can't go wrong with steiners....

Very happy with my Nikon Monarch 12x56. It's bit large, but I like the clarity in low light condition.

Texeye, Ilive in Hondo, have been hunting in Pandale for 25 years
now, that rough rugged country is hard to beat, have 200 acres 3 miles north of the city limit sign (Pandale, TX The Population Varies) back towards Ozona. Having the view of a mile or so the
Nikon Monarch 12X56 are so good i put a Leupold VX-L 6.5X20X56
on my 300 Win. Mag, you can shoot damn near an hour before & after daylight.

Nite Stalker, aahhhh Pandale, I delivered a tractor to the general store there last year. It's in the middle of nowhere but it's some nice country, of course Hondo has some great hunting properties too.

Can't help with the $500 glass but urge you to look into investing in zeiss,leica or swaro's, when you break down the use over a lifetime, the cost isn't much.

you are right, Banger!

Leupold Mojave 10x50

Steiners military binos. Swfa has them for $549

This is a quote for doug at cameralandny about his meeting with steiner at the shot show.

"After that wasted part of the morning (and I had to get up early for that waste of time too) I was rewarded with a couple of hours well spent at Steiner . I was very impressed with their new Predator XTreme binoculars which are rugged, feature winged eye cups, are waterproof and as all Steiners are...Made in Germany. Very impressive to hold and look thru and then I found out that they are only $399.99 for the 8x42's I did a double take and checked them out again. This may be our new top selling, under $500.00 binocular."

I have been comparing some models and looking to buy a new pair before the 2011-2012 season. I'm down to the Bushnell Elite, Leupold Wind River Cascades, and the Steiner Predators. All under $500. I'm targeting 8x42's for size and weight. Take a look at all three of these. I'm leaning towards the Leupolds but the Steiners are more rugged in design.

I can't imagine being without my Steiner 10 x 50's. Heavy? Yep, but not uncomfortably so.

I looked at the Steiner Predators about 5 years ago and wasn't impressed. Evidently they have either improved them or he thinks they have.

Just got my Monarch ATB 8.5x56mm binos last week. Excellent binos for $299.

The one thing that I can say is if you get the chance to get to a Cabelas, Bass Pro or Academy that is what I would do and then put your hands on several different ones at the same time and compare them. Just remember you get what you pay for. Look at their warranty also since if you use them a lot they are going to get some wear and might need a repair in time. I have had Steiner, Windriver, Leica, Nikon, Leupold and some other brands and right now the Leica are the best I have owned. Just sent an everyday spare pair of Nikon Monarchs I keep with me year round back for repair that were only 3 yrs old and already in bad shape. They are not built for daily use.