HikMicro Alpex PRO A50PL Digital day & night scope - VERSUS - DNT ZULUS 4K Digital day & night scope - VERSUS - NocPix NITE D70R digital day & night

[ShotKam 0]

HikMicro Alpex PRO A50PL Digital day & night scope - VERSUS - DNT ZULUS 4K Digital day & night scope - VERSUS - NocPix NITE D70R digital day & night scope.

Having got my hands on the above 3 scopes at the Shooting Show this weekend, what I and everyone else is waiting for before we spend our hard earned cash is an in field direct comparison review including up to 200 metres at night.

That is the only way any of us can make an informed decision. I am not sure if any of the regular reviewers are able to access all 3 models at one go to review, only time will tell.

Chris Parkin, and Robin Foxer could be the most likely candidates.

Maybe someone on here has tried some of the big 3 above ?- if so please post.

 

[Cottis]

I have been using the DNT4k a lot the last fortnight but almost mostly in daytime and in the last hour of legal deer shooting light. In those conditions, I have been super impressed. It is doing everything I wanted it to do with great clarity (relatively speaking) and ease of use, great LRF and Ballistic calcs etc and weighs very little.

However, last night I did the first extensive test in proper pitch black night. Conditions were perfect. The sort of conditions with lots of stars visible, not much cloud, low humidity and the thermal showed those lovely cold clean crisp images. There would be no excuses in these conditions.

It is clear this scope is miles behind my out and out night time shooting gear (which is a Vulpine Mk3, Solaris torch and March compact scope)

Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot in anger and ID stuff out to 250-300yds but the image is grainy and poor. If you like shooting on higher mag at night, it is even worse. In my view, x 6 and below is ok but anything above, whilst being usable, is really quite poor image wise. I was using a Solaris on various power settings and going through all flood to spot options. I used 4k and HD options on the Zulus. I used enhanced mode, natural modes, adjust focus and diopters and just could not resolve the sort of quality image at night that I have been used to for the last many years of night shooting.

The only benefit I can see of using the Zulus at night is that you have the LRF and ballistic thingy, so if you were shooting from a static point out the ranges where you need the holdover adjustments, then it will be functional. For literally every other scenario I would 100% be grabbing my Vulpine and March. I am not joking when I say it can resolve a better image at 400yds on x 20 mag than the Zulus can do at 150yds on x 6 mag.

If you want a middle distance day time pest control scope (out to say 350yds) and a last light tool for those wary/twitchy fallow without needing any additional IR, this scope is bloody awesome. At night however, I was very underwhelmed.

When I got home, I went on to Youtube and checked out lots of footage from DNT users and HIK Alpex users to see what sort of footage they were producing when recording fox shooting. You can see how grainy the images are and that most seem to be using quite low magnification settings. x4.5 mag at 30yds for rats looks awesome but as soon as you get out to 100yds+ on anything more than 6 mag, they all look pretty crap to me. I can only imagine the sensor set up that allows it to be so good in day time and last light, means it cannot cope under the cover of proper darkness. Maybe the new Nocpix and Alpex pro will sort this out.

So in a nutshell, the DNT4k is brilliant for daylight and last light but seems pretty pants, at least relative to what I am used to, in proper pitch black conditions. And from the footage online, the Alpex 4k seems similar if maybe slightly better. Neither are close to the ballpark quality of the Vulpine and optical scope combination.

 

[Dillon]

Nice honest review Cottis, thank you.

 

[ShotKam 0]

I have been using the DNT4k a lot the last fortnight but almost mostly in daytime and in the last hour of legal deer shooting light. In those conditions, I have been super impressed. It is doing everything I wanted it to do with great clarity (relatively speaking) and ease of use, great LRF and Ballistic calcs etc and weighs very little.

However, last night I did the first extensive test in proper pitch black night. Conditions were perfect. The sort of conditions with lots of stars visible, not much cloud, low humidity and the thermal showed those lovely cold clean crisp images. There would be no excuses in these conditions.

It is clear this scope is miles behind my out and out night time shooting gear (which is a Vulpine Mk3, Solaris torch and March compact scope)

Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot in anger and ID stuff out to 250-300yds but the image is grainy and poor. If you like shooting on higher mag at night, it is even worse. In my view, x 6 and below is ok but anything above, whilst being usable, is really quite poor image wise. I was using a Solaris on various power settings and going through all flood to spot options. I used 4k and HD options on the Zulus. I used enhanced mode, natural modes, adjust focus and diopters and just could not resolve the sort of quality image at night that I have been used to for the last many years of night shooting.

