I had a pair of Minolta compact 10x's but I had to retire them due to excessive abuse.

I was all set to buy a pair of Nikons (8-24 Eagleview in Camo for $150'ish if my memory serves me) when I tried out these 39.00 Bushnell compacts that were just as clear and 1/4 the price. I'm at work now, so I can't check them out exactly, but they're really low-profile and 8-15x zoom. Their only weakness is that they are bad in low light, but that's basically the case with any compact.

On 15x, you can see the beard easily and if he's standing in the right spot, I've even checked the spurs. Definitely a good buy at $40, and I've beat them up pretty good, but they're holding up to the challenge.