First the type and power of bino's and scope you use is very dependent on the type of hunting you do…
I kinda think like a reporter when it comes to these kind of choices… What, Where, When…
I really don't want to know for me personally… but is will help you get the a good answer…
What weapon are you hunting with? (close - bow or far – rifle/muzzle)
What type of hunter are you (Spot and Stock, Stand/Tree stand, Road Hunter, Still Hunter)?
What type of animals are you going after?
Where are you going to hunt? (East or West)
Is where you hunting brushy, reprod, old growth, prairie?
When do you spend must of your time hunting? (morning/evening – low light or all day low to bright light)
Will be hunting in the rain? (coating?)
I know this is a lot of blah, blah but it helps answer the qestion…
I bet you can guess bow hunt… I mostly Spot and Stock or Still Hunt… I hunt Deer and Elk… I hunt mostly West and brushy/reprod… Morning and Evening… and rain or shine…
So I carry 8x25 compact waterproof bushnell's (fairly cheap so if I lose them the wife doesn't kill me I am on the third pair) are great for fairly close up and if it is to dark with the bino's then it is getting really close to to dark for me to take a shot…
For the spot and stock I have some 10x50's the are waterproof… these work great but are to bulky to stock with so they normally get left with the daypack when the stock starts…
Now a few years back when the “the Wall” fell I picked up a really nice quality spotting scope for about $100 American from the Russian Empire… it is a 16-24x60… it works great… and has taken a few wind nock downs on the tripod….
So it is really what you need and can spend… remember though…the higher the zoom the more stability you will need, stable hands, laying on a rock or log, or a tripod… and the bigger the millimeter of the front lens the more light enters the binoc's for better low light visibility….
My $0.02 worth…
Shoot Straight…