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Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

Night vision equipment for mortals (4 Viewers)

Good point! As I could find out, the FQ25 model also shows a wide FOV: 30,8m@100m / 640x512px / 20mK NETD at a reasonable price (EUR 1.700,-)
Yes, it seems to be great. I decided I go for the FQ25. It seems this is a great device for this who use it as an extension of their normal birding.
The software seems to be great and multilangual and two batteries are included so you always can take a spare with you. I made quite some inquiries before I decided which one to buy so I think I'm not gonna regret it.
 
What happened to the FQ?!
Hey, Peter,
I doubted if I really need the FQ. It's a 500 euro's more expensive and that's a lot of money. For me it is something I own as a "companion" to my birding (something to have aside), so I made a choice for a quality but also an affordable device. I think this one will suit me fine for that purpose.
The FQ has a Thermal imaging sensor with more pixels for even more refined image composition. However, I think the FH will suit my needs fine. (detect birds that are camouflaged at daylight)
 
FH25 in possession for some time now. Experiences so far very positive. The operation is intuitive and in multiple languages. The accompanying app for smartphone works very well. Due to lack of time only tried in the garden. Seems very suitable for tracking birds in daylight (this is also what I primarily bought it for) Photo/video is quickly made and can be viewed via the app with options to share/save it.
I am curious what it will do in the dark, but no doubt it will be no disappointment.
Till sofar no regrets about the purchase. Nice and effordable addition to the bird hobby. I could recommend this one to anyone who seeks an device with a great quality/price ratio (€1599,00 )
 
FH25 in possession for some time now. Experiences so far very positive. The operation is intuitive and in multiple languages. The accompanying app for smartphone works very well. Due to lack of time only tried in the garden. Seems very suitable for tracking birds in daylight (this is also what I primarily bought it for) Photo/video is quickly made and can be viewed via the app with options to share/save it.
I am curious what it will do in the dark, but no doubt it will be no disappointment.
Till sofar no regrets about the purchase. Nice and effordable addition to the bird hobby. I could recommend this one to anyone who seeks an device with a great quality/price ratio (€1599,00 )
Hi

Do you have any example footage that you could share?
 
Took the HIKMICRO for a testdrive. It was daytime (clear weather) so I could identify the birds, this will of course be more difficult in the dark.
Used all four colour palettes, don't know yet what's my favorite one. Of course it still takes some getting used to quickly operating and focusing, but I am satisfied with the results so far. (Dog, Wild Ducks, Blue Heron, Cormorant, again two Wild Ducks and a Wood Pigeon)

Dog.JPGWild Ducks.JPGBlue Heron 3.JPGBlie Heron 4.JPGBlue Heron 2.JPGBlue Heron 1.JPGCormorant 1.JPGWild Ducks 2.JPGWood Pigeon.JPG
 

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I have recently upgraded from a HikMicro Lynx L15 to a HikMicro Condor CQ50L. I can now have a decent chance of ID-ing a bird in the dark, at least down to 'family' (thrushes, gulls, ducks, waders etc) where before I could tell there was a vaguely bird-shaped heat source. My only niggle with the new one is that the lowest magnification is 3x (the L15 was 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x and I preferred to use it on 2x) which isn't great for relatively close 'sweeps' of potential habitat. Managed to not pick up a close Woodcock twice as a result (bird saw me before I saw it, and flew off). Some examples of the output.... (Treecreeper roosting, Tawny owls, Fox, Mallard, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Fox, Rat)
 

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I've had an Axion for many years now - it was a game changer when I got it and I've been very happy with it and with the extra sleep I get due to the faster owling it enables. I was tempted by the Helion 28mm lens option but the weight + battery + buying something older was off putting so I was waiting on another generation of devices to come to market, which has happened of course.

I'm now pondering an upgrade and the three that I seem to find as leaders in various ways are:

Telos XL50 - looks like probably the best unit out there, new 1024 class sensor, the FOV is pretty good but still, it would be nice if it were wider FOV.
Zeiss 6/20 - this looks to be the widest FOV combined with a now mid tier (640 class) sensor from a major/reputable brand.
Pixfra A613 - dark horse entry, basically the same sensor class (though not known if the quality is as good) as the Zeiss but wider FOV.

Any comments on how newer Zeiss units are software wise, how they compare vs Pulsars within the same sensor / zoom class? Some people seem to think the Zeiss software does a good job of managing blowout and picking up borderline detections (beyond what the sensor itself is doing), but it's not clear if this is better than Pulsar these days.