The only benefit I can see of using the Zulus at night is that you have the LRF and ballistic thingy, so if you were shooting from a static point out the ranges where you need the holdover adjustments, then it will be functional. For literally every other scenario I would 100% be grabbing my Vulpine and March. I am not joking when I say it can resolve a better image at 400yds on x 20 mag than the Zulus can do at 150yds on x 6 mag.

If you want a middle distance day time pest control scope (out to say 350yds) and a last light tool for those wary/twitchy fallow without needing any additional IR, this scope is bloody awesome. At night however, I was very underwhelmed.

When I got home, I went on to Youtube and checked out lots of footage from DNT users and HIK Alpex users to see what sort of footage they were producing when recording fox shooting. You can see how grainy the images are and that most seem to be using quite low magnification settings. x4.5 mag at 30yds for rats looks awesome but as soon as you get out to 100yds+ on anything more than 6 mag, they all look pretty crap to me. I can only imagine the sensor set up that allows it to be so good in day time and last light, means it cannot cope under the cover of proper darkness. Maybe the new Nocpix and Alpex pro will sort this out.

So in a nutshell, the DNT4k is brilliant for daylight and last light but seems pretty pants, at least relative to what I am used to, in proper pitch black conditions. And from the footage online, the Alpex 4k seems similar if maybe slightly better. Neither are close to the ballpark quality of the Vulpine and optical scope combination.

Really good review - thankyou. I did notice at the show that the DNT is a LOT slimmer than both the Hikmicro and the Nocpix (which both have the 18650 external battery, whereas the DNT has a 21700 external battery.

 

[tarponhead]

I have been using the DNT4k a lot the last fortnight but almost mostly in daytime and in the last hour of legal deer shooting light. In those conditions, I have been super impressed. It is doing everything I wanted it to do with great clarity (relatively speaking) and ease of use, great LRF and Ballistic calcs etc and weighs very little.

However, last night I did the first extensive test in proper pitch black night. Conditions were perfect. The sort of conditions with lots of stars visible, not much cloud, low humidity and the thermal showed those lovely cold clean crisp images. There would be no excuses in these conditions.

It is clear this scope is miles behind my out and out night time shooting gear (which is a Vulpine Mk3, Solaris torch and March compact scope)

Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot in anger and ID stuff out to 250-300yds but the image is grainy and poor. If you like shooting on higher mag at night, it is even worse. In my view, x 6 and below is ok but anything above, whilst being usable, is really quite poor image wise. I was using a Solaris on various power settings and going through all flood to spot options. I used 4k and HD options on the Zulus. I used enhanced mode, natural modes, adjust focus and diopters and just could not resolve the sort of quality image at night that I have been used to for the last many years of night shooting.

The only benefit I can see of using the Zulus at night is that you have the LRF and ballistic thingy, so if you were shooting from a static point out the ranges where you need the holdover adjustments, then it will be functional. For literally every other scenario I would 100% be grabbing my Vulpine and March. I am not joking when I say it can resolve a better image at 400yds on x 20 mag than the Zulus can do at 150yds on x 6 mag.

If you want a middle distance day time pest control scope (out to say 350yds) and a last light tool for those wary/twitchy fallow without needing any additional IR, this scope is bloody awesome. At night however, I was very underwhelmed.

When I got home, I went on to Youtube and checked out lots of footage from DNT users and HIK Alpex users to see what sort of footage they were producing when recording fox shooting. You can see how grainy the images are and that most seem to be using quite low magnification settings. x4.5 mag at 30yds for rats looks awesome but as soon as you get out to 100yds+ on anything more than 6 mag, they all look pretty crap to me. I can only imagine the sensor set up that allows it to be so good in day time and last light, means it cannot cope under the cover of proper darkness. Maybe the new Nocpix and Alpex pro will sort this out.

So in a nutshell, the DNT4k is brilliant for daylight and last light but seems pretty pants, at least relative to what I am used to, in proper pitch black conditions. And from the footage online, the Alpex 4k seems similar if maybe slightly better. Neither are close to the ballpark quality of the Vulpine and optical scope combination.

