It's fun being a binocular expert, but it comes with a price. After so many years of heavy and extended use with
premium binoculars, I have become almost obsessively
fussy about some features. First, I must have a
binocular that focuses smoothly, with no slop and with a minimum of effort. I often carry other equipment and need to focus with one hand. I have no use for a
binocular that fights me, even a little, when I focus. This is a performance issue, but I sometimes wonder if I am going overboard when I reject a binocular that takes more than one finger to focus. What is less of a performance issue is edge of field sharpness. I can't claim that a binocular with only average edge sharpness is any serious handicap, but after so many years of using the best binoculars in the world, anything less than sharp to nearly the edge of the field just annoys me. Am I getting grouchy in my old age?