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Night Vision S35 users/review.

Halfnutz

Halfnutz

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    • Jan 14, 2008
    1,820
    1,730
    Peoria County, Illinois
    Got a S35 yesterday from @DownRangeThermal.
    The amount of these that were sold looks like we could use a dedicated spot to discuss the ins and outs.


    So far I've found the wifi temperamental on mine.
    Haven't figured out how to adjust "red hot". I thought it was supposed to have a slider.
    White hot has worked best outside for image quality.
     

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    Would be nice to know exactly what dimensions they used for Rabbit/Boar/Dear for the stadia range finder.

    (edited)
    Looking at an online manual from Steiner for their Cinder, and assuming they use the same standard:
    Rabbit is .3 meter (11.8 inches)
    Boar is .75 meter (29.52 inches)
    Deer is 1.0 meter (39.37 inches)
     
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    I asked months ago if they could give specifics on the different reticles and they never responded.
     
    I just received mine. The manual on how to zero it is VERY helpful 🙄.

    Wifi has very short range it seems.

    And the zoom is not friendly at all. I wish it had options to go fron base mag to 4X or even 2X.

    This is my first thermal but for the price I felt it was a "cheap" way to get into thermal.

    Bern raining here so I have not been able to sight it in or hunt with it yet

    Resized_20221203_115053.jpeg
     
    Yeah the zero instructions are lacking.

    Not many videos on it that I've found but I think when you zero it you have to zero it at each magnification. 1x,2x,4x,8x is what I think I remember seeing.

    You'll notice when you change magnification the reticle moves around.
     
    Yes, when looking at the zeroing menu it gives you different magnification to zero at.

    Its been raining here so I have not had a chance to get to the range.

    will follow up once I get some time behind it.
     
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    Got the S35 mounted and hit the range.

    This is my first time sighting in a thermal. So I am not sure I did it the right way but I git it done.

    I used many different targets....box covered in tin foil with black tape as a cross, white paper with a shoot n see, etc.

    Anyways. So i stated at 25 yards. I did my normal bore sighting....actually looking down the bire at the target then adjusting the reticle to be centered on the target.

    This had my first shot 4" right and 3" low.

    Went in the menu to zero and moved the crosshairs to the bullet hole.
    2nd shot was pretty close to zeroed.

    Ok....let's move to 100 yards.

    This is where it stated to get "fun". After 8-9 shots I got it close to POA to POI.

    I had read that this sight needs to be zeroed at 1x 2x 4x and 8×.
    This proved to be frustrating to me.

    All told it took me close to 100 rounds to get it dialed in.

    Again....I'm sure there is probably easier and better ways to do this but in the end it is ready to go.

    Next report will hopefully be of some coyotes on the ground.
     
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    Which target type was best for you? Did you have a preferred color pallet (white hot, black hot, etc.)?
    I'll have at least a couple more weeks until I can get mine mounted due to work.
     
    Halfnutz said:
    Which target type was best for you? Did you have a preferred color pallet (white hot, black hot, etc.)?
    I'll have at least a couple more weeks until I can get mine mounted due to work.
    Click to expand...

    White hot seemed the best in the conditions I was shooting in. It was mid 50's but high humidity.

    You will just have to play with it.

    Also, from watching videos on sighting in a thermal, it seems my targets might have been too small.

    I did go out last night coyote calling. Again...not great conditions. It was low 40's high 30's but humidity was 70+ %. There is LOTS for me to learn about night hunting I figured that out right away.
    And...at least for coyote hunting, a scanner is a MUST.

    I have a Burris scanner which worked good, but you really appriciate the higher resolution of the Steiner.

    More to follow.
     
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    Another niggle for me.

    The sight has PiP...which I like. But....whoever wrote the software has their head up their ass.

    If you put the PiP in the top center of the screen...which for me is the "correct" and most intuitive place to put it. When you record video it puts the elapsed time timer right in the center of the PiP window!?!? Making the PiP crosshair useless.
    Now you can move the PiP to the upper left or right, but again...this is not intuitive to me.

    Also worth noting...the PiP does not show up in the video. So what you see on the screen is not what will be in the video. And...the video quality is pretty poor. So much so, I will not post it because it truely is not what you see while looking through the sight.

    Anyways....more to follow.
    20221207_084440.jpg
     
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    Might seem like a dumb question, which I'm sure it is. Will a S35 go on an M4 with only the riser that ships on it? If the front sight obscures the image, how much additional height is required and what would be a good riser as regards quick detach and RTZ?
     
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    Quarter Horse said:
    Might seem like a dumb question, which I'm sure it is. Will a S35 go on an M4 with only the riser that ships on it? If the front sight obscures the image, how much additional height is required and what would be a good riser as regards quick detach and RTZ?
    Click to expand...

    I will check for you next week when I get back home.
    I'm hoping to get it put on something and zeroed in the next few weeks.
     