I shot a fox at 120m last night in full dark using the Alpex 4k lite with .223 - very clear image with Wulf IR - more than capable out to 150 but beyond that, I’m less sure

 

[Cottis]

Really good review - thankyou. I did notice at the show that the DNT is a LOT slimmer than both the Hikmicro and the Nocpix (which both have the 18650 external battery, whereas the DNT has a 21700 external battery.

Yeah that is a decent observation. It is a very tidy and slim scope that sits on my rifle very nicely. It does not sit high and eye falls easily on the ocular. I suppose the best thing that confirms this is that when I use the scope, it genuinely feels like I am using a normal optical scope in terms of eye relief and overall feeling. That changes at night though. It seems more tunnel vision.

The 2 supplied batteries and charger are good. I have not even used the second battery yet. It seems to last forever.

Startup from standby is not instant like the Vulpine. I would say about 1.5seconds from button press and then the screen is on.

 

[Cottis]

I shot a fox at 120m last night in full dark using the Alpex 4k lite with .223 - very clear image with Wulf IR - more than capable out to 150 but beyond that, I’m less sure

Yeah they are all decent enough. I am probably being a bit unfair which is maybe more an indication of how good the Vulpine is rather than these dedicated scopes being poor. All of them still let us shoot stuff out to good distances. I was watching a fallow doe last night at 350yds. I could have shot it from a steady rest but the image was just crap. She came close to about 200yds and the image improved but not enough to see really good detail.

Then I watched a badger (which admittedly was scurrying and didn't stop) at around 100yds or so and it was a bit grainy. At that point I was on x9 mag which is the default I tend to shoot at as I am mostly shooting deer with it. It quickly became apparent that the scope functioned much better at x 6 mag or below.

 

[MTheaded but happy]

I get the impression that the new generation of nv scopes are too biased toward a colour daytime image . Jack of all trades , master of none type scenario . My Alpex 4k LRF can't be used to its full potential , the picture is degraded above 7× which inturn limits its usefulness.
I'm considering returning to a day scope on the 22-250 , 200 yard zero and dusting off the Vulpine mk3 . I'm just not convinced by the new generation of digital scopes or who they're aimed at . I feel as though the market is crying out for a high quality nv with lrf and ballists .
Are there any real gains over the Alpex 4K LRF ?

 

[ShotKam 0]

The main limiting factor with Night vision scopes the same as Thermals, is the sensor. Out of the 3 the Nocpix has the highest specification sensor. Software each manufacturer chooses to use can have a significant effect of course. You need to be aware of your choice of scope mount as scopes with a larger objective lens can pick up the moderator in their field of view. I did not like the aestetics of the shape of the LRF on the Hikmicro but the zoom knob on the left side of the turret was a great innovation I have to say. I plan to wait untill more reviews come online before making my purchase. My main criteria is how they all perform at night 150 - 200 metres. I doubt any will be spectacular above 5x zoom.

 

[Cottis]

I get the impression that the new generation of nv scopes are too biased toward a colour daytime image . Jack of all trades , master of none type scenario . My Alpex 4k LRF can't be used to its full potential , the picture is degraded above 7× which inturn limits its usefulness.
I'm considering returning to a day scope on the 22-250 , 200 yard zero and dusting off the Vulpine mk3 . I'm just not convinced by the new generation of digital scopes or who they're aimed at . I feel as though the market is crying out for a high quality nv with lrf and ballists .
Are there any real gains over the Alpex 4K LRF ?

I would agree with that. I feel these modern 4k scopes are perfect for my needs and those of the people on this forum who want to shoot as many deer as possible at the most difficult times of the day. Already I have shot animals that I simply would not have got close to shooting before and I have barely take the thing out of the box.

I suppose for most night shooting (for me anyway) all my shots are taken inside 200yds, so there really is no benefit to having an LRF and ballistic calculator for night time shooting. But I would think that professional fox shooters or those needing to shoot over vast fields or in valleys would benefit hugely from a scope that offers LRF and ballistic calcs while also being able to resolve high quality imaging out to say 350-400yds.

So basically I am happy but I can see there is further work to be done to satisfy widescale demand

 

[palo]

I am using a thermal spotter and a torch on my day scopes at present.
I was out shooting rabbits recently and there were plenty about but as soon as I switched on the light they were gone.
I am thinking about some sort of night vision.
I only want it for night use so a Vulpine mk 3 would be ideal but they are no longer available.
I had a look through my mates Alpex 4k one day but I couldn't use that as my day scope.
I might just go for a zulus V2 with a quick release mount.

