ATN has had a lot of night vision products come and go, but one of the newest ones to come is the X-Sight LTV.
It’s from the X-Sight series, so you know that it’s a digital night vision rifle scope.
With their already established X-Sight line, how does the LTV differ?
Here’s a quick clue: less is more.
Quick Overview...
What We Like: Price
What We Don’t Like: Limited digital features
Best Uses: Night Shooting, Day Shooting, Tactical Use, Hunting, Scouting, Varmint Control, Digital NV, Daylight Use, Mid to Long Range Detection
- Core: ATN Obsidian LT
- Magnification: 5-15x
- FOV: 5-degrees (240 ft)
- Display Resolution: 1280x720 HD
- Eye Relief: 90 mm
- Color Modes: Day & Night
- Battery: 10+ hours
- Dimensions: 13 x 2.2 x 2.2”/1.7 lbs
Our Verdict: We really like the new LTV of the X-Sight series. Imaging quality has been getting better and better every year and ATN has kept up with the trend. Even though they’ve cut some tech on the new X-Sight line, we see it as a practical move for those who desire a simplified platform.
Who is the ATN X-Sight LTV 5-15X Best Suited to?
The X-Sight LTV is for the hunter and shooter who is specifically after a digital NV scope for both daylight and nighttime hours. However, even as a digital scope, it has quite the number of feature cutbacks, so it may not be for everyone.
The new X-Sight line of digital scopes underwent weight-loss surgery, acquired well-defined body part separation for a traditional look, and it also cut loose the digital baggage that many shooters would rather do without.
The end result? A simple, easy-to-use, and streamlined night vision scope with quality where it needs it most. If 5-20x is more your style then the ATN X-Sight 4k Pro 5-20x comes with all the bells and whistles you could possibly want or need.
How Does the ATN X-Sight LTV 5-15X Perform?
If you liked ATN’s X-Sight of yester-yore, you may be curious about the new offshoot of the series, the X-Sight LTV. It ditches a ton of digital features in favor of a long battery life, new core and sensor, and a whole new body look.
Even with the remodel, the LTV still has all the good stuff from high-caliber recoil-resistance and weather-resistance to One Shot Zero and an HD display.
The new core and sensor provide noticeable imaging improvements with super crisp and well-contrasted details that can get you positive detection further out with its high-power zoom.
Its new body look also means that it looks like it belongs on your rifle during daylight hours as it has the familiar eyepiece bell, visible tube body, and objective lens bell assembly that is very much like a daytime scope. With a Color mode for daytime use, you can go hunting and forget that you’re behind the eyepiece of a digital scope. The LTV doesn’t weigh in like a tank although it’s as rugged as one.
Its simplified platform is appealing in its own way to some, but of course, its low price point is attractive to all and certainly qualifies it as one of the cheapest night vision scopes available.
Features & Benefits
Price
The X-Sight LTV has an excellent price point. Digital rifle scopes are cheaper than true night vision scopes with IITs, but even so, digital can run up over $1000 and even close to $2000 for some high-end, multi-functional models.
The LTV is priced below $1000, and it still offers all the legit features you want to have on a digital model – One Shot Zero, light weight, tough build, and video recording. But it’s no scope of yester-year as it has been outfitted with new sensor technology that brings this scope into the new age with better night vision technology that night hunters have come to demand.
Enhanced Night Vision
The whole point of a night vision scope, even a digital one, is to bring visibility to the user when nightfall comes. The X-Sight LTV has the new Obsidian LT Core and QHD+ M584 Sensor. Put this tech to work and display it onto a 1280x720 HD screen and you have super crisp, sharp, and extremely clear picture.
The LTV has both Day and Night Mode. You have a Color display for daylight shooting and the Black & White display for hog and nighttime hog hunting. These days, the “White Phosphorus” palette is preferred by many as it seems more natural to observe.
Scaled-Down Digital Platform
There is a trend today to make night vision scopes more practical and effective to use in realistic applications. Manufacturers are moving away from non-essential features that hunters and shooters don’t have time to mess with while out in the field. Instead, a more simplistic approach is now the name of the game.
