Get out your scuba gear because Brownells Gun Tech™ @CalebSavant is taking us on a deep dive into the differences and similarities between three popular types of optics: red dot, holographic, and prism sights. A RED DOT sight projects a laser dot on the lens, and as you look through the sight, you line up that dot on the target. HOLOGRAPHIC sights also project a laser dot on the lens, after bouncing it off a series of mirrors, which gives this sight special capabilities. Red dot and holographic sight reticles are just projected on the lens. A PRISM sight's reticle is etched into the glass and then illuminated. The benefit is that if the battery dies or the electronics fail, you can still see the reticle and use the sight. Many prism optics also have magnification, while red dots and holographics tend to be 1x.
Red dot sights are the most popular, typically less expensive than the others, and tons of mounts are available for putting one on just about any pistol, rifle, or shotgun. A red dot can be used as your primary optic OR as a backup / supplement to a traditional rifle scope. Red dot sights like the Burris FastFire and Leupold DeltaPoint are very small. Bonus: red dots tend to work best with night vision devices. Drawback: red dot reticles are often blurry to people with astigmatism. Holographic and prism sights tend to be a lot larger and are usually employed as only primary optics.
You can extend the reach of all three sights with an add-on magnifier. With a red dot, the magnifier will magnify both the target area AND the dot. A magnifier works best with a holographic sight because it will magnify the target area but NOT the sight's dot. There's science involved. We don't fully understand it. If you do, maybe you can explain it in the comments!
You can use a magnifier with a prism sight, too, though you will have to adjust the focus of both the optic and the magnifier to get a clear image. Every time you remove the magnifier and put it back, you'll have to adjust the focus again. It's easier to get a prism sight with built-in magnification.
Some folks claim prism sights are not as durable as the other two types. But the Trijicon ACOG is a prism sight used by militaries all over the world, and it's one of the most durable optics ever made. HOW durable? Caleb tells us a story that begins, "The first time I got blown up in Afghanistan...."
Backup "iron" sights can be viewed through any of these sights, including a prism sight, if it's a 1x. If you decide to use iron sights with your prism sight, you have to zero the iron sights with the prism turned ON. And you can use the irons ONLY with the prism on. This is because a prism sight works much like a traditional scope.
NOTE: Products in this video are to be used only for lawful purposes, including hunting, self-defense, and competitive or recreational shooting. If you purchase any of them, you are responsible for understanding and complying with all federal, state, and local laws that apply to the purchase, possession, and use of these products.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:30 How They Work
1:20 Pro of Prisms
2:05 Most Affordable
2:34 Red Dot Advantages
4:00 Night Vision
5:00 Magnifiers
8:12 Astigmatism
8:55 Prism Durability
10:15 More Prism Pros
11:00 Cons of Prism
11:38 Close
A quick addendum on NVG optics, it's really easy to get conventional red dots up higher to be used with helmet mounted NVGs but it's really hard to beat the crispness of an EOTech through NVG's.
^^^This. The red dots CAN’T put out a Low enough beam so that with nvg’s the dot doesnt Wash out everything AND the window size of EO’s is much bigger resulting in wayy faster target acquisition……Hence why most guys on duty still prefers the EO and why its still used by mil/le
@@slurpyman20 This is not true. There are plenty of red dots with NV settings that get extremely dim and are perfectly capable of not blooming. There are even a few that rival EOTECH's clarity under NV. The big advantage of EOTECH optics are their big window which aids in light transmission, not target acquisition. Outside of NV, window size doesn't really matter if you're shooting both eyes open--which you should be.
@@chad9166 Lol. Nope. Not our experience. Theres not one red dot that excels with nvg’s vs eo’s. Too much cod for u.
Eotechs clarity sucks in my opinion. Reticle always looks fuzzy no matter the setting of brightness. I like holosun alot better. But if I'm going for drip factor then yeah eotech all day everyday. I do also understand the argument presented and realize my opinion has nothing to do with it. Lol.
@@slurpyman20 Sounds like you're trying to use red dots that don't have NV settings lol. Even cheap NV capable holosuns amd sigs don't "bloom" though some are less clear that EOTECHS with their smaller windows. I guess you need some more experience!
Based on recent personal experience, I wanted to suggest an edit on prism optics. Prism optics do not have to be large and bulky nor are the 1x's a bad match for magnifiers. My Primary Arms 1x micro prism and Sig 3x magnifier have been a wonderful combo. There was no more difficulty in setting up the alignment of these two and the reticle focus than any other scope I own. The weight of the prism is equivalent to a red dot and the combo is still less than a bulkier holographic or LPVO! Thanks for the great summary, crazy durability story, and service to our country.