The Pixfra is a total wildcard - not terribly expensive and love the FOV but not available in Europe apparently (UK only) and I can't find (yet) any meaningful / detailed real world reviews or comments on build quality vs the Zeiss or Pulsar.

My gut says the Zeiss is probably the best unit right now but keen for thoughts from others who keep up on things like this and - in comparison with the dearth of info one could find 5 years ago and the dearth of options on the market, there's a lot to sort through now and I really appreciate all the discussion!
 
I've had an Axion for many years now - it was a game changer when I got it and I've been very happy with it and with the extra sleep I get due to the faster owling it enables. I was tempted by the Helion 28mm lens option but the weight + battery + buying something older was off putting so I was waiting on another generation of devices to come to market, which has happened of course.

I'm now pondering an upgrade and the three that I seem to find as leaders in various ways are:

Telos XL50 - looks like probably the best unit out there, new 1024 class sensor, the FOV is pretty good but still, it would be nice if it were wider FOV.
Zeiss 6/20 - this looks to be the widest FOV combined with a now mid tier (640 class) sensor from a major/reputable brand.
Pixfra A613 - dark horse entry, basically the same sensor class (though not known if the quality is as good) as the Zeiss but wider FOV.

Any comments on how newer Zeiss units are software wise, how they compare vs Pulsars within the same sensor / zoom class? Some people seem to think the Zeiss software does a good job of managing blowout and picking up borderline detections (beyond what the sensor itself is doing), but it's not clear if this is better than Pulsar these days.

The Pixfra is a total wildcard - not terribly expensive and love the FOV but not available in Europe apparently (UK only) and I can't find (yet) any meaningful / detailed real world reviews or comments on build quality vs the Zeiss or Pulsar.

My gut says the Zeiss is probably the best unit right now but keen for thoughts from others who keep up on things like this and - in comparison with the dearth of info one could find 5 years ago and the dearth of options on the market, there's a lot to sort through now and I really appreciate all the discussion!
pbjosh:

Thanks for the response and information.

regards
Merlin
 
Well, fortunately, development does not stand still in this area either.

You can buy modern thermals with a wide field of view and even interchangeable lenses (Zeiss DTI 6, 640x480 px @ 12µ with 20mm or 40mm lens). FOV Zeiss DTI 6/20: 38m@100m, FOV XP28: 39m @100m.

Or choose a wide field thermal bino like the Pulsar Merger XP35 (FOV horizontal: 31,3m@100m / Res 640x480px / 25mK NETD) or wide field plus high res Pulsar Merger XT50 (FOV horizontal: 30,7m@100m / Res 1280x1024px / 40mK NETD)

Loving my XP50 with 28mm lens, which I do use since seven years now (guess I was one of the very firsts using a thermal for birding), scanning with one eye for hours is not what can be called convenient at all.

This is why I ordered a thermal bino lately to use it aside my Pulsar XP. And guess what has been left at home since then...

Cheers, Vollmeise)

Yeah I definitely need to look into alternative brands. I really like Pulsar, but it seems they may be asleep at the wheel recently. A lot of the thermal hunting groups I'm in are using new "up and coming" brands. Other brands seem to be more open to wider FOV.

The XP35 Merger does have better FOV than most modern monoculars, but still not quite as good as the XP28. I've considered the binoculars, but I kind of prefer the smaller form factor of the monoculars. I don't think I use thermals enough to justify $5K on a pair of binos, and then having to figure out how to pack them on trips.

Definitely good food for thought though, thank you!

I've had an Axion for many years now - it was a game changer when I got it and I've been very happy with it and with the extra sleep I get due to the faster owling it enables. I was tempted by the Helion 28mm lens option but the weight + battery + buying something older was off putting so I was waiting on another generation of devices to come to market, which has happened of course.

I'm now pondering an upgrade and the three that I seem to find as leaders in various ways are:

Telos XL50 - looks like probably the best unit out there, new 1024 class sensor, the FOV is pretty good but still, it would be nice if it were wider FOV.
Zeiss 6/20 - this looks to be the widest FOV combined with a now mid tier (640 class) sensor from a major/reputable brand.
Pixfra A613 - dark horse entry, basically the same sensor class (though not known if the quality is as good) as the Zeiss but wider FOV.

Any comments on how newer Zeiss units are software wise, how they compare vs Pulsars within the same sensor / zoom class? Some people seem to think the Zeiss software does a good job of managing blowout and picking up borderline detections (beyond what the sensor itself is doing), but it's not clear if this is better than Pulsar these days.