While other comparable alternatives, like the Yukon Sightline N450S, have done away with video recording, ATN has retained this feature as a staple in the X-Sight LTV. However, ATN has done away with dual streaming, WiFi compatibility, and connectivity to other ATN products.
This scaled-down move is not a big deal to those of us who didn’t find much use for them anyway, but it may be a deal breaker if you were on the other end. In that case, you may want to check out the Pulsar Digex N455 scope that has it all.
Traditional Rifle Scope Appeal
Although the X-Sight LTV is without the turrets of a traditional rifle scope, it still has a very familiar appeal about it. Its light weight of 1.7 lbs and distinct separation of scope components with a visible tube-like body gives it a traditional daytime scope aesthetic.
This is part of the new movement to make NV scopes look more like daytime scopes. This is a bonus in our books since digital scopes can be used during the day, and no one wants a bulky, ugly looking thing on their rifle.
With this in mind, the scope mounts to the weapon system via 30 mm rings, provides 90 mm of eye relief, and is recoil-proof for use with high caliber weapons.
Don’t forget you have multiple reticle patterns to choose from, high magnification of 5-15x, and an HD display – no nighttime predator or varmint will get past you tonight.
Long-Lasting Battery Life
The LTV digital rifle scope has a new battery that runs longer than ever. The internal Lithium-ion battery provides operation of over 10 hours. That’s extremely impressive for a digital scope that still retains the expected digital features such as a 3D Gyroscope, 3D Accelerometer, and Video Recording.
Limitations
Limited Digital Features
Although we’ve touched on why we like the lack of the extra bells and whistles, and it’s not just for the low cost, there is a downside to that.
If you’re going to have a digital rifle scope, you may as well have the digital bells and whistles that you would expect from such a platform. Without certain features, you can’t live stream, connect to other compatible ATN devices, connect your phone for ballistic applications, have built-in laser rangefinder distances, and more.
Of course, these features would tack on extra costs too – so, if you like the scaled-down platform with a cheaper price point, this is the scope for you.
Popular Questions
The X-Sight LTV comes with multiple mounting hardware. This includes 30 mm rings, L-shape ring, and a ring with a Picatinny rail. This is not a quick detach mount, so if you’re using the digital scope for only nighttime use, you will need to dismount the LTV and reinstall the daytime optic the tedious way. You may want to consider purchasing the quick detach mount separately.
No hard case or soft carry case is included with the LTV digital scope. Instead, a scope cover is provided and is intended to cover the scope during non-use or for protection from the elements.
Enter the menu settings to record. You will need to purchase a micro SD card to save your recordings. The X-Sight LTV is compatible with 4-64 GB micro SDs.
The only difference is the magnification, field of view, dimensions, and weights. They use the same core and sensor and offer identical features.
The LTV 3-9x is barely smaller and lighter in weight, has 3-9x magnification, and as a result, it has a larger FOV of 9-degrees (460 ft.)
The X-Sight LTV is backed by a 2-year manufacturer warranty. It is not owner transferable and is not unlike other limited lifetime warranties for electro-optic products. Keep your proof of purchase and inspect the LTV within the first 10 days as that is the return window offered by ATN.
Conclusion
The X-Sight LTV feels like a breath of fresh air in a market of teched-out digital scopes. It’s simple but it’s built to be a performer.
When you take feedback and prove that you’ve listened to your buyers by providing a product that meets their needs and budget, you earn more than just brownie points – brand loyalty. Loyal customers are repeat customers.
While this is most definitely a marketing strategy, ATN did provide a product that appeals to the no-nonsense shooter. Not everyone wants to stream live, deal with connectivity issues, or pay for features that they never really use.
Sometimes, less is more.
Further Reading
Thank you sir - I currently am running an X-Sight 4k pro but am looking for something to get my son started hog hunting. I noticed this unit on an ATN comparison chart and then found your review - looked well written and fairly objective. Thanks again
Thanks for your feedback Rodney, glad it was helpful.