i did some research on this forum and fellow birders and found that most like the swarovski el 8.5 x42 and the nikon 8 x 42 or 10x42 se. unfortunately the nikon SE is not waterproof and the eyecups are terrible. so the winner and most expensive bins out there are the swarovski el 8.5 x 42 at 1500 dollars or more sell the other 4 and get your selves the best. unfortunately i dont own these. if you spend a third you could get the second best= that are not waterproof and have terrible eyecups - nikon se....
It was my long-time desire to eventually buy the 8.5x42 EL. There were some red flags in this forum about them fogging up inside (i.e., the seals failing), and then I saw stuff about the Zeiss FL, which I hadn't heard about until I saw it here, and the rest is history. I'm happy with the FL. However, I still have an inordinate fondness for he concept, if not the actuality, of owning the EL. Maybe that's because I own the Swaro AT 65 HD scope, which I love, and I feel a bit of a traitor for not buying a Swarovski bin too. Speaking only of the two bins you mention, if I had $1500+ available, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the EL.
iambirding,
I don't mean to be rude, but....
Don't you think you should have a larger sample than 24 replies before you make such an important statistical conclusion?
Best wishes,
Bawko