there is no easy answer; most of it depends on you and your wallet. If someone was really serious about buying a good pair of binocs i would tell them to come back at night, or during a really ugly rainy dark day. In good sunlight, most binocs perform.....okay. It's in the poor light conditions that you start getting an idea of the quality of the optics and the lense coatings. We had a great spot to let people get an idea of the range of quality between different binocs. About 100 yards away was an old abandoned semi trailer with weeds grown up around it. We would step outside with 5-6 different pairs of binocs slowly going up the scale. With the $29 dollar pair of 8x30's they could see the weeds fairly clear. As we went up, they could see under the trailer, they would spot the old shoe...no not a shoe....a rabbit. Another aspect of good binocs is how good their quality is, on the edge of the viewing area. Difficult to explain so bear with me. the middle of the lense is often the thickest part and quality control is easier. as you near the edge of the lense, it tapers down and gets much thinner, making it harder to hold consistent slopes. Look through the binocs at a target; keep looking at the target but slowly pan the binocs sideways until that same target it just at the edge of the viewing field. High quality binocs will have clarity nearly all the way to the edge. Low quality binocs will loose sharpness almost immediately. If you are using your binocs for any type of viewing that involves movement (sports, bird watching, etc.), that lack of sharpness will quickly give you a headache as your eyes try to compensate for the lack of focus/sharpness. eye relief is critical for maximizing the full potential of your binocs. Basic guide.........the small glass lenses that are closest to your eyes......the larger diameter they are, the more flexibility you have regarding eye relief. When you are checking the binocs and setting them to your specific vision, DON"T SQUINT as you focus the individual eye. Squinting automatically forces the open eye to refocus, making your eye do the work instead of letting the binocs do the work, and that will you bad head quick. Simply use a cap to cover the right side of the binocs, keep both eyes open as you focus your left eye first. Relax and let the binocs do all the work. Once your left eye is nice and sharp, change the lense cap an repeat for right eye. Most people make the mistake of pressing the eye pieces against their eye sockets, to block out light and help stabilize the view. don't do it. There's a technique that works but it's hard to explain and I won't try. Bottom line: some people couldn't tell the difference between a $30 dollar pair and a $1200 dollar pair. Problem solved, go cheap. Others could tell the difference but it became minor after getting to the $300 pair, so that's where they stopped. Bird watchers and hunting guides were the most demanding, wanting true color transmission and absolute light transmission for low light situations, and they were willing to pay. Find a sporting goods store near you that has good range of binocs. Wait for nasty ugly day, then make the salesman go outside with you, taking 4-5 different pairs of binocs. Once you settle on a pair, don't buy them until you look at that specific pair; test them outside. Quality control can vary sharply between the same models until you start getting into the $400 dollar range.
Sorry for the short novel but optics are near and dear to my heart. A good pair of binocs will last a life time, letting you view through them for long long time without getting headache or eye fatigue. Some of the most fun is using the glasses at night, surprising you at just what you can see. My kids love just laying on a lounging chair and looking at the night sky with the binocs. Good luck.................I got blisters on my fingers............time to go