The ZOOM Dual Field of View Monocular is unequivocally the most technologically advanced handheld thermal optic to hit the market in history. That’s a bold statement but saying anything else about the ZOOM would be an understatement. What makes it so advanced? There are 3 specific leaps in technology: adjustable optical zoom, Shutterless Calibration Technology (SCT), and a full color 1440x1080 OLED display. These aren’t the only impressive features the ZOOM ZH38 possesses but these three and most importantly the adjustable optical zoom feature are what puts the ZOOM ZH38 in a league of its own.
With the ZOOM’s patented dual-field-of-view design, users can seamlessly switch between a wide field-of-view (FOV) for detection, and a narrow FOV for target identification. This 2X increase in optical magnification occurs with an intuitive twist of the objective focus ring and maintains 100 percent of the sensor’s native resolution.
Why is adjustable optical zoom so important? Thermal monoculars have historically only been offered with a fixed field of view, which means the only way to zoom in and out is digitally through software and digital zoom decreases thermal image resolution. Just 1 step of digital zoom on a 640x480 sensor degrades the thermal image resolution to 320x240, and another step of digital zoom degrades the thermal image resolution to an abysmal 160x120. This is the problem that is solved by the ZOOM ZH38’s adjustable optical zoom feature. You now have 1 device with an adjustable field of view. Twist the focus ring to the right to zoom out and you get a 1X - 640x480 thermal resolution image, twist it to the left and get a 2X - 640x480 thermal resolution image.
The fixed field of view limitation in thermal monoculars has always posed a problem of image degradation using digital zoom and the need for 2 devices to achieve dual fields of view in full resolution. InfiRay Outdoor identified this common problem and poured resources into research and development over several years to achieve a solution. What emerged is an innovative patented dual field of view lens design now offered for the first time in the commercial market in the ZOOM ZH38 Dual Field of View Monocular.
