armsite drone pro nitgt vision

Bigboab29

Well-Known Member
Hi Guys,

Is it really that good? Is the worth the extra £1000 on top of what i paid for photon with extra ir? i have seen through an archer and i know that is a lot better than the photon for clarity but distance wise i thought they were pretty similar. if i did upgrade i would prefer the dedicated drone as i dont like the position with the archer. How does the drone compare to the archer and the photon?

Cheers BB
 
I know it's all night vision, but the Photon/Archer/Drone Pro comparison is very apples/oranges/pears.

Comparing add-ons to dedicated NV sights, for example, or tubed devices to digital ones... not to mention questions of price.

IME they all have plus and minus points:

  • The Archer can be fitted to any daytime set-up and gives a great image, but is awkwardly long on anything without a telescopic stock that can adjust for it and like any rear-mounted device tends to lose performance due to the lens coatings on the day scope.
  • The Photon scores by giving a natural head position, and by incorporating a "front-mounted" NV unit that avoids optical degradation in the body of the scope, whilst, being digital, it is usable in daylight around artificial light sources at night; though digital also tends to produce a lower-resolution image.
  • The Drone-Pro, meanwhile offers all the Photon's advantages -other than price- and adds more magnification, a choice of reticles, a larger sensor and a higher-quality display.

Personally, for a dedicated NV rifle, or one where optimum daylight performance isn't required, I'd go for the DP over the Photon, and even over the N750 (principally based on magnification and sight-height); and for a round-the-clock rifle with better daytime performance where a longer-range (daytime) capability is desirable, I'd opt for a tubed add-on system such as the Archer, or the Cobra Titan (I have both and use each depending on the rifle, as it's a case of Gen 3 vs. Gen 2+ image and longer vs. shorter length, and also of which performs best with a given scope. I had a fox at 320m with the Titan on a Vortex Razor HD 5-20x50 wound up to 12x a couple of weeks ago, so its a distinctly capable combination).
 
The Drone is leagues ahead of a Photon and is actually very usable during the day as well.

I can't comment too much on an Archer as I have only looked through a couple and they really don't do it for me, however I do have a PVS-14 which is as good or better than any grade Archer and I much prefer the picture through the Drone to using this as an add-on, at long distances I find that animals seem to blend into the background with the add-ons when compared to a dedicated digital, assuming decent IR in both cases.
 
I have a drone pro
I've looked through a photon as well

No comparison!!!!
drone pro in a different league!

you in north lanarkshire I'm in angus ... Bit of a drive but your welcome to come round for a look bout in dark try it out!

paul
 
Hi Guys,

Is it really that good? Is the worth the extra £1000 on top of what i paid for photon with extra ir? i have seen through an archer and i know that is a lot better than the photon for clarity but distance wise i thought they were pretty similar. if i did upgrade i would prefer the dedicated drone as i dont like the position with the archer. How does the drone compare to the archer and the photon?

Cheers BB

I'm in the same situation as AnthonyR..... I can only compare my 10x Drone against a doublered Photon (which has now gone to another home), not seen through an Archer but I do/have used a 14 and an Envis for spotting..... at least I did until the HD38S thermal came along.

The Photon...... easy to mount and would be fine for when you've got the time to pick up on your target....quite narrow field of view and I struggled to find moving foxes having spotted them. I found mine to be very fussy/critical as to eye position to keep a clear focus on the target and it drove me nuts in the end.

The Drone.... what a relief! The higher quality components make all the difference... up in Scotland recently I had several shots out to 180m with the standard ir T20 which was struggling a bit but then switched to my Sunnranger T20 (As discovered by Sunndog on the NVUK forum.... turn, cut, file the T20's head back to the threads and screw on a Yukon Ranger 1.7 lens - gives a tighter die focus than a NM800 and is brighter than that on a single battery). I've got an IR pill for my NM800 which I'll have a go with at some point...... the standard T20 will be fine for most of my stuff.

In use I never touched or adjusted the Drone controls, it just took whatever IR was thrown at it without being overwhelmed...... and if either an HID or standard Lightforce lamp was on charlie that just made the picture better.

I generally had the focus set to around 150m but that gives a clear enough picture down to 50 and up to 200. The DP's pic rail clamp never gave me a zero shift problem either.... initially it was on my .17Rem Tikka 595 on top of a reversed EGW pic rail to get the eye relief and then on my .243 Blaser on a zruncho (ebay id) pic rail. With a bolt handle rifle like the Tikkas the pic rail needs to be 10mm high to avoid the BH fouling the DP's mount if the rear clamp is behind the lift...... Alan Rhone is your man for longer pic rails ;)

The only downside of the DP is the 'short' life of the internal batteries being a pair of CR123A's but I only turn it on for the shot and they now do an external rechargeable AA battery pack to fit.

's me 5p's worth

Cheers

Fizz
:cool:
 
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We are going to start asking for commision if we do any more demos we are acting as free sales agents. Remmington wants to come and see the DP next. Must say i am tempted not to return my mates thermal its so good.

Thermal is ace for spotting roe in Buttercup filled fields.

D
 
Hi Guys,

Is it really that good? Is the worth the extra £1000 on top of what i paid for photon with extra ir? i have seen through an archer and i know that is a lot better than the photon for clarity but distance wise i thought they were pretty similar. if i did upgrade i would prefer the dedicated drone as i dont like the position with the archer. How does the drone compare to the archer and the photon?

Cheers BB

Hi BB,

If you have an adjustable objective or side focus scope that will go down to 35 yards(ish), then you can stick one of our Ward D Vision 700 digital night vision units on the back for £695 and it won't affect your head position as it only adds 80mm to your scope.


Cheers





Clive
 
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