I just bought a pair of 10x50 Vortex Vipers. My buddy carries Vortex in his shop, so I got them for cost, or else I probably wouldn't have gotten them.

They're pretty nice.

I have several, the nikon monarchs are very good. For the money I would recommend the vortex diamond back. I would recommend 10x40 or 10x42. Get any higher power than that and at least for me i can't hold them still. Just mop

Thanks to all that replied..alot of info i.m going to have to look into and some questions that i didnt think of.

12x50's is all I carry. Anything less than that power for me just doesn't do the job. As far as brand name do some homework and go try a pair of 12x50's and get a quality pair of the brand name you trust. Vortex are great and don't break the bank and have thee best consumer qualities.

Avoid the lower end Vortex, the warranty is great and you'll need it.

Stop by Cabelas like stated and look over some various brands.
Lots of better mid range binos now.
Go with 10x , 12 and higher are for more long range glassing than spotting in timber or just looking at wildlife.
I use Swaros but bought them, years back in the bargain cave, no need to upgrade for me.
If you'll spend $500 or so you'll get much better glass than say buying $200 binos.

Spotting scope would be my choice only for spotting of long distance game, and a tripod would be needed, decent binos would be a better choice for you I think.

I like European glass, but it is expensive.
But I seriously doubt that you will notice much difference with Nikon bino's; and for a lot less money. I like 10X, much more magnification can be a little hard to stabilize.

Real happy with the 12x50 crossfire I have

Midway has the Vortex Diamondback Gen 1 10x42 on sale for $129 with free shipping.

Just remember, cheap binos will give you a splitting headache after a day of glassing with them.

Vortex 12X and no problems around 500 dollars

I know Vortex gets a lot of love but I am not a big fan. Yes the warranty is great, but other brands have great warranties as well. They just don't make their living selling the warranty.
I personally love Meopta products, but there are a lot of good options out there. Go to a Cabelas etc and check out what they have on display and see what YOUR eyes like. Also, go early morning (probably too late in the year for that) or late evening just before dark. All the binocs seem bright in a well lit store at 2pm. See the difference in the early morning/late evening shadows. Also, 8x would be my advice. Anything stronger are hard to stabilize and 40 or larger objective, absolute minimum 32.

warranty's matter, just talking to a guy that lost all his guns in the holiday fire on the McKenzie river, he said the safe did a fine job of holding all the ashes in place. Leupold which I'm a big fan of said no to the warranty, Vortex sent him new scopes no questions asked. Leupold offered a 60% off new scopes. I think Vortex offers warranty on all there stuff, I'm about to find out how it works. I had a screw come out from behind an eye cup on a pair of binoculars, I called and they said go ahead and finish your hunt then call and they will send a shipping label to get them there. Sounded good so far we will see. How long it takes will matter too. Leupold once fixed a scope I found in a trash can, took less than a week.

wws

I will state that most of those who I know that use their binoculars extensively (guides) that run the Vortex Diamondbacks have all ended up sending them back and getting them replaced under warranty. Most of those who use them a couple weeks a year haven't had a problem. Their warranty is great and no hassle, other than being out a pair of binos for a week. There are much better options out there, but I haven't used any in his price range I consider as good. Personally I use a pair of Steiner Nighthunters 10x50, which haven't been made in years, are very big and heavy, but have great glass and gather more light than any other binos I have tried. If I was buying a new pair right now, with what I have tried I would buy a set of Vortex Razor 10x40s, but last I looked at them they were $1000 and are probably more now. They gather more light than the Swarvorskis I have tried though, and are just as clear, and are maybe half as bulky and heavy as the ones I am using now. Plus their reliability is much better than Diamondbacks, Vipers (not a fan, to my eyes the Diamondbacks are superior) or Crossfires. I'm a big fan of Leupold scopes, but their binoculars just don't do it for my eyes. Everyone's eyes are different, so I recommend trying out various brands and models if you can.

Swarovski is what I use but I use mine daily I have a pair 30 years old that are as good today as when I purchased them I send them in about every thee or four years and get the service department to go thru them and they come back looking like new
They a great in low light conditions

Buy the best you can and you won’t regret it
Bubba

Good glass is important, especially when you're spending hours a day behind them. Buy the best you can afford. I've owned a couple pair of Zeiss Dialyt binos. One in 8x30 and the other in 10x40. The 8x30s were the best option for me being a nice balance between magnification and bulk.

I have a old set of Kowa,,,my first night vision because of light gathering......

If you can, test whatever optic you want on a cloudy day and even better if it's close to time to quit shooting. A bright sunny day isn't you friend when it comes to testing optics.