Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
There were many new products for the thermal optics market at this year’s SHOT Show. New entrants and established brands had new offerings for nighttime hunters. One thing that caught my eye in the iRayUSA booth was the Finder FH35R V2 thermal rangefinding monocular from InfiRay Outdoor. This article will review this thermal laser rangefinder (LRF), but first some background.
Table of contents
Night Hunting
Hunting coyotes at night is something everyone should try at least once. It is my favorite outdoor activity. Many people kill far more coyotes than me – day or night – but I do get after it. I have introduced others to this activity. One thing that trips up newer night callers is accurately judging distance without some type of range finder. More experienced night hunters seem to have less trouble with this skill, but new night hunters nearly always struggle. When hunting new ground at night for the first time it is very helpful to have a rangefinder.
Most night coyotes are taken at 200 yards or less (similar to daytime), so the NEED for a nighttime LRF is debatable. However, as soon as you have a coyote hang up at a range you know is farther than 200 yards you will want an LRF. Another experience that will drive home the utility of a rangefinder at night is making a good steady shot and missing because you misjudged the distance. After doing everything else well, that can be frustrating. Both of these things have happened to me, so I prefer to have an LRF day or night.
Thermals
People frequently ask me what gear they should get for thermal night hunting. When you are getting started, you have some big choices to make: thermal or night vision, thermal scanner only or thermal rifle scope as well, and helmet-mounted scanner or handheld. There are advantages and disadvantages to every choice. Tradeoffs include cost (thermal costs more), effective detection (thermal is better), weight, onboard video recording, and do you want your neck to get tired (helmet mount) or do you want your arms to get tired (from using a handheld scanner). Probably the biggest choice is budget.
Having spent a lot of money on thermal and night vision I think one of the best things a guy can do is get a thermal scanner. Thermal shows you what’s important, whereas night vision, such as PVS-14s, shows you everything. Once you see that difference in person you will understand. To put that into perspective, imagine looking around at a greenish landscape with less than HD resolution (unless you have endless money and get 2600 FOM filmless white phosphor BNVDs). With green PVS-14 you see everything – the grass, the trees, the stars, the moon, everything.
Now switch to a thermal scanner. While you see almost the same landscape in the same resolution (or better) it is in black and white. More importantly, with thermal any animals will glow bright white (or black if you have your thermal on black hot). The difference is startling the first time you see it. It is truly remarkable. I have yet to have someone new to thermal devices try mine and not say “woooooooow.” Then they usually giggle.
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Finder FH35R V2
With all of the new thermal products coming out, it was only a matter of time for innovation and competition to collide. The Finder thermal scanner with LRF came out this year from InfiRay Outdoor. I have been testing one for several months on night hunts. I had other guys check it out and give me their impressions. Everybody likes this thing. The Finder is a lightweight (14.11 ounces), high-resolution (640×512) thermal scanner and LRF, and it is advertised to range out to 800 yards. In the field, I found it accurate at ranges well beyond 500 yards.
Although lightweight, the Finder FH35R housing is made of aluminum. It also only costs $2,499. Not long ago, getting anything in a 640-resolution thermal for that price was unheard of.
The Finder FH35R button layout is simple and easy to use. I showed my hunting buddy where the range button was and that’s all he needed. Thirty seconds later he spotted a coyote, which we subsequently called in and double-tapped. Continuous or single-ranging may be used, the former being more convenient but also more energy-consuming.
Speaking of power, the Finder comes with two rechargeable batteries, and we never had an issue with even the first one running out. I am unsure how long they last in practice, but they are advertised to last for 3+ hours. Run time will be dependent on temperature and features being used such as continuous ranging, video recording, and wifi. The Finder will take an external 5V power bank as well.
Finder FH35R V2 Features
Optical magnification is 2x and digital magnification is 4x (so 8x total), but the latter is not necessary for a scanner in most circumstances. The sensor is the 50hz InfiRay Outdoor MICRO II 640 and the display is an AMOLED 1024×768 screen. The objective lens is f/0.9 and the field of view is 12.6/9.6 (degrees horizontal/vertical). Both the objective and the ocular lenses may be focused, making for a very clear, crisp image. Internal storage boasts 32g, allowing ample room for tons of image and video capture. A USB-C port enables downloading pictures and video to your computer for editing and sharing.
You can also use the mini HDMI port if you want to set it up on a tripod with an external monitor. I didn’t do this, but you can. More features include a digital compass, manual or automatic NUC, a full-color palette (white hot, black hot, red hot, highlight, ironbow, or rainbow), picture-in-picture, and a microphone for the video.
Who is InfiRay Outdoor and who is iRayUSA?
InfiRay Outdoor is the global brand that produces the technology inside these thermal optics. They also produce technology for other applications. iRayUSA is the sales, marketing, and distribution company for these optics in the United States.
Hits
- Finder FH35R V2 image quality: 12 micron, 640×512 sensor resolution, 1024×768 AMOLED display, f/0.9 35mm objective lens, and Ultra Clear mode for use in fog
- Rangefinder: sleek design, nicely integrated, easy to use, and accurate
- Form factor: very lightweight, feels good in the hand, button layout intuitive and easy to use
- Warranty: 5/5 = 5-year warranty from iRayUSA that follows the unit, not the purchaser — iRayUSA will have your unit fixed or replaced within 5 days of receiving it back from you
- Price: $2499 for a 640 unit is pretty darn good even if it didn’t have a rangefinder
Misses
- Fog: while you can see well through the fog with the Ultra Clear mode, the LRF does not work in even light to moderate fog
- Buttons: the buttons could protrude a bit further to better feel with gloves on. Without gloves, they are just fine.
- Port location: if you put a dovetail mount on the bottom of the unit it covers up the USB ports. This is a minor irritation, but I’d rather mount the dovetail and forget it.
- Magnification indicator: the native magnification is 2x, so when the screen says “x1” it is really a 2x magnification. When you zoom into, say x2, you are really at 4x. Get it? I’d rather the screen indicate the current magnification the way a regular riflescope does.
READ MORE: Sightmark Releases New Wraith 4K 4X
Finder FH35R V2 Conclusion
The InfiRay Outdoor Finder FH35R V2 is the first thing I would buy if I were just getting into night hunting. It is packed with features, has great resolution as a thermal scanner, it ranges accurately, it’s relatively affordable, and nobody beats the iRayUSA warranty.
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