Drone pro 10x vs Pulsar N355

[vmax]

Evening all,

new to forum, as title says I’m considering going up from meopta R1 scope/nm800 combo to NV it’s on my Sako85 .223 for fox & rabbit mostly shooting on my own.

drone is upper end of what I wanted to spend, pulsar middle price  & have look down to photon rt price point but just would like to hear opinions & possibly other options I’ve not thought about, (wasn’t planning on going down add on route)

apologies for the  ramble?

Neil

[phoenix]

In summary:

Large targets at short range (e.g boar) then N355

Small targets at long range (e.g fox and rabbit) then Drone pro x10 or Yukon Photon 6.5 x 50

For virtually all UK NV shooting, that means it has to be a Drone pro or the Photon

The Photon RT is a good starter for not much money and far better value than the N355

The best source for all NV shooting related stuff is the nightvision forum uk 

http://www.nightvisionforumuk.com/index.php

Cheers

 

Bruce

[vmax]

thanks for the reply & link Bruce

the drone pro does look superb but shame you can’t buy / return for warranty from a uk mainland shop though I do believe night vision gear are an excellent company.

pulsar n355 not ideal as you say but didn’t know if 3.5 mag digitally zoomed @ x8 say would still be better quality than the photon rt.

I thought of photon first as not silly money but wasn’t sure where to spend money 

will take a look on mentioned forum aswell 

first forum I’ve been on so just thought I would ask on here 

atb Neil 

[phoenix]

I don't see how Night vision gear being based in Northern Ireland would have any influence on a decision to buy a Drone pro.  I talk from personal experience when I say that Carl Moore provides exceptional service and back up to his customers.

If you buy a Yukon or Pulsar from a UK mainland shop and there are problems with it, the retailer won't fix it, he'll simply send it back to Thomas Jacks for them to repair or replace.

If you have a problem with a Drone pro you call Carl and he will, if possible,  resolve the issue over the phone.  if it can't be fixed that way, simply return it to him for repair or replacement..

The objective lenses in the N355 and Photon RT are both 50mm and the sensors in both scopes are very similar in pixel count - 752x582 for the N355 and 768x576 for the Photon.

The difference in optical magnification comes from the fact that the sensor in the N355 is physically larger than that in the Photon.  That makes for lower magnification, but because the individual pixels are larger they are more sensitive than those in the Photon.

However, the resolution of both scopes is essentially the same so, using x4  digital mag (total mag x14) on the N355 is going to produce a poorer image than the Photon on digital mag x2 (total mag x12) because the image on the Photon is created using 4 times as many pixels as in the N355

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

[treetop]

I have 2 photon 6.5 xt's, And they are very good units for what I need them for, 

1 sits on my .223 & the other on the 17 Hornet. I have owned my fair share of NV units over the years & to be honest I think they are very hard to beat - yes the drone is better, but not 3 X better ( as the photon is nearly 3x cheaper ) & at the ranges most shoot, you won't notice the difference.

I make 1 upgrade to the units and it's a very simple one - I add a green filter to the eye peice to reduce glare, fit them with a T67 mk2 / evo IR and an adjustable mount and you can easily shoot rabbits to 250 yards & ive spotted fox & deer out to 500 +.

yes you can spend a hell of a lot more but do you need to ? 

The truth is, find some guys local to you with units & go and have a look, as only you can decide. 

 

[vmax]

Bruce

As I said, I’ve only seen good things about Night vision gear and you substantiate  that opinion totally, & I  fully appreciate the shop /retailer isn’t going to repair a scope of any make themselves, but possibly being old fashioned I try and buy most things over the counter (if convenient) & if I have problems I take it back & it’s a good point of contact to resolve matters face 2 face, 

cheers for explanation of N355 & photon very informative, looks like photon or drone pro

Treetop

In truth what your doing with your photon  would cover all I do, shooting @ 250yrds is usually a long enough distance in the dark

like you say the drone is nice but at nearly triple the price !, I like nice quality but will have to see if I think it’s worth 1K more

thanks for green filter tip ? 

Neil 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richiew]

Hi VMAX 

started off with a nite sight then moved up to an archer image intensifier and now on a drone pro 10x , drone mounted on the 17hmr and is used for daytime and night shooting with a NM 800 ir for night time . absolutely love it ,bought at the northern shooting show in may and used weekly till the xmas break  .max distance was at 174 yds on fox that dropped to head shot so very happy with the product.

happy new year to all 

[vmax]

Evening Richiew

Sounds like your well impressed with the drone pro, I know it’s not the main purpose but how do you find it in the daylight ? still handy enough?

yukon photon would do what i need, as would others  but I’m very tempted to  pay the extra & get a drone & be done with.

I always try to buy quality as the money/price I soon forget but will wizz me off if I buy cheaper & not happy in use, 

there out of stock at the moment so money not burning hole in me pocket !?

atb Neil

ps Happy New year all ?

[GT3_richy]

Whereabouts are you Neil?

