Hello, Pulsar announced a large number new model numbers this yr. Here is a very rough list to help you wade through the 2017 line-up. Some things may change with the production units so please take that into account with the following info. Other folks please feel free to add info as it becomes available.
APEX LINE
The new Apex line will initially have a XQ38 and a XQ50. These will be in the same housings as before but the "Q" signifies that it has the new 17 micron 384x288 res core. These new 17 micron units drop the pixel pitch down to 17 microns from the previous 25. This both sharpens the image and allows for more Mag out of the same or slightly smaller lens. The XQ38 and XQ50 will have optical mags of 2.1x and 2.7x respectively. The new units will all use the OLED display that was previously an upgrade. There may be some slight software tweaks but as far as I have been told, those two items are the main differences in the new APEX line. The real kicker is the pricing.....
MAP on the Apex XQ38 is $2499 and the APEX XQ50 $2799.....yep better picture and OLED display for less $ than the models they are replacing. Having used the XQ38 quantum hand-held for the last several months, I can say that the new 17 micron internals make for a very crisp image.
APEX LRF LINE
The LRF line will be the XQ38 and XQ50 APEX housing with an integral laser range finder that has a 1000m capable range. The units are still getting tweaked but the shot show model had a small rectangular box on the display that coincided with the LRF. Line the box up with what you want to range and press a button... range is then shown on the display. Those of you that hunt regularly with thermal know that range estimation can be quite difficult especially if you are varmint hunting. If you are shooting subs out of a 300 blackout it can mean missing a 100yd shot. Pricing was released at shot show but I believe they are tweaking that a bit too... expect a 500 or so dollar premium over the standard XQ apex line.
TRAIL LINE
The TRAIL line comes in a completely new housing that has a smaller footprint than the APEX line. The menu is accessed using buttons on top of the unit and the focus knob has been relocated to the top of the unit near the lens. The TRAIL series has a 8gb on-board DVR, 5500 (IIRC) Mah rechargeable battery with 6+ hour run time (bigger battery available as an accessory), wifi that can stream recorded and live video to an external device (ie, computer, smart phone--ios & android, ipad, etc), and several more features. The sensors will be a 640x480 17 micron unit in the XP line and a 384x288 17 micron like the other XQ APEX models. The DVR will have a recoil operated recording feature with continuous buffer ( not sure on buffer time but 5 seconds was being discussed) so you can get the full shot on video. You still have the ability to save rifle profiles but can now save different bore-sights within each profile. Another change to the TRAIL software is the ability to use variable PIP zooms. The APEX line allowed you to use double the optical mag (2x) in the PIP window. The TRAIL allows you to use 2x,3x,4x for the PIP so for example on the trail XP50 the optical mag is 1.6x so the PIP window can now be set to 3.2x, 6.4x, 12.8x. This makes the already great PIP feature even more user friendly and allows for precise shot placement through the PIP window while keeping an extremely wide FOV at 640x480 res (XP) through the rest of the display.. The TRAIL units still offer the .1 "smooth zoom" increments that the APEX line features on the main screen.
TRAIL MAP pricing is as follows
XP50 1.6x $4999 PIP- 3.2x, 6.4x, 12.8x
XP38 1.2x $4499 PIP- 2.4x, 4.8x, 9.6x
XQ50 2.7x $3799 PIP- 5.4x, 10.8x
XQ38 2.1x $3299 PIP- 4.2x, 8.4x
XQ30 $2799 this will be a fixed focus model. Still awaiting confirmation on optical mag...more than likely around 1.5x.
NOTE***One thing to remember is some manufacturers round the Optical mag up when naming models ( brand commonality, marketing etc). Sometimes a 2x model from brand A is actually 1.8x and a 1.5x is actually 1.1x. Pulsar listed actual mag with the TRAIL. For example, when looking through a competitor's 1.5x 640 side by side with the XP38 it was obvious that the 1.2x TRAIL had more magnification. Field of view is sometimes the best reference when comparing optical zoom numbers.
