The ZEISS name is a byword for quality when it comes to all things optical. It is also often associated with the word ‘expensive’, but there’s some good news because the price of the DTI 1/19 thermal monocular has been reduced by most retailers by more than a third to fall comfortably within our £1,000 budget.
At 175mm (6.9”) long and weighing only 360g (12.7 ounces), the cylindrical, slightly torpedo, shape fits naturally in the hand and will slip easily into a coat pocket if you opt not to use the provided lanyard. You get a zip up case too, but for some reason there are no belt loops.
What you do get is a 384x288 12μm 35mK thermal sensor which ZEISS claims has a 1,000m range. In the real world, I found the DTI 1/19 more than acceptable for picking out quarry at airgun ranges and beyond.
Image clarity can be fine-tuned using a collar on the front. As you’d expect, it is sharpest at the base 1.8x magnification with clarity softening as you work through the 4x digital zoom. That said, I found it easily capable of distinguishing either end of a rat at 20 metres throughout the range.
A shaped eyecup helps block out any peripheral interference and the 1280x960px LCOS display is clean with helpful but discreet indicators for magnification, battery level and wifi status. Turning a small dial to the left of the eyepiece focuses the display image.
An array of five buttons on top are both large and well-spaced making them easy to locate, distinguish and operate in the dark, even when wearing gloves. Holding down the power button switches on the DTI 1/19 in around seven seconds. A short press puts it into an instant wake up mode and there’s an option for a 30mins to five hours auto switch off feature.
The top button in the main cluster of four takes photos with a short press, and video with a long press, all stored on an 8GB internal memory which is accessed either via 2.4 Ghz IEEE 802.11b/g/n WLAN or a USBN data cable which also charges the DTI 1/19. ZEISS says you can expect around 6.5 hours of use.
Short presses on the left and right central buttons scroll through magnification range. The range increases in 0.5 steps but comes down in a single smooth transition to help track moving targets. Left-handers will like the fact the two buttons are duplicates of each other.
Short presses on the bottom button scroll through eight colour palettes – I found white hot and black hot best for my eyes. A long press calls up the main menu which is navigated by the two zoom buttons. The picture in picture (PIP) feature provides a welcome step up in magnification, and the hot spot function automatically latches onto the strongest heat source. Activating the wifi function means you can also take advantage of the free ZEISS hunting app.
It’s a fact of airgun hunting life that we are conditioned to think we need products, especially optics, that are designed for significantly higher performance than we actually need given the ranges we airgunners are limited to.
Of course, high performance things are better. But how often do we end up paying top dollar for something and end up using only a fraction of its capability? It’s like buying a Ferrari and only ever popping to the corner shop for a pint of milk.
I mention all this as a means of getting to my main point. The Pixfra Mile 2 M215M is not the best thermal monocular – nor is it the worst – but it delivers good value and is much more than adequate for airgun use. The 12μm sensor has a 35mK NETD rating. However, the relatively low 256px resolution does compromise image clarity.
What the Mile 2 M215M does have going for it is its price. And it will still tell you if something warm and furry is in the immediate vicinity – especially with the hotspot function enabled – and worth checking out with your IR scope.
The cylindrical shape is nicely designed and has a very tactile, almost soft, rubber feel to it. It took me a while to realise that the power button is incorporated within the logo on the left, but once pressed, the Mile 2 M215M is up and running in around eight seconds. A short press activates an instant wake up standby mode.
A collar on the objective lens end does its best to sharpen the image. Another collar on the eye lens focuses the 800x600 OLED display. The base magnification of 2.33x is augmented by a 2-8x digital zoom which is accessed via the bottom button and simply makes the picture fuzzier.
Short presses on the middle button scroll through six different colour modes. A long press calls up a comprehensive menu that includes all the usual brightness and contrast settings as well as wifi activation.
Also included is a stadiametric rangefinder which is operated by using the top and bottom buttons to frame a target within two horizontal lines. An algorithm then calculates an approximate distance according to one of four different quarry types.
The top button also operates the camera function with a short press, and video with a long press. Footage is stored onto a 16GB internal memory and downloaded via a supplied data cable that plugs into a port on the underside. The cable and port are also used to charge an onboard battery that Pixfra says will deliver up to 9.5 hours of use.
You may not have heard of Nocpix before, but fear not, as the technology is powered by InfiRay and the brand is focused specifically on the outdoor pursuits market.
The Lumi L19 thermal monocular is one of four models and sits just above the P13 entry model. In addition, Nocpix offers another four more thermals in the Vista range.
The Lumi L19 thermal monocular has an IP67 waterproof rating and feels solid despite weighing only 335g (11.8 ounces). At 139mm (5.5 inches), it fits easily in the hand with a shape that makes easy work of orienting it the right way up in the dark. A pouch that fits onto a belt is provided, as is a lanyard.
