Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
2015 was a year that I hunted totally with thermal optics and during the last quarter of the year, I got picked up by a local vendor as pro staff to do testing and evaluation of gear being offered for sale. Between my gear and the T&E gear, I got to use several scopes and speed a goodly amount of time with each.
The scopes I looked at ranged from just under $3000 to just over $9000 (though prices have undoubted shifted some and have been shifting downwards). Based on my experience, a hunter with an entry level scope can be quite functional at typical night hunting distances. Entry level scopes are generally lower resolution with smaller lens sizes, but but are the leading edge technology of just a few years ago when comparable units cost 3 times as much and hunters were pleased and amazed by what they could accomplish with them.
At the higher end, more money does not always produce better results amongst the pricier scopes and a lot of the differences come down to features liked or disliked by the user.
So when it comes time to making a purchase, the decision is not always clear cut. The the cost of these units and the fact that most of us do not have unlimited budgets means the buyer has to compare and contrast the scopes capabilities,features, and user satisfaction relative to cost to figure out what is going to give the best value for the money.
All scopes are affected by environmental conditions and some more than others. So it is possible to see some great videos of low end scopes at short range in great conditions and some poor videos of high end scopes typically at longer ranges in bad conditions that don't look so good. Humidity, fog, dust, and foliage will all degrade the images. However, what I can tell you about the videos you may see on Youtube or other sights is that almost universally, what the user is seeing through the scope is better image than what is produced as a video.
Budget Scopes:
Armasight Predator - the Predator is a 336x256 resolution, 1.6x optical native magnification, 25mm objective lens scope running at 30 hz that comes in at <$3000. This is a fixed focus scope running the FLIR Tau2 17 micron microbolometer core (thermal sensor). This scope is built based on the Armasight Zeus pattern of scopes, with the same basic firmware operation and aluminum body. It is a well built scope. The image typical hunting distances (50-150 yards) is a bit fuzzy which coincides with the resolution of the scope. The greater the distance, the worse the problem. Based on observing animals, taking an adult hog at 200 yards should be no problem, coyotes out to 150 certainly can be done, and bobcats well beyond 100. The Zeus pattern button operation of the scope for many features can be difficult to use with gloves and nearly impossible with mittens. This goes for ALL of the Zeus and Zeus Pro scopes as well.
Example Videos...
https://youtu.be/zKO4DBAPQcw
https://youtu.be/i2ucCWwFM5s (1st hog kills with Predator on Youtube)
https://youtu.be/IEZzGwwrU0Y
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=pidljCQIFTU
https://youtu.be/8vxBCbNUr3A
Pulsar Apex XD38a - The Apex series involves the 38mm 1.5x native magnification scope, 52mm 2.0x nm, and 75mm 3.0x nm. The XD38a can be had for less then $3K like the Predator. Apex runs at 50 hz and has objective focus. The French made 25 micron microbolometer is a higher resolution at 384x288. The body is polymer which is a feature that has worked well for the Pulsar Digisight line of digital night vision and promises to work well for the Apex line. I really like this scope and it would my choice for an entry scope. The controls are easy to use, even with gloves. The firmware is a bit complex and takes a little longer to learn to use, but the complexity allow for the user to customize features more to his/her liking and once the user figures out what is preferred, a lot of the settings won't be changed again. The Apex line has Picture in Picture mode which I think all the electronic scopes should have. Initially, I did not like this feature until I used it in the field. It gives you a doubled magnification small sighting box for making more precise shots while at the same time giving you a full FOV view with crosshairs. I like PiP as it gives you better situational capability which still having a zoomed view. It works great for making a precise first shot (such as on the first hog of a sounder) and then picking up running hogs afterwards. The image is better on this scope than the Predator. The one noticeable detraction of these scopes is that they tend to be long compared to other thermal choices.
https://youtu.be/Bcxdhd0pn64
https://youtu.be/lUP3hb2HJ6w
Pulsar XD50a - I had a prototype of this earlier in the year. I really liked it as well. They run about $500 more than the 38a and you get a slightly sharper image and .5 more native magnification. If I could not make the leap up to a bigger 640 resolution scope, this would likely be my choice. Note, I did not use the XD75a, but at its price, it is not expensive for what it offers and the user could by a 640 resolution scope from another manufacturer).
