Rob from United States, SC Public Profile

I've had a problem with coyotes lately, so I decided to explore some NV options. I ordered this scope, and also borrowed a military-grade Gen 3+ / Aimpoint Comp M4 set up from a friend for comparison.

In extreme dark the Gen 3+ is vastly better. The Gen 3+ is clearer and focuses faster. If I were in a CQB situation and on the go, the N850 wouldn't cut it. It seems to need a LOT of ambient light to work without the IR flashlight. With the IR light on the quality of the image greatly improves.

On the otherhand, the N850 is perfect for night hunting. The image is very clear out to 100 yards with the ambient light I had (a street lamp 100 yards 45 degrees off to the right.) With the IR light engaged, I can see out to the tree line, which is 225 yards, and identify a coyote sized target. Overall the clarity could be better, but it's still very very good and I may be biased since my only other NV experience is Gen 3+. The clarity is also effected by the zoom, as it's a digital magnification that pixilates the original image.

At first I thought the LRF was a gimmicky feature, I found that it was actually quite useful in the dark. Without NV it's tough to identify the target and range it. I have a Leica Rangemaster 1600 and when I compared it to the built-in LRF they both gave identical ranges. I was quite surprised and pleased.

Another advantage of the N850 is that it can be used in any type of light. With the Gen 3+, it's extreme light sensitivity creates a very real possibi