It wasn't too difficult to choose these binoculars, as they were the only Which? Best Buy ones that are waterproof, which I need to use in all weathers when I am walking, and I wanted a pair that would fit easily into my rucksack. For the money I paid they great, I would strongly recommend that you shop around to get the best price. I got mine from an independent camera shop - I would also strongly recommend that you try binoculars out before your buy them, to make sure you are happy with how they feel in your hands, and how easy they are to focus etc. This particular pair gives a nice bright clear image. the dioptre adjustment for the right eye (which you need to adjust if your eyes are different strengths) is very stiff indeed to adjust, but if you are the only one using them, you will only need to set it once; also the advantage of this is that the adjustment will not get accidentally knocked out of position. In general it is recommended that for general use you get 8x magnification, because when you get to 10x and above, hand shake can become a problem, and the image will not look quite as bright. These binoculars can focus really close, which would be handy if you want to watch small birds on your lawn from the patio.