Check out the new Arken Optics Zulus 520x Day/Night Digital Scope! It is no surprise that Arken once again delivered a scope that far exceeds it's price point.
The scope comes with everything you need including an extra battery and a miniSD card to record video. Battery life seems great as I have run it for about 2 hours now and still have juice left plus the spare battery.
In this video we unbox and mount the Zulus scope. I made a mistake attaching the mount to the optic so you may save yourself some time by watching this first.
First Impressions: BUY IT!!! Smaller and lighter than expected. Build quality is excellent. The battery compartment on the IR light and the cap for the SD card were super tight and sealed well making me believe it could withstand both water and dust. The clarity on the screen is unreal. It is significantly sharper than I thought it would be at this price point. The IR light has multiple brightness settings and worked incredibly well in complete darkness. The menu and controls are intuitive and easy to navigate. Connecting the scope to my phone via wifi was easy. It allows you to adjust settings and download media files without removing the SD card.
Criticism:
The focus is super fine! Maybe too fine where it could be difficult to spot animals at night without adjusting the focus to look both near and far. I have not used it on a hunt yet so stay tuned for a followup video from the field.
The zoom/magnification wheel is really small and may be difficult to adjust with gloves or in cold conditions. It is placed in the right spot though as I found it easy to operate without having to pull my eye away from the scope. I may have preferred something larger like a 5 position throw lever.
Wifi connection to my iPhone. No issues connecting. I was able to control the scope; adjust the reticle, magnification, IR settings, download media files, etc but I was unable to get a live picture from the scope. I am not sure if it is supposed to do that or not. It could be my phone/optic setting I am missing or it may require an update to the Arken Optics app for my iPhone 12. I don't think I would ever use that function in the field so this is really only relevant to me while testing.
Brightness & Night Blindness: I have made adjustments to the brightness settings but I find anytime I look through it for a prolonged period it is hard for my eyes to adjust; especially at night! After looking at that screen and then pulling your head away from the optic I almost feel blind in that eye for a little bit. That is common though with any scope/thermal with a digital screen.
SUBSCRIBE to the channel as I plan to post a followup video after zeroing the scope and using it on a hunt.
One lucky hunter is going to win this optic along with several other incredible items in the Apex Predator league inside the HuntLeague mobile app. Download it today from the App Store. The app and league are both FREE to join. The Apex Predator League runs April 1March 31st each year.
https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/zulus...
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