General purpose binoculars should be, IMO, 7 or 8 power.

I feel that 10 power binoculars offer too much magnification in the thick woods. Another thing about high magnification binoculars is that the image becomes increasingly unsteady as you go up in magnification. If I need more power than 8X then I need a spotting scope.

Stay away from the ultra compact binocs in the 8 or 10X25. They are a complete waste of money even in the ultra high end price range. Look for something close to 40mm for the objective lens diameter.