I remember briefly looking at these binoculars in the past. I should note that I am not that experienced with binoculars so, I need a little help from some of the more experienced around here 
My demo was pretty simple inside a building which probably does not yield a valid comparison of binoculars. That being said, I compared Canon 7x42 binoculars to some Pentax (DCF SP's I think they were, I was told they were the best they had in the brand) that ran ~$430 and some Steiner Military 7x50s that were more then that (~$600?).
I really thought the Canon's were better then the Steiner's with superior clarity and brightness. The Pentax's were closer in performance but, almost twice the price.
I would like to keep the price in the $250 range. I am willing to spend more for better performance if there is a reason for it . I am looking for something in the 7 or 8 power range for longer range detail viewing but, I would like them to be able to focus closer in for 'eye ball'ing' Hummingbirds in my yard 
. For the long range work, I would like them to be good at viewing game animals at dusk and dawn (cattle, elk, and similar) with some ability to spot larger bird species or hunters in a tree line. They do not need to be Marine binoculars (hard core waterproof) but, they need to be usable in a drizzle and stand up to good soaking while being put away in heavy rainfall. I should also note that I wear eyeglasses so eye relief is important and, I hate folding eye cups down so, the screw in/out eye cups like I have seen Swarovski binoculars are a plus.
My demo was pretty simple inside a building which probably does not yield a valid comparison of binoculars. That being said, I compared Canon 7x42 binoculars to some Pentax (DCF SP's I think they were, I was told they were the best they had in the brand) that ran ~$430 and some Steiner Military 7x50s that were more then that (~$600?).
I really thought the Canon's were better then the Steiner's with superior clarity and brightness. The Pentax's were closer in performance but, almost twice the price.
I would like to keep the price in the $250 range. I am willing to spend more for better performance if there is a reason for it
. I am looking for something in the 7 or 8 power range for longer range detail viewing but, I would like them to be able to focus closer in for 'eye ball'ing' Hummingbirds in my yard . For the long range work, I would like them to be good at viewing game animals at dusk and dawn (cattle, elk, and similar) with some ability to spot larger bird species or hunters in a tree line. They do not need to be Marine binoculars (hard core waterproof) but, they need to be usable in a drizzle and stand up to good soaking while being put away in heavy rainfall. I should also note that I wear eyeglasses so eye relief is important and, I hate folding eye cups down so, the screw in/out eye cups like I have seen Swarovski binoculars are a plus.
