Image stabilization rocks! - SIG SAUER ZULU6 HDX OIS 20x42mm Schmidt-Pechan Prism Binocular

I'm addicted to image stabilized binoculars because they have finally made binoculars almost flawlessly useful. But they have one big enemy and it's heat waves, due to the fact that no binocular can undo heat waves, and the farther you can see, the worse the view will be degraded. The Sig Sauer 20x42 binoculars seem optimized for hunting in that you can see a heck of a long ways, but the objective lenses are too small to gather sufficient light to view small birds with detail at the distance they're capable of. For nearer bird watching in bright daylight, they're delightful. With these I can watch a bird on a nest when I can't see the nest with my naked eyes. The optical components may not be the very best, but you will see things that weaker glasses won't give you. A passenger jet flew overhead and I could see a prominent flashing light on its belly I never knew they had. In the world of stabilized binoculars these, and the very similar Opticrons, are phenominally compact and light weight. For taking on a hike they're unbeatable. And as for battery consumption, while they don't claim compatibility, I've been using them with 1.2V rechargeable batteries which I can perpetually replenish. The field of view is not great, but the ability to scan with partial stabilization is nice. The one problem I have with these small and lightweight binoculars is that they will still move up and down with every breath. The image remains sharp but the object I'm focused on moves within the picture. For me, only a much heavier binocular overcomes this. So choosing a binocular comes down to what your peculiarities are and how you'll use them. Watch out for heat waves.