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SHOT SHow 2018 Night Vison & Thermal Updates

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    SHOT SHow 2018 Night Vison & Thermal Updates

    Hey guys, I figured I'd start another thread this year because last year's was pretty popular. I've made my annual pilgrimage back out to Las Vegas for the SHOT (Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show. FYI: Anyone needing me this week can call me (877)350-1818 or send me a PM and I might a little harder to catch than normal but I'll call back or reply asap.

    For those that don't know, SHOT is THE show for the hunting industry. It's an industry insider show, meaning only manufacturers, dealers and distributors can attend. This is where anything and everything new for the year will be announced for the hunting world.

    I don't expect any really giant news in the NV world but the thing about SHOT is, you just never know. What we do know for sure is, FLIR will be announcing 2 more models in their new ThermoSight Pro series. They will have the new 12 micron Boson core and also have internal video recording. They will also be releasing the Breach thermal monocular which was at the show last year as a prototype but never made it into production. It's be redesigned and from what has been hinted at, it's going to be very nice.

    Pulsar is adding laser range finders (LRF) to their thermal Trail series scopes and they are also coming out with 2 high end thermal binoculars. Yes, binoculars, not monoculars. I'll have more info tomorrow but they are going to be pricey I'm sure.

    I'm not a huge ATN fan and many of you know ATN's popularity has waned over the years due to some customer service issues and concerns with product quality. They have some new digital X-Sights coming out and a couple new digital daytime rifle scopes from what I've seen. It sounds strange but I'm going to go check it out. I've heard rumors of some other new stuff they might have but it's speculation, so we will have to wait and see.

    I was told Trijicon (formerly IR Defense) won't be doing much new but I'll check them out to see.

    There may be more news but that is what the manufacturers have told us so far. I have meetings scheduled with both Pulsar at FLIR tomorrow, so I'll have a lot more info by tomorrow night. Thanks guys!

    - Jason

    #2
    In!!!! Can't wait for the updates.

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      #3
      Watching this closely for the updates as well.

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        #4
        Leaning towards a thermal at this point. Interested to see what’s new.


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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          #5
          Interested in the binoculars......... even if I can't afford them lol.

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            #6
            Bumping so everyone sees this thread, the 2017 thread got bumped and I want to make sure the comments all stay in the new thread.

            I'll be heading over to the show in about an hour. I'm ready!

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              #7
              Pics of Eva, please. With specs.

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                #8
                Thanks, looking forward to the updates and second the Eva comment above.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by HoustonHunter View Post
                  Pics of Eva, please. With specs.
                  x3

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                    #10
                    Looking forward to the updates!!


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Throwin' Darts View Post
                      x3
                      Uh, yep.

                      Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Outdoor Legacy View Post
                        Bumping so everyone sees this thread, the 2017 thread got bumped and I want to make sure the comments all stay in the new thread.

                        I'll be heading over to the show in about an hour. I'm ready!
                        Interested in what the Photon is upgrading to.

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                          #13
                          Also watching and waiting

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                            #14
                            Thanks guys. It was a crazy busy day. First I met with Pulsar/Sightmark (sister companies) and that was a really good meeting. I ran out of time and didn't get any hands on time with the new products because I had a scheduled meeting with FLIR. I'm going back to Pulsar tomorrow and I'll get some pics and maybe even a little video of the new stuff. I'll have more details, specs and pricing then.

                            From my meeting today, my initial take away is this.... We are looking at the first VERY small shipment of new Sightmark Photon RT's coming in around the first half of February. I expect it will be March/April before the bigger shipments are rolling in. I've already got a pre-order list for all the models and if you are interested, I'd definitely let me know soon to get spot in line.

                            The Photon RT's probably need their own thread but I'll go ahead and post some info on them here. They now include built in video recording, live streaming to your phone or tablet via a free app and they have a 2x digital zoom. There are 4 models:

                            Sightmark Photon RT 4.5x42S $549.97

                            Sightmark Photon RT 4.5x42 $599.97

                            Sightmark Photon RT 6.5x50S $649.97

                            Sightmark Photon RT 6.5x50 $699.97

                            There is a lot of confusion about the different models and I'm going to briefly try and explain it here. The S models have an 850nm wavelength IR illuminator. This is the industry standard illuminator IR wavelength, it's the same range as what all the previous Photons have had, what the Pulsar DigiSights have, same with the ATN X-Sights and most external IR illuminators like the UNV 20IR. The reason for this is that the 800nm wavelength range is the most usable IR "light" for these digital scopes. When you turn on the illuminator and you look directly into it, you can see a very soft red glow of the LED array. No visible glow or light is emitted or cast out from the illuminator but this glow is (barely) visible as close distances. In my opinion, in most all cases, this is a non-issue. The tens of thousands of guys killing hogs and coyotes with these digital scopes is proof of this.

                            The other two models (without the S) have a 940nm IR illuminator. The 940nm does not produce this soft red glow at the head of the light. It is truly "invisible" even when you look right in the head of it. The trade off is that the 940nm wavelength range is not suited nearly as well for the image sensors in these digital scopes. What that means practically speaking is, you can't see as far because you have less infrared illumination. This can be a very big trade off that isn't worth it for most guys. However, if you have highly educated coyotes or hogs, this is a good choice. But again....in my experience in real world use and in talking to hundreds and hundreds of customers over the years, I just don't see this being a problem for many people.

                            So with all that said, my advice is to buy the S models. Save the $50, get better range. If I see something different when I'm able to finally get my hands on one of the 940nm RT's, I'll be glad to admit I'm wrong but even Sightmark's specs show the range is greatly diminished on the 940's.

                            Stay tuned for Part 2

                            - Jason

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                              #15
                              A lot of Pulsar Trail owners have been asking about the battery pack adapters that take AA's that Pulsar announced when they released the Trails. They have finally arrived. I'll confirm pricing but I believe it will be around $60-$70 or less. A lot of people won't need this but I have a lot of customers who hunt in remote places without good access to chargers and they want to option of using the AA batteries in a bind.

                              I will try get more pics of Pulsar and Sightmark products tomorrow.

                              Part 3 - FLIR coming up
                              Attached Files

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