I have never owned a good pair of binoculars and after using these off and on for a couple weeks I am wondering why I waited so long (I am in my 60s). The optics are excellent and I am astonished how easy it is with these 8x42s to follow a bird or flock of birds in flight. I still have a lot to learn about birding but I feel I now have the right equipment to pursue this. Low light performance is really impressive. The one minor complaint I would have is the low quality ocular lens cap, which has a tendency to pop off. Overall, outstanding pair of binoculars.