p 9 Pulsar accolade XP50 Thermal Binoculars · Thermal Binoculars Despite initial misgivings about the design destroying his own natural night vision, Chris Parkin delights in the

22 www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

What’s new is that two eyepieces can be individually focused on the internal screen for a more balanced and less fatiguing view, according to Pulsar, and although very cynical initially, I now totally agree with this claim. The fact that you would lose night vision in both eyes, rather than just the one used for a monocular, still stands, but this issue isn’t always a problem, depending on what other kit you are using.

If you have a night vision or thermal riflescope with similarly illuminated internal screen, you are at no loss, but with a conventional riflescope at night, or perhaps when used during the day, especially near dusk, you will notice some loss of sensitivity.

Long periods spent scanning is fatiguing with any instrument, but more so with the bright imbalance on night

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Pulsar’s latest binocular, or bi-ocular to be precise, is the next step onward in the field of thermal observation. For those

familiar with Pulsar’s thermal units like the Helion and Quantum, this is

basically a Helion XP50 640x480 pixel resolution sensor with a matching internal 640x480 AMOLED display screen, showing off an 1,800m detection range of a man-sized object in optimum conditions.

Pulsar accolade XP50 Thermal Binoculars

Despite initial misgivings about the design destroying his own natural night vision, Chris Parkin delights in the comfortable viewing offered by the XP50

mini TEST Pulsar Accolade XP50 Thermal Binoculars On TEST

left: the IPS5 battery is a reliable foundation across the whole Pulsar range now

rrp£4,699.99

23www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

»


vision; this is less of an issue with the balance on both eyes, without the brain fighting two brightness controls in your head, so I did find myself scanning for longer and without the headache sometimes experienced with this sort of equipment.

I have always found that the eyepiece focus on digital NV and thermal kit can have a large visibly lit area or exit pupil, but only a tiny pinprick of it in focus. This leads to regular subconscious changes in positioning within your orbital socket, or fiddling with the eyepiece dioptre. This is no longer an issue as once the twin eyepieces are spaced for your eyes they lock in position between the orbits with folding rubber eye shields, and remain stationary on your head regardless of how often you move about in different positions or pick them up/lay them down.

The neck strap, being like a binocular with a similar storage case, allows them to hang central on your chest and not swing around like the Helions do. Weight is just shy of 600g, which is a blessing and feels less anyway with the neck strap padding and ergonomics. Plus, they are shorter in length than monoculars, so if you are also carrying binos you can more easily stack them one above each other on your chest.

Menu functions and buttons are laid out in a crucifix shape rather than a

straight line (clarinet style), so you aren’t continually counting buttons from back to front. Each button still has multiple press/hold options, but it’s all very simple with front, back, left and right, so much more intuitive than when lined up.

Baseline optical focus is 2.5x magnification, with full-screen digital zoom up to 20x in either smooth 0.1x steps, or 5/10/20x stages with the

upper central picture-in-picture zoom, which I love. Eight colour palettes are available with the main black or white equalling hot (the most usable to my mind as it’s the most natural look on screen), allowing gentler contrast detail and subconscious feel for landscape and topography, as well as just hotspot animals in the field of view.

The stadiametric rangefinder, although only a general guide for range

Massively improved external

and internal ergonomics

The same reliable internal

tech as the helion

ips5 batteries are reliable

reassuringly expensive tool

does the job with aplomb

You will sacrifice night vision in both eyes, but you can hold it up to just one when critical

pros

cons

above: folding rubber collars rotate to seal out unwanted

light from the sides

left: Padded neck strap for central chest hold without too much swaying around when walking

\\ two eyepieces can be individually focused on

the internal screen //

rIght: tripod socket and folding lens cap

stored away neatly below in use


»

24 www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk24 www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

\\ with the accolade, you feel more

involved with the environment – a

participant rather than a spectator //

25www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk

realistic ratio to time remaining. Experience has shown me these perform well at lower wintry temperatures too.

Lower resolution and price point XQ38 models are available, and I can see this being a fantastic tool for the price with all the same ergonomic benefits and functionality seen here. I don’t get too caught up just on resolution, nice as it is, because I still want to spend time watching an animal move, with smooth 50 Hertz refresh rate, to indicate its species, not just the fact that it is hot and soon to be targeted.

I would say the keywords for the benefits of the Accolade are that you feel more involved in the environment – a participant rather than a keyhole spectator.

When I was using the thermal at dusk, I tended to use it positioned in front of just one eye as this allowed me to retain more of the growing

night vision capability in my right eye that would be lined up on the daytime riflescope.

