I've been following the Thread of Woes on problems with the X-Sight and it looks as though all the hubbub is dying down. I even see a positive comment or two. I know folks are a lot more apt to complain (not that I blame anyone at all) than to praise, and I know there will be lingering bitterness toward ATN...but are folks finally [otherwise] satisfied with the X-Sight using the latest firmware?

If the 5-18x is good to go I will consider it, but I'm also looking at the Photon XT. I'd love to be able to pick off the piggies at night, but budget limitations are in the way and for now it will have to be one of these two unless there's a comparable alternative I haven't run across.

I've owned a 5-18 since February of this year. ATN fumbled the roll out and then hasn't handled the PR part of their business very well with this X-Sight. Problems still remain; future firmware releases will be forthcoming, but the timing and quality of them has been a bit problematic. It works just fine as a daytime sight; if you're wanting to "pick off piggies at night," and you're anxious to start doing it right away, I'd suggest the Photon XT. As you noted, the noise level has dropped considerably over the last couple of months, and it's unclear to me if it is because customers have just given up and returned their X-Sights for a refund, or sold them and bought another sight, like the Photon; or, like me, they're biting the bullet and waiting for the promised improvements to come in the form of new firmware. If you have a fairly high tolerance for pain and can deal with a scope that doesn't deliver all it continues to promise, I sincerely believe that the X-Sight is the technology of the future for night vision hunting at an attractive price point. If I had to do it all over again, I'd get the smaller, 3X instead of the 5X. I have found that for night hunting, in the environment in which I hunt, having all the "X power" does little more than narrow my field of view.

I've got both the Photon and the X-sight. I messed around and kept the x-sight past the time I should have to turn it back. I guess I was sucked in by the promise of fixes. I don't think the night vision function has ever been fixed well enough to call it a night scope. I use the Photon XT at night and am very well satisfied with it for that purpose. I don't even have the x-sight on a rifle anymore. It rests on a shelf in the safe. It might work well for a daytime scope with the zoom function, and I sometimes use it to spot targets, but for daytime hunting, I much prefer regular glass. No bugs no issues, and no batteries with glass. If I were buying a scope today to do night hunting, it would be the Photon XT or the N850 Digisight. Given an interest in keeping the costs down, then the Photon XT wins everytime.

While it is better, ATN still advertises that the X-Sight does numerous things that it actually is not capable of doing depending on various firmware updates. They simply are unable to get the firmware to jive with the processor and the processor apparently is not capable of handling the load, despite all of ATN's claims of amazing power.

I simply will not attempt to buy one again on the basis that ATN is continuing to sell a product that does not work as advertised and has failed countless times to rectify the problems as promised. They did give the beta-testers a cool name of "First Adopters" and made it sound cliquish, but those glory days have faded.

I will give a different view on the above...i think most people will be quite satisfied with the x-sight at this time with current firmware. I waited a long time before messing with it after initially getting it out and checking the functionality, and with the current firmware I get none of the issues people experienced in the old threads (I.e. Flicker, loss of zero, etc) as far as shoot-ability. I do have a card in the scope to record if I ever see anything to shoot at, but that has been my problem. Haven't had any non-paper targets to shoot at yet.

But, speaking to all the advertised functions, I don't know if they all work nor do I care. I don't need most of them other than the ability to video (more want than need) but having a functioning scope is what I am looking for. And I currently have a scope I am able to shoot MOA with at 100 day or night, and that is really a cool thing.

One aspect I am really curious to check is how well it shows deer in the last few minutes of legal shooting time. One place I hunt has deer show up right in those last few minutes pretty regularly and I am looking forward to see how the scope performs in that setting....

I'm in agreement with the folks that say the X-sight is a very decent daytime scope but not so much on the night time part. The photon is a better night time than daytime scope.

