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Something wrong with my NF ATACR?

1

19dsniper

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 25, 2010
323
76
Fort Hood Texas
#1
Ive recently been going down a rabbit hole in reference to the best MPVO for my work gun. I have made comments to some that actually surprised me with how much Im really liking my Vortex Strike Eagle 3-18. I now have 2 of them. I just recently started comparing it to my NF ATACR 4-16 F1 T3 and i am disapointed in what im seeing. I have included photos to compare.

Ive noticed that my ATACR seems to have what appears to be a haze. I took both of these scopes an set them side by side. I then set both to matching power settings of both 4x, and then 10x to compare and take photos. The haze looks much worse to my eye, but can be seen in the photos as well, its just not as apparent. Both optics were zoomed into their max mag, side focus set, and then dialed back to the 4x before photos were taken. Same with 10x.


20250306_160339.jpg
20250306_160428.jpg
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20250306_160701.jpg
20250306_161056.jpg
20250306_161202.jpg


First photo in each(1,3,5) comparison is the SE, Second photo in each(2,4,6) is the NF ATACR F1


Are the new SE 3-18 really this good, or have I gotten use to a NF that is cloudy/ hazy?

Has anyone else experienced this, or should i contact NF and see about sending it back? This thing tracks incredibly well as it should, but optically i have to say that i am a little disapointed as i compare it to other options.
 

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#5
DeathBeforeDismount said:
Is the diopter and parallax set correctly? If you don't know ...chances are that is it.

Seal could have broke and it lost the N2 purge. Happens but I would make sure it's not something easy before sending it in.
Click to expand...
Sorry, should have said that the diopter is set correctly.




Parallax set at 4 and 10x separate does the same thing. Not sure how that would remove the haze. But I tried it anyways.
 
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#6
Contacted NF. They thought it looks like a dirty lense. Explained that it was cleaned and how. They offered to bring it in. Stated it's 5-6 weeks turn around right now.
I have a class in Lafayette Louisiana (4S) in 10 days. So I can't do it now.

I'm hoping while I'm there to compare it side by side with other ATACR 4-16X42 and compare. That will help me figure out what's up I hope.
 
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#8
sneakypayload said:
That looks crappy. Hopefully NF takes care of that because that’s a really terrible image.
Click to expand...
Ive only used NF customer service once before. Thats the thing with NF, I never have to worry if they will take care of it or not. I will say, I do have 5 Vortex Razors and a few other Vortex models, scopes, Spotting scopes, LRF, etc. They have always been awesome for the customer service and warranty. BUT... with all my NF (4), I've never really needed the customer service. I did contact them after one of my deployments. I had an NXS 5.5-22x56 NPR1 that i took with me on deployment. We hit a deep buried IED that hit hard enough to mess up my issued M24. Swapped that NF over to a new issued M24 and finished the deployment with it without issues.
When i got back, i contacted NF and sent them photos. They brought it in, checked everything out, cleaned it up nice inside and out. Upgraded the turrets to ZS an high speed, and sent it back out to me.

Years later i still have that scope and its back on the same rifle that i deployed with as a number of years ago they allowed B4 to purchase back M24's and i was lucky enough to get one. Exactly as it was, only now with a new barrel! Even though we are allowed to use personally owned rifles and optics for work, i no longer use that. My first year as a SWAT Sniper, i did. No more. Too much risk of loosing it if ever involved in a shooting.

Ive never had better customer service! So im absolutely positive that they will take care of me. I just dont want to send it in if what im experiencing is normal. I dont want to waste their time or mine.
 
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#11
ma smith said:
OP this is first and foremost gargage photography...:D
View attachment 8634486
Click to expand...
Hahaha. That's what it looks like!

Compare it to the other photos. Same settings, etc. I tried to make everything as equal as possible. Both lenses cleaned. Same time of day. Optics literally on the table side by side. Aimed at the same location as close as possible for equal comparison. Parallax set correctly on both. Magnification on same setting. Camera on same settings on both, etc.

I never claimed to be a photographer. Just aimed at what was in front of me while sitting to do some side by side with other optics from the front porch. Honestly i was only interested in seeing if my camera would pick up what my eye was seeing to make sure it wasn't a vision issue with my eyes.

I don't have a digiscope or some sort of slide on collar so I have to hold the camera by hand.

But those are as equal comparisons as I could get.
Glad you enjoyed them! 🤣
 
#13
The reticle clarity is going to be the baseline, since its often clearest thing in the scope.

eg, here we get a decent-ish reticle, and but there's washout and lack of sharpness in the reticle,
and of course this is also proportionally seen in the image quality.

But nevertheless, you can use an image like this. Especially in a/b testing, since the 'b'
sample should show similar reticle quality if the image taking/method is consistent.

1741327036859.png
 
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#14
NB. None of this is to excuse any poor performance of the Glass. Having a better a/b test I'm sure would still show what you want to show. It will just provide mosre substance for discussion, and more clues as to what's happening. Cheers.
 
#16
ma smith said:
The reticle clarity is going to be the baseline, since its often clearest thing in the scope.

eg, here we get a decent-ish reticle, and but there's washout and lack of sharpness in the reticle,
and of course this is also proportionally seen in the image quality.

But nevertheless, you can use an image like this. Especially in a/b testing, since the 'b'
sample should show similar reticle quality if the image taking/method is consistent.

View attachment 8634490
Click to expand...
Ahhh.. I see what you guys are referring to. I will attempt to retake some photos in my free (haha) time.

The haze is still visible, but i definitely see what you are talking about. I may pull plout my canon dslr and see if there is a better way to get some more consistent results.
 
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#17
If you have ruled out any adjustment issues and it seems obvious that it isn't your eyes. Your photos match what you are seeing in the scopes. You are experienced with scopes and are not some imbecile (like me sometimes). I would just send it in.

I have three NF scopes and love them all. I once thought I had an issue with the first one I bought (in 2008). I had a friend with better eyes look through it and he had no issues with it. I use progressive lenses and I just had to get my head in the correct position so I could see properly with my glasses. I never had a problem again. I am sure you will get your issue resolved.
 
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#18
Don't forget that vortex coatings look overly saturated and sell a lot of scopes because "contrast".
They cause me horrible eye strain after about 5 minutes because everything is so unnatural.

Sometimes it's not that the higher end scope is bad, it's that it's not trying to manipulate reality.

I'd still send it in to get a checkup for peace of mind.
 
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