Pulsar is a brand belonging to Yukon Advanced Optics Worldwide, which is well known in the shooting and airsoft community for the production of technologically advanced optics for day and night operations.
Pulsar's new product, the Thermion Duo DXP50 multispectral scope, combines the features of high-quality thermal and day optics based on a CMOS sensor with native 4K resolution (3840x2160 pixels).
A new trend for many companies producing this type of devices is making of a universal scope for both day and night activities, which is to allow the user to take only one device and do not have to worry about having to replace it and re-zero it in case of changing weather conditions, night and day. Although observation optics operating on this principle appeared on the market some time ago, it is only recently that solutions of this type have begun to find their way to scopes. Thermion Duo is advertised as the first riflescope with such features available on the market.
In contrast to the recently described solution of a competing company, Pulsar is based solely on digital imaging. In addition to a 4K CMOS matrix responsible for a color image in daylight conditions, the scope uses a thermal sensor with parameters known from Thermion XP50 Pro devices. We are talking here about the resolution of 640x480 @17um and the image display frequency of 50Hz, while maintaining a very good thermal sensitivity: <25mK. The basic magnification of the device is 2x for both optical channels, the user can also use up to 8x digital zoom in both cases. At base zoom, Thermion Duo DXP50 provides a field of view of 21.8°x12.4° and the ability to detect living objects from a distance of up to 1800 meters. Noteworthy is the resolution of the AMOLED screen of the scope: it's only 1024x768. Using the full capabilities of the CMOS sensor is therefore possible using the digital zoom.
The sight allows to switch between both optical channels. It should be noted, however, that the Thermion Duo DXP50 does not offer full image fusion capabilities, in which the layer in the visible spectrum would combine with the thermal overlay. Instead, the device can display both types of image simultaneously using the familiar Picture in Picture function. It allows to display the image from the second sensor in a smaller window. The software allows the user to decide which channel is to be prioritized and which is to be displayed in a reduced size. The basic functionality related to PiP, i.e. displaying an enlarged fragment from the central part of the image in the window, has also been preserved.
Similarly to the previous Pulsar thermal sights, the DXP50 also offers many other useful functionalities: setting the "zero" with one shot, image recording (1024x768 - 16GB of built-in memory), five shooting profiles, different types of reticles and image color palettes, connectivity with Android and iOS phones, software updates and much more.
Thermion DXP50 has a metal housing and weighs 960g. It is adapted to work in temperatures from -25°C to +50°C, meets high standards of water resistance (IPX7) and withstands recoil up to 6000J. The built-in battery allows for about 6 hours of operation, but it can be extended using external power sources, including a dedicated APS2 battery.
The price of the scope is about $6,000.
Photos: Pulsar-NV
