I'm in a bit of a quandary. I just bought myself two new pair of binocs for Xmas. Nothing pricy but good enough for my uses. The first being the "Nikon Monarch 3 8x42", the second the "Eagle Optics Ranger SRT 6x32" Binocular and here is where I'd appreciate some advice. I'm buying one more pair and I want them to be compacts. After doing research I've come down to the "Minox 10x25 BV BRW Binocular". (there's still time if you know of something better in that price range however) My problem is whether to get it in the 8x or 10x. I'll likely use these for a variety of situations and that would indicate 8x but I've never owned a pair of 10x binoculars in all my 58 years. This is the last of my bino budget for quite some time so it's my last chance to own 10x. So you can see my problem. Any advice is appreciated.
Here's the specs on the Minox and a pretty comprehensive review on them.
The only difference besides a $10 price difference is that the FOV on the 10x is 290 ft. and the 8x is just over 350 ft.
http://www.bestbinocularsreviews.co...x25BVBRW-67.htm
Everyone is going to have different opinions on this subject. I am a big fan of larger exit pupils so my suggestions are going to be biased because of this. I tend to prefer 7x-8x bins almost exclusively. The only 10x I have been really satisfied with are the 10x50s. I am somewhat satisfied by 10x42s but still tend to prefer 10x50s over them optically (length and weight don't bother me much).
10x32s just have too small of an exit pupil and require more critical eye placement because of it. 10x25s are even worse. So, if I was going to go for a 10x instrument then my last choice would be a compact.
In addition, for most folks, you won't see the benefits of the 10x unless you have a fairly steady rest/hold on the binoculars. A smaller binocular weighs less and is then, theoretically harder to hold steady.
Furthermore, at any given price point a higher magnification model is more likely to show any optical imperfections in not only the design itself but also quality control issues. So, for less expensive models it tends to be wiser to stick with mid-lower magnification configurations.
Again, just my thoughts and there are, of course, some exceptions to what I posted.
I was going to reply, but Frank has said it all really. I also tend to go for 8x bins and would think that a compact is the last sort of 10x I'd consider.