10x50s or 12x60s binos

[dd999]

I'm on the search for a new pair of bins. As well as astronomy I also plan to take them on holiday as we walk and hike a lot, and venture on many wilderness trails.

I've seen an Olympus 10x50 pair and the Celestron 12x60 pair, which are just £10 in price difference.

I've been trying to find an image, a video anything that shows a 10x50 and 12x60 side by side for size comparison. My missus has said she doesn't want anything bigger or heavier than the 10x50 size to take on our travels, but I just don't know how much bigger (apart from product dimensions and tape measures) the 12x60s are.

Does anyone have a pair of the 12x60s - or even better a pair of 12x60s and 10x50s - who could help? 

[Second Time Around]

I'd recommend avoiding the 12 by 60.  Not only are they likely to be too heavy for travelling, but they'll be much more difficult to hold steady, and you'll probably actually see less than with 10x binoculars.

In fact my choice would be 8x binoculars, that are justifiably popular for these reasons.  They're also likely to have a wider field of view.

[Waddensky]

For handheld use 12x usually is too much to hold steady, 10x is about the maximum, for some people even 7x or 8x. I think weight is more important than size, the 12x60 is 1.2 kg, the 10x50 0.8 kg according to my reliable sources (id est Google). That really makes a difference. I have the Nikon Action Ex 10x50 and I'm very pleased with them, for both daytime and nightime use. They are 1.0 kg so a bit heavier than other binos in the 10x50 range.

[Pybo]

I can second the Nikon 10x50s 

Brilliant and great for my venture into the 🌟 

[dd999]

Thank you all for your help.

Think that's convinced me to go for the 10x50s!

Edited July 21, 2020 by dd999