As roof prism binoculars, the 8x32 ultraVIEWs are fully sealed and nitrogen-purged to be waterproof, dust-proof and internally fog-proof. Additionally, the 8x32 ultraVIEWs have an open bridge design, with space between the hinges for 2-3 fingers, providing a stable, comfortable grip. The Kenko ultraVIEW 8x32 is about average sized at 5.8 inches tall (5.4 inches with eyecups down) and 5.75 inches wide with the hinges fully open. Despite that, they are feather light at exactly 16 oz., due to their fiberglass-reinforced polycarbonate frame.

One question we get asked a lot about 32-mm binoculars is, are they as bright as full-sized 42-mm binoculars? It’s actually a surprisingly difficult question. With less surface area, a 32-mm lens has less light-gathering capacity, plain and simple, but that isn’t the whole story. The question is: how much of the light that the lens gathers is actually transmitted to your eyes? This becomes a question of efficiency of the optical design, and it’s where really good binoculars excel and poorer ones fall down. A well-designed 32-mm binocular can be brighter than a low-quality 42-mm binocular. Kenko ultraVIEW EX binoculars are definitely a case of a well-designed binocular. They have fully multi-coated lenses for maximum light transmission and brightness. They are phase-coated for greater image sharpness and more vibrant color. For those of you to whom it matters, the 8x32 ultraVIEWs are made with lead- and arsenic-free Eco-friendly glass.

The focus knob is unusually large and turns with great ease. The 8x32 EX binocular has a minimum close focus (MCF) of 8.8 feet which they achieve without field collapse. The 8x32 ultraVIEWs go from MCF to infinity in a zippy 1.25 turns of the knob, meaning you won’t have any trouble keeping moving targets in focus. The field of view at 1000 yards is a huge 420 feet, well above average for an 8x32 design. We noticed that the ultraVIEWs have very little chromatic aberration of any kind at any point in the field, resulting in particularly clean and sharp images.

The 8x32 ultraVIEWs have 17.5 mm of eye relief, more than enough to accommodate most eyeglass wearers. The interpupillary distance range on these binoculars is 56-76 mm, which means you won’t have difficulty finding a comfortable setting to fit your face. The eyecups adjust with a helical twist mechanism with three detents between fully-in and fully-out, so again, finding a comfortable setting is easily achieved. The diopter adjustment is a very simple twist ring on the upper right barrel.