https://youtu.be/AA2ePTCbQcw (shows nice PiP use on sounder)
https://youtu.be/yLurdf917VE
https://youtu.be/JWdZVuke-oI
640 Resolution Mid to High End Scopes
Armasight Zeus 2 - 640x512 resolution, 1.8x, 40mm, 30 hz, FLIR Tau2, 17 micron. I own this scope. I purchased it as a backup/loaner/2nd gun scope for guests to hunt with me. ~$5500 is what these are going for now. It is a fairly compact, well made scope. I like the Zeus line in general, but I would not buy this as my first scope and likely would not buy it now as a backup. Given the prices and capabilities of other scopes, it is not the best value for the money, but it does work as advertised.
https://youtu.be/QkT_ob1FBk0
https://youtu.be/rd5obEcPC5E
https://youtu.be/KwdKhHzb6JA
Armasight Zeus 3 - 640x512 resolution, 3.0x, 75mm, 30 hz FLIR Tau2, 17 micron. I own this scope as well. ~$7000. This is a good scope. The 75mm lens is nice. I have done a lot of hunting with this scope and shot hogs out to 230 yards, but that was more of a terrain limit on the scope rather than a functional limit. I would guess that 400 yards would be the functional limit for hogs, maybe a bit more.
https://youtu.be/SNElZUO_vkc
https://youtu.be/aKUJI_YOB9w
https://youtu.be/6eWUXohq-Og
IR Defense IR Hunter MKII - 640x250 resolution, 2.5x, 35mm, 30 or 60 hz (user-chosen), 12 micron BAE core. ~$5500. Right now, this is the shining star of thermal scopes that I have used and I think it out performs scopes of other brands such as FLIR and ATN that I have examined, but not used for hunting. Except for the power switch, all firmware is manipulated by turret knobs. This scope can be readily used by gloved or mittened hands. It is a fixed focus scope that removes the distraction of needing to manually focus the objective lens, but at the same time it means that one cannot refine the focus. This is a minor detraction. The sweet spot focus distance seems to be somewhere in the 75-125 yard range and I generally focus my scopes at about 80 yards to functionally cover anything from about 40-250 yards.
The smaller lens size would appear to be a limiting factor, but thermal lenses are made out of rare earth elements and are a big chunk of the cost of thermal scopes. So the smaller lens size helps keep cost down, and the reduced micron size of the microbolometer (smaller distance between pixels) compensates nicely. Except for the magnification difference, the view is comparable or better than my Zeus 3 in terms of clarity. It has also been my impression that the IR Hunter MKII is less susceptible to humidity and fog image degradation than the FLIR Tau2-based scopes. This scope also has the longest running time of all the scopes tested (>5 hours on 30hz, 3.5 on 60 hz). The major detraction of this scope is the manual NUCing. NUCing is the occasional recalibration process of the microbolometer that must be done. All of the other scopes here either do it automatically or give you the choice to do it automatically (Pulsar Apex). FLIR brand scopes also have automatic NUCing, but ATN has manual. Manual NUCing means the user must manually cover the lens and then operate the controls to initiate the NUC sequence. This is something that users get used to doing, but it is not a positive aspect of the unit.
https://youtu.be/o6RXeTQkSi8
https://youtu.be/hNJS-hSulG4
https://youtu.be/UxJC2H7cjCY
Armasight Zeus PRO Line - I hunted with the 50mm, but successfully hunted with the 100mm. The PRO line is everything of the Zeus line with the addition of some electronics and firmware that allows the user to better refine the image. The PRO line uses a slightly larger body to house the additional electronics and is the priciest of the units I have tested and is the worst value.
With the 100mm lens and 4x native magnification, you can hunt coyotes at >500 yards under good conditions (I have video of coyotes at this distance, but had no clue as to what my dope would be, LOL) which makes this large-sized scope amongst the most capable that I have seen.
The major detraction, aside from the price ($9500 for the 100mm version) is that these units are most susceptible to environmental conditions and need more tweaking for image maintenance. With ANY of the other scopes here, you can pretty well take your rifle out to hunt time after time without changing the settings, assuming there hasn't been a truly major change in the weather. No so with the Zeus PRO at this time.
https://youtu.be/cgK-GzLfFb4
https://youtu.be/GS9-DbNhQR0
BOTTOM LINE - For an entry scope or for somebody who doesn't do much night hunting and wants the capability to do so, I like the Pulsar Apex series and the 38a is a good value. For somebody with a little more money, a more serious night hunter, or who wants to hunt more at greater distances, the Armasight Zeus 3 and IR Hunter MKII would be my choices, ESPECIALLY the latter.
IR Defense has now come out with the MKIII line which includes a 4.5x 60mm version that is going to make it a better, longer range scope. I hope to be testing one of these soon. I believe these are ~$9000.
