Starting off in the world of thermal.

Themidlandstalker

Well-Known Member
As above, last year I went out with a friend who has a helion 38mm and I was impressed he could see things in day or night that I was completely unaware of. I decided I still didn't need one or could justify the money for one until this year when it got the better of me!
I went out and bought a hikvision 6mm thermal at £479 thinking all I needed to do was scan,find heat sources and bino them to find what I was seeing a heat source from. This works well tbf and I was happily searching fields and woodland picking up heat from all-sorts. All was good until I went out with my mate again and we compared how sharp the images were......it all went to sh*t. Obviously his helion would show a crisper image but what I didn't expect was that sheep at 200yds were basically invisible to the hikvision whereas through his I could pick them out instantaneously, and when I looked back through the hik I could then just about make out a heat signature from them.
Safe to say my hikvision wasnt the best purchase for long range stalking and it more suited to woodland airgunning where it will, without question source squirrels and rabbits with it having a 1x basemag that's basically what it was probably designed to do......so it's sat in the drawer and I've just had a xm30s delivered from Edinburgh rifles last week. GAME CHANGER. It's sharp, picks heat sigs up from God knows how far away and has multiple modes to choose from Inc colours. Removable battery (it needs it too!), ordered a lanyard from a chap on here as the hand strap is fine if your not carrying rifle and sticks already.
Here is a critter from 70yd away the other night, got that close in on it I got a photo with my phone but the xm30s picked it up and was glowing red like a beacon.

Moral, save up and buy what you need for the kind of shoots you do, should have just bought a pulsar to start with 😂. Mon a different note the hikvision will be coming up for sale on here soon, once I've boxed it back up etc.....
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20201106_200836.webp
    IMG_20201106_200836.webp
    315.5 KB · Views: 175
We’ll part exchange it for an Accolade when you get bored of that one!

To be fair the price difference between the 6mm and the 15mm HIK indicates the capabilities.
15mm is a different animal completely to the base level 6mm
 
We’ll part exchange it for an Accolade when you get bored of that one!

To be fair the price difference between the 6mm and the 15mm HIK indicates the capabilities.
15mm is a different animal completely to the base level 6mm
Meant to reply to this above! Fat fingers missed the quote!
 
Better thermal sensors in the hikvision but I liked the removable battery and I knew plenty of people who rate pulsar, at the time I didn't know what I needed, thought I just needed to pick up heat sources, turns out it's nice to see what your picking up 😂
 
Hikvision 35mm Sensor 384×288 @ 17µm.
Human detection range 1029m

Pulsar 30mm sensor 320x240 @ 12µm.
detection range 1200m. the xm30s has a better amoled screen on it.

It's all swings and roundabouts but the removable batteries swings it for me with pulsar. Swap and go ,not stop and charge.
 
Just to add to the mix: Zeiss seem to have a thermal as well. Don’t hear much about it. Any reviews from anyone?

I’m not looking to change from my XM30s that I really like.
 
ordered a lanyard from a chap on here as the hand strap is fine if your not carrying rifle and sticks already.

I have the same lanyard, and a well made item it is too.

Word of caution however. Yesterday when I was out I felt a bump on my knee and when I looked my Axion had become detached from the lanyard and fallen off. I could easily have missed this and walked on leaving a new £1850 bit of kit in the forest!!!!

Quite possibly user error in attaching it but now secured with cable ties...........

As a slight aside I used a Quantum 30 lite for 3 years and was happy with it but the Axion XQ38 is in a different league!!
 
Until you need a new battery or run out of juice in field. The choice then is a USB type pack

eventually the battery will need replacing all be it after many many charges.
 
Hikvision 35mm Sensor 384×288 @ 17µm.
Human detection range 1029m

Pulsar 30mm sensor 320x240 @ 12µm.
detection range 1200m. the xm30s has a better amoled screen on it.

It's all swings and roundabouts but the removable batteries swings it for me with pulsar. Swap and go ,not stop and charge.
Have you been able to see the images provided by the two, in comparison, side by side?
I found only Hikvision 35 compared with Pulsar XP50, and the quality is almost the same.
 
Have you been able to see the images provided by the two, in comparison, side by side?
I found only Hikvision 35 compared with Pulsar XP50, and the quality is almost the same.
Quality at shorter ranges will be nominal differences, it's when you stretch there legs the the bigger objectives will become apparent.
 
As above, last year I went out with a friend who has a helion 38mm and I was impressed he could see things in day or night that I was completely unaware of. I decided I still didn't need one or could justify the money for one until this year when it got the better of me!
I went out and bought a hikvision 6mm thermal at £479 thinking all I needed to do was scan,find heat sources and bino them to find what I was seeing a heat source from. This works well tbf and I was happily searching fields and woodland picking up heat from all-sorts. All was good until I went out with my mate again and we compared how sharp the images were......it all went to sh*t. Obviously his helion would show a crisper image but what I didn't expect was that sheep at 200yds were basically invisible to the hikvision whereas through his I could pick them out instantaneously, and when I looked back through the hik I could then just about make out a heat signature from them.
Safe to say my hikvision wasnt the best purchase for long range stalking and it more suited to woodland airgunning where it will, without question source squirrels and rabbits with it having a 1x basemag that's basically what it was probably designed to do......so it's sat in the drawer and I've just had a xm30s delivered from Edinburgh rifles last week. GAME CHANGER. It's sharp, picks heat sigs up from God knows how far away and has multiple modes to choose from Inc colours. Removable battery (it needs it too!), ordered a lanyard from a chap on here as the hand strap is fine if your not carrying rifle and sticks already.
Here is a critter from 70yd away the other night, got that close in on it I got a photo with my phone but the xm30s picked it up and was glowing red like a beacon.

Moral, save up and buy what you need for the kind of shoots you do, should have just bought a pulsar to start with 😂. Mon a different note the hikvision will be coming up for sale on here soon, once I've boxed it back up etc.....
Have you sold the hik, I am looking for one for ratting please ?
 
Back
Top