I want to buy my first pair of binoculars. Are swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 binoculars worth buying? Or is it useless and I need to get a bigger objective lens?
I'm looking for something good for the zoo, hiking and observing wildlife, exploring, something to take fishing or on a kayak.

If I'm not hunting after sunset, is there a good balance between size and vision?

Swarovski are excellent quality. Smaller objective trades away FOV and some light gathering properties. I prefer bigger for most uses.

In the infinite wisdom that is Arfcom there can be only one answer.

Get both!

I have a Swift Trilyte 8x24 compact binocular that works great for sporting events, birds, bikinis and the like. And I also have a set of German B.Nickel 8x45 binoculars that my father hunted with in the 1950's in Germany. They still work perfectly, and are bright and clear. I use them when I'm hunting and glassing game at longer distances. I used them when I shot my first S. Dakota pronghorn at about 380 yards.

Never felt like I needed more glass. If it were me, and I could only buy one binocular, I would look for something in the middle like a 7x35, 8x35, 8x42 built on a mid sized chassis. The web is your friend. I did a quick search for 8x40 binos and got a ton of hits. Read the reviews, go to Bass Pro and look at their selection.

Steiner, Swarovski, Nikon, are good places to start.

A few years ago I played with several at either Cabelas or Bass Pro. They have very few high end binoculars, and a million low end and mid tier.
At the time I was focused on the best binoculars, but I wasn't paying attention to the magnification and objective lens sizes. It may be a long time until bass pro opens up again.

Thanks for the advice guys.