Binoculars advice

Hi, I’m looking for recommendations for binoculars. Ideally I want a wide FOV, high eye relief since I wear glasses and not too heavy. Close focusing would be good as well. I’d like good quality but I’m not interested in spending a $1,000 because they’ll be bounced around a bit. 
I’m thinking 8x is probably sufficient. I’ll be carrying them around my neck while photographing and I’ve been using canon image stabilized versions but they are heavy and have a narrow FOV so I’m looking for something better. 
Thanks for any suggestions!
Scott

I have a pair of Vortex Vipers 8 X 42. I have been using them for over 10 years and love them. I believe I paid around $350-400 at the time. I would advise against 10 X as the FOV is small and it is much harder to hold steady.

[url=https://www.leupold.com/binoculars/bx-1-yosemite-8x30mm]https://www.leupold.com/binoculars/bx-1-yosemite-8x30mm[/url]

Leupold makes quality binoculars, but they can get expensive.

I think the Vortex Vipers suggested above or Nikon Monarchs are both really good mid price range binoculars.

Ok, thanks to everyone, I'll check them out.

I use Nikon Monarch binocular with ED glass. I think mine are 8 x 42. Price was very reasonable and weight is not that bad.

Ditto the recommendation for the Nikon Monarchs, I just bought a pair for my girlfriend and I'm very impressed by them.

There's some good recommendations here. Before you pull the trigger though, check out birdwatching.com. There is a wealth of information here about binoculars. Diane and her husband sell just about every brand available and at various prices level and have personally checked out all or most of them. Their prices are very competitive. Diane was most helpful in helping me pick out a bino for my wife.

Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 have been my favorites for several years now.

Mark Boranyak wrote:There's some good recommendations here. Before you pull the trigger though, check out birdwatching.com. There is a wealth of information here about binoculars. Diane and her husband sell just about every brand available and at various prices level and have personally checked out all or most of them. Their prices are very competitive. Diane was most helpful in helping me pick out a bino for my wife.

Thanks, I like the Zeiss pair on their recommended list, however, it doesn't appear they ship to Canada. It does give me good info at the site though!

I am a Zeiss man!

Mark Boranyak wrote:There's some good recommendations here. Before you pull the trigger though, check out birdwatching.com. There is a wealth of information here about binoculars. Diane and her husband sell just about every brand available and at various prices level and have personally checked out all or most of them. Their prices are very competitive. Diane was most helpful in helping me pick out a bino for my wife.

Thank you Mark. Indeed a very helpful site. I am also looking for a new pair of  binoculars and this clears up a lot of issues. Will definitely buy from them.

EJ, I settled on the Zeiss too. I am thinking of starting with the 'pocket' version though. Not sure if I should go for the 8X25 or 10X25. They are identical in size and weight - of course the 10X has a smaller FOV as expected. Any thoughts?

Eventually I may go for the big 'Titan' - the 10x42, but not sure I want to spend that much money yet. Perhaps the pocket version would be enough. One thing that is not mentioned is how stable  the image would be especially as you go for the bigger objectives. I have a consumer Canon IS binocular which is difficult to use without pressing the IS button and keep the image stable electronically. I've read that these high end products are so good optically that image stabilization is not a big deal.

Pradeep

I had zeiss 8x20's for years. I would not go back. 8x25 not much larger and easier to use (zeiss or Swarovski). I use mine spotting when photographing with super telephoto. Light weight is important. I'd stay away form the 10x42 etc unless you are primarily a bird watcher. As to 10x or 8x I'll leave that to someone else. I've always gone with 8x.