Still thinking about getting one. Now that they’ve been out a while, anybody have extended use yet? Comments/complaints? Got use one a while back, but was for about 5 min is all .

If anybody has one they’d be willing to let me use for an hour or so, I’ll trade you out for a good old fashion pig killing . You’d be free to use any of my stuff you wanted.

The Breach is a handy little micro-sized, 7.4 oz thermal, small enough to be helmet mounted, carrying in the pocket, or on a lanyard. It is a 1x 320 resolution thermal with a 9.1mm lens. It is 12 micron with 60 hz, so they are getting a pretty good image from the tiny lens, but it is only 320 resolution with a tiny lens that is fixed focus. It has some definite distance limitations as a spotting scope, but as a navigation optic, walk up, or searching for downed hogs optic, it is super handy.

You get 3 buttons, up, down, and menu that are all the controls you have for the scope aside from adjusting the diopter. Press and hold the center Menu button for about 2-3 seconds to turn on. Turning off is a cumbersome series. You can press and hold the Menu button down for 4-5 seconds until it turns off or you can go through a 5 step menu process... (1) Press the menu button long enough to get the menu. Too short of a press and you take a picture. (2) From there, move the selector to POWER DOWN. (3) Select POWER DOWN by pressing the Menu button. Now you are in the POWER DOWN sub menu. (4) Move the selector down to TURN OFF. (5) Press the menu button to turn off.

Quick pressing of the up or down buttons will change brightness. This is the only image quality feature you can quickly changed.

Pressing and holding the up or down buttons will increase your zoom to a maximum of 4x (80 resolution) or down to the native 1x (320 resolution).

Image quality adjustments can be made in the ENHANCEMENTS menu setting and like with the other new FLIRs, you have 5 additional ways in which the image can be altered and it is up to the user to find a harmony among all the parameters, though FLIR does make suggestions as to combinations that can be used well and have a selection for some presets.

There are 7 different palette settings.

You can take photos and video with the Breach. Photos may be accomplished with a quick press of the Menu button. Video can be obtained by a quick double set of presses to the menu button. Take too long between the presses and you get 1 or 2 still images. To stop recording, press twice quickly again. Video and images can be downloaded by a USB C cable. Unit has bluetooth, but there is apparently no current apps for taking advantage of this (not as of last week that I could find). There is no mention in the manual about bluetooth either.

Button pressure to activate features on the unit is pretty stiff. It can be difficult to accurately press to get Video versus a Still image. Activation with gloves makes it more difficult.

The scope is apparently meant to be used in landscape position (picture wider than tall). It is also apparently primarily meant to be used in a landscape position, as hanging from a helmet mount, with the buttons facing down. It boots up to this position and records in this position. You have the option of mounting it on the left or right side and having a portrait view, but all the screen data (palette mode, compass, logo, etc.) will be on its side. If you turn the unit over and use it as a handheld with the buttons facing upward, the image will right itself so that all the information is in the correct orientation. However, the video will be recorded upside down. The video recording does NOT flip with the screen.

There is no audio for the video.

For what it is, it is a pretty nifty scope.