[vmax]

Sunny South Shropshire richy

 

[GT3_richy]

Shame you didn't post this a few weeks back as I could've brought Photon, Drone and Ward add-on with me when visiting the out-laws Bishops Castle-way :/

I imagine if you were so inclined you could find someone who will give you a demo of the gear you're interested in fairly local - if you have the inclination to use that Facebook-thing and join a couple of foxing groups. I realise FB isnt for all though

[vmax]

Evening Richy

That’s typical, I live up in the hills opposite side of Ludlow to Bishops Castle, a few minutes drive !!

been out tonight with nm800 lamp & 1 charlie less so makes you think carry on with Meopta or spend abit on photon or fair bit more on drone.

will have to see what catches my eye & as you said if I venture on to social media more someone would give a demo when i think Ive made a decision ? 

Neil 

 

[Montey]

I've have two Drones

 the first with the 10x ad on and the proper 10x mark 2 as it were with the extra day light filter. They are superb at night and in day light out to a proper 300 yards. Having a good day time image is really inportant as it makes zeroing the scopes really easy. My mates have photons NS 850 and thermal none of them are easy to set up like the Drones. I have one on my RPA 243 and the older one gets swapped around this is made easy as they are so easy to zero.

ive had two issues on the older one Carl sorted it over the phone and the second one on the new one it  went back it was turned round in a week.Ive added the NM800 the only down side is Charly does pick up on the ir some times but 200 to 300yards with a 95g Nosler does the job.The other thing is at last light or first light they out permform the very best scopes.In moon light you also don't need the ir.

if you can buy one you won't regret it.

 

[spanner]

Diito buy a Drone, cheaper in the long run than swapping to end up there anyway.

[vmax]

I have to admit that the drone pro has alot of supporters, not read of anyone yet swapped to much else once having one.

Spanner

I know what you mean, been down that road before, buy cheap buy twice 

[phoenix]

Montey makes an excellent point about the Drone pro abilities in low light.

It's several orders of magnitude better than even the best Swaros, Zeiss or S&B at dawn and dusk.

In Scotland it would be illegal to to shoot any sort of deer at any time of day or night with a rifle fitted with a Drone Pro, but I don't believe that's the case in England and Wales.

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

[Richiew]

Hi vmax

sorry for late reply , as for daylight use for the drone pro 10x. the HMR has had this scope fitted from may and has been used weekly in daytime till its dark  then take off the front pink coloured filter and carry on shooting till its really dark then turn on the IR .Image quality in daytime is very good if scanning slowly ie refresh rate keeps up with the movement ,if scanning too quickly picture quality and colour rendition drops but then comes back to full quality when you stop on the target . normal cr123 batteries last a months shooting - 4 times out shooting and 3 hours each session turning unit on when target spotted and ranged with binos, built a battery box for 2x 18650 batteries with voltage regulator to supply 6v and this is still at 100% after 6 sesions out even after using the drone as a spotter so very happy with the extended battery life .

Hope the info helps       cheers Richie 

[Julian]

I use a drone pro x10 on my sako made up with it. 

[David will]

I went over to the dark side many years ago with a Nitesite200 which helped us conect with many lamp shy foxes, a step up to a Brucie vision add on gave more performance and I still use Bruce's home grown unit on the airgun, when I was ready for high end NV I consulted with NV sage Bruce again and a dronepro was recommended.  The Drone is a little more expensive than most of the competition but every time I switch on and take in the night view I don't regret the purchase. At close range you can count the hairs on their back and it is effective out to max night shooting range.  Just a we note, if you decide to go down the Drone route don't go with the 15x until you try it in the field the field of view on the 10x is tight enough and finding your fox with the 15x may prove a little tricky.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mick Miller]

Drone Pro is now discontinued I believe. 

[Montey]

I've just looked at the Night vision uk web site and it shows the next delivery at the end of January.

[Mick Miller]

This is the last delivery, pre orders only. FLIR bought Armasight and have set about thinning the range.

If you want one you need to order before the end of Jan, after that it will be the secondhand market only. 

If you have problems then FLIR will offer warranty repairs for two years but you'll need to return to the US. 

[fizzbangwhallop]

5 hours ago, Mick Miller said:

This is the last delivery, pre orders only. FLIR bought Armasight and have set about thinning the range.

If you want one you need to order before the end of Jan, after that it will be the secondhand market only. 

If you have problems then FLIR will offer warranty repairs for two years but you'll need to return to the US. 

There are threads on this running on both the Nightvision forum and the Stalking Directory...... Carl Moore/NVG hasn't commented as yet and it would be good to hear from him regarding the situation. 

Sure24 (in their capacity as Flir agents) have placed an ad in the Optics Classified section of the SD for last orders to be placed before Tuesday 30 Jan... along with comments on warranty and servicing (although its not clear about existing 'scopes supplied by Carl).

 

Cheers

 

Fizz

 

[Mick Miller]

Yes, and there's also the end of life  notice issued by FLIR listing both Drone Pro versions released last November. It's all a bit sad really as there really wasn't anything that came close. 

[vmax]

thanks for replies & info on drone pro’s, 

Ive read elsewhere a week back that they are stopping which concerns me about warranty issues especially as there’s not been much clarification on the issue to say the least.

have thought of putting order on but will wait & see what else comes out in the year  as in my mind it could be hassle to get support even when the scope isn’t that old,