It seems hard to find a happy medium.

looks like ATN is trying to make things right with xsight owners, just got a call from a regional sales mgr for the co. and looks like they are sending me a new 3-12 due to the 5-18 I had having so many problems.
will update as this progresses.

Hopalong, don't go to the dark side!

That's right, don't go to the dark side, get your X sight back and see in the dark !

Would you like a copy of the emails that I have stating that auto dimming is not a problem with the X-sight from Sachal Baig?

Hope these vids help. Both taken clear bright sky about 15 -20mins before dark, sun already just disappeared behind skyline.

https://youtu.be/P39CldixGTw

https://youtu.be/QbaLKDeGyJw

I have a drone 10x too and basically both it and the xsight get a picture in daymode in those last 20 mins when my glass has given up. The crosshair is centred in these vids so I would have been on 10 mag.

Had a small try with 343 and a new T38 As (the new brighter pill) last night and the night vision view on the x sight was much better. Will try and get some footage during the week if I get out shooting.

well, got my email that the new sight has shipped and should be here tue or wed.
will update this and the 343 thread when I get a chance to mount it and shoot it, not sure yet which rifle it will go on but leaning to the mini 30 for now as my windham is back at windham getting the gas block adjusted (quit feeding 223 but 5.56/855's worked good).

will try to get it sighted in on thur. busy here for now with teal season so not sure when yet.

Bought X sight 5X18 last Dec did not attach it to rifle until Feb as Burris was doing a good job lamping Foxes. However end of season they get lamp shy. First zero shooting over 2ft low and 2ft left but able to get reasonable Zero. However when zooming recital went out of view. Not acceptable. Firmware in JULY solved this problem. Then made the mistake of downloading 296. On X204 and Y188 shooting nearly 3 inches low at 100 yds. Useless. Told max X should be 190 but my max is X188 shooting low. This sight is now back in the box and will soon be returned to the retailer unless this new “firmware” solves this problem anyone have similar problems with 296?

You need to re-seat the mount on the scope. Mine started off at x -385 y 142 first scope I couldn't hit 3x2 foot board. Took mount off and re-seated using a square tool for marking wood. Now x -20 y 166. There was a thread on re-seating the mount on the scope some months back. Bad quality control but you can sort it. Not the software.

Thanks for that advise, not sure it can alter the Y as much as the X by doing that been told their will be a fix to give more adjustment y soon not sure if in 343. More Brass to wast by the sound of it.

Have downloaded 343 on the strength of being told will go beyond y 188 on zero and it does!! Y to 290 apparently. Have uploaded the firmware did not hold coordinates but have them written down. Will zero sometime this week. One further point have ERR instead of compass so switched it off need it to shoot strait not as a compass. Is this at last the final fix to make it usable?
Like this scope and have managed to shoot foxes out to 200yds at night with IR 800 940nm before making the mistake of using firmware 296 which screwed y coordinates.
This could be it the final solution and good value for money. I hope!

Thanks for posting your results, as I've been on the fence to buy a 3x version if the 343 didn't correct the crosshair issue. My 5x is at my camp, so I can't update it with the 343 version to check it out myself.

well fed ex dropped off a brand new 3-12 xsight today, will put it on my mini 30 for now and see what it does.

I have been looking at the X-Sight 3x and 5x and the Photon. I do not hunt and want the scope for day time and night time protection of my family and property from a distance not to hunt hogs. My questions is which scope will give me the best of both worlds. Better eye relief, etc ??? If anyone would like to call me and give me their professional opinion I would appreciate it before I buy any of these scopes

Bob
251-284-0132

if I am reading you right you want a scope for personal protection, right? none of these will work for the scenario you describe, time to turn on is too long, target id is going to be next to impossible (good guy vs. bad guy, how do you tell which is which?), bulk and weight will be a big factor, other problems with what you intend to use it for as well. I suggest you read the castle doctrine a few times and let it sink in, the "at a distance" could be a huge problem if you ever shot someone, on your property or not.

Maybe he means from zombies