Nothing quite beats getting to experience the atmosphere at a live sports event. There is no better feeling than soaking up the atmosphere and noise of a full stadium.
However, you can't always guarantee that you will be able to see all of the action. You shouldn't need to compromise on this just to be able to experience the atmosphere. This is where a good pair of binoculars can improve your enjoyment of the event.
In fact, there are many sports where binoculars are essential to your experience. Sporting events such as cricket and horse racing are perfect for using binoculars with, to ensures that you witness all of the action no matter your position in the stands.
Regardless of which sport you follow, you can be sure that binoculars will improve your experience. That is why our team of experts have compiled this list of the best binoculars for sports events. We are certain that there will be something for everyone here.
1. Viking Vistron ED 8x42 - £249.95
Product Features
- High Quality ED Glass: Extra Low Dispersion lenses for greater clarity
- Waterproof & rubber-armoured for added durability
- Nitrogen-filled to prevent fogging
- Twist-down eyecups for glasses-wearers
- Dielectric coated phase corrected BAK 4 Prisms
The Viking Vistron ED delivers high-performance results, which makes the slightly higher price more than reasonable. The powerful magnification with the crystal-clear lenses offers a fantastic performance. You'll be receiving plenty of value for your money with this option.
The combination of the powerful zoom with the incredibly detailed optics makes this an excellent choice. The viewable image appears without flaws thanks to the inclusion of the ED glass. Features such as the multi-coated lenses help to make the image as bright as possible, making it even easier to pick out the colours of your sporting team, even if the oppositions are similar.
The Viking Vistron ED also provides an incredibly durable build which can be handy in a crowd. The use of the rubber-armour coating protects the binoculars and ensures that the binoculars are waterproof.
Finally, the Viking Kestrel ED introduces many design features which contribute to the overall performance and experience. For example, the use of twist-down eyecups provides additional comfort to the user. These eyecups allow for optimal positioning and increased eye-relief.
2. Hawke Vantage 8x42 - £129
Product Features
- BAK-4 Roof Prisms
- Twist-Up Eye Cups For Eye Relief
- Lightweight And Durable Rubber Coated Chassis
- Fully Coated Optical System For Sharp Images
- Waterproof and Fog Proof
The Hawke Vantage Binoculars are an excellent option for great optics at an affordable price and are lightweight and durable enough to be carried easily to and from a sporting event.
While they aren't ED glass, the lenses have been multi coated and provide clear edge to edge images, and on a fairly bright day at a sporting event, you would be getting similar colour brightness as any ED binoculars. If the event is at night, you may be missing out on those crisper, true to life colours that are available in an ED model, but the images will still be good enough to enjoy the event with these binoculars.
As with all Hawke binoculars, these are waterproof and nitrogen purged to prevent fogging, which means that in all weather conditions, you'll still be able to maximise your viewing experience with this pair.
The 8x42 magnification is a good option, as they have a wide field of view, up to 122m at 1000m, paired with an excellent quality focus wheel, it's easy to observe and track your team or favourite player.
3. Viking Badger 10x50 - £138.95
Product Features
- Fully multi-coated lenses
- BAK-4 prisms offer HD image quality
- Rubber-armour build design ensures maximum protection
- Perfect for long-range distances
The Viking Badger 10x50 is a fantastic option for when you need to view sports events from a distance. These binoculars can cover a large distance thanks to the 10x zoom and the wide lenses. This is certainly an option worth considering.
The wide objective lens available with these binoculars ensures that images in the distant remain clear and defined. However, this does mean that the binoculars are slightly longer and heavier than other options. These will not likely be suitable for everyone, but they provide a fantastic long-range option.
In addition to the powerful range, these binoculars also offer an incredible image quality. The use of the multi-coated optics pairs with the BAK-4 prisms to deliver fantastic results. These binoculars consistently deliver regardless of the environment that they operate in.
The combination of range and superb image quality makes these binoculars great for events like horse racing. Thanks to this, you are able to track a target at a distance with ease. Though these binoculars will certainly not be suitable for all sports events.
Finally, the Viking Badger 10x50 offers many design features that we are now familiar with. For example, the twist-down eyecups and focusing wheel are still present and smooth to operate. All of these features work well and provide a fantastic user-experience.
4. Kestrel ED 8x25 Compact - £147.95
Product Features
- Extra low dispersion glass (ED)
- Dielectric and phase coated Bak-4 prisms
- Compact double hinge design
- Fully waterproof and nitrogen filled
- Supplied with soft case, strap, objective covers and rain guard
The Viking Kestrel ED Compact Binoculars are particularly brilliant for those who need the image quality of a larger set of binoculars, but need them to be as unobtrusive as possible.
These feature a double hinge design to be pocketable and minimal rather than the more rigid single hinge that doesn't allow the same level of shrinkage.
Another highlight of this model is the inclusion of ED glass, this type of glass works to ensure you are seeing the clearest and brightest colours even in lower light conditions.
At this price point for such a lightweight pair of binoculars, you'd expect a lower quality than what you'll enjoy with the Kestrel ED Compact Binoculars.
5. Hawke Nature Trek 8x25 Compact - £89
Product Features
- High Resolution BAK-4 Roof Prisms
- Compact Top Hinge Design Easily Fits In Your Hand
- Fully Multi-Coated Optics To Produce Sharp Images
- Focus Knob With 0.8 Turns - Close Focus From 6.6ft/2m
- Lightweight And Durable Rubber Coated Chassis
The Hawke Nature-Trek 8x25 Compact binoculars are on the lower end of the market, however, these are still a very snazzy pair of compact binoculars that can help improve your sports viewing experience.
These are lightweight and can easily be carried in your hands, in their case, or in a bag without feeling weighed down. They also have the single top hinge design, which is the more classic build.
They're rubber coated for an easy grip and has a brilliant close focus range from 2m, which can be handy in case you are right in amongst the action.
They are fully waterproof and fog proof, for good clear images no matter the weather conditions. These are a more cost effective option, so they don't have the ED glass included, but, the prisms and lenses are fully coated to give you decent quality despite a lower price.
There we have it, our top picks for the best viewing experience at any sporting event. To get your hands on a pair from this list, follow the links above.
Or, head to our Top 10 Binoculars page if you want to see our best models for all occasions.