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Does anyone on here own or has used an Infiray Finder FH 35R thermal spotter ? If so, what are the pros and cons of these units ?
Also, can anyone explain why the warranty on Infiray units in the US is 5 years, Australia 3 years, and in NZ only 2 years ?
Had mine about a year,great little unit.Does everything it says in manual.Views thru heavey rain n detects deer over a k+ away.Battery last just over 3 hrs.I have 3 batterys.Runs off power bank if needed.Good range finder,pnp,vid n camera.Good low base magnifation.This is my 4th monocular over the last 8 yrs and I reckn this is good value for the money.$4k.
Some monoculars can be heavy,base magnifation too high.
3hrs for a battery is terrible
Everything is a trade off.
I have the Fh25r. It fits my needs very well. Huge FOV, small and compact so that it will fit in the breast pocket of my shirt, has a very good 640x512 sensor, 12pm pitch with mk,40. The mk is interesting with some offerings being lower, but I find the lower mk, while defiantly showing more detail, at times its too much, making the target blend in more, the extra detail acts like it has a form of thermal camouflage. The fh25 has a target identification mode that seems to cut out the detail when engaged and shows a more stark heat signature . I find it far better for quick scanning.
Can take stills, vid, apps the the phone, has a range finder thats consistently 700yd capable, a laser pointer( which can spook deer if you turn it on while trying to hit the range finder button :angry:)
Internal battery life is ok but not great but then its a very small unit so Im happy with it.
Attachment 231687
Its only a small battery,not a 600gram battery.Keeps the weight down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat ninja
Thanks for the replies, have you had any issues with these ? I like the specs of some of the Infiray products, but am a bit put off by these products only having 2 years warranty in NZ, when its 3 years if bought in Australia, and most other units
such as Hikmicro, Pard, Pulsar, Sytong all have 3 years warranty here in NZ.
Iv had this and an Iray ch50 V2 clip on for a couple of years now. The clip is a brilliant bit of gear. Both trouble free to date. I did have some issues with my previous pulsar.
That battery life is a bit low and I think these units use proprietary batteries too making them more expensive. We ran the Sytong units continuously for around 6 hours on an 18650 that can be purchased at most electronics stores. Pard also take 18650s as another option. Agree with sneeze on the NETD although think sub 25-30 is the sweet spot. USA has longer warranty periods I think due to legal requirements. But any decent thermal brand should get 3 years.
I have the same set up,the ch50 V2 certainly has the horse power thru rain,mist n fog and got the legs for distance.Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
The ability to swap it between rifles with same size objective is great. I use it on a 223 and a 243ai and itl go on a rimfire as well when I can find the right scope for it. Makes it a bit nose heavy though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trout
I only have one rifle(308),got a cheap nikko stirling 2x16x50 on it.Very wide fov for the thermal,easy to find yr deer.Having a 50mm objective lens works well with the ch50v2.No trouble tipping deer over out to 400yrds if need be
I have the FH25R too and like it for the same reasons. Small and huge FOV.Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
I have an Eye II 50mm handheld and had no issues with it.
They seem to provide good quality for the price.
I have used that model a fair bit.
Image quality isn't bad. Battery life is terrible and batteries are ridiculously expensive for a standard battery with a plastic case on it.
Rangefinder has started playing up also and it is out of warranty. Sent one of the other infirays back this year under warranty and it was gone for about 5 months.
If it were me I would just get a sytong with the rangefinder, I'll upgrade one of our conotechs to a sytong when I get around to it.
The image quality of the infirays doesn't warrant the price tag over the sytong.
Sweeping generalizations like this arent particularly helpfull without some model comparrisions. Which ones have you compared?Quote:
Originally Posted by TLB
Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
Units that myself or people I work with have owned in the last year or so include:
Infratec variocam.
Pulsar,
Trail 2, thermion 2 xq50 lrf, thermion xq35, axion 2 xg35, accolades
Infiray,
Th50 scope, fh35r handheld, 2x Holo sights
Night tech xd35
Sytong XS03-35LRF
Conotech tracer 35 lrf
Hik Owl OQ35, Gryphon GH35L.
