Kowa SV III 8x42 specs and field of view

Eye relief of 20 mm sets the SV III 8x42 apart, in a 19.2 oz body with a calculated 5.3 mm exit pupil.

Field of view: 413 ftat 1,000 yd
Eye relief: 20 mm
Close focus: 9.8 ft
Weight: 19.2 oz
Exit pupil: 5.3 mmcalculated

Why pick it

413 ft view, wider than the typical 393 ft
Lightest of the 75: 19.2 oz
20 mm eye relief, enough for glasses

SV III 8x42: width of view at 1,000 yd, against the median of the 75 8x42 models.

Who the SV III 8x42 suits

The 20 mm eye relief suits eyeglass wearers, and a calculated 5.3 mm exit pupil suits dusk. Weight of 19.2 oz sits under the 24.2 oz median.

Field of view of 413 ft places 24th of 75 models of 8x42, and a close focus of 9.8 ft is longer than the 6.6 ft median.

SV III 8x42 or another model: the best binoculars by maker figures shows how the popular ones differ. SV III 8x42 is one of 75 models in the 8x42 binoculars comparison. Kowa lists it in the $200 to $500 price band, alongside the models in best binoculars under $500.

SV III 8x42 specifications

SV III 8x42 figures as Kowa prints them; rows marked * are calculated from the 8x42 size.

SV III 8x42 specifications
Magnification	8x
Objective lens	42 mm
Field of view	413 ft at 1,000 yd (138 m at 1,000 m)
Angular field of view	7.8°
Apparent field of view	63° *
Eye relief	20 mm
Close focus	9.8 ft (3 m)
Weight	19.2 oz (544 g)
Waterproofing	Fully waterproof, nitrogen filled
Fog-proofing gas	Nitrogen
Maker list price	$200 to $500
Exit pupil	5.3 mm *
Twilight factor	18.3 *
Relative brightness	27.6 *

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

SV III 8x42 against other 8x42 binoculars

SV III 8x42 shows 413 ft at 1,000 yd, at or above the 393 ft median of the 75 8x42 models in the chart. At 19.2 oz it is at or under the 24.2 oz median weight for the size.

Swarovski NL Pure 8x42477 ft
Minox X-PRO 8x42462 ft
ZEISS Victory SF 8x42444 ft
Nikon Monarch M7 8x42435 ft
Nikon Monarch HG 8x42435 ft
Kowa BD III 8x42 XD429 ft
Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x42426 ft
GPO Passion ED 8x42426 ft
Celestron TrailSeeker 8x42426 ft
Athlon Midas G2 UHD 8x42426 ft
Hawke Frontier ED X 8x42426 ft
Kowa SV III 8x42413 ft

8x42 binoculars by field of view at 1,000 yd, widest first, from the makers' figures.

SV III 8x42 and its nearest rivals

SV III 8x42 next to the 8x42 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 8x42	413 ft	20 mm	9.8 ft	19.2 oz	5.3 mm	$200 to $500
Burris Droptine HD 8x42	393 ft		7.5 ft	26 oz	5.3 mm	$200 to $500
Athlon Argos G2 UHD 8x42	371 ft	17.3 mm	13 ft	25.5 oz	5.3 mm	$200 to $500
Opticron Discovery WA ED 8x42	393 ft	19 mm	4.9 ft	23.9 oz	5.3 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 8x42	8x42	413 ft	20 mm	9.8 ft	19.2 oz	5.3 mm
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 10x42	10x42	400 ft	15.5 mm	9.8 ft	19.6 oz	4.2 mm

Kowa binoculars

SV III 8x42 questions

SV III 8x42: does it work with glasses?

SV III 8x42 has 20 mm of eye relief, which meets the 16 mm the RSPB advises for people who wear glasses.

SV III 8x42: what does 8x42 mean?

SV III 8x42 magnifies 8 times through 42 mm front lenses, which works out to an exit pupil of 5.3 mm, the width of the beam of light that reaches each eye.

SV III 8x42: how wide is the view?

SV III 8x42 shows a view 413 ft wide at 1,000 yd, at or above the 393 ft median of the 75 8x42 models in the chart.