A quick overview of my year's use of thermal can be found here...
https://youtu.be/ZM9VxpuFJgM
The scopes I looked at ranged from just under $3000 to just over $9000 (though prices have undoubted shifted some and have been shifting downwards). Based on my experience, a hunter with an entry level scope can be quite functional at typical night hunting distances. Entry level scopes are generally lower resolution with smaller lens sizes, but but are the leading edge technology of just a few years ago when comparable units cost 3 times as much and hunters were pleased and amazed by what they could accomplish with them.
At the higher end, more money does not always produce better results amongst the pricier scopes and a lot of the differences come down to features liked or disliked by the user.
So when it comes time to making a purchase, the decision is not always clear cut. The the cost of these units and the fact that most of us do not have unlimited budgets means the buyer has to compare and contrast the scopes capabilities,features, and user satisfaction relative to cost to figure out what is going to give the best value for the money.
All scopes are affected by environmental conditions and some more than others. So it is possible to see some great videos of low end scopes at short range in great conditions and some poor videos of high end scopes typically at longer ranges in bad conditions that don't look so good. Humidity, fog, dust, and foliage will all degrade the images. However, what I can tell you about the videos you may see on Youtube or other sights is that almost universally, what the user is seeing through the scope is better image than what is produced as a video.
Budget Scopes:
Armasight Predator - the Predator is a 336x256 resolution, 1.6x optical native magnification, 25mm objective lens scope running at 30 hz that comes in at <$3000. This is a fixed focus scope running the FLIR Tau2 17 micron microbolometer core (thermal sensor). This scope is built based on the Armasight Zeus pattern of scopes, with the same basic firmware operation and aluminum body. It is a well built scope. The image typical hunting distances (50-150 yards) is a bit fuzzy which coincides with the resolution of the scope. The greater the distance, the worse the problem. Based on observing animals, taking an adult hog at 200 yards should be no problem, coyotes out to 150 certainly can be done, and bobcats well beyond 100. The Zeus pattern button operation of the scope for many features can be difficult to use with gloves and nearly impossible with mittens. This goes for ALL of the Zeus and Zeus Pro scopes as well.
Example Videos...
https://youtu.be/zKO4DBAPQcw
https://youtu.be/i2ucCWwFM5s (1st hog kills with Predator on Youtube)
https://youtu.be/IEZzGwwrU0Y
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=pidljCQIFTU
https://youtu.be/8vxBCbNUr3A
Pulsar Apex XD38a - The Apex series involves the 38mm 1.5x native magnification scope, 52mm 2.0x nm, and 75mm 3.0x nm. The XD38a can be had for less then $3K like the Predator. Apex runs at 50 hz and has objective focus. The French made 25 micron microbolometer is a higher resolution at 384x288. The body is polymer which is a feature that has worked well for the Pulsar Digisight line of digital night vision and promises to work well for the Apex line. I really like this scope and it would my choice for an entry scope. The controls are easy to use, even with gloves. The firmware is a bit complex and takes a little longer to learn to use, but the complexity allow for the user to customize features more to his/her liking and once the user figures out what is preferred, a lot of the settings won't be changed again. The Apex line has Picture in Picture mode which I think all the electronic scopes should have. Initially, I did not like this feature until I used it in the field. It gives you a doubled magnification small sighting box for making more precise shots while at the same time giving you a full FOV view with crosshairs. I like PiP as it gives you better situational capability which still having a zoomed view. It works great for making a precise first shot (such as on the first hog of a sounder) and then picking up running hogs afterwards. The image is better on this scope than the Predator. The one noticeable detraction of these scopes is that they tend to be long compared to other thermal choices.
https://youtu.be/Bcxdhd0pn64
https://youtu.be/lUP3hb2HJ6w
Pulsar XD50a - I had a prototype of this earlier in the year. I really liked it as well. They run about $500 more than the 38a and you get a slightly sharper image and .5 more native magnification. If I could not make the leap up to a bigger 640 resolution scope, this would likely be my choice. Note, I did not use the XD75a, but at its price, it is not expensive for what it offers and the user could by a 640 resolution scope from another manufacturer).
https://youtu.be/AA2ePTCbQcw (shows nice PiP use on sounder)
https://youtu.be/yLurdf917VE
https://youtu.be/JWdZVuke-oI
640 Resolution Mid to High End Scopes
Armasight Zeus 2 - 640x512 resolution, 1.8x, 40mm, 30 hz, FLIR Tau2, 17 micron. I own this scope. I purchased it as a backup/loaner/2nd gun scope for guests to hunt with me. ~$5500 is what these are going for now. It is a fairly compact, well made scope. I like the Zeus line in general, but I would not buy this as my first scope and likely would not buy it now as a backup. Given the prices and capabilities of other scopes, it is not the best value for the money, but it does work as advertised.
