Interesting, but not quite there

InteliScope has an interesting product:

product-hero

The further say:

The on-screen, heads-up display of the Inteliscope app is packed with features including:

  • Intuitive User Interface
  • Custom Crosshairs
  • 5X Digital Zoom
  • Video Recording from the Shooter’s Perspective
  • Ballistics and Firearm Data
  • Built-in Compass
  • GPS Position
  • Local Prevailing Winds
  • Shot Timer
  • Flashlight and Strobe using Built-in LED

This device is limited by camera optics and is intended for short range tactical use.

Not recommended for calibers larger than .223 or 5.56mm.

You are supposed to use your iPhone directly as a sighting system?

Am I overlooking something here?

Sorry. I don’t think it is going to work that well for the following reasons:

  • Display brightness: With direct sunlight on the display you aren’t going to be able to see any detail, and maybe not anything at all.
  • Repeatability of the mount and even the camera stability inside the iPhone case is going to make it a 5 or 10 MOA system.
  • At short ranges, a limitation they admit, wind and ballistic calculations are so minimal that the repeatability of the mount is going to be the dominant factor. So you haven’t gained anything with the computing power you are bringing to the party.
  • Battery life: How long is your battery good for when you have the camera and CPU running?

I think it would be better if you could connect the camera through a real scope that won’t have the problems with repeatability and you get long range capability. You still have problems with bright backlighting but you have addressed two out of the three big issues.

Okay. It would be cool to have video of the target as you hit them but you can get that with something like GoPro or video glasses while using a real sighting system.

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5 thoughts on “Interesting, but not quite there

  1. Parallax, too. The camera isn’t centered over the bore, so it would be like shooting one of those side-mounted scopes on an old Mauser or Springfield ’03-A3.

  2. Night blindness. Those screens are bright, so if you’re using them during the night, you’re gonna have to wait a few minutes before leaving your sniper nest. In the meantime, your targets are going to be hunting you.

    Which brings up, again, those screens are bright. As soon as you fire that bad boy up to spot your target, the light will be reflecting off your face. Makes you easier to spot.

    And, as you mentioned, batteries. The poor sap who gets accustomed to using one of these for a couple hours, then going home to recharge, is going to be waxed by some poorer bastard who couldn’t afford the latest iGadget and is relying on iron sights (which appear to be….lacking….in the demonstration photo). Iron sights don’t have to worry about dead batteries.

  3. Under what spec was the I-phone EVER designed for ANY level of recoil? Even 5.56?

    Dollar to a donut says that the phone itself will fail before you get 100 rounds downrange. Oops, sorry, the donut is more than a dollar now….

    • There probably is a spec on dropping it. Not quite the same but it might be able to tolerate a modest number of shots.

  4. More shit to go wrong when the chips are down. Keep it simple, when your life is on the line it HAS to function.

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