Spotting game among foliage as the light descends, especially rabbits along the grassy bases of hedgerows, is a challenge, and seeing them so easily

with thermal does not necessarily make it easier when the rifle

needs to be aligned and brought to bear, so it’s one to remember.

Even now, using a Helion, I tend to hold it to my left eye so as not to damage the right’s

hard-won low-light capability, but I agree with

Pulsar in that this does add to an imbalanced feel.

Image focus is controlled with a single central knob like a normal binocular, which is small and quite stiff although well-knurled for grip either gloved or bare-handed. It can, of course, be operated just as easily with either hand’s index or second finger. Reaching forward for the previous

in my opinion, will work in metres or yards, and is also easier to operate with a more tactile feel for the buttons and less force applied from one finger, while two complete hands hold the Accolade unit.

Wifi connectivity for the Stream Vision app is integrated for smartphone or tablet use as well as the familiar video and photographic tools, with 8GB of internal storage on board. This is accessed with the same mini USB cord that connects the charger.

The video and photographic functions also enjoy the lighter button press and more steady hold, and have the attached time stamp for later reference to time of movement.

It’s an expensive unit, so the IPX7-assured waterproof rating of 1m submersion for up to 30 minutes is very reassuring when it’s raining, and last but not least, the IPS5 battery (IPS10 for extended run time is available as an optional extra) is used for an honest eight-hour runtime with a realistic monitoring system within that shows battery capacity in direct,

»

it can take hours for the

human eye to reach full low-light capability, but

the biggest gains are made during the first five

to 10 minutes.


www.rifleshootermagazine.co.uk 25

above left: excellent resolution and seamless refresh rate from the 50 hz XP50 sensor on these 50m geese

above rIght: Stadiametric

rangefinder to bracket animals only

give approximate readings

below: the red colour can be useful for differentiating between temperature zones, noticeable on antlers (when in velvet) or limbs

below rIght: the fox appears at 195m,

sitting bolt upright. Note the approaching

horses in a neighbouring field


» collar around the 50mm objective lens on the Helion was no hardship, but you could guarantee the folding lens cap would flick closed or get in the way somehow, and this now holds and clips in place centrally below the Accolade, staying well out of the way. It almost covers the underside ¼" tripod socket, but if you are on a tripod, perhaps using your phone or tablet to stream the picture, chances are your hands are nowhere near that lens cap anyway and it can be left opened perpendicular hanging down.

Although the human pupil takes milliseconds to react, it can take up to 10 minutes for the cone cells in your eyes sensitive to red, green and blue light (five million of them like individual pixels) to get used to lower light levels.

A chemical within your eyes called rhodopsin becomes somewhat photo-bleached throughout the brightness of daylight and loses sensitivity. The rod cells that specialise in lower resolution black/white colour sensitivity can take several hours to reach full low-light capability, as that rhodopsin is chemically refreshed and reactivated within them to make them 100 to 1,000 times more sensitive than a cone cell.

Bear those facts in mind when assuming that full capability of night vision comes and goes in seconds, or even minutes, as it does not! One flash of bright light can send you back to part one, scene one of the night vision theatre – no damage done, but perhaps time wasted?

I don’t think there is any great benefit from advancing sensor technology allowing the Accolade to hugely kill off the Helion, but ergonomics and usability have been far improved by the addition of the extra eyepiece with a return to the more binocular shaped/square-bodied case we had on the Quantum a few years ago.

Technical SpecificaTionSMicroboloMeter resolution: 640x480, 17 micron

objective lens: F50/1.2

FraMe rate: 50Hz super-smooth refresh

MagniFication: 2.5x to 20x

rangeFinder: Stadiametric only

Field oF view: 12.4x9.3

range oF detection: 2,000 yards

weight: 589g

streaM vision: Integrated Video recording and Wifi

storage: 8GB internal capacity

Power suPPly: IPS5 battery pack with up to 8 hrs runtime

conTacTwww.scottcountry.

co.uk01556 503587

To me, the sacrifice of

binocular night vision in a world where electronic screens (which destroy it) are everywhere is

not the concern i once imagined,

because the usability of the accolade and its inherent

lower levels of eye and brain

strain are quite invigorating, and dare i say, worth

every penny. i will go as far as to offer my very own personal ‘accolade’ that i rarely apply

to any product: these accolades

create a visually relaxed environment.

verdicT



toP: two hands allow double the grip and twice the number of fingers to operate the controls

left: the focusing dial is firm but well knurled for grip with bare or gloved fingers

left: the padded carry case has space for the power supply, lead and charger

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p 9 Pulsar accolade XP50 Thermal Binoculars · Thermal Binoculars Despite initial misgivings about the design destroying his own natural night vision, Chris Parkin delights in the