Night Vision / Thermal?

BDinPutnam

BDinPutnam

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School me up on goggles/handheld optics (I dont think I want to go full bore rifle optic though I guess I do have enough rifles to dedicate one to night time).

I know scopes have been discussed but I'm interested more in goggles or handhelds. Purpose wise I pretty much live in the woods (I had seen some discussion on thermal vs other in terms of performance in wooded areas). Admittedly more concerned about 4 legged than 2 legged predators.

Problem is of course like most I don't have a ton of money to sink into this.
 
CaseHardened

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First of all, any useful Night Vision, for me, has to be Googles that fit over Eyeglasses.
Second, they cannot have bright IR LED's that would make ME the target.

From what I can see, useful Night Vision is a long ways off.
 
kev74

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Here you go...

s-l1000.jpg




...got nothin.
 
JamieZ

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Night vision is useful in open areas where your infrared is not reflecting off stuff in front of you. When it does reflect it stops your line of sight and you cant see past what its reflecting off of (even a twig). When night vision is good in the woods, its when there is a full moon and your infrared is not on.

Thermal on the other hand is where its at but very costly. The mono that I purchased is bottom of the barrel as far as the pixels of the sensor go. The display is like 1024x768 but the sensor is 320x240 pix. @ 12 µm. So basically if you are looking at something at a 100yds,,,you have no problem seeing it but you would have a slight problem knowing if it was a skunk or a racoon. You would have to use what you know about each animal, movements etc etc,,,to determine exactly what it is. At a 100 yds its easy to determine if its a deer or a skunk because of size.
That bottom line mono cost me 2k.

With a thermal though you can see everything and especially everything that is giving off a heat signature. Right now I cant think of any cons with thermal except for price. Remember this if you decide to buy thermal. You dont get the high quality detail with lower priced units because of the sensors their using. Dont look at display resolution, look at sensor resolution.

The gentlemen in my post shoots100,,,his thermal scope is pretty much top of the line as far as sensor resolution. Its 640x480 @ 17 µm, just look at his video's,,,,,which he tells me arent as good as what he is actually seeing.

So basically dont waste your money if you want night vision for the woods because it will only work well when there is a full moon and your infrared is off.

This is me basically stating what I know from the little research Ive done and owning both thermal and night vision for the past 3 months. Right now I'm running a low end Thermal mono that will do everything I can think of in open fields and woods. Right now I'm running a night vision scope with a OEM infrared and a aftermarket infrared. The aftermarket infrared allows me to see at the least 800yds or more in open fields.
 
JamieZ

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I will add something for night vision.

If you are using it in the woods and the infrared is reflecting back at the scope and you cant see past a tree 25 yds ahead of you,,,that will not prevent you from seeing a living creature further out because the infrared will reflect off its eyes. You will see glowing eyes but you wont know what it is until the reflection stops. You just know something is there.
 
Curmudgeon

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I agree with JEM. Tisto's nv scope and coyote rig was pretty cool, but with a scope you're pointing a weapon when looking through it.

If we get another stimulus. I might grab a flir scout.
 
JamieZ

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Make sure you read reviews before purchasing a Flir Scout. The cheapest Scout is 600 bucks and its junk.

Make sure you look at sensor quality, refresh rate and if you can change batteries and how long they last.
 
JamieZ

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Curmudgeon said:
Junk?
Click to expand...

Look at the sensor rating (160x120 ) Thats lower than low. My bottom line mono has 320x240,,,which is double the clarity and my clarity is actually low

Look at the fact you cant change batteries (Internal Li-Ion Cell),,,if the battery shits the bed, mail the unit in or throw your warranty out the window if you try and take it apart to replace it yourself

It has a 100yd detection range,,,thats not identification,,,,thats detection. Mine will detect out to 1400yds

I dont see a refresh rating but I see complaints about it.

