Don't know how many pair of binos I've gone thru, but I've never before been even remotely pleased with anything under $200. My last pair were Steiner Wildlife Pros and I loved them until I sat in a stand all morning in a downpour forgetting they were hanging around my neck. I think those were the 3rd pair of "waterproof" binos that I've ruined in the rain.
So with my track record of trashing binos in the rain and dropping them out of treestands, I wasn't willing to spend what I did on the Steiners again. I ended up getting a pair of Redfield Rebel 8x32 ($130) that I've been really impressed with. Not too big to lug around hunting and nice and clear. My pond is about 200' from the house and these are fine for checking on things out there. I've always preferred lower magnification for in the woods, but If just for the pond, I would recommend going with something in 10x42 or 10x50. Certainly there's better glass out there, but for the money, the Redfields are hard to beat.
