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It does not matter if you are watching a test match between the old rivals, England and Australia, a limited overs one day international, county cricket game, a Twenty20 slog-fest or even just the local club game on the village green, a good pair of binoculars really will add to your enjoyment of the game and I highly recommend taking a pair with you.
When I lived in Zimbabwe and in the UK, I watched and even played quite a bit of cricket and would almost always take my binoculars with me. I find that I don't watch cricket with binoculars over really long periods of time as you tend to miss out on the overall experience of being at the ground, but they are ideal for getting a closer look at the batsman or bowler for a few balls at a time.
In between overs, binoculars are also perfect for taking a look at which fielders are in the slips, who is way down at fine leg or even checking out the scoreboard at the other side of the ground. Binoculars are also great for crowd watching in between overs, during innings breaks, or when the play has been stopped for rain or bad light.
Really good cricketing binoculars will in many cases be quite similar to that of most good general sports binoculars and bird watching binoculars, but with a few small differences. Take a look below as I go over some of the most important features to look out for when choosing your binoculars for cricket:
How much you should spend on your optics will largely be down to your circumstances, how often you plan to use them and just how highly you rate the importance of quality versus price. But if you were to take any advice from this page or indeed this website, then please don't opt for the cheapest binoculars out there. Very cheap binoculars are often no better than toys and in some cases you can actually get children's binoculars that will perform better! The worst binoculars will also most probably put you off using them, not last very long and the poor quality image will in some cases mean that you will be better off not using them at all.
However I am not suggesting that you have to spend a fortune on your optics either. Whilst it is true that the very best binoculars are also quite often some of the most expensive, there are also some really very good pairs of out there these days that won't cost you much more than a single ticket to a test match, yet you can use them for many years to come, safe in the knowledge that the view you get through them is of a very high quality. To give you an idea, take a look at some of the Best Value For Money Binoculars that I have reviewed in different price categories, or take a look at my winner for the overall Best Value For Money Binocular Award.
Without taking the time to consider all the pros and cons, I think most people will come to the conclusion that you need a really compact, lightweight pair making them very easy to carry to the game, which may indeed be the case for some people. But compacts do have their drawbacks and just maybe a mid or even full sized pair will actually be a better option for your cricket binoculars.
I say this because unlike activities such as birding or general wildlife observation, where you often have to carry your binoculars around in the field, with cricket, once you get to the ground, you'll most probably be seated most of the time. So as long as your optics are small and light enough to be stowed away in your bag (along with your sandwiches, sunscreen, hat and portable radio!), having a very compact pair of binos is probably not that critical to everyone and the benefits that mid-sized or even full sized ones have over compacts may be well worth the relatively small amount of extra weight and size:
There main advantages that larger binoculars have over compacts especially in relation to watching cricket include:
If you do decide to go for a full sized binocular, it does however make sense to choose a pair that is small and lightweight when compared to others in their size class as some of the smallest, lightest ones really don't feel that much bigger than many mid-sized binoculars and yet you get all the benefits of having much larger objective lenses.
To illustrate my point, take a look at the size and weight specifications of the following full-sized binoculars:
Vanguard 10x42 Spirit ED | Kowa 10x42 SV | Steiner 10x42 SkyHawk | Minox 10x42 BV | Swarovski 10x42 EL | Barr & Stroud 8x42 Savannah ED | |
Weight: | 22.6ozs (641g) | 23.6oz (670g) | 25.4oz (720g) | 27.5oz (780g) | 27.5ozs (780g) | 28.9ozs (819g) |
Length: | 5.7in (14.5cm) | 6.8in (17.2cm) | 5.9in (15.1cm) | 5.5in (14cm) | 6.2in (15.7cm) | 5.9in (15cm) |
Width: | 4.9in (12.4cm) | 5.0in (12.8cm) | 4.9in (12.5cm) | 5in (12.7cm) | 4.8in (12.2cm) | 5.1in (13cm) |
So to sum up:
The is no right or wrong choice and what size you do get for your cricket binoculars will depend on your personal preferences:
The whole point of a taking a pair of binoculars to watch cricket is to get closer to the action, so most people come to the misguided conclusion that the more powerful the magnification the better the binocular. This is definitely not true as high powered binoculars have a number of drawbacks and three main ones that are related to watching cricket:
So you have to make a compromise between getting close enough to the action to really see what is going on in great detail, but not so close that it makes actually means you are missing out on the whole story!
Obviously how far away you are from what you want to look at will also play an important part in choosing the right magnification, but in my experience magnifications of about 8x to 10x is about right for most cricket grounds.
The field of view (FOV) of a pair of binoculars is basically the width of the image that you can see through the binoculars. For activities like bird watching, where you are observing small erratic and fast moving objects, a wide FOV is very important as it helps you to quickly locate the bird as you have more chance of it instantly being in your view. For cricket where the "objects" you are looking at are large, relatively slow mammals dressed in white making them stand out, the FOV is really not that critical.
But having said that, a wider field of view does have the advantage in that it enables you to catch as much of the action all at once without having to move the binoculars about, so ideally you'll want is a pair of binoculars with a reasonably wide FOV within your chosen magnification. Remember: In most cases the more powerful the magnification, the smaller your field of view will be.
