Thank you all for the advice. As usual, this site is THE place for good information and helpful people. I will definitely chew on the recommendations and visit the links you've provided. As an aside, I will second the plug for B&H Optical. I bought a pair of Swift Eaglet 7 x 36 Binoculars from them and found price, service, and delivery to be superb. Incidentally, those Swifts seemed to my eyes to be so close to the Swarovski, Leika, Zeiss, Minox, and others in that class that I could not justify spending 3-4 times as much for a name. The above binocs in the same power and exit pupil class were all much heavier too. I had first bought a pair of Nikon Monarch 8 x 40 that were highly rated and was very disappointed in the clarity and the "made in China sticker". The Swifts were Japanese made. I hope I can maybe find a decent camera that isn't made in China. I just have this thing about supporting the economy of a country that I feel may one day attack us. In answer to the obvious... I'm hoping Japan learned their lesson. Thanks again.