 

[ShotKam 0]

At 191 metres and Boar at 228 metres, I would say the Nocpix Nite D70R clarity is excellent.

 

[MTheaded but happy]

I would agree with that. I feel these modern 4k scopes are perfect for my needs and those of the people on this forum who want to shoot as many deer as possible at the most difficult times of the day. Already I have shot animals that I simply would not have got close to shooting before and I have barely take the thing out of the box.

I suppose for most night shooting (for me anyway) all my shots are taken inside 200yds, so there really is no benefit to having an LRF and ballistic calculator for night time shooting. But I would think that professional fox shooters or those needing to shoot over vast fields or in valleys would benefit hugely from a scope that offers LRF and ballistic calcs while also being able to resolve high quality imaging out to say 350-400yds.

So basically I am happy but I can see there is further work to be done to satisfy widescale demand

We're totally on the same page , the better image offered by the Vulpine isn't about shooting further , it's about positive IDs and safety.

I am using a thermal spotter and a torch on my day scopes at present.
I was out shooting rabbits recently and there were plenty about but as soon as I switched on the light they were gone.
I am thinking about some sort of night vision.
I only want it for night use so a Vulpine mk 3 would be ideal but they are no longer available.
I had a look through my mates Alpex 4k one day but I couldn't use that as my day scope.
I might just go for a zulus V2 with a quick release mount.

Are you sure about them being no longer available, I just looked at LL's site and they appear to be available but have a 10 to 14 day lead time ? I could be wrong though .

At this point in time they should have better nighttime performance than the DronePro or N470s , I'm just not seeing it.

 

[palo]

We're totally on the same page , the better image offered by the Vulpine isn't about shooting further , it's about positive IDs and safety.






Are you sure about them being no longer available, I just looked at LL's site and they appear to be available but have a 10 to 14 day lead time ? I could be wrong though .

Yes. I emailed Andy and he said they were discontinued as of now for the foreseeable.

 

[Cottis]

View attachment 460956

View attachment 460957

At 191 metres and Boar at 228 metres, I would say the Nocpix Nite D70R clarity is excellent.

Looking at those images, I would say the day image is comparable with the DNT 4k but the night image is significantly better on the Nocpix

 

[Mike1979]

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh ...its nice to be able to shoot out to 400 yards at night but in most cases its possible to get a lot closer, so possibly use the 2 things attached to your arse and walk closer.

The furthest fox I shot was 395 yards with a Pulsar N750A and it was nice and clear (albeit the PIP mag was 11x). I have an Alpex 4K A50E and that is fine out to 250+. I think this expectation of sub £1k scopes having daytime optics like £3k glass are somewhat unrealistic as is having crystal clarity at 20x zoom at 400 yards at night .

Just saying

 

[Jelen]

I have been using the DNT4k a lot the last fortnight but almost mostly in daytime and in the last hour of legal deer shooting light. In those conditions, I have been super impressed. It is doing everything I wanted it to do with great clarity (relatively speaking) and ease of use, great LRF and Ballistic calcs etc and weighs very little.

However, last night I did the first extensive test in proper pitch black night. Conditions were perfect. The sort of conditions with lots of stars visible, not much cloud, low humidity and the thermal showed those lovely cold clean crisp images. There would be no excuses in these conditions.

It is clear this scope is miles behind my out and out night time shooting gear (which is a Vulpine Mk3, Solaris torch and March compact scope)

Don't get me wrong, you can still shoot in anger and ID stuff out to 250-300yds but the image is grainy and poor. If you like shooting on higher mag at night, it is even worse. In my view, x 6 and below is ok but anything above, whilst being usable, is really quite poor image wise. I was using a Solaris on various power settings and going through all flood to spot options. I used 4k and HD options on the Zulus. I used enhanced mode, natural modes, adjust focus and diopters and just could not resolve the sort of quality image at night that I have been used to for the last many years of night shooting.

The only benefit I can see of using the Zulus at night is that you have the LRF and ballistic thingy, so if you were shooting from a static point out the ranges where you need the holdover adjustments, then it will be functional. For literally every other scenario I would 100% be grabbing my Vulpine and March. I am not joking when I say it can resolve a better image at 400yds on x 20 mag than the Zulus can do at 150yds on x 6 mag.

