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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alexis Powell" data-source="post: 3458040" data-attributes="member: 5327">I have a nice assortment of bins covering magnifications from 6 to 10x. I bird in a range of habitat types, from forest to marsh to vast open grassland, often in the same morning. It is true that 10x reveals more detail than 8x (or 7x, or 8.5x...) at a given distance, but for me its disadvantages (DOF, FOV, shake) too often outweigh that advantage (slightly higher magnification). Consequently, I don't use my 10x bins. I used to think that I'd choose to use 10x bins strategically, on those days when I'm birding in a way or place that they'd be at their best, but in reality, I don't bother. In the rare instances that I need to see a bird just ~20% bigger (10x vs. 8x) to make the ID, I can generally move a bit closer with my ~8x bins. More often, a bird too small to ID at 8x is still too small at 10x, so I find it much more useful to carry a scope. If I'm going small/light (minimalist packing, travel, or distance hikes), that means Nikon 50ED with 27x eyepiece on a Velbon Ultra-Luxi tripod with RRS B-25 Pro ballhead. If I'm going convenient and easy to use (i.e. most birding in my usual haunts), that means a Nikon 78ED or 82ED with 30x eyepiece (and zoom eyepiece for magnification demanding emergencies) on a carbon fiber tripod, Gitzo 1720 pan head, and most importantly, a nice Op/Tech neoprene shoulder strap and accessory stabilizing strap so I can wear it fully extended hands-free yet deploy it in seconds. Really, it's quite a comfortable set-up! A ~25x scope opens up a whole world and has capabilities _way beyond_ a 10x bin. The only circumstance in which I could imagine choosing to use a 10x bin regularly would be if my usual bird walks often placed me at _just_ the distance where 10x was needed over 8x. Maybe if I always walked the shoreline of sewage or fish hatchery ponds of precisely the size where small sandpipers or pipits were often lined up on the far shore _just outside_ my comfort limits for ID at 8x. In that case, getting closer is not possible, the additional magnification of a scope beyond 10x wouldn't be necessary, so carrying a 10x bin would be the most elegant solution. I think I would opt in that case for one of the 10x or 12x Canon image stabilized bins. The stabilization would be as, or more important, than the small increase in magnification over 8x.--APP.S. If your interest in 10x is to justify buying another bin, make sure it is a good one for that job (i.e. get stabilized). Otherwise, I recommend forgoing 10x and instead getting something that is more fun, like Pentax 6.5x21 Papilio, or a 7 or 8x with different handling or optical personality than what you currently have. Do you already have a 8x20, 8x32, and 7 or 8x42 that you like for everything you do (i.e. with awe inspiring optical quality, handling, close focus etc)? If not, I recommend getting whichever of those formats you are missing before getting a 10x.</blockquote>

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