Up until today, the best thermal sensors and scopes available to the commercial market have all been 640×480 thermal sensors. InfiRay Outdoors is changing that with the first 1280×1024. It’s four times as much resolution as has ever been available to the commercial market in a riflescope.
The InfiRay RICO HD RS75 with the groundbreaking 1280 sensor means better detail, more field of view, more detection range, and you can digitally zoom further before your image looks like pixelated garbage.
I had the opportunity to travel to Texas and hunt with the RICO HD RS75 and it didn’t disappoint. Even with high humidity and sweltering heat at night, the RICO HD RS75 delivered crisp clear images with HD detail you have to see to believe. I didn’t always have time to perfectly focus the picture due to some high-speed action-packed hog hunting but you’ll get the idea.
Luckily, due to the 128 GB of onboard video recording ability, I can share some of what it’s like shooting the RS75 with you. I will however warn you that it’s better in person. The audio that’s recorded with the scope is excellent and the best I’ve ever seen/heard in a thermal scope. I downloaded the InfiRay Outdoor app on my phone at 3 am while in the field and easily download the videos off of the scope onto my phone. In other words, the app is easy to use and gets the video from the RICO HD RS75 to your phone with no drama.
The native base optical magnification on the RS75 is 2x so it’s not really designed to be a long-range scope. However, because of the increase in detail provided by the 1280 sensor, you can digitally zoom pretty far and still see good enough to shoot. In fact, I was hitting a steel BCC zone target standing from a tripod at 317 yards in the middle of a Dallas, Texas afternoon. We did nothing to the steel target to make it visible and I feel like I could have shot hundreds of yards further without even trying hard. While I didn’t get a chance to try, I believe that in the right conditions, an 800-yard hit on steel would be very doable. InfiRay claims the detection range is 3600 yards which is a huge jump over existing thermal scopes.
Certainly the 12 μm (micron) pixel pitch and the 75mm F1.0 germanium lens help.
The eyepiece you look through and the display are also something you need to see to understand how incredible they are. I don’t know in technical terms how to describe them but the eye relief is almost unlimited. I could stand 10 feet behind the scope and as long as I was lined up could see the display. In more technical terms the eyepiece is an orthoscopic (magnified). There are a set of optical lenses that provide the magnification.
Also, in daylight without any sort of rubber light shield/tube, you can see the display perfectly. Bar none the RS75 has the best display/eyepiece I’ve ever experienced on a thermal. The resolution of the display is 2560×2560.
The InfiRay RICO HD RS75 uses the same InfiRay Outdoors battery packs that the other RICO scopes and the ZOOM handhelds all use. Right now it looks like the battery life is really dependent on how the scope is used. For example, if you keep the scope in standby mode, you’ll likely get 6 hours. If you leave the scope on continuously maybe you’ll get 3-4 hours. If you run the rangefinder and never turn it off you might only get two hours.
Either way, the RS75 comes with two batteries which should easily get you all the way through the longest nights. You can also charge the batteries in the field from your vehicle or UTV.
The InfiRay RICO HD RS75 ships with a 1000-yard rangefinder. It connects via the USB C port on the RS75
The RS75 digital zoom goes from 2x optical to 4x digital, 8x, and ends at 12x digital.
The color pallets are White Hot, Black Hot, Red Hot, Color, and Highlight. I found White Hot and Black Hot to both be exceptional and the most useful.
There are 7 reticles currently available with several that are the equivalent of a first focal plane.
Compared to the Infiray RH25 clip-on which I used as a handheld the RS75 is kind of chunky. It’s twelve and a half inches long and weighs 44 ounces. I made lots of sitting offhand shots from the back of the truck and when filled with hunting adrenaline didn’t notice the weight at all.
The RS75 is recoil rated for up to 300 Win Mag.
iRayUSA, the American distributor for InfiRay Outdoors, offers a 5-year warranty. Not only is that one of the longest warranties for digital optics but they also have a five-day turnaround guarantee should something go wrong.
Many of you already know that buying the best of anything is never inexpensive and the RS75 doesn’t break that rule. How does the saying go? “If you have to ask what it costs, you probably can’t afford it.” MSRP for the InfiRay RICO HD RS75 is $17,999. All joking aside, that’s MSRP and the street price will likely be a little less. For what it’s worth, I have seen and used commercially available thermals and military thermals that both cost much more and that weren’t as good as the InfiRay RICO HD RS75. Regardless of your budget, the RS75 is good news for all of us as the older technology should get cheaper and the other companies will have to innovate to keep up.
RICO HD RS75 units will be available in mid-late October.
RS75 Specs Sensor Resolution 1280×1024 Pixel Size 12 μm Framerate 30hz Image Processing MATRIX III Core iRay Micro II 1280 NETD ≤25 mk Optics Objective Lens 75 mm F1.0 Magnification 2X Digital Zoom 6X FOV 11.7° × 9.4° Detection Range 3600 Yards Display Type AMOLED Display Resolution 2560×2560 Imaging Modes "White Hot, Black Hot, Red Hot, Color, Highlight" Reticle Types 7 Reticle Colors Black, White, Red, Green Mounting System Picatinny STD-1913 rail P.I.P. Yes Rangefinder ILR-1000 LRF (included) Eye Relief 60mm Diopter Range *-3 ~ +3 Electronics Onboard Recording Video and Image, 128 GB Wireless Connectivity Video and Image via App. Data/Power Connector USB-C Power Supply IBP-1 Battery X 2, 4 hours each Start Up Time < 10 Seconds, Instant from Standby Physical Size 12.55" x 3.93" x 3.34" Weight 44.9 Oz Environmental/Warranty Warranty 5 Years Housing Material Aluminum Ingress Protection IP67 Operation Temp -4°F~122°F Max. Recoil 1000 g/s² (300 Win./7mm Mag)
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what is the total cost? Do you offer financing? what come with RICO HD RS75 complete? Where is it made? What about warranty unside of scope like glass?
If you don’t mind sending your money to China go ahead. I’ll keep my Trijicon, thank you!
With the technology advancements today that overpriced gimmick will be on the shelves at bass pro shops in less than four years cheap cheap , i can wait !
Made n Chin$a
The new technology coming to the commercial market is a huge plus. Eventually, it will become more affordable for those of us that don’t get to use one often enough to justify this price range. For now, the Thor 4 will have to work.
17,000 no thanks …I’ll keep my reaper. Or just by three more
Nice thermal,at 15k I’ll have to stick with my thor4s