A binoculars FOV is usually expressed in feet at a distance of 1,000 yards, but increasingly common is in meters at 1,000 meters or it is sometimes described as an angle. I would say that a FOV of around 315ft at 1,000 yards (105m at 1,000 meters / 6.0° ) is fine, but in general the wider the better (as long as the image remains sharp right to the edges), so if you are undecided between two models, check which has the widest FOV as this may help you to make your decision.
In general, you will come across two main designs/styles of binocular depending on the type of prism they use: the Roof Prism or the Porro Prism. Both have their own advantages over each other and so as with many things in optics there is no best option or right answer and the choice you make will be down to your own personal preferences:
The amount of eye-relief the binocular has will be very important to those who use glasses and want to keep them on whilst watching cricket through their binoculars. Eye Relief is basically the distance from the ocular lenses or the last surface of an eyepiece at which the eye can obtain the full field of view. Eyecups on the binoculars ensure that your eyes will be at the correct distance for this to happen, but if you wear glasses, you can't get your eyes as close to the lenses as those without glasses, so you need to adjust the eyecups to ensure that even with your glasses on your eyes are the correct distance from the ocular lenses. Binoculars with a longer eye relief are ideal for those who wear glasses as they basically project the image further beyond the ocular lens, giving you plenty of room to play with. So if you wear glasses, you should be looking for an eye relief of at least 15mm, to see the full image full image. The down side to long eye relief is that it usually reduces the field of view.
Below you will see that I have listed a few of the best binocular for watching cricket that I have reviewed in the three main size categories:
Or you can take a look at All Binoculars ideal for Sporting Events, including Cricket that I have so far reviewed.
Updated, the new mid priced 8x42 Eagle Optics Denali binocular comes with upgraded coatings and a higher quality prism. You also get a closer minimum focus and even more eye-relief, making them an ideal all-round instrument and perfect for the eye-glass wearer. Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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The Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 binoculars combine a tough ultra-rugged lightweight body, with excellent high quality Nikon Optics to produce a binocular that is ideal for birding as well as other forms of nature and sports observation. O-ring seals and nitrogen gas keep out moisture and dust whilst multilayer-coated lenses of the highest quality for beautifully defined images.
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |
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The MINOX BV 8x42 BR is a great binocular for all purpose viewing that will please the cost-conscious birder or nature observer. The BV 8x42 BR is has a nice wide field of view and magnification making them easy to follow wildlife on the move. These binoculars make an ideal choice for travelling including safari holidays and birdwatching.
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars |
With high quality ED Glass lenses, Phase Coated Bak-4 Prisms and a very wide field of view these make an excellent choice as a birding, wildlife observation and general use binocular.
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Mid-range binoculars that to my mind offer a level of quality and performance that easily surpasses their price tag. Highlights include a Magnesium Housing, ED Glass Elements in the Lenses, Phase Corrected BaK-4 prisms, 18mm of eye-relief and a close focus distance of less than 2 meters. Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Below are some of the best Mid Size binoculars for cricket, sorted by size, that I have so far reviewed:
With a beautiful fine aluminium and tan finish the EL 10x32 Traveler binoculars are compact and lightweight making them ideal for travelling with. This combined with Swarovski's unique wrap-around grip also makes them easier and more comfortable to carry in the field. If you then combine this with the quality that only comes with a Swarovski binocular, a tough magnesium housing, tested under extreme conditions in the desert, Arctic and rainforest they also make excellent wildlife observation and birdwatching binoculars and so are one of the best binoculars in the world to take on safari.
Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars | |
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These mid-priced, mid-sized lightweight binoculars from Kowa feature a tough waterproof exterior and fully multi-coated optics, with phase correction and high reflective coatings on the BaK-4 roof prisms.
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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The Nikon 10x32 EDG binoculars come with Nikon's fantastic ED glass lenses, advanced multilayer coating and phase correction roof prisms not only do they produce stunning clear images, but they weighing just 650g and are only 14cm long these really are exceptional binoculars.
Price: (5/6) High Value Binoculars | |
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Below are some of the best compact binoculars for cricket, sorted by size, that I have so far reviewed:
These low cost 10x Vanguard binoculars feature a lightweight rubber coated, water and fog proof body that protects good quality BaK-4 roof prisms and multi-coated lenses. The also feature a unique offset hinge and focussing wheel that is designed to make adjustments more comfortable as well as helps them fold down to a compact shape for easy storage, making them a great take any and everywhere binocular. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Bright and colourful, these National Geographic binoculars are made by the German optics company Bresser and are specifically designed for younger children. The lightweight and very compact body is perfect for small hands and faces and the low 6x magnification ensures a wide field of view and an image that kids with shaky hands can keep still to ensure a good view... Price: (1/6) Cheap Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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The fixed focus compact roof prism binoculars, come with a very comfortable open bridge design and are fully waterproof and filled with nitrogen gas to prevent internal fogging. They have a very wide field of view and produce a high quality image that makes these ideal take anywhere binoculars.
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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View >> All General Sporting Binoculars that will also be ideal for Cricket