The Pard Sphinx 640 is a unique thermal imaging device whose main claim to fame is having the largest LCD colour display screen you can get in this kind of device, measuring 125mm or five inches. Unlike typical scopes and monoculars, you don’t through it, you look at it.
That has distinct advantages. It can be a lot more comfortable over a long period of viewing. Several people can gather around it at the same time. It doesn’t mess with your eyes’ night vision to nearly the same degree as a monocular does. You can use it around corners or at awkward angles because you don’t have to be directly behind it or keep it glued to your eye.
The Sphinx is designed to be used as a both a handheld spotter and a gun-mounted scope, complete with multiple reticles and up to five programmable zeroes in case you use different types of ammo or swap it from firearm to firearm.
And because it’s a screen that mounts well forward of your face, it can be run on heavy-recoiling shotguns and the like. Apparently some people are mounting them on handguns, although that’d have very limited application in Australia.
Crucially, it also has a built-in laser rangefinder, activated by just pressing a button, and this is one of those things that, in my mind at least, makes a thermal scope so much more functional in the real world.
This one appears very accurate and in good conditions measures a bit beyond its claimed 1000m. Combined with the ballistic programming, it will give you a holdover point to aim at based on the distance to the target.
This all makes it a very versatile and tempting thermal device.
We’ll come back to the pros and cons of the Sphinx’s unusual design in a moment. First, let’s weigh up the prowess of its thermal performance.
Being a Pard, you know it’s going to be pretty good. Its 640 x 512 pixel Vox sensor has a very good 12 micron pixel pitch, a fine 20mK NETD rating, and typical 50Hz frame rate.
Claimed detection range of 1800m for larger animals is about right in the real world.
The LCD screen is very clear, and with the myriad display settings — from brightness and contrast adjustments to the six fairly standard colour palettes, plus modes for city, forest and rain — you see a good image that ensures detecting, identifying and targeting animals is generally a straightforward affair. It’s not ground-breaking in its image quality for the price, but it’s on par.
The image you look at on screen is better than the quality of the photos and videos the Pard records, even though the capture resolution is high definition at 1280 x 720 pixels, so expect better than what you see in the video above.
One mildly odd thing is that the aspect ratio on-screen makes everything look just a little short and fat, but not in a detrimental way and you quickly get used to it.
The screen shows a clear and sharp image, and the various colour palettes help you find the best image of your target against whatever background heat levels there may be.
The unit’s base optical magnification is 2x, providing a beautifully wide view of the terrain — perfect in spotting mode. Digital magnification takes it up to 4x, 8x 12x and 16x with each press of the button before it rolls back to 2x.
The magnification is displayed on the screen for only a few seconds before it vanishes, but it’d be much better if the figure was permanently displayed.
Five small buttons below the screen handle all functions, with one-press commands for things like scene setting, colour palettes, turning the rangefinder on and off, and so on.
It also takes you into the menu quickly, and the menu can be quickly and (mostly) logically navigated.
The trick is memorising which buttons handle what commands, and whether you need long, short or double presses to activate them. Of course, this comes with familiarity. Besides, if you’re wearing a head torch you can flick it on to look at the symbols next to each button if you get stuck.
The electronic handbook’s instructions for zeroing are a little vague. Just remember to select the reticle style first and you should work it out. Pard doesn’t state how wide the adjustment increments are but I’d guess they’re about ½ MOA from what I saw (sighting-in with a rifle good for about 1.5 MOA accuracy).
Used as a scope, you should get roughly four hours of continuous use out of the 18650 battery, maybe less if you’re doing a lot of video and ranging. But of course you only need to carry spare batteries and you’re laughing, good for the whole night if you want.
When the Sphinx is used as a handheld device with the additional, bigger 21700 battery in the handle, you’ll get more than twice as long before looking for extra batteries.
The Sphinx bolts to the handle or to a quick-release mount for attachment to a pic rail. The handle has a rubberised grip and is angled gently backward for comfort.
The rifle mount has a long release arm with a locking latch to make sure it can’t be accidentally released as you’re moving around in the dark.
The setup is not designed to let you quickly switch the unit from handle to firearm in an instant, but there’s nothing to stop you cradling the Sphinx in your hand after removing it from your rifle to use as a spotter.
The clamp is precisely machined to the point where I removed it four times from the rifle during my test and never had to re-sight it after putting it back on. I made clean kills on two fixes and a pig despite having the Pard off the rifle before each one.
I know you’re dying to know what it’s like to shoot a rifle using a screen instead of a scope. At first it’s weird! It sits higher than your regular scope would, so without an adjustable comb it feels slightly uncomfortable to take aim in the usual way, but you can adapt by just looking upwards while maintaining your usual cheek weld.
But if any of that puts you off, consider this: you can shoot from the hip or from a tripod or anywhere other than your shoulder and still get a perfect sight picture, place the crosshair precisely and hit your target. The flexibility this adds to your shooting is a revelation.
I found it perfectly good in all sorts of odd positions that you wouldn’t dream of using ordinarily, and my accuracy didn’t suffer at all. In fact, it was often better because I could rest the rifle very, very steadily despite my body not doing much of the bracing at all.
Resting on a post was a prime example. It didn’t matter that the post wasn’t at a comfortable height. I could rest the rifle on it for maximum stability, then stand upright and planted before letting the butt rest where it wanted against me. It worked a treat and is exactly how I shot one of the foxes.
You can get as creative as you like. It turns out there are a lot of very steady shooting positions available to you if you don’t need to bring a scope to your eye.
Obviously, the Sphinx is taller and wider than a regular scope — it sits very differently on top of a firearm. You need to take a little care when moving your gun or putting it down. Like with your phone, if you’re not careful you could damage it. I got around this partly by always removing the Pard for transport and storage.
I didn’t have any hassles walking around with it slung over my shoulder.
Everything is logically arranged in the unit’s overall design. The five buttons are low and central, and you can use them without obscuring your view of the screen.
The lens has a flip-open cover. The focus wheel is up front and has a fold-out throw lever. The lens sits low with the battery compartment and rangefinder up above.
There’s a little LED light on the front, and a laser pointer, both of which are often handy.
There’s a lot more I haven’t really touched on but you can find them all listed in the specs. They’re the pretty standard things like picture-in-picture mode, ballistic programming, multiple reticles and colours.
Bottom line is that the Sphinx isn’t short of features.
So who would buy it?
The more I used the Sphinx, the more I appreciated what it does, or rather, the way it does it. It is not a gimmick but a very useful alternative.
That flexibility of use as a scope in almost any position you could want is a really valuable point of different for the Pard. It’s ability to be used as a handheld and a scope is also really attractive, and don’t forget you don’t necessarily need to attach the handle to hold it in your hands — it’s just that it works better with the grip.
If those things are priorities for you, this is a great choice.
Pard is distributed in Australia by Australian Sporting Agencies. The Sphinx 640 has a RRP of $4599. Details and specifications are available here.
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