Alpex 4K or Stick With Swarovski

[75]

Quality of image vs first / last light capability. You can’t have both.
It’s a different sort of image too - much more two dimensional than through glass so needs care with quartering deer.

 

[The Singing Stalker]

I had a Z6i on my deer rifleand sold it. I thought it was going to be the scope for life.
Replaced with an Alpex. No regrets.
I use a separate rifle for foxing, that has an Alpex,
I have a HMr for bunnies, that has an Alpex.
All the issues have been highlighted. There are compromises to be made.
The image you see on you tube videos is not the image you see on the screen, YouTube cuts the image quality somewhat.
You need to look through one out in the field and see if it works for you.
The Alpex works for me, I generally do not shoot past 120 yards

The only glass scope I have now is a red dot scope that went on my .22 for rats which was connected to a pard007. Great fun for close range ratting. Other than that, everything now is digital. Just remember to keep it charged up.

 

[Andrew Viney]

At the end of the day it comes down to cost. My Z8i is fantastic at around 3k, the Alpex 4 from Scott county at £700 . You pay your money and take your chances.
If it wasn't for there friendly support, I'd have packed it in, makes me want to preserver, but to old, to many choices and for long range the picture quality just isn't there.

 

[Leec6.5]

I laugh at all this talk of digital and thermal, all it does is encourage people to shoot right up to the
Last second and beyond, it’s all fine until you **** up and get a runner

All this technology tells me that people are desperate to pull the trigger and desperate to get numbers which in due course drops venison prices

 

[jackblack56]

This. Even with a well placed heart shot, you get a deer running into cover at last light and you're buggered (without a dog).

Aside from that - the main takeaway from this thread would be: try before you buy. See if you can get a loan of an Alpex for a couple days and take it stalking. If you like it, take the plunge.

I laugh at all this talk of digital and thermal, all it does is encourage people to shoot right up to the
Last second and beyond, it’s all fine until you **** up and get a runner

All this technology tells me that people are desperate to pull the trigger and desperate to get numbers which in due course drops venison prices

 

[Pellet Pinger]

I have one rifle set up as a dedicated night shooting gun, with a thermal scope.

The rest have glass.

Every month or two I think I need to get an Alpex. All it takes is 2 minutes looking through one to cure me of this.

Most recently, I had a client lined up on a sika deer at about 150m. Just after first light. Clear skies, but wisps of mist in the air. Deer stood against rising ground with clearfell behind it. I could see the deer with my naked eye. He couldn’t find it in the Alpex. I eventually looked through the scope. With effort, I could roughly make it out, but not clearly enough to be confident with a shot. Could easily have shot it with glass, had to wait 10 minutes to shoot with the Alpex.

I really dislike the picture.

For a dedicated night rifle, fine. If you’re wanting to shoot in the day, absolutely horrible.

Anyone that owns an Alpex 4K will agree that there was seriously something amiss with that particular experience you had on that occasion. Whether it was on the incorrect settings or faulty it’s absolutely not indicative of scopes like the Alpex and Pulsar C50 dusk/low light performance, in fact its the very opposite. The scope will allow you see and shoot a deer safely that you cant see with the naked eye.

 

[kenbro]

I had a Z6i on my deer rifleand sold it. I thought it was going to be the scope for life.
Replaced with an Alpex. No regrets.
I use a separate rifle for foxing, that has an Alpex,
I have a HMr for bunnies, that has an Alpex.
All the issues have been highlighted. There are compromises to be made.
The image you see on you tube videos is not the image you see on the screen, YouTube cuts the image quality somewhat.
You need to look through one out in the field and see if it works for you.
The Alpex works for me, I generally do not shoot past 120 yards

The only glass scope I have now is a red dot scope that went on my .22 for rats which was connected to a pard007. Great fun for close range ratting. Other than that, everything now is digital. Just remember to keep it charged up.

And a couple of batteries in your pocket.
KB.

 

[kenbro]

I laugh at all this talk of digital and thermal, all it does is encourage people to shoot right up to the
Last second and beyond, it’s all fine until you **** up and get a runner

All this technology tells me that people are desperate to pull the trigger and desperate to get numbers which in due course drops venison prices

You’re talking about people that have deer and foxes in abundance….where I am both of those are just a rumour…
One need all the help available.
KB.

 

[Mungo]

Anyone that owns an Alpex 4K will agree that there was seriously something amiss with that particular experience you had on that occasion. Whether it was on the incorrect settings or faulty it’s absolutely not indicative of scopes like the Alpex and Pulsar C50 dusk/low light performance, in fact its the very opposite. The scope will allow you see and shoot a deer safely that you cant see with the naked eye.

I’m not sure I agree.

In this particular instance, it seemed that the touch of mist in the air was causing a problem.

The best way I can describe it is that it was as if the sensor was confused, and filling in the misty areas with an ‘average’ image of the general background. You could see the deer plainly through binoculars. You could see near ground and far off objects clearly through the scope. But around the deer and the deer itself was very vague.

I know what they’re normally capable of at first and last light, so this was surprising. But it was a clear failure where glass would have worked easily.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

I’m not sure I agree.

In this particular instance, it seemed that the touch of mist in the air was causing a problem.