A 384x288,12μm thermal sensor delivers a sharp image that will easily identify airgun quarry at sensible shooting distances throughout most of the 2-8x digital zoom, especially as you can tweak the focus via a ridged collar on the front of the 19mm objective lens, which is protected by a push-on and tethered cap.
Holding down the front power button gets you up and running in around seven seconds and a short press puts the Lumi L19 into a standby mode with another short press waking it up again. A sculpted rubber eye cup does a good job of blocking out any peripheral distractions. Rotating a dioptre collar brings the AMOLED 1024x768 display into sharp relief with a raft of onscreen indicators including battery life, wifi status, microphone status and magnification setting.
A short press on the menu button brings up items you will need most often including brightness and contrast settings and seven colour palette options. A long press calls up a longer menu that includes options for wifi, the passcode for which is 12345678, and a couple of image enhancers as well as an Electronic Image Stabiliser (EIS) located in the settings sub menu. I found it worth spending time working through the various options to fine tune the image.
The two other buttons navigate the menu options. In addition, short presses on the ‘up’ button scroll through the magnification range and a long press activates a picture in picture mode that doubles the main window magnification.
Short and long presses on the ‘down’ arrow take photos and record video respectively onto a 32GB internal memory. Download is via a provided data cable that inserts into a port on the right of the unit.
Nocpix says you can expect up to 4.5 hours of run time from a rechargeable 18650 battery that is inserted into a cavity below the viewing lens. Two batteries are provided, as is a charger.
Yes, this is the second product from Nocpix, but at just over £500, we think it’s a product you should take a look at, or through, if you’re on a budget.
The P13 comes with a lanyard so you can hang it around your neck, but I struggled to fit it. Fortunately, you also get a belt-mounted carry pouch, but at just 134mm (5.5 inches) long – the same as the L19 model – and 310g (11 ounces), the Lumi P13 pops into a jacket pocket easily enough.
The body is ergonomically designed to fit your hand and ensure the buttons come naturally to your fingers. And an IP67 rating means you can use the P13 in inclement weather without issue.
With an 18650 battery – you get two and a charger – inserted into the cavity just below the eye piece, you can expect a combined run time of seven or eight hours. In any case, spares are cheap enough.
Given the Lumi P13’s price point, you might be forgiven for expecting it to have fewer features than more expensive models. However, a seven-colour palette, picture in picture (PIP) function, wifi, and the ability to adjust brightness and contrast cover more than the basics.
Pressing the bottom of four buttons takes photos and holding it down records video onto a 32GB internal memory that is downloaded by inserting the supplied data cable, which is also used with the battery charger, into the type C port on the right side.
Thanks to a 256x192 12m ≤20 NETD, mk thermal sensor, the image also belies the Lumi P13’s affordable price. There’s no objective lens collar to adjust focus, instead, tweaking the ocular dial will do the job.
As you’d expect, the image degrades as you move through the 2-8x digital zoom by pressing the button below the main power button, but not by much, and I found the image perfectly useable throughout most of the range.
The same dial will also adjust sharpness on the AMOLED 1024x768 display, which is augmented by a rubber eyecup to limit external light ingress.
Nocpix says the Lumi P13 will detect thermal signatures up to 670 metres away. That sounds like a bit of a stretch, especially for airgun quarry size targets, but thermal indications for rabbits at 200 metres wasn’t a problem.
The thermal spotter market has exploded in recent years. The simple fact is that even in the pitch dark, thermal technology will reveal anything with a pulse – even if it is partially hidden by long grass and light brush.
I know we throw the term around too readily, but thermal spotters are simply a game changer, especially as they are just as effective in daylight.
The only issue is that they can cost a small fortune – more than the best PCP air rifles in some cases. And don’t forget that if hunting in the dark is your thing you will probably have already shelled out on a digital infrared day and night scope.
Fortunately, thermal prices have started to drop and, realising they are simply a fiscal step too far for many of us, manufacturers have introduced models priced at less than £1,000.
Lots of things go into the making of a decent thermal spotter and time spent doing some research is vital. Design, range, magnification, usability – all these things are useful.
However, to my mind, the overriding requirement is image quality. And that largely comes down to the thermal sensor.
The best way to determine which is best for you is, of course, to take a bunch of thermal spotters out at night and try them all. Unfortunately, few gun shops are that accommodating and most of us are limited to peering through them at a show or researching as best we can via the internet.
As a general rule, when it comes to sensors, the higher the pixel value, measured in microns, and the lower NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) sensitivity rating – measured in millikelvins – the better.
We’ve all heard the adage that ‘you get what you pay for’ and, generally speaking, it applies to thermal spotters. So, in this price range we have to be realistic, and the simple fact is that none of these spotters provide an image that is as sharp as more expensive products.
But that’s fine and as long as you are clear on this point, none of the products in this review will disappoint. Ultimately, their job is to enable you to look around a farmyard or across a field and let you know if something warm – a potential target – is present and worth checking out with your infrared scope, which will provide you with a sharp image for confident quarry identification and accurate shot placement.
First published 18th January 2025
