x42 camp for an overall general purpose binocular especially at a lower price point. I recommended the Leupold 8x32 Mojave BX-3 because of the remarkable low price at Cabelas for $200.00 with free shipping. The 8x32 is about as small as I prefer. For many reasons including the diminishing size of the exit pupil when you drop to an 8x30 format or below the finickiness increases exponentially.</blockquote>

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