Compact binoculars

I'm looking to purchase a pair of compact binoculars suitable for hiking and canoeing. I've looked at the Bushnell Trophy 10x27 and Bushnell H2O 10x25. Does anyone have any experience with either of these, or with other brands? I am looking for a BAK-4 prism, preferably with fully multi-coated lenses and waterproofness, but I don't want to spend a fortune. I'm open to suggestions.

After some research, I just bought a pair of Nikon Travelite 9x25's. MSRP of $100, and like them very much.

I have a pair of Nikon 7x20s that I'm happy with. (Sorry, don't know the model.) Small enough and light enough to carry in a shirt pocket.

Sometimes I just carry a monocular--saves weight and space. (REI model, don't see it on their website. http://www.rei.com/product/47912673.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC looks similar.)

Doug

Olympus 8 x 25 compact roof prism type binoculars that are billed as “weatherproof” work well for me. The binocs usually come along when I hike. Adequate eye relief for eyeglass wearers. B&H Photo Video price about $130.

I’ve also tried similar Pentax binocs, approximately comparable price, that I thought were good. These all weigh in the 9 - 11 oz range. Interestingly, I once tried out a pair of very pricey Leitz compacts that didn’t work for me at all. This makes me think that trying before buying is a good idea.

The 8X magnification is adequate for most of my viewing while hiking. I see no advantage (for me) in stepping up to a 10X magnification in compact binocs.

G.

I carry a pair of Binolux 8x21's. They weigh 6 oz. I forget the price, but they were pretty cheap.

For daylight viewing (and compactness), you want a small ratio of #2/#1. E.g. for mine, 21/8 = 2.6.

A large ratio is good for night time viewing, e.g. 10x70 => 70/10 = 7.0, but these will be very large binocs. I carried a pair of 15x70's on a presi traverse a few years ago, so I could be the guest naturalist in the huts. Of course, it rained EVERY night!