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; Most of these units are power hungry and have a fairly short battery life but most also have batteries that can be quickly replaced. If you purchase some decent rechargeable lithium batts, and a charger, you won’t have a problem if you are going to purchase batteries off the shelf to run them it can get spendy fast for the high use folks. So watch your battery life.
I have seen a few battery 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.
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.
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 sensor used.
Record resolution; To get good vids you need at least 640x480 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.
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.
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.
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 3x14 and 6.5x20 has all the apps of the modern world. 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 3x14 or 6.5X20 models
Adjustable Parallax
Great FOV 46' @ 100 yards for the 3X14 about half that for the 6.5X20
Minimum focus distance 16.4ft for the 3x14 or 32.8ft for the 6.5x20
CMOS resolution 3864x2218 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
Color day B/W night
Supplied IR
Picatinny mount Supplied rings
Lots of Apps
I have one of the 3X14 scopes and with my limited use it is a great trouble free unit.
https://www.amazon.com/X-Sight-Smart-Night-Rifle-Compass/dp/B079TDC1XS The ATN X-Sight LTV is much smaller, lighter Weight and lighter on features than the 4K
Battery life ratted at 10hours
Record video but not sound
No WiFi or Bluetooth
Magnification 3x9 multi-step variable
Adjustable parallax
FOV ?
Minimum Focus Distance?
CMOS resolution?
Refresh Rate 30fps
Vido record resolution 720P
Color by day B&W by night
Supplied IR
Weight 1.6lbs so lighter than most.
Picatinny mount Supplied rings
The Pard 008 6.5-13 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 Digital magnification either 6.5 or 13x
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
CMOS resolution; I am unable to find this information
Refresh rate 30Hz
Video record resolution 1920x1080
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
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 alternative 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 4.5x9 or 24ft for the 3.5x14
Minimum focus 32.8ft for the 3.5-14
CMOS resolution 768x576
Refresh rate 50Hz
Video record resolution 640x480
B/W day and night
Supplied IR
Well built
Weight just under 2LB so near to a brick
Picatinny mount
Very few apps
I have one of these Photon units and it werqs quite well. There is an XT version with less resolution for less money.
https://www.amazon.com/Sightmark-SM18015-Digital-Riflescope-4-5x42S/dp/B078FHGXRT Sightmark Wraith HD Night Vision Rifle Scope 2-16x 28mm a good alternative to the ATN and Pard units. 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 2x16 16.5ft 4x32 12ft
CMOS resolution 1920x1080
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 2x16 1920x1080, 4x32 1080x720
Color day B/W night
Supplied IR
Picatinny mount
Well built
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
It has a 5hr battery life 3hr with IR. User replaceable batteries
Does NOT record your shots
Does NOT have WiFi
Magnification; Fixed 3x magnification
Adjustable objective.
Much lower FOV than the 3×14 ATN
Minimum focus distance 10ft
CMOS resolution?
Refresh rate 30Hz
Video record resolution; No video recording screen resolution 640x480
Black and white day and night
Supplied IR
Picatinny mount
Build quality?
Weight 1.3LB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CKJ1Z9/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_5KJQ6P3XF9HWDV5YF36B The Sytong HT 60 is the newcomer on the block Only a couple of things are really different in the specs department. Other than that it is pretty much a duplicate of the Pard. The Pard is just a little more expensive.
On the positive side;
The Sytong costs $70 less than the equivalent Pard
It comes in a matt finish as opposed to the gloss finish of the Pard.
It also sports a nice screw in lens cap that is absent on the Pard.
In addition it uses the more modern USB3 Type-C plug adapter while the Pard uses the slightly dated USB2 Micro adapter.
On the negative side;
The Sytong does NOT at this time include a model with a laser rangefinder like the Pard. Although when looking at the Menu items on the unit it looks like the rangefinder may soon be added.
It does NOT have the one shot zero option.
It does NOT have an audible beep function available for when you push the buttons.
Speaking of buttons the button layout is also different between the two. The Sytong has ONE LESS button than the Pard has.
Other than a few minor differences in the cases that's about it on the differences between the Pard and the Sytong units.
