Thermal monoculars / Comparison
Pulsar Telos vs Axion
Pulsar's full-size Telos monoculars against the Axion Compact, at 384 and 640, from $1,800 to $3,000. The Axion Compact XG35 weighs about half what the Telos XG50 does.
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Calculated from sensor and lens
What a coyote looks like on each
The sensors are 384, 640, 384 and 640 pixels wide. How many pixels land on the animal comes from pixel size and lens length, not from the sensor's size. Here is a coyote at each distance, drawn with the pixels each unit would give it. Every square is one sensor pixel, at the same size throughout.
Pulsar Telos XQ35
Pulsar Telos XG50
Pulsar Axion Compact XQ30 Pro
Pulsar Axion Compact XG35
100 yards
Telos XQ35
13 px tall
Telos XG50
25 px tall
Axion Compact XQ30 Pro
11 px tall
Axion Compact XG35
18 px tall
200 yards
Telos XQ35
6 px tall
Telos XG50
13 px tall
Axion Compact XQ30 Pro
5 px tall
Axion Compact XG35
9 px tall
300 yards
Telos XQ35
4 px tall
Telos XG50
8 px tall
Axion Compact XQ30 Pro
4 px tall
Axion Compact XG35
6 px tall
Tell a coyote from a fox out to
Identification distance
Our estimate of how far away you can tell a coyote from a fox or a dog. It is calculated from the lens and sensor, assuming good conditions.
Where the coyote still stands 12 pixels tall at the shoulder. The maker's detection figure (Telos XQ35 1,422 yd, Telos XG50 2,515 yd, Axion Compact XQ30 Pro 1,148 yd, Axion Compact XG35 1,914 yd) is a warm dot, not an animal you can name.
Ground across the screen at 100 yd
Field width
How many feet of ground fill the screen at 100 yards. Wider makes scanning faster; narrower usually means more detail on the animal.
At base magnification. Wider finds animals faster; narrower shows each one bigger. You cannot have both from one lens.
Key differences
- Most pixels on a coyote: the Telos XG50, 25 tall at 100 yards, identifiable to about 210 yards.
- Widest view: the Axion Compact XG35, 66 feet across at 100 yards.
- Lowest US price: the Axion Compact XQ30 Pro, $1,800.
Full specs
| Pulsar Telos XQ35 | Pulsar Telos XG50 | Pulsar Axion Compact XQ30 Pro | Pulsar Axion Compact XG35 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor | ||||
| Resolution Sensor resolution How many heat-reading pixels the sensor has, such as 384 × 288 or 640 × 512. More pixels show more detail, but the lens matters just as much. | 384 × 288 | 640 × 480 | 384 × 288 | 640 × 480 |
| Pixel pitch Pixel pitch The size of each sensor pixel, in microns. Smaller pixels mean more magnification from the same lens. Most current thermals use 12 microns. | 17 µm | 12 µm | 17 µm | 12 µm |
| NETD (maker’s claim) NETD (thermal sensitivity) How small a temperature difference the sensor can show. Lower is better, but brands measure it differently, so numbers from two makers are not a fair comparison. | <25 mK | <40 mK | <25 mK | <40 mK |
| Refresh rate Refresh rate How many times per second the picture updates. 50 or 60 times a second looks smooth; lower rates stutter when you pan or a coyote runs. | 50 Hz | 50 Hz | 50 Hz | 50 Hz |
| Optics | ||||
| Lens Focal length The lens number in millimeters, like 35 mm or 50 mm. A longer lens puts more pixels on a distant animal but shows a narrower slice of ground. | 35 mm f/1.0 | 50 mm f/1.0Better | 30 mm f/1.2 | 35 mm f/1.0 |
| Base magnification Base magnification How much bigger things look before any digital zoom, like 2× or 4×. Higher is not automatically better: it narrows your view. | 3× | 3.5× | 2× | 2.5× |
| Max digital zoom Digital zoom Electronic enlarging of the picture. It makes the animal look bigger but adds no detail; past about 2× to 4× the image gets blocky. | 12× | 14× | 8× | 20× |
| Field of view Field of view How wide a view you get, in degrees. A wide view makes scanning for animals faster; a narrow one usually means more magnification. | 10.7° × 8° | 8.8° × 6.6° | 13.3° × 10°Better | 12.5° × 7.8° |