The Pixfra is a total wildcard - not terribly expensive and love the FOV but not available in Europe apparently (UK only) and I can't find (yet) any meaningful / detailed real world reviews or comments on build quality vs the Zeiss or Pulsar.

My gut says the Zeiss is probably the best unit right now but keen for thoughts from others who keep up on things like this and - in comparison with the dearth of info one could find 5 years ago and the dearth of options on the market, there's a lot to sort through now and I really appreciate all the discussion!

I am in a similar situation. I've been eyeing the XL50. You can find them used for $4K now, which is the same price the XP50 was this time last year. By this time next year it'll probably be $3K or less.

Zeiss/Pixfra are unknowns to me. Need to do more research.

I've yet to meet or hear anyone who has tried the Zeiss, FLIR, Pixfra, Rix, etc.

I have recently upgraded from a HikMicro Lynx L15 to a HikMicro Condor CQ50L. I can now have a decent chance of ID-ing a bird in the dark, at least down to 'family' (thrushes, gulls, ducks, waders etc) where before I could tell there was a vaguely bird-shaped heat source. My only niggle with the new one is that the lowest magnification is 3x (the L15 was 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x and I preferred to use it on 2x) which isn't great for relatively close 'sweeps' of potential habitat. Managed to not pick up a close Woodcock twice as a result (bird saw me before I saw it, and flew off). Some examples of the output.... (Treecreeper roosting, Tawny owls, Fox, Mallard, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Fox, Rat)
Those images are spectacular, but the specs on that HikMicro Condor CQ50L are rough. 8.7 degree x 7 degree FOV.

Would be great for wide open areas, but very frustrating in the woods I think.
 
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I added 5 of the Pulsar Binos to the chart:

1738028010746.png

the only ones that look interesting are perhaps the XP35 / XT50 but those price tags are something...

1738028042350.png

-----------------------------
and the Zeiss DTI 6 20/40 models:

1738028490450.png

the DTI 6/20 looks pretty good for price to performance on paper. need to watch some reviews and find out if there are any legitimate dealers in the US:

1738028520868.png

------------------------------------------

The HIKMICRO FH25 that was discussed above is a more "budget" version of the FQ35 which is already on the sheet. I would still prefer an XP28, TM10-256, TM15-384, Axion XG30 or Axion XQ30 Pro above either of the HikMicro's all for around the same budget.

Looking at the specs, the newer XG30 MSRP'ing at $2200 should be a pretty good value. If I was starting out fresh, I might aim to pick up one of those.
 
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As it stands now, as I keep reading / researching, I like the XL50 for being a Pulsar and for the better sensor but the FOV is still a disappointment. Additionally, the delay of 3 seconds to enter standby and 6 seconds to turn a unit off, and the lack of a tilt based or timer based auto-off function, are conspicuously missing bits of trivial to implement functionality on the Pulsars. Particularly for a doofus like me who has managed to run down their thermal numerous times either through my own stupidity or from the on button getting smashed into something in my pocket or backpack.

The Zeiss DTI 6/20 has a sensible sleep and auto-off functionality, and the price is down at a hair over 2000€ which is still steep compared to off brand offerings but is not completely disagreeable. What is frustrating is that it is the size and weight of the higher resolution and better in every way other than FOV Pulsar. The Pixfra which is the same sensor generation (640p) weighs less than half what the Zeiss does.

I'm almost tempted to just take a flyer on the Pixfra and if it disappoints then decide between the Zeiss and Pulsar, or wait for yet another generation of products to come to market.
 
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Additionally, the delay of 3 seconds to enter standby and 6 seconds to turn a unit off, and the lack of a tilt based or timer based auto-off function, are major bits of trivial to implement functionality on the Pulsars. Particularly for a doofus like me who has managed to run down their thermal numerous times either through my own stupidity or from the on button getting smashed into something in my pocket or backpack.
Yes, it is a very silly feature... as one of my travel companions said: "Don't you just hate finding a hot thermal in your bag!"
 
Yes, it is a very silly feature... as one of my travel companions said: "Don't you just hate finding a hot thermal in your bag!"

Not as bad as Clip 4 speakers in terms of frequency but perhaps more maddening as there isn't an audio tone to tell you it just turned on ;)
 
My Pulsar has this great feature that since its front cover fell apart, I am constantly afraid that the lens will get scratched, so I always put it in the case if putting it in a bag and when I am already bothering with putting it in the case, I'll remove the battery, so I am no longer getting it drained randomly.
 

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