I took these along to Madagascar, where I spent most of my time slam dancing my way through muddy rainforests in pursuit of persnickety pri- mates that were not at all interested in my line of sight, and they were wonderful. They're superlight (200 grams) and superdurable. I know this because I went headfirst down a dozen trails and the binoculars went with me. They're fine in low light and rainy weather and about the only draw- back is that their objective diameter of 25 millimeters (objective diameter is the width of the field of vision) is a little on the small side.
Zeiss, 800-338-2984, www.zeiss.com. $430
Taseo Sierra 8x25 Roof Prism While at first glance the Tasco Sierras may be less impressive than the rest, don't be deceived. The field of vision is thin, the optics not too clear, the magnification shortsighted, but the day I tried them out was cold, foggy and wet. I had already written off the Sierras and pulled out the Nikons, but the wind kept blowing snow onto the Nikon lens and the lenses were fogging up. I pulled out the Sierras as a last resort and wasn't I surprised. These are the finest bad weather binoculars in the lot, durable as hell and able to withstand some serious elemental punishment.
Tasco, 800-368-2726 X 3700, www.tasco.com.au. $187
