HikMicro Stellar 3.0 SH35 Thermal Riflescope

With the HikMicro Stellar 3.0 SH35 you get a thermal rifle scope that picks up even the slightest temperature difference: the NETD value (thermal sensitivity) is as low as 15 mK, which means even subtle heat sources appear clearly on the screen. The display runs via an OLED screen with a resolution of 2560x2560 pixels and a refresh rate of 50 Hz, providing a smooth and comfortable image during extended observations. On the recording side there is a thermal image sensor of 384x288 pixels with a pixel pitch of 12 µm, combined with a 35 mm objective.

Depending on the conditions in which you are looking, you switch between different color displays. On the SH35 you have a choice of these modes:

• White hot
• Black hot
• Fusion
• Red hot
• Green monochrome
• Red monochrome

If you want to bring things closer without losing the overall picture, the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) mode comes in handy. The rifle scope starts at an optical magnification of 4.2x and offers digital zoom levels of 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x and 6x on top of that; at the highest setting you reach a total magnification of 24.2x. Thanks to PIP, you make use of that magnification while maintaining an overview. The field of view measures 13.1 x 10.0 meters.

You can take photos and record videos with sound directly from the scope. In addition to manual recording, there is a recoil-activation function: as soon as recoil is detected, recording starts automatically. Everything is stored on the internal memory of 64 GB. Via the Hotspot function, you share files over Wi-Fi and stream the live feed to your smartphone — and via the same route you also update the firmware.

In terms of appearance, the Stellar 3.0 deliberately keeps it understated: it looks like a conventional rifle scope, while you meanwhile benefit from all the thermal imaging functions built into it. The power supply consists of two internal, rechargeable lithium batteries plus one rechargeable and replaceable 18650 battery. With this you can operate for up to nine hours before recharging is needed — more than enough for a long session in the field.

The housing is made of aluminum and weighs 800 grams, measured without the external 18650 battery. Thanks to the IP67 certification, the device is completely dustproof and can be submerged up to one meter deep for a maximum of 30 minutes. Mounting is simple thanks to the 30 mm tube diameter, a common size that many sport shooters can work with.