Kowa SV III 8x32 specs and field of view

A 499 ft field of view at 1,000 yd puts the SV III 8x32 first among 28 models of 8x32, where the median is 408 ft. Weight is 17.1 oz.

Field of view: 499 ftat 1,000 yd
Eye relief: 15.5 mm
Close focus: 6.5 ft
Weight: 17.1 oz
Exit pupil: 4 mmcalculated

Why pick it

Widest view of the 28: 499 ft
17.1 oz, lighter than the typical 18.5 oz
Focuses as close as 6.5 ft

SV III 8x32: width of view at 1,000 yd, against the median of the 28 8x32 models.

Who the SV III 8x32 suits

The wide 499 ft view suits scanning for birds, and 17.1 oz suits long carries. A calculated 4 mm exit pupil covers daylight use.

Eye relief is 15.5 mm, below the 16.8 mm median for its size, so eyeglass wearers may find the view cut off.

SV III 8x32 or another model: the best binoculars by maker figures shows how the popular ones differ. SV III 8x32 is one of 28 models in the 8x32 binoculars comparison. Kowa lists it in the $200 to $500 price band, alongside the models in best binoculars under $500.

SV III 8x32 specifications

SV III 8x32 figures as Kowa prints them; rows marked * are calculated from the 8x32 size.

SV III 8x32 specifications
Magnification	8x
Objective lens	32 mm
Field of view	499 ft at 1,000 yd (166 m at 1,000 m)
Angular field of view	9.4°
Apparent field of view	76° *
Eye relief	15.5 mm
Close focus	6.5 ft (2 m)
Weight	17.1 oz (485 g)
Waterproofing	Fully waterproof, nitrogen filled
Fog-proofing gas	Nitrogen
Maker list price	$200 to $500
Exit pupil	4 mm *
Twilight factor	16 *
Relative brightness	16 *

* Calculated from the size, not printed by the maker.

SV III 8x32 against other 8x32 binoculars

SV III 8x32 shows 499 ft at 1,000 yd, at or above the 408 ft median of the 28 8x32 models in the chart. At 17.1 oz it is at or under the 18.5 oz median weight for the size.

Kowa SV III 8x32499 ft
Vortex Razor UHD 8x32472 ft
ZEISS Victory SF 8x32465 ft
Kowa BD III 8x32 XD461 ft
Swarovski NL Pure 8x32450 ft
Opticron Traveller BGA ED 8x32429 ft
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32426 ft
Celestron Ultima 8x32425 ft
Opticron Oregon 4 PC Oasis 8x32423 ft
Opticron Discovery WA ED 8x32420 ft
ZEISS Conquest HDX 8x32420 ft

8x32 binoculars by field of view at 1,000 yd, widest first, from the makers' figures.

SV III 8x32 and its nearest rivals

SV III 8x32 next to the 8x32 models closest to it in maker list price, with the best figure in each column in bold.

Model	Field of view	Eye relief	Close focus	Weight	Exit pupil	Maker list price	Amazon
Kowa SV III 8x32	499 ft	15.5 mm	6.5 ft	17.1 oz	4 mm	$200 to $500
Celestron TrailSeeker 8x32	409 ft	15.6 mm	6.5 ft	16 oz	4 mm	$200 to $500	Check price on Amazon
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32	426 ft	16 mm	5 ft	15.9 oz	4 mm	$200 to $500	Check price on Amazon
Opticron Discovery WA ED 8x32	420 ft	18 mm	3.9 ft	13.8 oz	4 mm	$200 to $500	Check price on Amazon

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Other sizes of the SV III

Kowa makes the SV III in 4 sizes; a larger front lens adds brightness and weight, and more magnification narrows the view.

Model	Size	Field of view	Eye relief	Close focus	Weight	Exit pupil
Kowa SV III 8x32	8x32	499 ft	15.5 mm	6.5 ft	17.1 oz	4 mm
Kowa SV III 10x32	10x32	384 ft	15.5 mm	6.5 ft	16.8 oz	3.2 mm
Kowa SV III 8x42	8x42	413 ft	20 mm	9.8 ft	19.2 oz	5.3 mm
Kowa SV III 10x42	10x42	400 ft	15.5 mm	9.8 ft	19.6 oz	4.2 mm

Kowa binoculars

SV III 8x32 questions

SV III 8x32: does it work with glasses?

SV III 8x32 has 15.5 mm of eye relief, under the 16 mm the RSPB advises for people who wear glasses, so the edge of the view may be cut off with glasses on.

SV III 8x32: what does 8x32 mean?

SV III 8x32 magnifies 8 times through 32 mm front lenses, which works out to an exit pupil of 4 mm, the width of the beam of light that reaches each eye.

SV III 8x32: how wide is the view?

SV III 8x32 shows a view 499 ft wide at 1,000 yd, at or above the 408 ft median of the 28 8x32 models in the chart.