Kirsch
Active member
I did some testing last night of the Sightmark Wraith's night vision capabilities. Here is the video from the test. My test information and conclusions below.
Test 1: IR Light Sources
I used 3 light sources including the Wraith Stock IR, T20 Evolva IR off Amazon, and a TNVC Torch. The first thing I did was look at all 3 using a digital night vision video camera. This allowed me to see the intensities of each light. TNVC had already warned me the Torch is not designed for Digital Night Vision. Analog and digital night vision are very different and having an IR light source optimized for each is a better option. There is a good video explaining the differences that can be viewed here. I only tested the stock IR and T20 after the initial test.
Test2: Coyote Decoy - 100 Yards
I started by putting a coyote decoy on a road with absolutely no elevation. This is a difficult test for Night Vision as the light has nothing to illuminate with the lack of terrain. The first test was 100 yards. The Stock IR and the T20 both had no trouble with this test. The T20 was slightly brighter but both were fine.
Test3: Coyote Decoy - 200 yards
For this test, I elevated the Tripod to a standing position to get the light a little bit off the ground. The Stock IR did OK as the decoy was still visible. The T20 was better. It isn't as obvious in the video, but it was noticeable through the eyepiece.
Test4: Deer in field
I wanted to get some footage of live animals, so found some deer grazing in a soybean field. The soybeans make it harder to see the deer but again it showed viewing with Night Vision under less than perfect conditions. The Stock IR did Ok, with trees visible out past 300 yards and the deer visible at 175 yards. The T20 definitely was stronger in this test with the deer showing a lot more contrast as well as more visible at similar ranges. I also show what the same deer looked like using my Pulsar Helion XP38.
My Conclusion:
I would say the night abilities of the Wraith are a slight step up from my previous ATN XSight II. I cannot give a comparison to the 4K. The stock IR on the Wraith surprised me as there wasn't as much of a drop-off from the T20 as I expected. I am sure there are better (more expensive) IR sources that would really help any Digital Night Vision Scope. From my testing, I would be confident in saying the stock IR will get to probably 150-200 yards in most situations and the T20 probably gets you another 50-100 yards past that.
Is it useable? The answer is yes. As a spotter, it really wouldn't be ideal with the exception of seeing eye shine. However, if you use a thermal spotter and shoot with the Wraith, it could work as a coyote solution for some. Some of the disadvantages in comparison to standard Gen3 Night Vision is the amount of IR light required as well as the hunter's visible signal. The more direct and focused the IR source is, the bigger/more visible the IR Emitter Signature is to the animals.
Would I trade it for thermal, the answer is absolutely no, but for around $500, when you add the fact that it can be used to capture very good daytime video, it offers some nice features at a very attractive price.
Test 1: IR Light Sources
I used 3 light sources including the Wraith Stock IR, T20 Evolva IR off Amazon, and a TNVC Torch. The first thing I did was look at all 3 using a digital night vision video camera. This allowed me to see the intensities of each light. TNVC had already warned me the Torch is not designed for Digital Night Vision. Analog and digital night vision are very different and having an IR light source optimized for each is a better option. There is a good video explaining the differences that can be viewed here. I only tested the stock IR and T20 after the initial test.
Test2: Coyote Decoy - 100 Yards
I started by putting a coyote decoy on a road with absolutely no elevation. This is a difficult test for Night Vision as the light has nothing to illuminate with the lack of terrain. The first test was 100 yards. The Stock IR and the T20 both had no trouble with this test. The T20 was slightly brighter but both were fine.
Test3: Coyote Decoy - 200 yards
For this test, I elevated the Tripod to a standing position to get the light a little bit off the ground. The Stock IR did OK as the decoy was still visible. The T20 was better. It isn't as obvious in the video, but it was noticeable through the eyepiece.
Test4: Deer in field
I wanted to get some footage of live animals, so found some deer grazing in a soybean field. The soybeans make it harder to see the deer but again it showed viewing with Night Vision under less than perfect conditions. The Stock IR did Ok, with trees visible out past 300 yards and the deer visible at 175 yards. The T20 definitely was stronger in this test with the deer showing a lot more contrast as well as more visible at similar ranges. I also show what the same deer looked like using my Pulsar Helion XP38.
My Conclusion:
I would say the night abilities of the Wraith are a slight step up from my previous ATN XSight II. I cannot give a comparison to the 4K. The stock IR on the Wraith surprised me as there wasn't as much of a drop-off from the T20 as I expected. I am sure there are better (more expensive) IR sources that would really help any Digital Night Vision Scope. From my testing, I would be confident in saying the stock IR will get to probably 150-200 yards in most situations and the T20 probably gets you another 50-100 yards past that.
Is it useable? The answer is yes. As a spotter, it really wouldn't be ideal with the exception of seeing eye shine. However, if you use a thermal spotter and shoot with the Wraith, it could work as a coyote solution for some. Some of the disadvantages in comparison to standard Gen3 Night Vision is the amount of IR light required as well as the hunter's visible signal. The more direct and focused the IR source is, the bigger/more visible the IR Emitter Signature is to the animals.
Would I trade it for thermal, the answer is absolutely no, but for around $500, when you add the fact that it can be used to capture very good daytime video, it offers some nice features at a very attractive price.
