I mentioned the Swarovski 8x30 because it is of a similar generation by a respected manufacturer going after a similar market, and it has been well reviewed here recently. I agree that there are significant differences in specs, but frankly in terms of specs, your list of candidates is still rather broad.
fazalmajid, it's interesting that Selfridges sounds a good place to try them out. Obviously a good idea to form one's own opinion as you said, and especially when 'upgrade-itis' is otherwise likely and individual 'fit' is so important, while stats and reviews can't tell the full story.
aCuria, may I recommend first trying to identify the best view you can, in any size and at any price, to see how much of that you want or need to sacrifice for the sake of the factors: price, size, weight, and ease with spectacles? As above my own compromise led to the Kenko ultraVIEW EX OP 8X32 DH II (Sightron clone) because it was virtually as good as the others at 8x magnification and I could generally see no real improvement at 10x. Most of those, but not all, were indeed harder to use because of their 'shake' penalty, as you found with your existing binoculars.
e.g. I used to have Nikon SE 8x30 and 10x35 which were too hard to see through but I now mainly use Meopta 12x50 HD (discovered in typo's review here) in spite of their weight, in place of the Kenko. This is simply because for me it provides the ultimate view, with its generous image and superb sharpness, clarity, and detail. I can even hold them still, for a short time, with one hand
I guess that in the end you might also find that the size of whatever you choose is not as crucial as the ease of use and, most important of all, the view itself.
Yes several 10Xs were too shaky but did not compensate with more detail, unlike the Meopta 12x, which is exceptionally sharp and colourful but not too shaky. The Kenko 8x is really just as sharp but its wider field just can't compete with the size of the Meopta's Image and I can't find much to dislike about either.
, so I took advantage of a brief layover in London (apparently the Brits are much more avid birdwatchers than Americans, and it shows). I only spent 5 minutes or so in the basement, far from optimal viewing conditions, so take my observations with a large grain of salt.
