A bolt fan,

Sorry for not replying sooner. I have an archery bull elk hunt in AZ that starts in two weeks andthus I have been a little preoccupied.

Have you ever been in a well lit room and noticed how the lighting is reflecting off of peoples eye glasses? That reflection that you see is light that was unable to pass through the glass. An untreated glass will block approximately 15% of light that is trying to pass through. Keep in mind, binoculars have 7 lenses. That is a lot of light not getting through. This is very noticeable during the 1st and last 30 minutes (or so) of light, when game is the most active. While at the store in a well lighted enviornment, it is difficult to see the difference.

Nikon makes some very good binoculars such as the premier SE series, but they run about $700 to $900. So why the big difference in price between the monarchs and the premier SE binoculars? Because of the chemical coatings used on the glass and the prisms. The chemical coatingsallow more light to transmit through the glass.

If you want quality glass, you have to pay the big bucks....there is no way around it. If you want to save money, go to Walmart and buy a pair for $49.99.

I can't speak for hunting out east, but for hunting out west, good glass (to include a tripod) is a must. It is not uncommon to glass the same area all day.

As for brands to look at, I would recommend the Nikon Premier SE, Pentax DCF, Zeiss, Leica, & Swarovski (not in that order). More so than any other product that I know of, you get what you pay for whenit comes to glass. Not all Binoculars are created equal, NOT EVEN BINOS MADE BY THE SAME MAKER!!!! i.e. Monarch vs the Premier SE (the extra money for the SE is giving you light transmission that the Monarchs are not).

If your the type of hunter who uses his/her glass for about 30 minutes a day total during the hunting season, then don't buy the expensive glass. You wouldn't be using it anyway.

There is a reason that most guides, i.e. people who make a living hunting, use the higher end glass (and no it is not given to them for free).

I'm not trying to offend anyone by this post. I own a pair of Nikon Monarchs (they keep my son occupied while I'm 'burning glass'). I also own Swarovski 15x56. My hunting partners have Swarovskis and Leicas in various magnifications and I have used them all under low light conditions and know of their qualitiy.

I really don't care what glass you buy, I'm not getting any money from the companies, I'm just trying to pass on information that I have learned.