[Tweeters] Best Binoculars?

[jimbetz at jimbetz.com]

Hi all,

   I -think- I know the answer to this question - but an unasked
question is little more than a guess ... and at best an educated
guess.

   We have 3 different binoculars.  All Nikon 8x50, 10x50, and 12x50.
Other than the magnification I can't tell the difference.  Usually I
grab/prefer the 12x50.  My wife uses the 10x50.  We are both in our
late 70's.
   We also have a spotting scope - that stays home.
   We are more than casual birders - but not "serious birders" (we
know several people who have been doing this much longer than we
have and are much better at finding and IDing birds.
   We are NOT life listers - we pay more attention to bird behavior
than to putting another new to us bird on our checklist.
   We do take birding vacations - such as our recent trip to Veracruz
with Raptours.  We are currently in Puerto Vallarta and will book at
least one guided day trip while we are here.  We are considering
going to Gibraltar for the move north in the Spring.
   We are more interested in the larger birds than smaller.

   Conventional wisdom is that "the more you spend the better the
binoculars" ... which leads one to the Swarovski or Zeiss - without
much real difference between the two?

   It's not about the money.  We can afford any set we choose.  But it
-IS- about whether we can tell the difference.

   ===> So is there an 'upgrade' that will make a difference?

                                             - Jim in Skagit County