September 1, 2020 was a big day for the thermal industry because Pulsar announced a new scope, the Thermion XG50 3-24x42. But what sets this scope apart from any other thermal optic they've ever made is that it utilizes the super high end BAE thermal sensor with 640x480 resolution and 12 microns. This is the exact same sensor that Trijicon and N-Vision use in their optics.

What makes this news so exciting is that Pulsar did something no one has ever been able to do before now.....they have included internal video/audio recording and a automatic and semi-automatic calibration while using the BAE sensor. Not only that, they've included all the usual Pulsar features such as picture in picture, Stream Vision app, color pallets, battery packs and more. And the icing on the cake is that the XG50 is retailing at $5,999.97, which is $1,500 to $2,000 less that the competing scopes. Yes I know that's still a lot of money and out of the range of many hunters, but these kinds of advances on the top end is what pushes the improved technology and pricing down on the lower end, so long term, it's great news for everyone.

The Thermion XG50's are currently available at only a small select handful of dealers and we're thankful to say that Outdoor Legacy is one of the 5 online dealers given this early opportunity. My buddy and frequent THF poster, Myron over at Night Vision Outfitters is one of the other few dealers with these scopes as well. Both Myron and I have this scopes in stock and ready to ship NOW, which is another oddity for a new scope announcement. Normally there will be months of waiting for the scopes to go into production but Pulsar kept this a secret all year while they finalized and produced the scopes.

Check our exclusive Pulsar interview and announcement on The Late Night Vision Show Podcast....

- Jason

Here are a couple short videos that Hans and I put out that include some footage from the Thermion XG50. I've got a few short clips that play while I'm talking in my video.

Someone asked why we were so heavy on the color pallets and the answer is two fold. People love to see the different color pallets even those most people end up hunting with black/white hot most of the time and the other big reason is, we've been hunting in the absolute worst East Texas conditions for thermal. Super hot, super humid, high dew points, rain etc....and the color pallets often look better on those nights than just black or white hot. We were making lemonade out of the miserable hot lemon nights we had.ha!

Thanks brother! Appreciate that. we are also very excited about these scopes. It's pretty well what folks have been asking for in a thermal (640 12 Micron, Recording, Rechargeable). Also, great to see something release and have available right away.

When are y’all going to do a side by side by side comparison of the three BAE scopes ?

Saw this drop yesterday Jason....videos look great....

Any hints of these coming in the Trail LRFs too? Or that another secret you’re gonna have to painfully keep? Lol

I'm sure it won't be long. My bet is Halo LR will be a little bit nicer image and then the XG and Trijicons will be about even.

It should be a straight white hot black hot comparison - don’t ya think ....

I like color palettes but it is a synthesized viewpoint that can skew from the true base operating modes.

Of course the hard part is getting video from the viewfinder on all scopes and avoiding comparison of recorded / streamed video.

Meanwhile .....

I wonder if I can call Trijicon and ask them to put internal recording on my IR hunter - should be doable ............

I'll give you my opinion on image quality for what it's worth, having used them all. Halo LR > Trijicon MK3 > Thermion XG. Now to be fair, I hope to revisit that assessment after the Pulsar engineers have had a year or so with the BAE sensor and have hopefully released some firmware updates.

I don't know anyone who's actually used the XG that is claiming it's image quality 100% matches or exceeds the Halo LR or all Trijicons. The Thermion/Trail XP50 updated with the latest Image Boost firmware and all the features is already amazing and it has really made many people take pause and consider the Pulsar XP units before dropping another $2,500 on a Halo LR or MK3/REAP. The XG50, just takes that a step further by going up in magnification, which everyone had been asking for, plus adding all the important features to a BAE sensor scope. I believe the XG has no where to go but up, as the Pulsar gurus learn more and more about the BAE sensor.

