Pulsar Merger Duo NXP50: High-Tech Capabilities

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Interest in thermal optics has boomed over the last decade, and one brand that has set itself apart is Pulsar. Unlike some cheaper imported optics, Pulsar has a reputation for good image quality, easy-to-use operation with lots of functions, and superb longevity.

The company’s Merger Duo NXP50 appears at first glance to be thermal binoculars. Look more closely and you’ll see that the left and right objective lenses are different. Instead of a pair of thermal binos what you have with the Merger Dueo is, in effect, both digital night vision and a thermal in one unit.

The Merger Duo’s sensor has a resolution of 640x480 and a pixel pitch of 17μm and a digital CMOS sensor also offers 1920x1200 resolution. In English that means you get a clear digital image.

Perhaps more importantly, though, the sensor has a noise equivalent temperature difference of less than 25 milliKelvin. This means the thermal sensor is sensitive enough to detect minor changes in temperature for a crisp, clear image. The sensor quality also means that even on higher power the image doesn’t look like a moving blob of ectoplasm but rather a coyote or pig.

Dynamic Range

The Merger Duo comes with an f50mm/1.0 thermal objective lens and f50/1.4 digital objective. Magnification range is 3-24X for thermal and 2-16X for digital.

Field of view is excellent. You get 12.4 degrees with the thermal channel, which is the equivalent of 21.8 meters at 100 meters. The digital channel offers 17.5 degrees, which translates to 30.7 meters at 100 meters.

In thermal mode I could cover the back half of an entire soybean field with the NXP50s, and the threaded base of the Merger Duos allows you to mount them on a tripod to improve stability.

The Merger Duo comes with an APS 3 lithium-ion rechargeable battery and a charging base with a type C port. Simply plug in the charging base, wait until the lights on the charger indicate that it has reached full charge, and insert the battery into a hole in the bridge of the NXP50s near the ocular lenses. Battery life is listed at seven hours with a full charge.

Ergonomics

There are independent thermal and digital focus knobs that allow you to focus on the menus, although focusing the optic on an actual object in the field is a separate process that we’ll discuss shortly.

A key step in the process is adjusting interpupillary distance. With most binoculars this requires widening or narrowing the distance by adjusting the bridge. With the Pulsar, however, you simply slide the eyepieces left and right until they match the width of your eyes.

Control layout is quite simple. The right barrel has three operation buttons: power, button and mode. The latter has left/right arrows and allows you to switch between thermal and digital views with the press of a button.

A long press provides a picture-in-picture view of the scene in both thermal and digital, and the camera button takes still or video images that can be downloaded to a camera via the Stream Vision 2 app. You can also make adjustments to the Merger Duo and check battery life using the app, which is a major benefit.

Operation

There’s a lot more, of course, but let’s get down to how well it works and how simple it is to operate. I set up where I could watch a soybean field where deer cross every night. Around 10 p.m. the first whitetail doe popped up her head and neck like a periscope through the soybeans on the opposite side of the field.

I had measured the distance from the mound to the corner of the bean field earlier in the day—550 yards. That’s not the full 1,969 yards Pulsar claims is possible, but at 550 I could plainly see the head, neck and ears of the deer.

To this point I used the Merger Duo almost exclusively in thermal mode, but it’s much easier to navigate in darkness in digital night-vision mode. The attached IR flashlight that rests between the left and right barrels of the binos offers a good view of objects that are close, and I prefer the digital output for viewing objects up close.

If you have even a passing interest in the natural world and the goings-on around your home during the night, then you’ll have great fun with the Pulsar. And it has obvious uses as a night hunting tool for spotting wild hogs and predators. The Merger Duo is also an outstanding personal defense tool for seeing potential threats in the dark. On the downside, the Merger Duo is heavy, coming in at just under three pounds. Cost is also a major consideration since the suggested retail price for the Merger Duo is $6,100. Yes, that puts these optics out of the reach of many shooters, but if you can gather enough dough to buy a set of Merger Duos you won’t be disappointed.

Pulsar Merger Duo NXP50 Specs

• Type: digital night vision/thermal binoculars
• Magnification: 2-16X digital, 3-24X thermal
• Weight: 2 lb., 14 oz.
• Thermal-Detection Range: 1,800 meters
• Display: AMOLED
• Price: $6,100
• Manufacturer: Pulsar, PulsarVision.com

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