There are a few decent digital night vision scope set ups out there. Some are more decent than others.
This is not exactly a review cuz I only have a couple of these but more of listing of specs to make them easier to understand to choose between the units.
I have been trying to keep up with the less expensive nightvision stuff as it comes out it’s not an easy task sometimes. So I thought I would let you in on my findings on a few of them. I listed the specs on things that I thought really mattered and left some of the other specs out. Things like battery life, weight, sensor resolution, record resolution, FOV, minimum focus distance and refresh rates really matter and every one should consider them carefully before laying down the $$ and purchasing one of these units or you could be very disappointed.
Let’s talk about a few of these specs.
Battery life; I have seen a few comparisons between the Pard008 and the ATN 4K units where somehow the Pard came out on top!!!! Actually as one can plainly see the ATN has 18hrs of battery life built in so way more than twice that of the Pard. With that much battery life it really does not matter that it is built into the unit.
Most have fairly short battery life but most also have batteries that can be quickly replaced. If you purchase some decent rechargeable lithium batts you won’t have a problem if you are going to purchase batteries off the shelf it can get spendy. So watch your battery life.
FOV; Field Of View is extremely important if it’s not wide enough when you are getting up close and personal your quarry it will disappear in an instant or you won’t even be able to find it in the viewscreen. So wider is better.
Minimum focus distance; can mean a big deal if you are doing some close quarter pesting. It’s nice to be able to make out what you are shooting at and even better to see a nice clear video rather than a big blur. So ten yards is acceptable less is even better.
Sensor resolution; One would think this would be on top of the list as everything depends on this not on the screen or recording resolution. Without good sensor resolution the screen and recording resolutions suffer as they can do no better than the CMOS sensor used.
Refresh Rate; A slow refresh rate means you just see a blur or a jittery image when following a moving object in your scope. It’s the same when an object is moving in your field of view if you really want to see it you need a decent >30fps refresh rate. Want to see a moving pellet? Then you really need at minimum 120fps although 240fps is much better.
Video Record resolution; If you want good vids you need at least 640×480 or better. If you want to see the pellet fly you need better than this. Your screen resolution has nothing to do with your recording resolution it’s only what you see at the moment.
Weight; When you are out in the field an extra pound or two can be tiresome after a couple of hours lugging it around. Let’s face it most of these things are heavy as a brick with the exception of the Pard and the Nightshot 3x with the plastic case and lens which both weigh in at about 1.3 Lbs.
Apps; most of these scopes are lacking in apps that can be used. The ATN has more than its share and if you turn too many on it can slow the CPU down to a crawl making it difficult to do anything. So think about what you are doing. You don’t need to use them all at the same time.
I love that I can have the ATN and ABL units range an object apply software, to compute not only the distance but the elevation change, and move the reticle for the shot
. The ATN 4K 3×14 and 6.5×20 has all the apps of the modern world. Battery life; Internal battery lasts 18hrs so plenty for a couple of long days/nights hunting
They do a good job of recording your shots with decent quality sound included
WiFi connects to your phone easily you can control the scope functions from the phone
Magnification There is a multi-step digital zoom feature 3×14 or 6.5X20 models
Adjustable Parallax
FOV 46' @ 100 yards for the 3X14 about half that for the 6.5X20
Minimum focus distance 16.4ft for the 3×14 or 32.8ft for the 6.5×20
Sensor resolution; CMOS resolution 3864×2218 At least I think that is what those numbers mean
Refresh rate; 30, 60, 120Hz,
Video record resolution; 1080P @ 30, 60, 120fps
Color day B/W night
They are built like a brick which is a plus
Weight 2LB heavy like a brick a minus
Supplied IR
Picatinny mount
Apps; Lots of Apps
I have one of the 3X14 scopes and with my limited use it is a great problem free unit.
https://www.amazon.com/X-Sight-Smart-Night-Rifle-Compass/dp/B079TDC1XS The Pard 008 6.5-12 is a much lighter, less complex and more compact scope. Companion rangefinder available in the LRF model
Half the weight and size of the ATN 4K which are big pluses for the unit
Battery life; is said to be 8 hours and is user replaceable.
Records your video sound is not so great.
WiFi connects to your phone but it can be a pain to find apps that werq to use with it.
