Your Browser is OutdatedDecent, but could be better - Sightmark Photon Digital Night Vision Rifle Scope
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Legacy Reviewer's Review of Sightmark Photon Digital Night Vision Rifle Scope
I just received the 3.5x version of this scope from Optics Planet.
The scope is basically a standard scope with an addon tube containing electronics, as you can see in the photos.
It looks great on a rifle, and the picture is decent.
The eye relief needs to be improved and it is okay, at best, in its current state.
There is a small LED on the back of the IR illuminator that tells you the display is turned on.
However, there is no indicator to tell you the illuminator is on. (why?)
The finish on the scope scratches easily, so you have to baby it a little bit if you want to avoid scratching it.
The focus adjustment is on the rear, and is smooth. However, nothing is ever in proper focus due to the low resolution of the LED screen. This is expected, but there is room for improvement.
The Reticle illuminator is cheaply made and lights up one side of the viewfinder (not properly sealed?), in addition to the dot in the middle of the cross-hairs. I believe this is due to quality control issues and only the dot is supposed to be illuminated.
There is what appears to be a picatinny rail on the side of the scope (this rail is plastic). However, you cannot mount anything on it because I believe it is a proprietary design only for Sightmark accessories. It really does look like a standard rail, but I could not get anything to mount on it.
It takes standard AA batteries for the LED screen and IR illuminator, which is nice! Thanks to Sightmark for this decision. However, the reticle illuminator is powered by a watch battery.
For the most part, it looks like a decent scope. However, Sightmark needs to improve a few things before I would recommend this product.
NOTE: I will post some photos of it mounted on a rifle later.
Pros: AAA Batteries, Bright Screen, Looks Great
Cons: Quality Control (Reticle Illuminator), Useless Side Rail, Eye Relief, Poor Finish
The scope is basically a standard scope with an addon tube containing electronics, as you can see in the photos.
It looks great on a rifle, and the picture is decent.
The eye relief needs to be improved and it is okay, at best, in its current state.
There is a small LED on the back of the IR illuminator that tells you the display is turned on.
However, there is no indicator to tell you the illuminator is on. (why?)
The finish on the scope scratches easily, so you have to baby it a little bit if you want to avoid scratching it.
The focus adjustment is on the rear, and is smooth. However, nothing is ever in proper focus due to the low resolution of the LED screen. This is expected, but there is room for improvement.
The Reticle illuminator is cheaply made and lights up one side of the viewfinder (not properly sealed?), in addition to the dot in the middle of the cross-hairs. I believe this is due to quality control issues and only the dot is supposed to be illuminated.
There is what appears to be a picatinny rail on the side of the scope (this rail is plastic). However, you cannot mount anything on it because I believe it is a proprietary design only for Sightmark accessories. It really does look like a standard rail, but I could not get anything to mount on it.
It takes standard AA batteries for the LED screen and IR illuminator, which is nice! Thanks to Sightmark for this decision. However, the reticle illuminator is powered by a watch battery.
For the most part, it looks like a decent scope. However, Sightmark needs to improve a few things before I would recommend this product.
NOTE: I will post some photos of it mounted on a rifle later.
Pros: AAA Batteries, Bright Screen, Looks Great
Cons: Quality Control (Reticle Illuminator), Useless Side Rail, Eye Relief, Poor Finish
This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.
Would Recommend:
No