I was going to make the same point about the Primary Arms micro prism vs being half the size of the 5x used as an example, but you beat me to it :)
With the Sig 3x do u still have to adjust the PA prism diaper when u move the Sig off to the side?
I came here to say primary arms micro prims are just as small.
I am one of those people with the eyes "that suck." Truer words have never been spoken. Prism is a fantastic solution, and for me a green dot sight is a workable solution as well. The star effect disappears by simply changing to a green dot sight. Probably not true for everyone, but definitely worth checking.
Never tried a green dot but I've "heard" that the dot disappears when shooting in wooded areas, grassy Prairie areas, basically anywhere that might have green background. Have you found this to be true? I've also heard green is easier for your eyes to pick up more quickly because of the visible spectrum that it's in.
@DIY Dad I've never had trouble with a green dot being hard to see. My favorite use for them is squirrel hunting, and the green background is never a problem. For most of us, the green is easier and faster to pick up. Now, nothing with eyes is universal, but the green dot comes close. The ease and attention getting nature of bright green is why so many safety vests have gone to bright green now. Next time you are in your favorite gun store, try them side by side. It will be easy to tell what your eyes like best. For me the difference is so strong that I no longer own any red dots.
Green isn't perfect for me, but I run a Holosun 507C on my carry gun and the rid was just a gigantic smudgy mess, but the green is workable. I use a 1x prism on my long gun and would never use a red/green dot on it because it doesn't offer the clarity I want for 100 and 200 yard shots, but for a handgun, a somewhat kind of smudgy green dot works fine for 50 yards and in
Hey Caleb, thanks for ALL your (and Steve) videos and MOST IMPORTANT thank you for your service to our country! 🇺🇸
Prism: Most durable, most crisp image, has poor battery life but doesn't need batteries to run, difficult to use with backup sights and magnifiers, heavy, moderately expensive, not affected by astigmatism, and difficult to use with NV. Holographic: Works best with magnifiers, very durable, second most crisp image (they look a little grainy under magnification), affected by astigmatism, works well with NV and is cheap for an NV compatible sight, heavy, moderately expensive for a 1x, needs batteries to run and has poor battery life, and can use backup sights without issue. Red dots: Very light, very cheap, works "ok" with magnifiers, affected by astigmatism, reticles not as crisp as other options, battery life so good the battery may expire before it runs dry, NV compatible models are somewhat more expensive than holographic sights, can be used with backup sights without issue, very small and compact, and not as durable as other options (but still very durable).
I hear Calebs hair is bullet proof and night vision compatible
Thanks Caleb, keep the great information coming. Always appreciated.
Thank You for your Service and thanks for the education on optics. Never miss an episode 🍻
Thank you man learned a lot from this video great work 🙏🏼
Great comparison Caleb!!! Thanks for clarifying this!!!
Growing up my dad was a big believer Brownells and the products they sell and I suppose now I am too. I recently purchased a set of YHM pop up sights and man are they nice!! Thank you for your service 🇺🇸
Getting a lot of mileage out of this video today. I can respect that.
Lol
These guys are awesome !! Calebs videos have helped this noob with alot of things!
Thank you for your service Caleb.
Very informative, liked this vid
A lot of this comes down to personal preferences and priorities. I have an astigmatism and wear corrective lenses. Due to the better crispness of the reticle as well as the durability and redundancy, I prefer a prism optic. There are companies making small 1x prism sights with great BDC reticles between the sizes of a micro T2 and MRO. The only downside I find is they do have a bit of parallax and less eye relief (not like a scope though) and with a magnifier. For my vision, I set them to be crisp when magnified and a little blurry without. They are still clearer than holographic and red dots unmagnified and much clearer when I need it at magnification. Plus I get BDC.
EOTech has best glass to shoot with night vision. Since it's holographic it doesn't require any coating on glass which has better light transmission when looking through it with nods.
"Im not a rocket surgeon" 🤣
I'm gonna use that. 😎
Its been so long since I have seen a slicked back hair styling video from brownells!
Caleb, Merry Christmas to you, your family & Brownell’s from a fellow Louisianian!!! 🎄
Whoa. Actually learned quite a bit from this Quick Tip!
I was going to get the Primary Arms micro prism with the micro 3x mag. Glad I learned u have to adjust the diaper when switching from magnifier. Saved me $$.
Awesome video man!
Nice explanation. I learn something.
Very good info!! Thanks
The host with perfect hair
Thnx.for the info.
I have an astigmatism, but I always wear either contacts or glasses, both of which correct the astigmatism. It's not a perfect correction, but they make red dots plenty clear enough for me to use them.
