Tag Archives: thermal

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

Vector Optics Owlset HEIM ES X-NANO RSS08

At the Vector Optics booth at Shot Show 2026, I discovered the smallest thermal optic I’d ever seen, the Owlset HEIM ES X-Nano RSS08. This thermal optic has an ACRO and is sized between an enclosed pistol red dot and an EOTech holosight.

The RSS08 is powered by an 18280/CR2 battery and came with 3 cells in the box along with a USB-C combatible charger. Each cell is rated to run the unit for up to 3.5 hours (in standby/sleep mode). The unit can also be powered and recharged using a USB-C port.

The RSS08 is not just a thermal imager, but it is also a thermal camera, allowing the user to record video and photo stills. The unit has about 14-16GB of internal memory. The RSS08 model can be connected via WiFi to an Owlset mobile App to control the camera and to download files. Or you can download the files via the USB-C port to your computer.

Its 1.4″ LCD display screen is a touch display which allows for gesture controls and access to the menu. Two external control buttons allow additional access the menu and activate/deactivate the unit. The RSS08 offers 6 false-color modes to display hot/cold objects and 10 reticle options for targeting. The default PURE MODE setting must be deactivated before the reticles are available.

Nighttime, hand-held testing did reveal the unsuitability of using the RSS08 as a pistol optic. I was able to clearly ID human and varmint-sized objects in complete darkness over 100 yards away. But the rapid movement of the LCD screen under recoil would make it unreadable in rapid fire. On a rifle, it would necessitate very slow semi-fire. On a pistol slide, impossible.

Moreover, the light spill from the screen would easily give the user’s position away to another human. To an animal, this wouldn’t be as alarming as the noise we make walking around at night. And before using this thermal on a firearm, you should consult your local hunting and gun laws.

One major drawback to using the RSS08 as a combat or patrol optic is water. The RSS08 is IPX6 water-resistant, able to survive rain and water spills. But as anybody with a phone knows, moisture renders LCD touchscreens inoperable until they can be wiped dry.

Where I see this mini thermal being used is co-mounted to a red dot or other optic. The box comes with an ACRO to Picatinny adapter plate, and Vector Optics makes a selection of adapters. The RSS08 isn’t the firearms optic as I’d originally hoped, but it is a capable and affordable full-featured thermal camera.

BUY

Vector Optics get 12% Off using code: MOONDOG
https://vector2007.com/VEOT-RSS08

SPECS

X-NANO RSS08

Infrared Resolution: 256×192 / 12μm

Frame Rate: 50Hz

Magnification: 0.5x /1x

NETD: ≤40 mK

Detection Range: ≤ 600m (656.17yds)

Recognition Range: ≤ 150m (164.04yds)

Angular Field of View: 13.5° × 10.1°

Focus Range: 5m – ∞

Display Screen: 1.4

Pseudo-Color Modes: White Hot, Black Hot, Hot Iron, Rainbow, Iron Red, Cold Color

Reticle: 10 Reticle Options with 5 Color Modes (Black / White / Red / Green / Yellow)

Weight: 123 g / 4.34 oz

Dimension: 51×43×46 mm / 2.01×1.69×1.81 in

Wi-Fi & App Support: Yes

Waterproof: IP66

Shockproof: 1000 G

Battery Type (Not Include): 16280, 900 mAh

Operating Duration: 3.5h

Charging Interface: USB Type-C, 5 V

Operating Temperature: -20°C to 60°C / -4°F to +140°F

Shooting Sports

SHOT2026 Vector Owlset HEIM ES X-NANO

https://youtu.be/ptUbZL2eECk

At the Vector Optics booth at SHOT show, I got hands-on with an Owlset HEIM ES X-NANO mini thermal pistol sight. This claims to be the world’s smallest pistol-mountable thermal optic. Holosun has a similarly sized optic display but that actually comes in two parts, with a camera section mounted like a pistol light. This Owlset is a self-contained unit, with the lens in its front. It utilizes Vector Optics VOD footprint, which is a variant of the AimPoint ACRO. Vector Optics offers MOS, RMR, and Picatinny adapter plates.

The MSRP was tentatively targeted to be under $600, but with US tarrifs, that’s anybody’s guess at this point? But it’s already available in Asia and set to be released in Q1 here in the US.

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

SHOT 2025 XVision thermals

XVision specializes in digital optics. At SHOT Show 2025 I got a chance to see their Flex series of compact thermal scanners and sights. The Flex2 won Outdoor Life’s “Best Thermal Optic” award because of its high resolution and compact size. These thermals ran from $2500-$3000 MRP, but what caught my eye was their Shadow 100 night vision scanner because it has an MSRP of $149.

BUY

Amazon https://amzn.to/4h9X7qT

Shooting Sports

SHOT 2025 Athlon Budget Thermal Scope

Athlon Optics released a slew of new products at SHOT Show 2025, but one of the most exciting is a budget-priced thermal scope, the Cronos ATS Pro 25p. This high-performance thermal scope will have a retail price of around $699 with a 1024×768 OLED HD display to provide a sharp, high contrast view with vivid color.

As Dustin said, Athlon has been offering shooters great value, and with these updates, even more so. I look forward to trying out all of these new products in the coming year.

BUY

Amazon https://amzn.to/44jeGlx

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

SHOT2025 Discovery Optics Thermal

Discovery Optics is known for making high-quality optics for ridiculously affordable prices. But what I discovered at their SHOT Show 2025 booth was something even more surprising than a new scope, it was a prototype of a budget thermal scanner.

It was closer to a pre-production model than a rough prototype. The body was milled aluminium and the controls and displays were well thought out. The unit was about the size of an EOTech holographic sight. It has a QD Picatinny base that mates with an included handle.

Its primary use is as a handheld thermal scanning camera to look for living creatures such as game or search-and-rescue. Because of its base, it could be mounted onto a rifle rail and has been recoil-rated to .308 and higher. There was a high-resolution and a cheaper low-resolution version.

DISCOVERY OPTICS https://www.discoveryopt.com

Shooting Sports

New iAiming iA-612 Thermal Scope

I have very little experience with thermal optics because they’re so damn expensive. But what I do know is that cheap thermal scopes are pretty much a waste of time. I stopped by the iAiming booth because it was literally across the isle after my visit to Athlon and it was well worth my effort.

iAiming is an Australian based company with US sales offices in Texas. The showed me their newest scope, the iA612 which MSRP’s for $5799 with a street price closer to $5500. One of the nice things about SHOT Show is getting hands on with products I in no way can hope to afford.

The ia-612 has a digital zoom from 2.4x-19.2x and a digital viewfinder with 1024×768 resolution. It offers the user the ability to range find and to choose one of 6 different reticle types. It has built-in WiFi which allows you to broadcast the scope’s view a phone App so your friends can see real time scope views and potentially spot for you.

The newest feature that iAming was showcasing with the ia-612 is an automatic 1-shot zero feature. When you set it up on the onboard menu, the self-zero feature detects the heat signature that a bullet leaves on a paper target. The scope will automatically re-zero the reticle to that hole and Bobs your uncle, you’re zero’d out. That’s something I’d like to test out myself.

Short Elon Musk randomly gifting 1000 shares of Tesla to Twitter users with “moon” and “dog”in their handle, it’s not likely I’ll get a chance to test one myself. There is hope that iAiming might send me an evaluation model but we’ll see.

This scope is available on Optic Planet using my Affiliate Link: https://shrsl.com/3yk3j