So a guy at the range had a new digital scope. An ATN 2 Sight Smart HD something something (something). He allowed me to take a quick look and it created very mixed feelings.
On the one hand, it had many cool-sounding features like built in range finding and wind reading things that supposedly shows you where the POI will be instead of relying on your cunning and wit to read the distance, wind speed / direction to guess where your projectile will actually land in relation to your Zero. It also had built-in night vision and the ability to record video footage of your shot without the need for an additional device.
While it was heavy, it wasn't that much heavier than some of the 6-24 FFP scopes many people here enjoy using.
But.... This thing is an electronic device. just like my phone and computer, it asks you to perform those annoying and annoyingly regular updates which require an Internet connection. You know the sort I mean. A pesky message appears on-screen pretending you have a choice if to update the software. It then goes through some long process that can't be interrupted and when it's done... Everything is exactly the same. You have no new features. In fact, it often causes existing features to stop working! Anyway...
Also, I t uses an LCD screen with a digital zoom. This is the part that bothers me most. It claims to be HD but even 4k HD images are nowhere near as good as looking at what is there in front of you through a quality lens.
It uses a battery too and just like the one on your smart phone, it needs charging regularly and eventually it won't hold a charge at all.
I generally like technology but I'm not sure about these digital scopes. I kinda want all their benefits but without losing what's good about regular scopes. I.e. I want the crosshairs to move to show me where the actual poi will be, I just don't want to use an LCD screen or need hooking up to the Internet for updates ever.
This is not a review btw. I did not spend long enough with the product or hook it up to an air rifle etc. What do you guys think about digital computerized scopes?
On the one hand, it had many cool-sounding features like built in range finding and wind reading things that supposedly shows you where the POI will be instead of relying on your cunning and wit to read the distance, wind speed / direction to guess where your projectile will actually land in relation to your Zero. It also had built-in night vision and the ability to record video footage of your shot without the need for an additional device.
While it was heavy, it wasn't that much heavier than some of the 6-24 FFP scopes many people here enjoy using.
But.... This thing is an electronic device. just like my phone and computer, it asks you to perform those annoying and annoyingly regular updates which require an Internet connection. You know the sort I mean. A pesky message appears on-screen pretending you have a choice if to update the software. It then goes through some long process that can't be interrupted and when it's done... Everything is exactly the same. You have no new features. In fact, it often causes existing features to stop working! Anyway...
Also, I t uses an LCD screen with a digital zoom. This is the part that bothers me most. It claims to be HD but even 4k HD images are nowhere near as good as looking at what is there in front of you through a quality lens.
It uses a battery too and just like the one on your smart phone, it needs charging regularly and eventually it won't hold a charge at all.
I generally like technology but I'm not sure about these digital scopes. I kinda want all their benefits but without losing what's good about regular scopes. I.e. I want the crosshairs to move to show me where the actual poi will be, I just don't want to use an LCD screen or need hooking up to the Internet for updates ever.
This is not a review btw. I did not spend long enough with the product or hook it up to an air rifle etc. What do you guys think about digital computerized scopes?
