"LDP"Wheres the 4K? That video looks to be pretty close to the video quality of the X- sight 2 HD I had. Thats pretty fuzzy video for just 50 yds and you can see the color bleeding around the reticle in the video as you change settings. Sounds like this is going to be another flop for daytime use unless you dont need clear views like a regular scope gives and a marginally effective night scope because all the glitches.
The 4K is a misleading advertisement. The sensor is 4K, but the scope still records in 1080p. The larger sensor allows for digital zooming to occur without pixelation. The previous versions had a smaller sensor that would cause the picture/video to pixelate (translation: blur) the more you zoomed in. All versions record in 1080p. If you left all three at their base zoom, either 3x or 5x depending on the base mag of the lens, they'd look the same (roughly) in regards to clarity.
Here is the thing people need to understand about these scopes. They're not really "scopes" at all! The people at ATN essentially took a digital video camera, took the LCD and put it by the eyepiece, and slapped some fancy software to display a digital reticle. The problem with these scopes from ATN is that if this is just a fancy digital camera, WHY would you not include auto focus with manual override? I mean my iPhone can auto focus on whatever the focus box is placed on. Why not have the scope automatically focus on whatever the reticle is placed on? Is the problem that it's a licensing issue? I mean, would ATN have to license the technology to be able to autofocus?
How about the lack of optical zoom?? It's 2018 for Pete's sake! Look at any digital video camera from Canon, Panasonic, or Sony. All of them can be had for a few hundred dollars and they include a significant optical zoom, sometimes up to 16+ power, with digital zoom to extend the range from there. All ATN scopes have fixed power, so 3x or 5x depending on model. Why? Again, is it that they don't produce lenses? Is it a cost issue to keep price affordable? Ultimately, the lens that's chosen has to be great quality glass to be able to get the most out of a fixed zoom.
You can have a great piece of 3x glass that will outperform a 5x glass when digitally zooming in. Do you guys remember the megapixel myth of the early 2000's? Back then it was a race for more megapixels in each release of a newer model of a camera. The problem was that a 12 megapixel picture would look worse at full zoom than a 6 megapixel picture if the 12 megapixel camera had an inferior lens. All megapixels do is enhance what the lens captures: You can have a smaller, clearer picture, or a larger blurrier picture. Which would you choose?
I think ATN has a long way to go with these scopes. They have a lot of room for improvement, but I believe right now they're misleading buyers into thinking a 4K model is better than the older versions, and it's all about advertising more resolution, without addressing the key component, which is the optical lens. Yes they can "zoom" in further without pixelation, but if the starting image is crappy to begin with, you'll just end up with a larger crappy image.
ATN is really a software company. They tout so many fancy tricks these scopes can do including WiFi streaming, recording, bluetooth, etc, but right now they've advertised a shell of a product that has yet to be fleshed out. The firmware on the scope is buggy. The phone app is buggy. There are multiple features missing from the scope that are advertised on the box. There is no explanation as to why, except that we hear they'll be released in future firmware versions.
All that being said, I plan on keeping my scope. I bought it and understand it has limitations at this time. It's the best option that I have at the price point I was comfortable with paying for night vision. I hate being the beta tester for a company that claims one thing yet releases something inferior, waiting to hear from us what needs fixing.
