Thermion at SHOT Show

Originally Posted By: iowayotehunter76Originally Posted By: varminter .223Yeah 640 and 12 micron is "the good stuff" at this moment in time.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but 640x480 is the same resolution no matter how big the pixels are. It's just a smaller sensor, right ? Now if they increase resolution with the 12 micron cores that would be awesome. Why don't they?
I have read you may get a little better image when zooming in with smaller pixel pitch.


I'm sure someone much smarter will correct me, but from how I understand it, the use of a 12 micron vs 17 per say, allows for a smaller lens to produce the same image. I'm just going to make this up for conversation sake, but a 35mm lens with 12 micron core would produce the same image at a 50mm lens with 17 micron core. And not lose the FOV. Also I believe the germanium lens is a bulk of the cost of a thermal, so a smaller lens should inherently lower the cost of the thermal itself.

I could have butchered the heck out of that, but that's how I've understood it.
 
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I was just on the phone with a Pulsar LE representative today. The new scopes use some type of internal battery backup in addition to an external one that screws in the top. You use a USB port to charge the internal one and I'm not sure on the external one. It's like two batteries in one unit. I wish I would have listened more intently but proprietary batteries scare me. I'm leaning towards an XP38 or XP50 by mid summer.
 
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Originally Posted By: crazyyoteI was just on the phone with a Pulsar LE representative today. The new scopes use some type of internal battery backup in addition to an external one that screws in the top. You use a USB port to charge the internal one and I'm not sure on the external one. It's like two batteries in one unit. I wish I would have listened more intently but proprietary batteries scare me. I'm leaning towards an XP38 or XP50 by mid summer. i agree. One of the few, very few things i like about my ATN Thor HD. It will accept an external power supply while using 4AA as back up. Also one thing i like about my Apex.
 
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Well I took the leap and put a refundable deposit down on an XP50. I've wanted to upgrade to a 640 for over a year but that POI issue spooked me off the Trail. The biggest selling point for me was recording with sound and the colored screens look like a big plus. I was told early summer but if it gets here by mid September I'll be happy.
 
I had the opportunity to spend some time looking through the Thermion and playing with the features this past week at SHOT Show. I was very impressed. It seems to be easier to use than the Trail and is more attractive as well in my opinion. Absolutely nothing wrong with the Trails. According to Pulsar, the Thermions have less parts to manufacture and easier to assemble which will result in shorter lead times and fewer potential failures. We are very excited!

 
My very less than expert take on the Thermion when I looked at it when I was at SHOT was that it's really a cosmetic "upgrade" for those wanting a "traditional" look in their scope, but not an improvement on the function of the "boxy" units. It was a "meh" for me. I don't really care what the exterior looks like--Function over form.
 
Originally Posted By: huskerhunterMy very less than expert take on the Thermion when I looked at it when I was at SHOT was that it's really a cosmetic "upgrade" for those wanting a "traditional" look in their scope, but not an improvement on the function of the "boxy" units. It was a "meh" for me. I don't really care what the exterior looks like--Function over form.

Respecfully disagree.

All new design with new COLOR AMOLED display with better clarity. New battery design. Double the storage space. Easier to use functions and features. New 12 micron 320 core. More eye relief. Smaller and lighter than Trail. NO PRICE INCREASE! It's the perfect combination of function and form. This is much more than just a cosmetic upgrade.
 
Did anyone at Pulsar mention anything about the point of impact shift? Hopefully that is resolved because if it isn't it doesn't matter if the thing cooks me supper it's a problem.
 
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Question for those that know more about the technical specs on cores.
What is the advantage of the 12 micron 320 core over the 17 micron 384 core?
 
Originally Posted By: varminter .223Did anyone at Pulsar mention anything about the point of impact shift? Hopefully that is resolved because if it isn't it doesn't matter if the thing cooks me supper it's a problem.

POI shift has been fixed for a year plus. No longer an issue.
 
Originally Posted By: IACC43Question for those that know more about the technical specs on cores.
What is the advantage of the 12 micron 320 core over the 17 micron 384 core? I think it will be very, very close. Flir did the same as they lowered from a 336 17 micron to 320 12 micron for their PTS series scopes. The picture improved on the Flir side with the 12 micron core. Unless someone can get a Trail and Thermion side by side with the same objective, and hopefully similar base mag and FOV, it is going to be hard to know but my educated guess are they will be very close. What you will hear may say again and again is what do you need for FOV and Base Magnification? As soon as you digitally zoom any of these thermals, you sacrifice a lot.

However, having a color screen and reticles would be really nice, as well as having a form factor that is more conducive for a bolt gun along with all the other things Tom mentioned.
 
Tom mentions it in his link above which he recorded at shot show. I believe he said 7 1/2 hours with the extended battery. It sounds like an extra external battery is usually swapped out If a user needs longer time in the field. Also the Pulsar site talks about it. They say 5+ hours with the standard battery. It also allows for 5v external power. Link
 
Wondering if the recorded video looks better. Something similar to what it looks like when looking through the eyepiece.
 
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