As I have become a more avid birder I was feeling the need to upgrade my old entry-level Pentax binoculars to something nicer. I was prepared to pay between $500 and $700, but then I found the Celestron Regal LX's. These have all the qualities of a good mid-range binocular at an entry-level price. The original retail price was in the $700 range, but my purchase price through Amazon was closer to $160. I can only surmise that the deep discounting is due to the fact that Celestron has discontinued this model.
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br /The binoculars are very comfortable to use, reasonably small and lightweight. Nitrogen-purged and sealed, they are waterproof, so no worries about birding in the rain or a quick drop into the water. The diopter setting is done with a click-wheel type mechanism, which works very well and tends to stay in place once set (my Pentax binos would always lose the diopter setting). Eye relief is variable based on pulling the eyepieces out or pushing them in; easy enough. The strap, eyepiece covers, and case are all nice.
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br /The best thing about these binoculars is the optics, of course. After years of looking through decent but not great binoculars, I was very happy to see how bright and clear the image is in this pair. As crisp as a top-end set of Swarovskis or Leicas? No, but you can buy 10 of these for one of those!
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br /All in all a tremendous value. Pick up a pair before they are gone for good.