Daman, I don't believe $800 scopes are necessary at all, but I don't like cheap scopes either for the most part, but for $100-$300, the
average hunter can get a scope that will perform just as well for them as the expensive optics will.
Optics have changed a LOT in the last 20yrs, there's an article titled
Better Scopes, Lower Prices in the Nov 2009 North American Hunter by
Ron Spomer on optics, I've been hoping it would be available on the website, but not yet, but it's a good read.
Here are a couple of his statements...
"Today's $150-$200 scopes might be better than the $400-$500 scopes of 20yrs ago." and
"Inexpensive scopes are never as sharp and clear as top models, but might not need to be. Reality check- a scope is a glorified front sight, so as long as you can see the crosshair clearly against your target, it'll work. You don't need to see every whisker on a bull or buck's muzzle to make an accurate shot."I entirely agree.

Tim