| Detection range (maker’s claim) Detection range The maker's figure for how far away a warm object shows up as a dot or two. It is far longer than the distance you can tell what the animal is. | 1,422 yd | 2,515 yd | 1,148 yd | 1,914 yd |
| Display | ||||
| Display Display resolution How many pixels the small screen inside the eyepiece has. A sharp screen looks cleaner but cannot add detail the sensor did not capture. | AMOLED 1024 × 768 | AMOLED 1024 × 768 | AMOLED 640 × 400 | AMOLED 640 × 400 |
| Power | ||||
| Battery | LPS 7i pack, removable | LPS 7i pack, removable | APS3 pack, removable | APS3 pack, removable |
| Runtime Battery life (runtime) How many hours the device runs on a charge, by the maker's test. Real runtime is shorter in the cold and with Wi-Fi, recording or the rangefinder on. | 8.5 h | 8.5 h | 7.5 h | 7 h |
| Features | ||||
| Rangefinder Laser rangefinder A built-in laser that measures how far away the animal is. The rated range is for big, reflective targets; expect much less on a coyote. | No | No | No | No |
| Storage Onboard recording (storage) Built-in memory that records photos and video of what you see. Useful for reviewing shots and sharing hunts; listed in gigabytes. | 64 GB | 64 GB | 16 GB | 64 GB |
| Wi-Fi / app Wi-Fi and app A wireless link to a phone app for live viewing, downloading videos, changing settings and updating the device's software. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Build | ||||
| Weight Weight How heavy the device is. Check whether the maker weighed it with or without the battery, because brands do it differently. | 20.1 oz | 23.6 oz | 10.9 ozBetter | 12.3 oz |
| Water rating IP rating (water rating) A two-part code for how well the device keeps out dust and water. IP67 means dust-tight and survives a short dunk; an X means not tested. | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Operating temp Operating temperature The temperature range the maker says the device will work in. Batteries lose much of their runtime well before the low end of that range. | -13°F to 104°F | -13°F to 104°F | -13°F to 104°F | -13°F to 104°F |
| Buying | ||||
| Warranty Warranty How long the maker promises to repair or replace a faulty unit. Check whether it needs registration and whether it passes to a second owner. | 3 years, 5 with registration | 3 years, 5 with registration | 3 years, 5 with registration | 3 years, 5 with registration |
| US price US price The price we found for the unit in the US, with where it came from and when. Prices change often, so treat it as a snapshot. | $2,000 | $3,000 | $1,800Better | $2,500 |
| MSRP MSRP The maker's suggested retail price in the US: the list price, before any sale. Useful for seeing how good a deal really is. | $2,600 | $3,600 | $1,800 | $2,500 |
Check prices
Affiliate links. Prices change; the retailer's page is the current one.
How the numbers are worked out. Each pixel covers an angle equal to pixel pitch divided by focal length. A coyote is drawn to scale, 36 inches nose to tail base and about 22 inches at the shoulder. Identification uses Johnson’s criteria: about 12 pixels across the animal’s smallest dimension, here shoulder height. That lands where hunters report it, around 150 to 200 yards on common units. Digital zoom makes the picture bigger but adds no pixels, so it changes none of these figures.
Sources. Pulsar Telos product page, Pulsar Telos XQ35 manual (specifications), Pulsar USA product page, Pulsar USA warranty page (read 10/10/2026) · Pulsar Telos product page, Pulsar Telos XG50 manual (specifications), Pulsar USA product page, Pulsar USA warranty page (read 10/10/2026) · Pulsar Axion Compact product page, Pulsar Axion Compact XQ30 Pro manual (specifications), Pulsar USA product page, Pulsar USA warranty page (read 10/10/2026) · Pulsar Axion Compact product page, Pulsar Axion Compact XG35 manual (specifications), Pulsar USA product page, Pulsar USA warranty page (read 10/10/2026)