Rather than dredge up an old thread, and clutter things up, my feelings about the X-Sight II are in this review: http://atnowners.com/thread/791/5x20-sight-foibles-personal-view
I've owned the X-Sight for almost 2 weeks, and I've had it in the field 11 times, including last night's rat shoot. I'm still amazed at the sensitivity. With intermittent clouds and a crescent moon, rats were clearly visible, and in full color! There were times I couldn't see the target (clouds) in day mode, but in night mode, holy cow! You could easily see the rats around the corn crib, even if they weren't facing you. And this was with the stock illuminator everyone says is worthless!
I don't like the weight. With the external battery and the illuminator attached, it is just over 4 pounds. However, I'm using a tripod with my WARized 25 caliber Marauder and a rear bag atop a shooting bench. In this set up, the weight actually helps steady the shake. Speaking of which, the scope (if one can call an electronic camera with a reticle a scope?), has image stabilization. I wish there was a way to turn it off, because it can be a bit disconcerting if you're on a less than a solid platform.
The question remains, would I buy another one? Yes, but with a few caveats. The X-Sight is just the beginning of electronic scopes. I suspect in the very near future, the big names in scopes will step forward with their versions. I know Swarovski is working on one, and competition is good as it promotes advancement in the art, if we can call it that. We'll see, but my money is on rapid development in the next 12 months.
I've owned the X-Sight for almost 2 weeks, and I've had it in the field 11 times, including last night's rat shoot. I'm still amazed at the sensitivity. With intermittent clouds and a crescent moon, rats were clearly visible, and in full color! There were times I couldn't see the target (clouds) in day mode, but in night mode, holy cow! You could easily see the rats around the corn crib, even if they weren't facing you. And this was with the stock illuminator everyone says is worthless!
I don't like the weight. With the external battery and the illuminator attached, it is just over 4 pounds. However, I'm using a tripod with my WARized 25 caliber Marauder and a rear bag atop a shooting bench. In this set up, the weight actually helps steady the shake. Speaking of which, the scope (if one can call an electronic camera with a reticle a scope?), has image stabilization. I wish there was a way to turn it off, because it can be a bit disconcerting if you're on a less than a solid platform.
The question remains, would I buy another one? Yes, but with a few caveats. The X-Sight is just the beginning of electronic scopes. I suspect in the very near future, the big names in scopes will step forward with their versions. I know Swarovski is working on one, and competition is good as it promotes advancement in the art, if we can call it that. We'll see, but my money is on rapid development in the next 12 months.