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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.
Quality features like Fully Multi-Coated Extra Low dispersion Glass, phase corrected Bak-4 prisims encased in a lightweight and tough fog and waterproof body combine to ensure that this Vanguard binocular has an excellent performance to price ratio
Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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High quality optics encased and well very protected in a high quality chassis and all at an affordable price. These Snypex Profinder binoculars rank up there with the better mid-range bins that I have tested. Optical attributes worth underlining include a fully multicoated system with water repellent coatings on the lenses, BaK-4 roof prisms that are phase corrected to ensure a bright and high resolution view in even the most adverse conditions. Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Mid priced Helios binoculars with a host of features that you would only expect to see on high end, far more expensive instruments. This includes a a magnesium chassis, fully multi-coated optics and phase corrected BaK-4 prisms that have been dielectrically coated for the highest levels of light transmission. Price: (3/6) Mid Priced Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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These 8x42's combine very high quality optics that includes extra low dispersion glass, phase correction coatings on Bak-4 prisims with a tough, lightweight body that is 100% fog and waterproof and what you get is a great pair of binoculars ideal for birdwatching as well as everyday use.
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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Below are some of the best Mid Size binoculars for cricket, sorted by size, that I have so far reviewed:
A lightweight & compact open-hinge magnesium body design combined with very high quality optical components and coatings that produce a view that is pretty much optically impeccable. There really are fantastic binoculars and definitely one of, if not the best mid-sized binocular on the market.
Price: (6/6) Expensive Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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Top of the line mid-sized binoculars from Celestron with that feature a lightweight open bridge magnesium body that protects high end optical components. These include fully multi-coated lenses, with ED glass elements and Bak-4 roof prisms with phase correction and very highly reflective dielectric mirror coatings that really do help produce a superior view.
Price: (4/6) Mid-High Value 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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Below are some of the best compact binoculars for cricket, sorted by size, that I have so far reviewed:
Top quality Bak-4 Prisms and fully multi-coated lenses. The Barr & Stroud Sahara 10x25 is a tough go anywhere compact binocular. Equally at home on safari, on a camping trip or most sporting events.
Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars |
Produced by Levenhuk, but endorsed by Discovery, these low-cost, compact binoculars feature a zoom function that enables you to easily adjust the magnification from 8x, right up to a powerful 20x power. The instrument is water-resistant, has a fully multi-coated optical system that includes reverse Porro prisms made from BK-7 glass. Price: (2/6) Low Cost Binoculars | |||||||||||||||
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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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View >> All General Sporting Binoculars that will also be ideal for Cricket