    BgBmBoo said:
    Yes. They are pretty much setup for AR platforms.
    Click to expand...
    I have a tough time getting mine setup for proper eye relief with a Magpul PRS Lite. The height is alright at around 1.5" but seems designed around carbine stocks.
     
    It's cantilevered the right way, but not far enough to get my eye on the eyepiece. Might have to get creative with an ADM clamp.
     
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    Got my S35 out last week and zeroed on my 12” 6.5G at 100yds using the simple crosshair reticle at 8x.

    Regarding the POI shifting as you zoom in and out of your zoom level at the time of zeroing, is this alleviated by zeroing at different mag levels and cycling through to get good POA/POI? Or just zero at 4x, save it as one of the zeroes, and just learn what the POI differences are at 1x, 2x, and 8x?
     
    towerofpower93 said:
    Got my S35 out last week and zeroed on my 12” 6.5G at 100yds using the simple crosshair reticle at 8x.

    Regarding the POI shifting as you zoom in and out of your zoom level at the time of zeroing, is this alleviated by zeroing at different mag levels and cycling through to get good POA/POI? Or just zero at 4x, save it as one of the zeroes, and just learn what the POI differences are at 1x, 2x, and 8x?
    Click to expand...

    Yes…you have to zero at the zeroing magnifications to be on at 1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X.

    Trying to remember where to hold on each magnification seems like a lot of effort but if you can do it, do it.

    Something else to remember, that when zeroed at the zeroing magnifications, you are only zeroed for those. So your ”point“ magnifications will be off…example 4X is zeroed but 4.1, 4.4, etc are NOT zeroed.

    I do not understand why they did that or even why they did the zoom that way…I don’t see needing 3.3X or 5.7X…
     
    BgBmBoo said:
    That was my thought as well. Burris thermals are pretty much the same...pretty sure they are just different packaged same units.
    Click to expand...
    They aren't the same as the Burris. The are pretty major spec/UI differences between the Burris and Steiner. But they are both made by the same company, Guide IR. They definitely share some things.
     
    Zeroed mine in at 50yds. Removed and torqued to 35in lbs with no appreciable shift. Did this 3 times over 3 different days with no major shift. Terrible weather 2 of those days.

    I say no major shift because I was using a 9x18 steel plate and wolf gold. All shots within 2in. I'll check again with a more precise aim point and some Hornady vmax.

    Still going to get the Larue qd riser. On a side note the Steiner operates fine in -6degree with -37 wind chill.
     
    ARShooter91 said:
    Zeroed mine in at 50yds. Removed and torqued to 35in lbs with no appreciable shift. Did this 3 times over 3 different days with no major shift. Terrible weather 2 of those days.

    I say no major shift because I was using a 9x18 steel plate and wolf gold. All shots within 2in. I'll check again with a more precise aim point and some Hornady vmax.

    Still going to get the Larue qd riser. On a side note the Steiner operates fine in -6degree with -37 wind chill.
    Click to expand...

    Glad to hear on the RTZ. I ended up buying a GG&G 1/2” QD riser for my S35. Hope to get it next week and rezero once mounted up.
     
    Zeroing on my S35 is a cock sucker.

    Going through the menu...

    •Zeroing
    •Setting
    •A
    •8x
    Shoot.
    Move cross hairs
    •Save and Exit

    When I return to the adjustment screen the X&Y numbers are back where I started.

    Also what is the Red "+" for in relation to the reticle?

    This thing is frustrating the shit outta me
     
    Yeah, it was way more difficult than the "shoot then move the crosshair" as others said was the way to do it. I had to just make small adjustments and didn't really figure out what unit of measure one "click" on the X/Y settings correlates to.
     
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    From Steiner (actually Burris):

    To check the updated values you need to go again through M Menu  Zeroing. Select the device between A, B, C, D, E options. You will now see the new values at the top of the screen
    You will need to select the profile you zeroed and should see the reticle is located in the same spot of the screen as when you zeroed it.
    It is normal for the reticle to move the opposite direction of the arrow press.
    every push of the button corresponds to 2 cm if you shoot 100m or 0.8 inch at 100 yards and 1cm if you shoot 50m distance or .4 inch at 50 yards)

    This manual has some better details than the paper manual. The English zeroing instructions start on page 23.
     
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    They sent me an RMA after a phone call to CS.
    8x won't save adjustments.
    1x is off a poster board at 50yrds.
    Haven't tried 2x or 4x.

    Email says 14-16 week turnaround 😞
    $95 assessment fee after warranty from date of purchase or date of manufacture.
    We'll see how it pans out.

    Put a T6xi 3-18 on in its place. Return to zero with ARC mount was within .2mils at 100yards, so there was that as a positive.
     
    Last edited:
    TheHebrewHammer said:
    The warranty use to be 2 years on electronics, what happened?
    Click to expand...

    Edited the above post. Got my emails crossed up.

    From Steiner:
    "Attention: If your product is out of warranty a $95.00 assessment fee is required. If you do not have a purchase receipt the date of manufacture will be utilized for the warranty."
     
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