kabuko,
Apparently you (along with probably many others) did NOT notice that nowhere did I say that "alpha" optics aren't the best in the world. The very best alphas are, or at least among the best.
What I was pointing out was that non-alpha optics have caught up considerably in the last 25 years or so, now and then even surpassing certain alpha brands. This forced the alphas to up their game. I have seen this again and again, both because I have the opportunity to test various binoculars and spotting scopes side-by-side in varying conditions, and because I've had that same opportunity constantly for almost 30 years.
If you sincerely believe that all non-alpha binoculars will only show "dots that look like snow-patches" when you can make out rams or ewes, then you haven't looked through enough non-alpha binoculars. It's also interesting that Japanese cameras have dominated the professional photography market for over 25 years. Why is that, if alpha Euro-optics are so obviously superior?
You obviously didn't read closely enough to understand that I have plenty of alpha binoculars and spotting scopes, and am not about to give them up--though I have given SOME up in the past, when other brands surpassed them. That is the way capitalist competition works, and the reason that not only alpha optics but "non alphas" keep improving. There are indeed $500 binoculars these days that are better than the alphas of 25 years ago.
