I know what you mean about the quality of Swarovskis. I bought an SLC style pair (7x30) somewhere in the late 80's or early 90's. I sent them in for service once and Swarovski replaced them with a new pair made in 1999. I still have that pair. They work really well and I'm spoiled.

Like you, I'd love to find a sweet spot on that quality curve with the newer binos. My Swarovski SLC binos can't compete with the newer Swaro EL's and I don't expect a mid range bino to either. What I am looking for is a mid-range bino that has a bigger objective that my Swaros and can perform in that last 15 minutes of dusk/twilight.

I PM'd a bit with OpticsCamp and he's sending a pair of 8x42's for me to test. I have a deer/bear hunt planned up North next week with a buddy and we'll be able to give them an honest test drive and evaluation. I've got a couple other hunting buddies who will probably want to try them out too.

I know what you mean about stargazers and birdwatchers--they do have a different set of requirements. In the treestand hunting for bear, I carry my binos in a backpack and honestly don't care if they weigh a little more or are bulkier while I'm just sitting in a treestand. For that price point, I'm willing to buy a pair of treestand binos. I've got another buddy who ranches a 1,000 acre cattle ranch surrounded by other cattle ranches and he wants me to go in on treestand hunting for coyotes and bobcats so i know I'll get some good use out of them.