A really good deal right now is the Bushnell 8x42 Legend M-Series Binocular. Look around online and you should find them for $200-$300. A lot of binocular for the money. Based on online reviews (and a great deal through my work) I took a chance on them and could not be happier. Puts my old binocs to shame with good low light clarity and an exceptionally wide field of view. And the Rainguard is a nice plus. They also make a 10x42.

But truthfully, there are a lot of great optics in the $300-500 range. Seems to be the sweet spot for quality versus cost.