Magnification New units have continuous 1x-2x zoom digital from 6.5×12 others have two step zoom either 6.5 or 12
Adjustable parallax
FOV I have not been able to find that information but would speculate it would be near half of the ATN 3×14's 46' at 100 yards.
Minimum focus distance is 9.8ft the lowest in this group
Sensor resolution; CMOS resolution; I am unable to find this information
Refresh rate; 30Hz which is OK but not great
Video record resolution; 1920×1080
Color day B/W night
Supplied IR
Decently built
Weight 1.3LB so a bit over half the weight of most of the others.
Kind of a funky Picatinny mounting system often requires shims
Apps; Very few apps
So if you can deal with a bunch less apps, 8 hr. battery and a bit of a funky mounting system but in a much more compact unit with a bit over half the weight of most of the rest of these scopes the Pard 008 is very good from what I have seen on YouTube.
I don't have one of these and am spoiled by the features of the heavy as a brick ATN. Else I would have a hard time deciding which to purchase.
https://www.amazon.com/Pard-lightest-Digital-Riflescope-Waterproof/dp/B07WPK1D3D Link to another nightvision post with an in depth account of the Pard at the bottom
https://www.airgunnation.com/topic/pard-nv008p-vs-atn-4k-pro/#post-829961 The Sightmark Photon RT 4.5X42S is a bit less complex than the ATN but still a decent unit Newer units weigh in at slightly less than the ATN but it is still a heavyweight
Battery life; is much lower like 3.5 hours with lithium batteries. User replaceable batts Optional plug in battery packs are available.
Records video and sound
WiFi connects to your phone easily
Magnification Two-step digital zoom 4.5-9
Adjustable parallax
FOV 22.5' @ 100 yards for the 4.5×9 or 24ft for the 3.5×14
Minimum focus 32.8ft for the 3.5-14
Sensor resolution; CMOS resolution 768×576
Refresh rate; 50Hz
Video record resolution; 640×480
B/W day and night
Supplied IR
Well built
Weight; just under 2LB so near to a brick
Picatinny mount
Apps; Very few apps
I have one of these Photon units and it werqs quite well.
https://www.amazon.com/Sightmark-SM18015-Digital-Riflescope-4-5x42S/dp/B078FHGXRT Sightmark Wraith HD Night Vision Rifle Scope 2-16x 28mm Battery life; 3.5 to 4.5 hours 4XAA
Records Video no audio
No WiFi
Magnification only 2X lens zoom and 8X multi-step digital zoom
Adjustable Parallax
FOV; 42ft @ 100 yards
Minimum focus distance 2×16 16.5ft 4×32 12ft
Sensor resolution; CMOS resolution 1920×1080
Refresh rate; I see complaints of lagging video which usually points to slow refresh rates so I expect it would be near 30fps
Video record resolution; 2×16 1920×1080, 4×32 1080×720
Color day B/W night
Supplied IR
Picatinny mount
Well built
Weight; Heavy 2LB+ heavier than a brick
The Wraith has very good HD resolution on both the sensor and screen. Specs would point to this unit having the best quality picture but I don’t have one so can’t say.
I did see a couple of videos on the Wraith though and it has great picture quality in daylight but even on a moonlit night it needs an IR illuminator. The Photon and most of the others will do fine without an illuminator in the same situation. So that is a minus for the Wraith.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/102288033?pid=882357 Almost fergot the Nightshot 3X It is stripped down unit with very basic features Much smaller, lighter and far less expensive than the most of these set ups
Plastic chassis and Plastic Lenses
Battery life; It has a 3hr battery life. User replaceable batteries
Does NOT record your shots
Does NOT have WiFi
Magnification; Fixed 3x magnification
Fixed parallax set at 100 yards.
Much lower FOV than the 3×14 ATN
Minimum focus distance; 10ft
Sensor resolution; CMOS resolution?
Refresh rate; 30Hz
Video record resolution; No video recording
Black and white day and night
Supplied IR
Weight; 1.3LB
Picatinny mount
https://www.opticsplanet.com/night-owl-optics-nightshot-digital-night-vision-riflescope.html Here are some reviews of a few nightvision units that may be useful.
https://under-reviews.com/top-5-digital-rifle-scopes/?msclkid=9f3aba59bdca1311107bdb517c69b7c9&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UR%20%7C%20TOP%205%20Digital%20Scopes&utm_term=%2Bbest%20%2Bnight%20%2Bvision&utm_content=General
