Mike,
Other times when they are handy.....bank your watching is 40-50' away. It's the shady bank which hurts your vision a bit. Naked eye tells you nothing. Binos show you a heavy brush hatch of dark caddis that you'd never see otherwise.
I've watched fish selectively take blue quills when the water is covered with hendricksons. In the right lighting, you can actually see if they are eating flies with upright wings or not. Very helpful.