The best way I can describe it is that it was as if the sensor was confused, and filling in the misty areas with an ‘average’ image of the general background. You could see the deer plainly through binoculars. You could see near ground and far off objects clearly through the scope. But around the deer and the deer itself was very vague.

I know what they’re normally capable of at first and last light, so this was surprising. But it was a clear failure where glass would have worked easily.

Interesting, i’ve shot one or two in similar conditions and it’s not something i’ve come across, maybe the front apature was set incorrectly who knows?

 

[wokingrob]

For stalking I really don’t like digital scopes. Saying that the alpex 4K lrf is amazing but I still use my z8i on deer

 

[Bowland blades]

Hi all,

looking for everyone's opinions if they have used a Hik Micro Alpex 4k,

You see I have been toying with the idea of replacing my current Swarovski Z3I with one and am still on the fence, I use a set of Habroks as Thermal / Bino's and think they are fantastic but I am unsure whether to change the Traditional Glass for a Digital scope.

I've seen many people raving about them but equally a lot of people selling them too. I know at the end of the day it'll be a decision that only I can make but I'd like to get everyone else's opinions on usage for stalking

Many thanks

For stalking during dawn to dusk good glass beats any Digital scope . If your out foxing the digital has the obvious choice .

 

[Nickb]

All this technology tells me that people are desperate to pull the trigger and desperate to get numbers which in due course drops venison prices

Who cares about venison prices , it does increase cull figures though if thats your aim.

 

[Leec6.5]

Who cares about venison prices , it does increase cull figures though if thats your aim.

I don’t care about venison price, never have but most of the SD bitch and winge about it when the price drops, which it will come middl to late November

 

[Motul1974]

NV is great for last light, but, my god is it a hassel! My 8x56 is simply point and shoot...not swirtch on, adust and then shoot!

 

[Tim.243]

I don’t care about venison price, never have but most of the SD bitch and winge about it when the price drops, which it will come middl to late November

Put your video up lee they like that..

 

[The Singing Stalker]

For stalking during dawn to dusk good glass beats any Digital scope . If your out foxing the digital has the obvious choice .

That is so, but prior to dawn and after dusk, it is not, imho, the reason I sold my swaro was because I could see a muntjac perfectly in my digital binos in the bushes, well after dawn, but couldn’t see it clearly with my scope. That was a massive surprise to me and what convinced me to sell.

The argument of people desperate to pull the trigger, well, that is down to people. I look at the light, I prefer evening stalks, asi am a lazy feicer, and when it reaches that point that I deem to be not suitable for shooting, ie runners etc, then I stop. And that is usually well within the 1 hour after sunset. Because I do not need the hassle of traipsing up and down a file looking for a runner.
But horses for courses, the one thing I can guarantee is that in the next 5 years, 80% of stalkers will be on digital scopes, glass scopes will be like film cameras, niche.
An interesting thing might be to run a poll to see what the current % of people are using glass to digital and see what it is like in a couple of years.

 

[TundB]

Hi all,

looking for everyone's opinions if they have used a Hik Micro Alpex 4k,

You see I have been toying with the idea of replacing my current Swarovski Z3I with one and am still on the fence, I use a set of Habroks as Thermal / Bino's and think they are fantastic but I am unsure whether to change the Traditional Glass for a Digital scope.

I've seen many people raving about them but equally a lot of people selling them too. I know at the end of the day it'll be a decision that only I can make but I'd like to get everyone else's opinions on usage for stalking

Many thanks

I have Alpex, and I also have Swarovski Z8 but I use Alpex all the time. I will always keep Z8 as I don’t trust Chinese electronics in terms of reliability so I always have it in the truck ready in case it fails and ruins my stalk.
Alpex will give you more time for first and last light, even more in thick forest but it is double weighted than Z8. It requires charging up but you can get battery as back up. Z8 will give you the best image you can get from a riflescope but Alpex is not that bad. Alpex will record videos in care you want to have a look at it to see if you miss or where you shot the animal. Last but not least, Alpex doesn’t look as good as my Z8.

 

[Leec6.5]

Put your video up lee they like that..

Can’t be arsed

 

[Leec6.5]

That is so, but prior to dawn and after dusk, it is not, imho, the reason I sold my swaro was because I could see a muntjac perfectly in my digital binos in the bushes, well after dawn, but couldn’t see it clearly with my scope. That was a massive surprise to me and what convinced me to sell.

The argument of people desperate to pull the trigger, well, that is down to people. I look at the light, I prefer evening stalks, asi am a lazy feicer, and when it reaches that point that I deem to be not suitable for shooting, ie runners etc, then I stop. And that is usually well within the 1 hour after sunset. Because I do not need the hassle of traipsing up and down a file looking for a runner.
But horses for courses, the one thing I can guarantee is that in the next 5 years, 80% of stalkers will be on digital scopes, glass scopes will be like film cameras, niche.
An interesting thing might be to run a poll to see what the current % of people are using glass to digital and see what it is like in a couple of years.

Dawn and dusk the next question how many knowingly break the 1hr before and after law because they have thermal and digital?

I’ll wager £100 now there are that many on the SD who are desperate to kill do all the time, just haven’t been caught