Meet the Entrepreneurs Who Set Their Sights on Bringing Quality Binoculars to the U.S.A domestic maker of binoculars takes on the best European optics, one satisfied customer at a time.

For most people, cheap binoculars will do just fine for watching a ballgame, catching a glimpse of Springsteen from the back row or getting a peek at the neighbor's begonias.

But there's a subset of hobbyists -- including hunters, birdwatchers and stargazers -- for whom top-of-the-line binoculars are essential. In fact, they're willing to pay up to $2,500 to get them. So when it comes to purchasing those nitrogen-purged, electrophoretic-coated, phase-corrected, rubber-armored devices, the choice is clear: Order a pair from one of Europe's big-three manufacturers -- Swarovski Optik, Leica and Zeiss -- which have set and held the standard for optics since before World War II.