Can somebody explain what I get for paying more money for binocular's?

For example:

At $100, you get this level of performance. . . . Some good models at this price are. . . .

At $200, . . .

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At $500
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At $1000
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.$1500 +

I spent a week bear hunting this spring that consisted of hours upon hours of glassing the shore line from a boat. At the end of our hunt, I was the only one that did not complain of eye strain. I was using a borrowed pair of Zeiss 10x40 binoculars. Compairing the Zeiss to my Steiner 8x30's Military/Marine's is like HDTV to regular TV. Seriously. The Zeiss are that good.

Using my friend's Zeiss binos made a believer out of me. I am seriously thinking about getting a pair of high quality binoculars (Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica, Kahles, etc.) before next year's hunting season. I probably won't buy top-of-the-line, but an $800 pair of the Zeiss Conquest models looks to be a good investment.

I rationalize it this way. I have a $500 video camera and a $750 digital SLR. The video camera will be junk in 4 or 5 years, and maybe less if I continue to take it outdoors, on the boat, in the woods, etc. I hope to get longer life out of my digital SLR, but I don't expect anything beyond about 10 years of service. On the other hand, a quality set of binoculars should last several decades, with resonable care.

One thing to consider is the warranty. I bought a pair of used Kahles 10x42. The warranty is only good for the original purchaser (straight from their website). I'm pretty sure Zeiss is transferable.

Just food for thought

There are a variety of issues that separate binoculars in one price range from binoculars in another. For example, assuming roof prism binos, at the $100 price point and under we have bins like the...

Bushnell Powerview
Nikon Sporter I/Buckmaster
Tasco World Class
Bushnell H20

The bins may be waterproof but are more than likely just water repellent. They may also only be "fullycoated or just plain "multicoated" in terms of the lenses. This reduces brightness, contrast, resolution, etc...

At the $200 price point we have binoculars like the....

Bushnell Excursion
Eagle Optics Denali
Pentax DCF-HS

These binoculars have at least multicoated optics and have phase-coated prisms. This makes them siginficantly brighter with a sharper image. Some models might also have a slightly wider field of view. The glasses may also be a bit lighter overall. Durability will, ofcourse, increase slightly as you pay more money within product lines from the same company.

At the $300 price point you start getting into the bins that give you great performance for the price. Bins included in this price range include....

Nikon Monarch
Bushnell Legend
Wind River Cascade and Olympic
Pentax DCF-HR II
Cabelas XTs
Minox BD BR or BD BL

These binoculars are all fully multicoated, phase coated, waterproof roof prism binos that offer excellent image quality with two or three characteristics that separate them from the $1000+ models

From $400-$800 you do not really see that much of a difference in terms of quality or design. These binoculars are a smidge better in terms of one or two characteristics than the $300 models but, IMO, are not worththe doubling in costunless you are trying to get the absolute highest quality instrument within that particular budget.Binoculars in this range include....

Pentax DCF-SP
Minox HG
Kahles
Bushnell Discoverer (original price)

Between $900 and $1000 you havea tier of binoculars that is possibly the best from their respective company but still falls just a bit short of the absolute best roof prisms available for one reason or another optically or mechanically. These binoculars would include.....

Bushnell Elite
Meopta Meostar
Zeiss Conquest

Between $1000 and $1300 you have some of the best roof prism glasses ever produced. At one time they were the premier roof prism glasses on the marekt however subsequent improvements in prism coatings or a reduction in weight due to construction materials has bumped them just a bit from the "latest and greatest" status. Without comparing them extensively to their slightly more expensive counterparts you would never know that there could be a better glass out there. These bins typically have full life time warranties, close to the latest advances in coatings and excellent build quality. The quality control at this price point is also much better than that of the bins in the $300-$800 price range. Bins in this range would include.....

Leica Trinovids
Swarovski SLCs
Nikon Premier LXLs

Lastly we have the most expensive roof prisms on the market...$1300+. These three binocular lines represent the highest quality level and latest technological advances in just about every area. There is currently some discussion on whether or not they are actually "better" than the models just mentioned so take it with a grain of salt. Bins in this range include....

Swarovski EL
Leica Ultravid
Zeiss FL.

To summarize, you pay more for

1. Better durability
2. Better coatings on the prism and lenses
3. Waterproofing
4. Warranty
5. Optical characterisitcs such as a wider field of view, closer focus, less edge distortion, etc...

Hope this proves helpful.

PAbowhunter has it pegged. There is usually a difference in customer service in higher end binos like Leupold, Leice, etc. But Bushnell has very good service even on it's cheaper lines. And all ofthe techincal and build differences between the cheaper and higher end binos is a compelling argument.
But you just know the difference when you are used to a cheap bino and you finally look through a pair of good ones.The first time I looked through a pair of Baucsh & Lomb ELites after the tascos I was using, The view was breathtaking. I think I literally said "HOLY S**T" out loud at the store.
Get to a Cabelas if you can or some store that has alot of brands. Spend time comparing, looking at dark corners and trying to read writing on boxes and such. Usually they will let you take them outside so you can check out colour accuracy.
Nowadays you can get a pretty incredible pair in the 500 dollor range, IE Cabelas Alaskan Guide, Pentax DCF-SP, Steiner Merlin, Docter Optik.
But it is really hard to beat Zeiss, Swarovski, Nikon LXL, and Leica. We all may argue about which is the best of these 4, but they are all so good that the deal maker will probably come down to how they feel in you hands and how they look.
okcmco
okcmco