Originally Posted by mouthcaller

I presume you are talking about roof-prism binoculars rather than porro-prism?

Depends on what you want to spend. You didn't give us a price range. It would also help to know if you hunt open country or eastern woods.

It is more difficult to make a high-quality 10X bino than an 8x. Unless you are planning on using a tripod I strongly suggest avoiding the 12x because of hand shake. For that matter, many people can't hold 10X binos steady enough. The field of view of 10X is also more narrow than 8X. If you are looking to spend less than, say, $300.00 I would suggest an 8X

As you can tell I am partial to 8X binos. They accomplish everything I need in optics. I hunt a variety of mixed cover - woods, open field, and everything in between. I have never wished for more power in any situation that I have encountered thus far.

My current binos are Pentax DCF-SPs 8X43. These are considered one of the best "mid ranged" priced binos with a retail price currently of around $600.00 (though you can find them in the 400-500 dollar range online. This level of optics gives you a quality of view approaching (but not quite) that of the very top binoculars in the world. They are fully multi-coated, phase coated, completely waterproof, magnesium allow frames, aspherical lens elements, focal sharpness across nearly the the entire field of view, locking diopter, very smooth focus wheel, and high-quality fully multicoated lens coatings. Full lifetime warrenty.

I bought my son a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8X42. At the $200.00 price I have never looked through a better bino at this price range. Full lifetime warranty, phase coatings. nitrogen purged, fully multicoated. Tremendous value for the money spent.