If you want a middle distance day time pest control scope (out to say 350yds) and a last light tool for those wary/twitchy fallow without needing any additional IR, this scope is bloody awesome. At night however, I was very underwhelmed.

When I got home, I went on to Youtube and checked out lots of footage from DNT users and HIK Alpex users to see what sort of footage they were producing when recording fox shooting. You can see how grainy the images are and that most seem to be using quite low magnification settings. x4.5 mag at 30yds for rats looks awesome but as soon as you get out to 100yds+ on anything more than 6 mag, they all look pretty crap to me. I can only imagine the sensor set up that allows it to be so good in day time and last light, means it cannot cope under the cover of proper darkness. Maybe the new Nocpix and Alpex pro will sort this out.

So in a nutshell, the DNT4k is brilliant for daylight and last light but seems pretty pants, at least relative to what I am used to, in proper pitch black conditions. And from the footage online, the Alpex 4k seems similar if maybe slightly better. Neither are close to the ballpark quality of the Vulpine and optical scope combination.

I think you've been spoilt by the Vulpine/March combo. Wish I'd not sold my vulpine.
Your comments pretty well match my experience with the new DNT Zulus 4k. Daytime is really good as you say. I can see .243 bullet holes at 212yds and 300yd 4" gong is easily doable. Haven't tried the Ballistic calc at the 400yd one yet.

 

[Cottis]

I think you've been spoilt by the Vulpine/March combo. Wish I'd not sold my vulpine.
Your comments pretty well match my experience with the new DNT Zulus 4k. Daytime is really good as you say. I can see .243 bullet holes at 212yds and 300yd 4" gong is easily doable. Haven't tried the Ballistic calc at the 400yd one yet.

The guy above obviously hasn't used one. He seems to think it's unrealistic when we know this technology was available 10 years ago. I recall having it on the original Delta Stryker 5-50x years back and watching the features on a hare at mega distance. I was amazed. Alas, it just doesn't have LRF's and ballistic adjustments which would be lovely.

I guess we cannot have everything. My Vulpine is certainly not going anywhere until (or if) something comes along that resolves high quality imaging at night.

That said, all these scopes allow perfectly adequate shooting at night at distances most often encountered which is great but the DNT 4k is clearly, to me anyway, a brilliant solution for deer stalkers looking to maximise their results in difficult light conditions.

 

[Cottis]

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh ...its nice to be able to shoot out to 400 yards at night but in most cases its possible to get a lot closer, so possibly use the 2 things attached to your arse and walk closer.

The furthest fox I shot was 395 yards with a Pulsar N750A and it was nice and clear (albeit the PIP mag was 11x). I have an Alpex 4K A50E and that is fine out to 250+. I think this expectation of sub £1k scopes having daytime optics like £3k glass are somewhat unrealistic as is having crystal clarity at 20x zoom at 400 yards at night .

Just saying

It doesn't sound harsh but a little odd as you go on to say that you have shot at those distances. And a good many people do and not necessarily out of choice. If folk can get closer, I bet almost all of them do. That is no always possible depending on the ground and the fox.

I don't see anyone suggesting a digital scope costing a few hundred quid should be as good as a traditional optic costing in the thousands. This is (was) a thread comparing some recent digital offerings.

And it isn't unrealistic to have quality imaging at 400yds. Many of us have been enjoying this sort of performance for a long time. It is not unreasonable to want it in a unit that includes LRF and ballistic adjustment. It might be difficult for companies to produce but it is a perfectly valid "want"

 

[Mike1979]

It doesn't sound harsh but a little odd as you go on to say that you have shot at those distances. And a good many people do and not necessarily out of choice. If folk can get closer, I bet almost all of them do. That is no always possible depending on the ground and the fox.

I don't see anyone suggesting a digital scope costing a few hundred quid should be as good as a traditional optic costing in the thousands. This is (was) a thread comparing some recent digital offerings.

And it isn't unrealistic to have quality imaging at 400yds. Many of us have been enjoying this sort of performance for a long time. It is not unreasonable to want it in a unit that includes LRF and ballistic adjustment. It might be difficult for companies to produce but it is a perfectly valid "want"

agreed and the 395 was a one off. I see a lot of comments where peoples expectations and the budget dont match. But to be fair..my god has the quality improved in the last 10 years as has the price point. I bought one of the older DNT Zulus last week (ZHD 520) to go on the HMR and for sub £300 its brilliant.

Sorry if I went off piste