As a beginner to birding and avid hiker, I found these binoculars to be the perfect companion. In my initial search for binoculars, I read various reviews across birding blogs, amazon, and other review sites. The most important features for me were lightweight, small, decent zoom, a wide range of vision and something that was ergonomically well designed. This pair of binoculars showed up on most of those lists. They are light-weight and fit easily into most pockets. If you are looking for something to take with you on day trips or multi-day backpacking adventures and don't want to be weighed down with bulky or heavy binoculars, then this is probably a good choice for you. They fit nicely into the hand, have comfortable eye padding, and the easy to use zoom toggle allows you to focus quickly. For folks with slightly different sight in each eye, this set of binocs allows you to make slight adjustments to the right eye to ensure you are getting the best view possible. At a 10 x 25 magnification, you have a nice balance and these will be practical in most applications. I would highly recommend this set of binoculars.