Pulsar Helion XP38 and Hogster-R 35mm: Take 2

Kirsch

Kirsch

Active member
My first attempt at putting out a Helion XP38 and Hogster 35mm video did not have the video quality I was trying to achieve. Many of you commented the video quality seemed lower than normal especially for the Helion XP38. I agree. I had been having some video issues with the XP38 since the last firmware update. Due to this, I reformatted the internal memory, and reset the XP38 back to Original Settings, and then adjusted the brightness and contrast. This seemed to help get the XP38 back to a quality I have come to expect.

Test Subjects: Deer ranging from 70 yards to 300 and a rabbit around 125 yards

Conditions: 75% Humidity

Recording Devices: Pulsar Internal Recording and an external DVR for the Hogster

Rests: The Pulsar video is a little shakier as the Hogster was mounted on my rifle giving greater support. The Pulsar was mounted to a monopod.

Video Quality: Whenever recording thermal devices, the video almost never looks as good as it did through the eyepiece. Video editing and posting to YouTube degrades the video quality as well. Another factor to consider is the humidity level. This video was taken at 75% humidity which will yield a very different result compared to a lower %.

Taking all of this into consideration, when looking at this video I believe it gives a more fair comparison of the two thermals. To my eyes both through the eyepiece and watching the video shows the XP38 has a wider field of view, with a crisper/cleaner image. The Hogster image is more magnified, brighter, with a little extra detection range, but the animals appear more saturated. The magnification difference appears greater than 1.9x compared to 2x. Hopefully, this video will show both thermals are very good and can help you with your outdoor adventures.

The video will look better if watched on YouTube and set to HD.

 
Out F'ing standing video. U out done urself. That looked way way better. Excellent job. Can't believe the amount of difference in the image fov and magnification between the 2.

That hogster almost looks like a 4x instead of a native 2x
 
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Great. Good comparison. That’s for all the effort you put into these types of videos, Korey. I know everyone appreciates it.
 
Originally Posted By: Catdog1Out F'ing standing video. U out done urself. That looked way way better. Excellent job. Can't believe the amount of difference in the image fov and magnification between the 2. That hogster almost looks like a 4x instead of a native 2x My personal opinion is the Pulsar magnification rating (1.9x) seems high and the Hogster (2.x) seems low. The Hogster isn't anywhere near 3 or 4x, but there is a very noticeable difference between the two thermals. The Pulsar has a much wider FOV as well.
 
That really makes the helion look sub par, but you did say pulsars internal video does not do it justice.

In your opinion and not tryi g to get a sale which one has the better view to your eye? I have been told the helon xp 38 can sometimes look as good as my n vision halo lr
 
The quick answer is the image seems slightly better on the Pulsar XP38 compared to the Hogster- R 35 to my eye. For those who want more detail read on.

First for anyone that really wants to compare the video, make sure to watch the video on a large monitor and set the video quality to HD in YouTube. If you are watching it on phone or small device, the video is too small to really see the detail.

When using a thermal in elevated humidity even Trijicon, N-Vision, Pulsar and other higher end thermals struggle. Low humidity makes poor thermals look good, and makes good thermals look fantastic. High humidity makes poor thermals useless, and good thermals just OK. I even ran the footage past Pulsar to make sure I wasn't misrepresenting the quality of a Pulsar Helion XP38 in high humidity.

If you get a chance to record some N-Vision video in high humidity, it would be great to see how it turns out. There is a reason I state the humidity on many of my videos because it makes a huge difference.

2nd, I get no commissions on sales, so my recommendations or comments have nothing to do with a sale. My prostaff position with Night Goggles is to test and record various thermals and provide my experiences with Predator Masters and other sites. Night Goggles carries Pulsar, Trijicon, Bering Optics and other brands so there is no reason to slant my judgement towards one of these thermals vs the other.

Now on to the question, if you are saying clarity/quality of image alone through the eyepiece, the Helion XP38 is slightly better to my eye. It also has a wider FOV, internal recording, stream vision integration, and a longer lasting battery.

For the Hogster, the image quality isn't far behind as it is still very good just slightly grainier. My hunting partner would say he actually prefers the image of the Hogster. The image is a little more saturated. I have used them at the same time long enough to say the Hogster-R 35 has a longer detection range. It can be used as both a scope and a scanner, has a 1 year longer warranty, and is more than 1K less expensive. They are both good thermals, and I own them both. The Hogster is more versatile and is less expensive so the reason it is so popular at the moment.

There is so much more to picking a thermal vs does one thermal have a slightly clearer or sharper picture. It is image, magnification, field of view, features, price, functionality, and more. Most people get too caught up in one factor like resolution or micron count. You asked a very simple question and I went into a long explanation because there is so much more to consider.
 
Thank you for your explanation, pretty sure a couple of us qill be ordering a hogster r and checking them out to see how they look to our eyes as everyones eye is different. I shared your comparisons with the guys i know well and they were impressed, so thank you for the goos comparison.

I may have a recorder soon to play with and waiting on a great recirder to be released in a month or so for the n vision. I have been out on wet nights and only comparing to the old 35 prg micro i used to run the n vision is amazing even in the humidity. I will see what i can get you though.
 
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