Used several other thermals over the years, however never looked through a single guide or Burris unit so can't comment on them.
So your comment is more price level/ specification orientated than Brand? Or are you saying that with a similar lower spec the sytong resolution is better? I haven't spent any time with a sytong.
I find as my eyes age resolution becomes more important and the step up form the older pulsar to the fh25 was a welcome one.
The resolution is better with the infiray, not a huge deal better though. In my mind the huge price difference doesn't justify the small increase in clarity of the image. That is comparing the 35mm models, and also the infiray resolution is 640x512 vs the sytong model which is 384×288. Sytong also have a model with similar resolution to the infiray but I have not looked through it.Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
I would be very surprised if you spotted any more animals with the infiray which costs $2300 more and spare batteries on top which cost an additional $180.
Not only that, if you use it a lot there is a chance it will have issues, the repair wait for pulsar and infiray is generally 4 to 6 months. Our Holo was out of action for 1 whole contract and there was no loan or replacement for that duration so we had to borrow one off another contractor to get through.
The original poster wanted pros and cons:
pros, reasonable image quality, lightweight and user friendly.
Cons, expensive spare batteries, long wait time for repairs, price point for slightly better image quality is quite high compared to cheaper models
. You can get an Iray with the same lower spec as the sytong you referenced for a similar or cheaper price so the "huge price difference " is dependant on specification more than Brand . Wont argue on the batteries in the 35, but the FH25 has an internal battery and it will do a reasonable nights hunting, if I need more Ill plug in a little battery pack or use the usb in the ute. Im guessing the OP and most others arn't using these commercially so battery life becomes far less of an issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by TLB
I cant comment on the return times as Im yet to have an issue and I use my fh25 2-3 times a week. You seem to have had a few issues though. Any idea on the return time for a sytong repair or general back up ?
Yeah fair points!Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
I'm not sure none of our sytong stuff has crapped out but judging from the customer service that many on here have received over the years I would say you'll be looked after.
@55six what would happen if my one of my sytong or conotech units had an issue, would I get a replacement unit to use in the meantime? What are the wait times for gear to be repaired?
Cheers
Hikmicro service is outstanding. Ive got a clip on for wallaby. Haven't used it much. Coating came off objective lens (known problem). They offered me a loaner and had it back in 2 weeks. They updated its software at the same time.
That's awesome! The owl and gryphon have had zero issues at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tahr
4 of those pulsars have had a variety of problems in the last 12 months and the wait times were definitely a major inconvenience.
Sytong do a 25mm model ($2799) that would be a closer spec to the infiray 25mm model - if we are comparing apples with apples and oranges with oranges. Not sure what the infiray costs. NZ's Sytong pricing is below the internatioal recomended retail price so Kiwis get very good value.Quote:
Originally Posted by sneeze
The return rate on all Sytong products we sell is under 1%. Im guessing thats near the best if not the best in the industry. Our policy for warranty is we ask the customer to return the item and if we have products in stock we issue a replacement. Sytong then fix us up with extra item to cover the warranty item issued in our next order. If we dont have it in stock we are generally getting new stock every 4-6 weeks and we often have demo units that can be sent out to cover the user in the short term.Quote:
Originally Posted by TLB
We have a similar policy for conotech, although their tracer is out of production now with new models becoming available in a few months. With the tracer we send back to the factory for repair. Typically 4-6 weeks.
Iray do a 25mm for Around the $2500 mark with similar specs but I don't think it has a rangefinder. The FH25R is a higher spec around the $3800. Looks like Iray have some catch up to do to match your customer service Though.Quote:
Originally Posted by 55six
Got my FH35R for $4300 about a yr ago.Which was about a k under normal retail at the time.
FWIW a customer sent us this video yesterday of the Sytong XS03-35LRF handheld filming deer in adverse conditions. Heavy wind rain and fog. Bad climate is always a good test of a thermal but very rarely marketed as its not pretty like a pig at 10m. It was a low res 640x480 video sent to us too. Distance 130m-140m.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAJCGBGxAac
Good vid,I reckn shit weather is the best test for thermal gear.Last summer i watched a lot of deer in pouring rain.It's amazing how many deer came out to feed.
