Wendy,
You might also want to take a look at the Zen-Ray 8x42 ZRS HD (Summit) binoculars. I have the 2009 model of these and have been very happy with them. They are about $100 less than the Nikon Monarchs. Although I have not compared them to the Monarchs, I have read a number of reviews from former Monarch users who thought the Zen-Ray optics were superior to the Monarch optics. I'd advise checking them out.