APEX LINE
The new Apex line will initially have a XQ38 and a XQ50. These will be in the same housings as before but the "Q" signifies that it has the new 17 micron 384x288 res core. These new 17 micron units drop the pixel pitch down to 17 microns from the previous 25. This both sharpens the image and allows for more Mag out of the same or slightly smaller lens. The XQ38 and XQ50 will have optical mags of 2.1x and 2.7x respectively. The new units will all use the OLED display that was previously an upgrade. There may be some slight software tweaks but as far as I have been told, those two items are the main differences in the new APEX line. The real kicker is the pricing.....
MAP on the Apex XQ38 is $2499 and the APEX XQ50 $2799.....yep better picture and OLED display for less $ than the models they are replacing. Having used the XQ38 quantum hand-held for the last several months, I can say that the new 17 micron internals make for a very crisp image.
APEX LRF LINE
The LRF line will be the XQ38 and XQ50 APEX housing with an integral laser range finder that has a 1000m capable range. The units are still getting tweaked but the shot show model had a small rectangular box on the display that coincided with the LRF. Line the box up with what you want to range and press a button... range is then shown on the display. Those of you that hunt regularly with thermal know that range estimation can be quite difficult especially if you are varmint hunting. If you are shooting subs out of a 300 blackout it can mean missing a 100yd shot. Pricing was released at shot show but I believe they are tweaking that a bit too... expect a 500 or so dollar premium over the standard XQ apex line.
TRAIL LINE
The TRAIL line comes in a completely new housing that has a smaller footprint than the APEX line. The menu is accessed using buttons on top of the unit and the focus knob has been relocated to the top of the unit near the lens. The TRAIL series has a 8gb on-board DVR, 5500 (IIRC) Mah rechargeable battery with 6+ hour run time (bigger battery available as an accessory), wifi that can stream recorded and live video to an external device (ie, computer, smart phone--ios & android, ipad, etc), and several more features. The sensors will be a 640x480 17 micron unit in the XP line and a 384x288 17 micron like the other XQ APEX models. The DVR will have a recoil operated recording feature with continuous buffer ( not sure on buffer time but 5 seconds was being discussed) so you can get the full shot on video. You still have the ability to save rifle profiles but can now save different bore-sights within each profile. Another change to the TRAIL software is the ability to use variable PIP zooms. The APEX line allowed you to use double the optical mag (2x) in the PIP window. The TRAIL allows you to use 2x,3x,4x for the PIP so for example on the trail XP50 the optical mag is 1.6x so the PIP window can now be set to 3.2x, 6.4x, 12.8x. This makes the already great PIP feature even more user friendly and allows for precise shot placement through the PIP window while keeping an extremely wide FOV at 640x480 res (XP) through the rest of the display.. The TRAIL units still offer the .1 "smooth zoom" increments that the APEX line features on the main screen.
TRAIL MAP pricing is as follows
XP50 1.6x $4999 PIP- 3.2x, 6.4x, 12.8x
XP38 1.2x $4499 PIP- 2.4x, 4.8x, 9.6x
XQ50 2.7x $3799 PIP- 5.4x, 10.8x
XQ38 2.1x $3299 PIP- 4.2x, 8.4x
XQ30 $2799 this will be a fixed focus model. Still awaiting confirmation on optical mag...more than likely around 1.5x.
NOTE***One thing to remember is some manufacturers round the Optical mag up when naming models ( brand commonality, marketing etc). Sometimes a 2x model from brand A is actually 1.8x and a 1.5x is actually 1.1x. Pulsar listed actual mag with the TRAIL. For example, when looking through a competitor's 1.5x 640 side by side with the XP38 it was obvious that the 1.2x TRAIL had more magnification. Field of view is sometimes the best reference when comparing optical zoom numbers.
