Grunt, you are basically asking if the diminishing marginal returns on a $1K+ are worth it.
First, some basics on optics and weight--which apply to any brand, model or price. There are three main optical variables when it comes to binoculars. 1) Magnification 2) Field of view and 3) The so-called "light-gathering" capability, which is measured largely by the size of the exit pupil. These three variables are interrelated: generally, the more magnification, the less the field of view and the light-gathering capability, unless you are prepared to add to the binoculars' weight. Also, the more magnification, the harder to keep the image "still."
In theory, the larger the exit pupil, the more light your binos will gather. This is an easy calculation--just divide the objective lens diameter by the magnification, and you have it. For instance, in a pair of 10x50 binos, you get 50 : 10 = 5mm exit pupil. Think of the exit pupil as the f/stop on your camera--naturally, the wider, the more light it will let in. In practice, though, this is tempered by the ability of your own eyes to open up their own pupils in low light: at age 30, it's generally possible to open them to 7mm, but by age 50, 5mm is what most of us get; in other words, with a 7x50 (= 7mm pupil) pair of binos, the extra 2mm worth of exit pupil will be lost on the average 50-year-old eyes. So, speaking generally, anything with an exit pupil of 5mm is considered the practical maximum in terms of trade-offs between light-gathering and weight.
As for the field of view, this will be determined by the type of hunting you do. In general, wider fields of view are preferable for scouting large open areas, such as (say) pronghorn country here in the USA. The standard FOV on a pair of 8x42's will be 340 feet at 1000 yards, and anything above 400 will be considered specialized. Use this as a yardstick to determine what you want; but only you can determine the kind of hunting that you do, and how this will affect your choice or more or less magnification--which impacts field of view in inverse proportion.
So, once you decide on the actual optical specs of your ideal binos, we come to the diminishing marginal returns question. Today, the top sporting brands such as Nikon, Leupold and Steiner have very little to envy next to the high-priced German/Austrian names like Zeiss, Leica, Schmidt & Bender and Swarovski. Sure, the latter have slightly better glass, but in order to appreciate a PRACTICAL difference you need conditions that very seldom occur in the field--such as absolute stillness. I'd say that the high-dollar German brands are a status symbol more than anything (I myself am a sucker for anything with a red dot on it), because there's practically (here's that word again) nothing you can do better with any of them than you would with a Leupold or Nikon.
In my firm, practically everybody is a hunting fanatic and I don't think I've ever seen a Zeiss or Swaro in any of their kits. What I do see is the prevalence of 8x42's as (perhaps) the best compromise between all the variables. Me, I've hunted for years with a little pair of Leica 10x25's, and I've killed most of my deer right at twilight--so even the fancy-schmancy optics math goes right out the window once you find something you like. Me, I'll probably stick with the little ones, since I love the way they fold into my breast pocket when I don't need them.
Anyway, I hope this helps.
. And only one or two evenings or mornings at first and last light will leave you wondering how you ever managed before. I use the Leica Ultravid 10x42 HD for all my African hunting. They are lighter and smaller than most 8x42's and provide incredible definition through heavy brush. For mountain hunting I am sold on Leica Geovid 10x42 HD-A with range finder. Yes they both are expensive, but amortizing them over the remainder of my hunting career (even at my age!) makes for a very reasonable investment
