I have the FLIR RS64 35mm and the IR Hunter MarkII 35mm. Both are $6500 it but deals can be found. One thing I have been thankful for was the advice I got here on PM to buy from a reputable seller. You get what you pay for in night vision and thermal. Most of my purchases have been through TNVC. They have been excellent. I had a tube burn out in a Aquila 4x when I first bought it. They sent it back to the manufacture and ended up sending me a new scope. They are both excellent scopes and you can't go wrong with either. I had the FLIR for a year and have killed a bunch of hogs with it. Last fall, the FLIR RS scopes were the best scope on the market for the $. My thoughts:
FLIR RS64 35mm: Better FOV. 1x optical & 8x digital zoom. I spend most of my time in 2x where I hunt in West Texas. I know 1x has better FOV but due to the rocks and heat here, the 2x gives be better definition when scanning. I'll zoom in to 4x for the first shot then pop back out to 2x or 1x for the runners (I like to make sure I have at least one down to take a hog selfie!). Internal battery is a bit of a pain and you have to remember to charge it before you hunt but over a couple of night hunts it will last. Controls are easy and color options available. You can get a portable charger as mentioned above but that is a minor of a hassle. You have to remember to have you backup battery charged as well... FLIR has excellent reputation and warranty.
Mark II 35mm: Smaller FOV but able to go out more distance. For open areas at 100+ yards this is a better scope for me. (Up close you would want the 19mm with a much better FOV). Scope is 2.5x optical and up to 20x digital. I don't find anything past 10x useful and spend most of my time in 2.5 and 5x. Resolution is much more clear on the MARK II and image quality is better during the day ( I have not update the firmware yet on my FLIR, so in fairness, my opinion may change). Black and white only, no color options (color makes for cool pictures but white and black hot are best and this scope has 3 settings of each). Replaceable CR123 batteries are a plus but 2 will only last about 4 hours. Bought a battery expansion cap so it will last longer but you will need to buy the lithium batteries in bulk if you hunt a lot. The cheap plastic eye piece in the back of the scope falls off all the time. I have seen other options available but have not tried them yet.
You can hook up either to a DVR to record your hunts. Both have Larue lever mounts which are the absolute best in my opinion. Both are easy to use and sight in. I had an issue with a couple of pixels burning out in my Mark II. I called IR defense and they sent me a shipping label and had it back to me fixed in a week. Customer service was awesome. I have heard the same regarding FLIR. If I were to buy right now, having used both scopes, I would give the edge to the MARK II. Good luck with your choice.
