Personally, being able to clip on and use the same unit to scan is the way to go.This topic is always changing and I'm not one to keep up with it. I hunt a lot with Swaro optics and I decided to try their TM35, which can be hand held or clipped on to your scope with numerous sized adapters. I plan on using it this season in Africa for some night cats. EO has them on a deep discount.
I was under the impression thermals could not be taken out of the country.
Pulsar c50 a much smoother system than two you mentioned IMO.They are ITAR items… which means you have to obtain a temporary export license from DDTC at the State Department..
While not impossible, that’s not an easy or an inexpensive task for an individual..
It honestly might be cheaper, and would certainly be easier, to buy one on the local economy and just gift it to the outfitter on the way out…
The other challenge is.. thermals are illegal in several African countries… for example in South Africa they require a special permit.. otherwise you are committing a crime..
So even if you manage to get your export license from DDTC at the state dept, you still have a pretty huge hurdle to get over on the South Africa side of the house…
The easiest path is to go Day/Night Vision… the ATN X-Sight and Sightmark Wraith are both legal in South Africa, and also don’t require export licenses from the US..
They aren’t thermals… but if you’re trying to take a small cat or a jackal at night, etc… they’re capable of engaging those types of targets out to 200 as long as you’ve got a good IR source and/or enough ambient light from the moon, stars, etc…
Pulsar c50 a much smoother system than two you mentioned IMO.
I find once you have thermal the night vision becomes pretty obsolete. I rarely turn it on on the multi spectral scopes I have. I do use daytime optics on them a good bit.
I do think they would be a great option for a night hunt when thermals are not possible.
All good info. My scopes would be awesome for African hunts, but not worth the hassle to take. I use the heck out of them here though.Im not sure if the Pulsar is ITAR or EAR unrestricted (It may be.. I just dont know).. what it really amounts to is what "generation" of NV it is.. Anything Gen 3 or above is controlled by ITAR, just like thermals are.. and require a temporary export license..
My understanding of how the USG views/defines NV "generations" is that both the X-Sight and the Wraith work on 2nd Gen technology (has nothing to do with all of the extra features.. it just relates to how the optic generates and image and its use of ambient vs IR light as I understand it)... so they are both ok to just put in a bag and take with you..
Pulsar may have intentionally stayed inside the Gen 1 / Gen 2 boundaries with the C50 so that export/international travel wouldnt be an issue with it.. I just dont know..
Gen 2 today vs Gen 2 when it was first released (think PVS 7's) are very different.. modern Gen 2 is much crisper and much more capable than early Gen 2 stuff IMO..
Truth be told, my guess is 999 out of 1000 TSA and Customs personnel couldnt tell the different in Gen 1, 2, 3, or 4 NV if you handed them the user manual and showed them the page that says what Gen the optic is..
But.. if its Gen 3... you should know the law is against you if you "export" without obtaining the license first (which is expensive and a PIA for an individual)..
The good news is, to the best of my knowledge, South Africa doesnt regulate night vision at all.. theres no law/regulation that limits what you can possess or use there.. so once you are out of the US, youre in the clear (assuming RSA is the destination)..
It is very crisp visually. The interface is not as slick as pulsar. Things I like.Pard had an excellent booth at the NRA convention here in Dallas a few weeks ago.. lots of very nice stuff on display.. I was particularly impressed with an optic they had out that was both thermal and had very crisp day/NV capability as well.. It might have been the TD62-70 that you linked above..
If you're considering a hand held device, how about Teledyne FLIR's hand held monoculars?
The Scout III and TK are both approaching 10 year old products/tech.
The Scion is probably close to 5 YO tech.
Proceed with caution!
There are much newer and more advanced options out there.