If you want an actual thermal monocular you are looking at $1500 for bottom line units. A 500 dollar one wont be good for anything but following a blood trail from a dying or wounded animal.

www.opticsplanet.com

FLIR Systems Scout TK Mini Thermal Monocular, 431-0012-21-00S

Shop FLIR Scout TK Mini Thermal Monocular at OpticsPlanet for Free Shipping and huge savings. See your world in a whole new way!
www.opticsplanet.com www.opticsplanet.com
 
Curmudgeon

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JamieZ said:
Look at the sensor rating (160x120 ) Thats lower than low. My bottom line mono has 320x240,,,which is double the clarity and my clarity is actually low

Look at the fact you cant change batteries (Internal Li-Ion Cell),,,if the battery shits the bed, mail the unit in or throw your warranty out the window if you try and take it apart to replace it yourself

It has a 100yd detection range,,,thats not identification,,,,thats detection. Mine will detect out to 1400yds

I dont see a refresh rating but I see complaints about it.

If you want an actual thermal monocular you are looking at $1500 for bottom line units. A 500 dollar one wont be good for anything but following a blood trail from a dying or wounded animal.

www.opticsplanet.com

FLIR Systems Scout TK Mini Thermal Monocular, 431-0012-21-00S

Shop FLIR Scout TK Mini Thermal Monocular at OpticsPlanet for Free Shipping and huge savings. See your world in a whole new way!
www.opticsplanet.com www.opticsplanet.com
Click to expand...

OK. So what do you recommend?
 
JamieZ

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Curmudgeon said:
OK. So what do you recommend?
Click to expand...
LoL,,,I really dont because I'm so new at this. Though for an inexpensive mono and what I know, I would go with the same as mine but without the ability to take video or pictures and thats the Pulsar Axion Key XM22. The inability to not take video or pics is the reason why it costs less. To be honest I wish I would of bought it because it has a lower initial power rating and I have no need to take video with the mono but do with the scope.

www.opticsplanet.com

Pulsar Axion Key XM22 2-8x18mm Thermal Imaging Monocular

Shop Pulsar Axion Key XM22 2-8x18mm Thermal Imaging Monocular | 4.7 Star Rating on 3 Reviews for Pulsar Axion Key XM22 2-8x18mm Thermal Imaging Monocular + Free Shipping over $49.
www.opticsplanet.com www.opticsplanet.com

Plus I like Pulsar, being that they have a good product and a 3 year warranty and from what I have read,,,good customer service
 
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JamieZ

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Ive also read Flir is ditching the residential market and sticking with military sales only
 
JamieZ

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I blame you fuckers for this.

Thank you! Your order reference number is 1-------------3.
Order Summary

ItemItem PriceQuantityItem Total
Pulsar Core RXQ30L 1.6-6.4x22mm Thermal Imaging Riflescope, PL76483Q Color: Black Refresh Rate: 50 Hz Resolution: 640 - 480 pixels Included Accessories: 2X Cr123A Batteries, Carrying Case, Cleaning Cloth, Hand Strap, Torque Screwdriver, User Manual, Warranty Card, Wireless Remote Control Battery Quantity: 2
Code: ZA-THR-PL76483Q-EE
Share this item:		$1,889.00x1$1,889.00
Order Subtotal$1,889.00
Coupon-$94.45
OpticsPlanet Bucks-$3.54
Est. Sales Tax (NY)$143.29
Shipping SubtotalFREE
Grand Total$1,934.30

You will receive $35.82 OP Bucks after items ship
 
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JamieZ

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I didnt end up wanting to spend the money for video software which would of cost me roughly 1200 plus on top of the 2k,,,so I bought the above which has the second highest sensor resolution out of all ones for sale, non military. 384x288 pixels,,,,better sensor resolution then my mono

Couldnt help myself, Ive been staring at them for months
 
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Curmudgeon

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JamieZ said:
I didnt end up wanting to spend the money for video software which would of cost me roughly 1200 plus,,,so I bought the above which has the second highest sensor resolution out of all ones for sale, non military. 384x288 pixels,,,,better sensor resolution then my mono

Couldnt help myself, Ive been staring at them for months
Click to expand...
I'll likely be a fast follower
 
JamieZ

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Curmudgeon said:
I'll likely be a fast follower
Click to expand...
Are you buying for predators or all around hunting because I see a bunch reviews stating that people use that scope I just bought for a scanning device by using a quick detach mount. Take it off the gun, look for yotes and mount it right back on the gun when you see something coming,,,it will stay zeroed. Ive seen videos on youtube about it too.
 
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