Bushnell is a good company but those 8X21s are absolutely awful. Even a $60 Nikon Action 7X35 would be light years better.
For $400 you can get a low end DSLR with a kit lens if you look and wait long enough. I found and bought a Sony Alpha 230 with the 18-55 kit lens for only $230. It was an unusual buy and was on clearance but if you look long enough you will find something similar.
The good thing about the Sony DSLR is I can use my old Minolta Maxxum AF lenses on it. Those Minolta lenses are of excellent quality and you can find them cheap.
Yes, those Bushnells were a gift from a friend, and in the move, they made the cut into a box that was opened soon. Better than nothing, and I have no idea what happened to our good old ones from years ago. These are the little guys that we take to sports events in a backpack or purse, which seem adequate enough for reading numbers on jerseys that are far away.
I will keep my eye for a decent low end DSLR. I miss my old Pentax SLR before things went digital. It was so reliable and easy, but that was eons ago.
Do you recommend any particular websites to watch for deals, or should I look around locally?
P.S. Thanks for your help!