First off I'll say I'm in the camp of wanting my LRF and binoculars combined. I only want one thing hanging around my neck because over the course of a day on the footmobile extra stuff becomes tedious.
I researched the big three and others. For my eyes I found the Bushnell Fusions really lacking optically at distance when compared to the Swaros or Zeiss, but with a very good rangefinder.
I researched the Leica generation before the ones that Shrapnel has and again, through my eyes, they were lacking optically but the rangefinder was good. And then there is Leica's warranty tales, it seem for every happy tale there is a sad one.
I bought the Swaro 8x42 rangefinder binos. Very happy.
The thing with optics that I have found is that there is a lot of highly subjective information in these threads (including mine). You really should look at the big three yourself - and not in a store, somehow you want to be out in the bush at first or last light looking at stuff at distance as the light changes. What is great through one persons eyes may very well be different for you.
The other point on looking at the very good glass is to not expect a huge difference at 300 or 500 yards in good light between the so called alpha glass and the others. Where I have noticed the difference is at 500 yards plus at first or last light and being able to spot that monster bull in the shadows of a Spruce grove and being able to see that he is a tripalm and legal. Rather then spend the next four hours on a stalk only to get close and find a deuce rather than a tri and having to pass on him when you could have been elsewhere. That is what you pay the money for.
