Maisiel

I've been using cheap binocs my whole life but now being retired I am spending a lot more time out in the field hunting. I've noticed that spending a lot of time staring at my food plot or into the woods my eyes get tired quickly and low light vision is kind of sketchy.
Therefore I am looking to upgrade my binocs to something a little bit better. Would like to keep it under $200 (hey, I'm on a fixed income here).
So what are the best binocs $200 can buy these days? Oh, and I don't need a pair of mini ones but ones that are not so big that it weighs me down and are easier to carry.

Ridge Runner

check out the vortex line, decent for the money, if you never look through a pair of Leica, swaurovski, or Zeiss you won't know what your missing.

CalHunter

^^^ What Ridge Runner said. Another suggestion is to go into a gun store that sells a lot of binoculars and look through different binoculars. Figure out what level of quality works okay for you. I agree with you on full size binos. They work much better. I don't know what you consider cheap $-wise but most people find a substantial difference between the under $200 category of binos compared to the $200-$400 category. Another thought is to check with any of your buddies who are considering upgrading their binos. Maybe they will sell you a used pair to help pay for the new pair they want to buy. You could possibly borrow that pair from your buddy and test drive them in the field to see if they're going to hurt your eyes.

Father Forkhorn

I have a pair of Nikon Prostaff 5 8x42s that work well. Retail outlets put them around $220, but there is this advertisement coming under you figure:

Wiwagner

You may look at vortex, because they have decent optics that aren't super expensive.
Sightron SII Blue Sky 8x32 also are the best value I have found here, but that's still more than you are wanting to spend.

270sniper

I have a pair of Kahles that I bought on EBay used that have a lifetime warranty No complaints.

Good glass is important especially at dusk and dawn when you can look across afield and see about 10 yards into the woods with barley any light.

khilat

Here is the list of best binoculars under $200 which I have personally used and reviewed.

1. Vortex Crossfire HD

2. Nikon Prostaff 7s

3. Bushnell Legend L Series

4. Nikon Action Extreme 10×5

5. Nikon Aculon 8252 A211

Gm54-120

Sightron SII Blue Sky 8x32 or 10x32 made in the Philippines. $100 on sale atm.

Seroleyar

Thanks for useful info! That's what I searched for