Designed for both astronomical and terrestrial use, Pentax's 16x50 S-Series SP Binoculars feature large oversized fully multicoated 50mm objectives to reduce reflection and maximize light transmission through the entire optical path. Utilizing the traditional porro prism configuration gives scenes a rich depth of view for an immersive observation experience and provides a comfortable feel in the hand with a lot of surface area to maintain a sure grip. The large objectives and coatings maximize the amount of light getting to the user's eyes for exceptional low-light capabilities, and their high 16x magnification provides an immersive observation experience whether users are bird watching or comet hunting.

The binoculars sport a generous 13mm eye relief and the fold-down eyecups seal against the ocular cavity to block stray peripheral light which can dim images. Their over-sized objectives add weight and bias the center of gravity forward making user fatigue a concern and hand-shake a possibility, so to aid long observation sessions the binoculars can be mounted on a tripod using an optional adapter.