Well after much research, looking at, reading about, etc. here are my own opinions. I looked through Swarovski, Leica, Pentax, Nikon, Leupold. Still I beleive the Swarovski EL's and the Leica Ultravid to be a bit clearer and brighter than the rest of the pack (very expensive though). The Nikon LXL are very close to the two above mentioned and are about 1/3 cheaper (couldn't keep my hands off these). The Leupold is in the running matching up closely to the Pentax WCF SP's but are $500 higher ( I feel neither of these compare to the above three). A surprise for the price was the Nikon ATB's (around $275 or so), excellent optics for the lower priced units. I beleive the ATB's would suffice just about any hunting situation provided the right size chosen is for the terrain to be hunted. Definitly check these out before dropping a grand or so. Also, if you need the ability to range your distance, the Leica 8X42 Range finding binos would be worth a look (found them for $1500). My choice for general glassing and hunting the woodlands and fields here in the East would be the Nikon LXL 8X32 ($700). These seem to be the perfect size, good ergonomics and very clear and sharp. I know I may give up a bit of dusk and dawn veiwing, but feel it would still be very adequit but give me that wider field of view which I feel is more important. Again, these are my own observations and this and a dollar or so will get you a cup of jo at the local hangout. I'm sure there are some other brands that I have overlooked which offer exceptional optics, so don't beat me up too bad if I missed those. One more thing, the Zeiss Victory FL's just didn't fit my ergonomic needs very well, but they were very clear, sharp and bright. Opticaly, they would rank among the top three ( they just didn't tickle my gizard)
