We will, shortly, be coming up on outdoor concert season. I will be at a couple of these music venues, this summer (as a performer, so I will get a good seat) and I know, from experience, that many times you must find a seat quite a distance from the stage. That’s not necessarily a bad thing from the perspective of hearing the music, but it does limit you if you want to get an up close look at the performers. That’s why I usually bring a compact binocular to the concert.
You could, of course, carry a full-size binocular, but I think it is more than you need for this type of work and a bit too obvious from the standpoint of being discreet.
Compact binoculars are also better choice than
opera glasses, since opera glasses lack quality optics and offer too little magnification if you are far from the show.
With so many good compact binoculars under $100, really is no reason to go to the concert without a binocular. Two of my favorite compact binoculars under $100 are the venerable
Nikon Travelite 8x25 and the
Pentax UCF XII 8x25. Both have enough eye relief to be used with glasses or sunglasses and both offer a lot of optical performance for the dollar. I generally stay with an 8x compact binocular, rather then a 10x compact binocular, since an 8x compact bino will have a wider field of view and be easier to steady. However, if you want that 10x compact binocular, the very best buy in a 10x compact binocular is easily the
Nikon Ecobins. The Ecobin is also waterproof, so if you also want a compact binocular for the back country, it is a great choice.