https://youtu.be/QkT_ob1FBk0
https://youtu.be/rd5obEcPC5E
https://youtu.be/KwdKhHzb6JA
Armasight Zeus 3 - 640x512 resolution, 3.0x, 75mm, 30 hz FLIR Tau2, 17 micron. I own this scope as well. ~$7000. This is a good scope. The 75mm lens is nice. I have done a lot of hunting with this scope and shot hogs out to 230 yards, but that was more of a terrain limit on the scope rather than a functional limit. I would guess that 400 yards would be the functional limit for hogs, maybe a bit more.
https://youtu.be/SNElZUO_vkc
https://youtu.be/aKUJI_YOB9w
https://youtu.be/6eWUXohq-Og
IR Defense IR Hunter MKII - 640x250 resolution, 2.5x, 35mm, 30 or 60 hz (user-chosen), 12 micron BAE core. ~$5500. Right now, this is the shining star of thermal scopes that I have used and I think it out performs scopes of other brands such as FLIR and ATN that I have examined, but not used for hunting. Except for the power switch, all firmware is manipulated by turret knobs. This scope can be readily used by gloved or mittened hands. It is a fixed focus scope that removes the distraction of needing to manually focus the objective lens, but at the same time it means that one cannot refine the focus. This is a minor detraction. The sweet spot focus distance seems to be somewhere in the 75-125 yard range and I generally focus my scopes at about 80 yards to functionally cover anything from about 40-250 yards.
The smaller lens size would appear to be a limiting factor, but thermal lenses are made out of rare earth elements and are a big chunk of the cost of thermal scopes. So the smaller lens size helps keep cost down, and the reduced micron size of the microbolometer (smaller distance between pixels) compensates nicely. Except for the magnification difference, the view is comparable or better than my Zeus 3 in terms of clarity. It has also been my impression that the IR Hunter MKII is less susceptible to humidity and fog image degradation than the FLIR Tau2-based scopes. This scope also has the longest running time of all the scopes tested (>5 hours on 30hz, 3.5 on 60 hz). The major detraction of this scope is the manual NUCing. NUCing is the occasional recalibration process of the microbolometer that must be done. All of the other scopes here either do it automatically or give you the choice to do it automatically (Pulsar Apex). FLIR brand scopes also have automatic NUCing, but ATN has manual. Manual NUCing means the user must manually cover the lens and then operate the controls to initiate the NUC sequence. This is something that users get used to doing, but it is not a positive aspect of the unit.
https://youtu.be/o6RXeTQkSi8
https://youtu.be/hNJS-hSulG4
https://youtu.be/UxJC2H7cjCY
Armasight Zeus PRO Line - I hunted with the 50mm, but successfully hunted with the 100mm. The PRO line is everything of the Zeus line with the addition of some electronics and firmware that allows the user to better refine the image. The PRO line uses a slightly larger body to house the additional electronics and is the priciest of the units I have tested and is the worst value.
With the 100mm lens and 4x native magnification, you can hunt coyotes at >500 yards under good conditions (I have video of coyotes at this distance, but had no clue as to what my dope would be, LOL) which makes this large-sized scope amongst the most capable that I have seen.
The major detraction, aside from the price ($9500 for the 100mm version) is that these units are most susceptible to environmental conditions and need more tweaking for image maintenance. With ANY of the other scopes here, you can pretty well take your rifle out to hunt time after time without changing the settings, assuming there hasn't been a truly major change in the weather. No so with the Zeus PRO at this time.
https://youtu.be/cgK-GzLfFb4
https://youtu.be/GS9-DbNhQR0
BOTTOM LINE - For an entry scope or for somebody who doesn't do much night hunting and wants the capability to do so, I like the Pulsar Apex series and the 38a is a good value. For somebody with a little more money, a more serious night hunter, or who wants to hunt more at greater distances, the Armasight Zeus 3 and IR Hunter MKII would be my choices, ESPECIALLY the latter.
IR Defense has now come out with the MKIII line which includes a 4.5x 60mm version that is going to make it a better, longer range scope. I hope to be testing one of these soon. I believe these are ~$9000.
A quick overview of my year's use of thermal can be found here...
https://youtu.be/ZM9VxpuFJgM
