Thermal scopes / SteinerDiscontinued
Steiner Nighthunter S35 Gen I
640×480 · 12 µm · 35 mm · 4.5 h · MSRP $6,600
Compare the Nighthunter S35 Gen I with others →
Check price
Affiliate links (Amazon, eBay): we may earn a commission. Prices change; the retailer's page is the current one.
Coyote at 100 yd
18 px tall at the shoulder
Coyote at 200 yd
9 px tall at the shoulder
Coyote at 300 yd
6 px tall at the shoulder
Identify a coyote 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.
~150 yd
The same as 92 of the 252 other current thermal scopes we track; 95 reach farther.
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.
66 ft
Wider than 71% of the 261 current thermal scopes we track (tied for #35).
Specs
| 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. | 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. | 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. | <50 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. | 1× |
| 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. | 8× |
| 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. | 12.5° × 9.4°Steiner prints the field of view as "12.5 x 9.4 m" at 100 m; the figures match the 640 x 480 sensor and 35 mm lens as degrees, not meters. A rail-mounted riflescope with its own reticles, unlike the Gen II S35 (a clip-on). |
| 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. | 1,969 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. | OLED 1024 × 768 |
| Power | |
| Battery | 2x 18650 (about 3000 mAh each), 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. | 4.5 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 |
| 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. | 16 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 |
| Riflescope | |
| Eye relief Eye relief How far your eye sits behind the eyepiece and still sees the full picture. On a rifle scope, more distance keeps the scope off your face under recoil. | — |
| Recoil rating Recoil rating How much rifle recoil the maker says the scope can take and still work and hold zero. Makers state it in different units, so compare carefully. | Shock 800 g / 1 ms (manual) |
| Mount Mount How the scope attaches to the rifle: standard rings or a rail clamp, fixed or quick-detach. A good mount does more to hold zero than anything else. | Picatinny rail mount with adjusters |
| Ballistic calculator Ballistic calculator Software in the scope that moves the aiming point for distance, using your bullet's data and the range to the animal. | — |
| Zero profiles Zero profiles Saved sight settings for different rifles or loads. Switch profiles instead of re-zeroing when you move the scope or change ammunition. | 5 |
| Build | |
| Weight Weight How heavy the device is. Check whether the maker weighed it with or without the battery, because brands do it differently. | 36 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. | Not rated |
| 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. | -22°F to 122°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. | 2 years (product page) |
| 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. | Discontinued |
| 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. | $6,600Last MSRP on steiner-optics.com, Wayback Machine capture of April 24, 2024 (https://web.archive.org/web/20240424115019/https://www.steiner-optics.com/imaging-systems/nighthunter-s35); same $6,599.99 since December 2021 |
Source: Steiner Nighthunter S35 Gen I product page (spec table, marked discontinued), Steiner Nighthunter S35 Gen 1 user manual (PDF, technical specifications), Steiner Nighthunter S35 product page (archived December 7, 2021), Steiner Nighthunter S35 product page, MSRP $6,599.99 (archived April 24, 2024).
Added October 12, 2026 · Specs last checked October 12, 2026
From owners
What people who run the Steiner Nighthunter S35 Gen I like, what they don't, and how they set it up. Published as written, good or bad; we only remove spam, abuse and personal details. Nobody is paid for a report.
No owner reports yet. If you own one, yours can be the first.
Own the Steiner Nighthunter S35 Gen I? Share your setup
Current models to compare
In production now, near the Nighthunter S35 Gen I's last price.
- AGM Secutor LRF 75-640$6,495
640×512 · ID ~320 yd · 31 ft wide at 100 yd · rangefinder
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I → - N-Vision HALO35$6,495
640×480 · ID ~150 yd · 66 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I → 640×480 · ID ~210 yd · 46 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →- Nocpix RICO 2 H75R$7,150
640×512 · ID ~320 yd · 31 ft wide at 100 yd · rangefinder
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →
Other Steiner Nighthunter models
Other sizes and versions in the same line.
400×300 · ID ~150 yd · 41 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →640×512 · ID ~150 yd · 66 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →640×512 · ID ~150 yd · 66 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →640×512 · ID ~150 yd · 66 ft wide at 100 yd
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →- Steiner Nighthunter H35 Gen 1MSRP $4,800
640×512 · ID ~150 yd · 66 ft wide at 100 yd · discontinued
Compare with the Nighthunter S35 Gen I →