Damn, I go off and buy skyrim on a steam sale and get busy at work and I miss alot of fun debate in here.
So... lets start with the comments about half the people being worse than a certain %. In that regard I think the word you are looking for is "Median" and not "Average". Sure the Average win rate on the NA server is around 48%, that however does not imply 50% of people are worse than that, as average and median are not the same thing, and I dont know if there is a stats site that will tell you the median win rate.
1. Basic understanding of the game: 48% WR
2. Advanced understanding of the tank mechanics in the game +4% WR
3. Map knowledge: +2% WR
4. Situational awareness (awareness of the game's progression while still driving and shooting): +4% WR
5. Using premium ammo when appropriate: +1% WR
6. Using an overpowered-for-tier tank or a premium with preferential matchmaking: +1%
7. Meeting criteria 1-6 and platooning +10% WR
8. Platooning with 2 other people who also meet criteria 1-6 +10% WR
As for this, on a general sense I agree. There is still some short term randomness injected into this, but is mostly truth. Solo I can usually get 60%+ and platooned 75-85%. I'm almost inclined to say situational awareness is more than 4%. Many many games have been lost due to an entire flank not paying any attention to the minimap. Hell even I've blamed myself for some losses; getting caught up in a local fire fight and not disengaging to defend our base and then losing eventhough we were winning.
As for optics, I've actually changed over to binocs on a large majority of my tanks. I'm a big believer in camo crew skills and binocs. Spotting the enemy and staying hidden is a very good tactic that alot of medium tanks excel at (especially the russian ones). I also put binocs on my TDs, as most have great view ranges already, and you dont even have to sacrafice a Vstab. I've even got a few patrol duty medals on my TDs. On most maps there are lots of places where you can stop and let your binocs activate, and with 6th sense you know if you are spotted, so you know if you can afford to sit still for 5+ seconds to let them activate. The extra 15% view range over optics is worth it in my opinion.
The only tank I run optics over binocs on is my vk3601, and thats b/c I almost never stop in that tank, and I have a 4 skilled crew with the other view range perks. Also when I do get top tier with optics and my camo value I can spot and shoot almost anything before I get spotted anyway. Also, secrectly, I'm usually in a platoon with similiar vehicle and we are leading the charge and I want to steal the eff/wn7 points for initial spotting, which in this case optics are much more useful than binocs.