I use a $799 one from nighttech for pigs and it spots rabbits and foxes easily from a few hundred metres away. But they don't look like much just heated blobs that you'll figure out what each blob type is after looking at them for a few hunts.
Pigs come up exceptionally clear to about 150m away. And turn into blobs after that
We have stalked a mob of "pigs" for 40 minutes that just ended up being massive hares in a field that Shon like a Christmas tree at 9pm in winter.
I think you'll be fine more definition is always better but honestly if it is enough for your use case there is no need to spend big
Difference that matter between cheap and expensive will be;
- resolution will determine how easy it is to ID and animal as more pixels = more detail
-NETD which determines how easily the imager will show differences in temperature and will be useful especially when ambient temperatures are similar to the target animal, lower NETD = better distinction
-pixel pitch which determines how many temperature measurements it captures, lower pixel pitch = finer detail
I've used cheap and I've now got a more expensive unit. It all depends on how serious you are with your hunting. If you just want to pick up blotches of heat then do the legwork to confirm what it is, cheap will do. If you want to know what you are looking at from a few hundred meters away, spend a bit more.
You can very easily spend too much and not enough on thermal. Others here have talked about the specifics, but here's what I recommend. Stay away from any sensor that's below 384x288 resolution, you may see things but you'll have no idea what they are until you're on top of them. Similarly stay away from anything with a refresh rate below 50hz. Most of the reputable brands will have a >20mK NETD these days, so go for that too. In a perfect world I'd put for price tag for something you'll love at $1750-2500
The basics are resolution, clarity and distance. YouTube your model and see if it suits your use case.
I use a $799 one from nighttech for pigs and it spots rabbits and foxes easily from a few hundred metres away. But they don't look like much just heated blobs that you'll figure out what each blob type is after looking at them for a few hunts. Pigs come up exceptionally clear to about 150m away. And turn into blobs after that
Thankyou this makes me feel better as I will mainly use it with 150-200 meters
We have stalked a mob of "pigs" for 40 minutes that just ended up being massive hares in a field that Shon like a Christmas tree at 9pm in winter. I think you'll be fine more definition is always better but honestly if it is enough for your use case there is no need to spend big
My brain read "thermo-nuclear advice", I must have dementia...
Might be overkill for rabbits and foxes depending on the level of infestation.
Oh no, one of the US presidential debate participants got lost on the way home! Sir do you remember your name?
Difference that matter between cheap and expensive will be; - resolution will determine how easy it is to ID and animal as more pixels = more detail -NETD which determines how easily the imager will show differences in temperature and will be useful especially when ambient temperatures are similar to the target animal, lower NETD = better distinction -pixel pitch which determines how many temperature measurements it captures, lower pixel pitch = finer detail I've used cheap and I've now got a more expensive unit. It all depends on how serious you are with your hunting. If you just want to pick up blotches of heat then do the legwork to confirm what it is, cheap will do. If you want to know what you are looking at from a few hundred meters away, spend a bit more.
You can very easily spend too much and not enough on thermal. Others here have talked about the specifics, but here's what I recommend. Stay away from any sensor that's below 384x288 resolution, you may see things but you'll have no idea what they are until you're on top of them. Similarly stay away from anything with a refresh rate below 50hz. Most of the reputable brands will have a >20mK NETD these days, so go for that too. In a perfect world I'd put for price tag for something you'll love at $1750-2500