REVIEW β Weβve reviewed quite a few thermal imaging cameras here at the Gadgeteer, but long-range ones are rarer than the frequent reviews we get for short-range models. Iβve been thrilled to spot bighorn sheep and mountain goats during hikes near my house recently and jumped at the chance to add a long-range thermal camera to my kit in order to find these mountain animals more efficiently.
β¬οΈΒ Jump to summaryΒ (pros/cons)
Price: $499 ($699 with the Titan Screen add-on)
Where to buy: Thermal Master
What is it?
The Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope is a long-range thermal imaging camera. It can be displayed on a USB-connected phone or tablet, or you can buy the Thermal Master Titan Screen add-on to go along with the T2 camera. I was sent the base T2-Max camera with handle along with the Titan Screen to review.
Whatβs included?
- Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope
- Quick Guide
- 5000 mAH battery
- Thermal Scope protective case
- Hand grip and phone holder
- Extension USB cable
Tech specs
Detection range: 1640 Yards(1.8m Person)
Focal length: Lens of 15mmβlens of 21.2mm @17ΞΌm
IR resolution: 256Γ192@12ΞΌm high performance detector
Upscaling: XΒ³ Super Algorithm
Dual Image Processor: FPGA+ASIC,enhanced by 30%
NETD: β€20mK@25β,f/0.8
Magnification: 15X Zoom
Frame rate: 50 Hz
Battery life: 18 Hours,5000mAh Replaceable Battery, supports screen reverse charging
Reticles: 8 professional tactical modes +5 colors
Focus: Manual (twist)
Color palettes: White-hot/Black-hot/Red-hot/Iron red/Night vision green/White-Bird/Black-Bird
Viewfinder: Android app or Titan Screen add-on
Titan Screen Memory: LPDDR4X 2+8
Titan Screen size and resolution: 5 inch FHD 1920 x 1080
Titan Screen touch screen: supports wet hands and gloves, capacitive
Titan Screen battery: 2700 mAh
Titan Screen dimensions: 140.8 x 78 x 14.2 mm
Titan Screen weight: 171g
Titan Screen weather resistance: IP65
Design and features
The Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope itself is a small square camera. It arrived pre-installed in a nice ergonomic handle grip that houses the battery as well. A lens cap keeps the camera safe when not in use, and an integrated laser pointer (positioned just below the camera and activated by a trigger button on the front of the grip) can help orient yourself when viewing.
Picatinny rails on the left side and top of the handle allow for mounting various accessories (like their laser Rangefinder 600 pro add-on or other picatinny compatible items). You could also make use of these rails to mount the handle and camera itself to a hunting rifle or bow. A USB-C cable connects to the viewfinder (be it your phone or the Titan screen option).
The included phone mount holds said Titan screen or phone securely during use. Weather resistant covers keep the USB-C connectors on both sides of the handle dry during storage and transport (though Iβd worry about water ingress if you actively used this with USB cables connected during a downpour).
The thermal camera itself is focused by twisting the ring around the lens. A tripod mount on the bottom allows for tripod or monopod use as well.
A circular button on the back of the handle shows the battery level, which is charged by USB-C.
The optional Titan screen add-on is a rugged little phone-sized mini tablet with a 5 inch Full-HD touchscreen. It has an internal battery that can run for hours (I didnβt drop it more than 10% in hours of testing). It can be a bit hard to see in direct sunlight, though some of the color palettes available are much easier in sunlight versus others. I found the white-hot and red palette to be best for my eyes in sun glare conditions.
If you opt to use the Android app with a phone or tablet, you can record images and videos, as well as use a handy picture in picture function so you can more easily see what youβre imaging:
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Assembly, Installation, Setup
The Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope can be used out of the box if you are using the Titan screen add-on (after charging both the scope and screen of course). If youβre using your own device for a screen, youβll need the Thermal Master T2 Max app, which was easy to install and use. You can see some screenshots above, including the Picture in Picture (PIP) option.
Performance
While Iβm not a hunter myself, I do enjoy spotting game animals (as well as birds and other things that emit heat).Β I tested the Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope by going to a nearby hiking spot where Iβve previously seen deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. I got out of my car, powered on the Thermal Master T2 Max, and within 10 seconds had a cluster of bright yellow dots on my screen. The spot where they were grazing was between 800 and 1000 yards, and I couldnβt see anything at all with the naked eye.
The above photo shows the approximate area of the herd.
I then floated a drone up towards that spot, and sure enough, I found the herd of mule deer right where the T2 Max had spotted them. The hardest part of finding them with the drone was figuring out where they were in relation to the images coming through the T2 Max Titan screen. I might pick up a cheap 4x mini scope to mount on the picatinny rail of the thermal camera just to help me find the animals Iβm spotting in the thermal view. There are quite a few reticles available in the app, so you could even use this thermal camera attached to a gun or bow as your sight for taking the shot (instead of just as an aid to finding game).
Final thoughts
I was very impressed with how easy the Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope was to use, and how effectively and quickly it spotted deer far up a mountainside (which I never would have been able to find otherwise without binoculars, patience, and a lot more time spent searching). I will be bringing this along for all of my hikes in the future in the hopes of spotting elusive mountain lions and bighorn sheep that frequent the mountains near me. I showed the setup to a hunter friend, and he said it seems on par with a $10k thermal hunting scope that heβs used in Montana for hunting coyote at night!
What I like about the Thermal Master T2 Max thermal hunting scope
- Easy to use
- Long battery life
- Many mounting options
What needs to be improved?
- Manual focus can be just a bit finicky
- When zoomed in it can be hard to figure out exactly where youβre looking, but adding an optical sight to the picatinny rail would fix this
Price: $499 (add $200 for the Titan Screen add-on)
Where to buy: Thermal Master
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Thermal Master. Thermal Master did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
Check out these other reviews!
- Xinfrared One XH09 thermal camera review β see like an enhanced ninja!
- HIKMICRO Pocket 2 Thermal Camera review β Super fun and crazy useful!
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