I have a Photon XT 4.6 and it works well. I have no experience with the vampire 3x. I don't know what kind of area you hunt in, but the extra magnification might be of value to you. I see vampire prices at 750 and photon prices at 500. I would save the 250 difference and buy the Photon. It might be a little harder to get as there seems to be quite a bit of demand for it. From my experience, it is a pretty decent night scope. I've found a few coyotes that don't like it though.