Pentax DCF SP 8x43 Binocular

Rating:
Summary: Best available birding binocular for the price
Review: I love, love, love this binocular. It's waterproof, fogproof, rugged, well-balanced, and easy to handle (I can hold it one-handed and still adjust the focus easily). I'm rough on equipment, but haven't managed to do any damage to it despite constant use under some pretty yucky conditions (tossing in the car, taking out in heavy rainstorms, dangling from the backpack on hikes, etc.)

No problem with or without glasses--the eyecups have nice, firm intermediate settings between the plain "in" and "out" options of most binoculars.

The image quality is fantastic, even in dim dusk or dawn light. IMO, you can't do better in roof prism binoculars until you get up into the megabuck Swarovski range, and even given the slight image quality improvement (for two or three times the price), I'd still prefer the Pentax DCF for its handling and quick focus.