So my summary.....if you want the absolute best image quality and care nothing about the features, I like the Halo LR. An obvious case can be made for the Trijicons as well. I sold a REAP IR and a Halo LR on the day the XG was announced and honestly, those customers made the right decision because those scopes fit what they wanted/needed. On the other hand if, if you want to save $1,500+, want an image quality that is knocking on the back door of the N-Vision and Trijicon and get internal video/audio recording, auto/semi-auto calibration, PiP, full color display, a smart phone app, rechargeable batteries etc; go with the XG50. I honestly mean that too. There is something for everyone and the XG is just one more really really nice high end options.

As for a side by side comparison video, I hope no one tries it because I don't think there will ever be fair one made. My reasoning is this....you can't get really good video out of the Trij or N-Visions unless your record behind the eye piece. I've seen some of those behind the eye piece videos that are way worse than what you really see and I've seen a few that are borderline better than what your eye sees. As for the XG50, the internal video recording quality is really good but still not quite as good as your eye sees. I think trying to create a side by side video of all 3 is a recipe for a disaster that will end in nothing but a huge fight and trolls and soldiers from each side will square off in an internet battle that no one will ever win. Just my 2 cents!

Jason

lol. Agreed on the white/black. I don't really ever use color pallets anyway. In truth they're cool for marketing and videos but don't really add any extra performance to me. Others may disagree but personally I don't ever use them. As far as your other point, I wouldn't count on much out of Trijicon personally. They haven't innovated hardly at all since purchasing IRD. The gen 2 Reap housing isn't exactly groundbreaking from the original. N-Vision is who I would expect to dominate the higher end of the market in the long term. Those guys really listen to the hunting community and develop accordingly. I think Pulsar setting this bar where it is with this new Thermion can only incentivize the other guys to up their game and then we all benefit with higher performance and better features. For example the new N-Vision Nox looks incredible and will fill a missing gap in the helmet mounted / mini thermal space.

Also I agree in all the points above that Jason made. Solid assessment overall. The XG is a huge winner for features / price point while only giving up a small percentage of image quality. I personally think Trijicon isn't far above the XG in performance at all. The Halo LR though is in a class of its own on image. They beat Trijicon in my opinion. So I'd go with his order as well. Also bonus points for N-Vision with the 5 year warranty and unrestricted recoil (50 bmg, etc.). For the record I currently own and carry on each hunt a Halo LR on a 6.5 cm bolt gun, a Thermion XP50 on a 6.8, now a Thermion XG on a 6.8, an iRay MH25, an Accolade 2 LRF XP50, a 640 17 micron vehicle mounted pan tilt, and a 12 micron 640 thermal drone. They all have their place but that Halo LR is the champ when you get out further. I took my furthest pig with it a while back at just shy of 500 yards on the run.

but they use different cores, don't they... which is how they were able to add features the other's don't have?

Yes, the Pulsar has a Pulsar core in it, not the BAE core. So they aren't going to have the same results and don't.

Snake oil is thick with this one. On par with Trijicon my arse

Who's selling the snake oil?

I'll be running one on one of my pig rifles in the next week or so. We usually just post our stuff on social media but I'll make sure and link it here once I get video put together. I did have a unit out with one of my staff guys last two weeks in the pacific northwest and in Iowa hunting coyotes. From his own words this afternoon on the phone, side by side with a MK3-35 it was the cleaner scope. That's subjective of course. I will try to get through the display video of both it and the Halo LR (arguably best scope on the market currently) side by side if I can. I'll probably get chewed a little for this statement, but my gut tells me those that are downplaying this scope are the same dealers (or their representatives) that didn't get selected to sell it. The XP50 is and was a really strong unit and the XG is step above, especially when you zoom. It holds clarity much better than the XP sensor as you increase magnification. On base mag, they're not too far off. I hope to run it in various humidity conditions as well to get a better idea of overall performance. Everything looks good when it's cool and dry. I'm glad to try to answer any specific questions on it that anyone may have. I'm sure Jason (Outdoor Legacy) would as well.