I lost my Bushnell compact binos and bought 10x42 Leupolds and couldn't be happier with them , I believe the Brand definitely makes a difference.

When it comes to Optics! Most definatly.

The holiday rush showed me that there was a lot of increased interest in the Celestron Nature DX 8x42 binocular, which is one of the best performers you're going to find at such a low price. Any lower and you're getting into territory where durability becomes a concern.

Here is a review of binoculars released in 2013 and the Nature DX 8x42 received the highest rating of the group of sub-$200 binoculars tested.

I'd also like to point out that Leupold and Bushnell didn't even make the list.

I think Bushnell gets a bad rep because they make such a wide variety of quality/price range.

They do make good stuff......and junk

Nikon Monarchs, well worth the money. You can shop around and get them on sale.