shot my first buck of the season at last light yesterday 20:18 to be exact. it was also a bit misty and the rain was considering turning back on,,however, even with a dark backdrop, from 100yds or just below, my crosshairs on the S&B 6x42 hungary stood out just fine, ten more minutes and no chance, but I would not have taken the shot then.
I think it's due to A. the good glass and B. the thick crosshairs.
in similar circumstances when I've used a zeiss 8x56 with fine crosshairs, the even better glass and better light gathering due to the larger objective lens has made shots possible with fine crosshairs equally well. however, I would say, I don't think the x42 S&B IF IT HAD fine crosshairs would have allowed me the shot.
so, would I spend the extra £300, no, not unless the majority of stalking was first/last light (literally) and I felt the extra £300 couldn't be spent better elsewhere. I also don't like the look of the IR buttons/features much on the scopes, looks clunky to me..that said I'll be completely honest, I've never had one in the field to compare, so I am not talking from a 'comparative' experience point of view.