Came here to say the same thing. With corrective lenses, I've never noticed anything strange when using a red dot.
Yeah I'm not sure how "crisp" the dot is for those without an astigmatism, but since a red dot is for quick target acquisition and it should be super-imposed on the target, I've never spent too much effort / time looking at the specifics of the dot. Having an astigmatism, If it does get a bit blurry, I just turn the brightness down a click and it's good to go.
I envy you. I absolutely have to use a prism optic.
Just want to add my perspective here regarding astigmatism which comes in varying degrees of severity. Mine is not severe but worse than moderate and corrective lenses don't help me with a red dot. I can't square my lens to the optic and keep my cheek on the riser. I have not tried holographics nor prismatics, but I have always been able to use a scope without lenses. The diopter adjustment will allow that without lenses.
Thank you!
Great video thanks
One red dot that is really good with a magnifier is a holosun with the ACSS reticle, since it uses a Chevron with a 0 MOA point of aim
I bought a Aimpoint micro2 some years ago. It's pretty spectacular imho.
Thank you for serving. Good video too
I'd love to see a deeper dive into astigmatism, holographic and prism options for both pistol and rifles.
Have you been able to look at the Primary Arms microprisms? My 3x is as small as those red dots, but has great optics at a very reasonable cost! The etched ACSS reticle is great; the only time I need to turn it on is in low light.
That's a phrase ya don't hear very often, "The FIRST time I got blown up ..."
yeah I shook my head and said "wait......what?"
Thank you
Good info.
Nice video, that was a good quick overview. However I feel like you should have mentioned that holographic sites have a significant advantage since there is no parallax. Just my two cents I appreciate all your hard work. Merry Christmas
i rock that MRO on a UNITY mount! try it if you looking for a bad ass set up!
I like the 3x prism, ACCS reticle, with a quick release and BU iron sights.
Have you used any of the primary arms micro prisms I like mine its still finicky with eyebox but I works as intended
I just got one in a trade, working with the eyebox is finnicky I agree but its nice and compact. also just a little heavier than a red dot, only other bad thing is I tried using it with a magnifier and it did not work. maybe have to adjust both diopeters but couldn't be bothered
Chasing this video today has been an exercise deserving a free optic, lol
My astigmatism sucked with both the red dot, and the holo. The prism was fine, but I didn't care for it still. I ended up getting the Holosun 510c green dot, and it was decent enough. For some reason the 510c was much better than the other red dots I looked at, and I'm not sure if it's because I got the green one, or the model.
That’s why i run back up magpul flip up sights to my reddot
I personally run a vortex spitfire with a 4x magnifier mount to the muzzle side of the optic. Doing this eliminates any need to adjust the parallax on the prism and eliminates the eye relief needed for the magnifier and prism. Plus it does not affect the reticle size in anyway.
Could be wrong but I think you used the unity mount for red dots as an example of easy to find mounts for nighvision. I know they definitely make that for the EOtech
Eotech uses an integrated mount, so you would just need a picatinny riser
@@Russianmafia10 true, I thought there were some that have a different mounting footprint. But they might actually all have picatinny. Regardless, it's very easy to use them with night vision was my point
What will you suggest the best optic to use on Keltec KSG shotgun for home defense? I'm wearing glasses and contact lens. Thanks.
The primary arms 1x micro prism is about the same size if not smaller than most red dots
A rocket surgeon, sounds like an important job
I'm kinda optics nerd and am very interested in the science behind the stated facts. Like why the hologram doesn't get magnified or why the prism scope messes the zero of irons. Any good sources appreciated.
I can't speak for why halos aren't magnified but can prisms effecting irons. If they were true 1x then it wouldn't but rarely are any optics true 1x. They can range from 1.1 - 1.5x. That's going to magnify the front site causing a shift in the post most likely causing the high or low impact shift. That very small magnification can have huge impacts.
@@JamesSmullins ok that totally makes sense 👍 thx
Trijicon makes a fiber optic/tritium reflex sight, no battery needed and small as the re dot in your video
Primary Arms makes micro prisms with the magnificent ACSS BDC reticle
Uh a third version today?
What 1-2 MOA red dot site would you recommend for a Sig Sauer P322 pistol?
I see how the prism sight is different and functions more like a periscope, but all the sources I've read claim a red dot is a reflex sight mounted inside a tube. Is that correct?
I have an astigmatism and aome red dots are made for this, but its not perfect. However, I am curious how the old RX01 AND RX06 trijicon reflex sights work as i dont recall ever experiencing issues having an astigmatism. By the way, my eyes were lasered too... But still have an astigmatism.
Informative breakdown of the various options, but what about the LVPO option instead of the prism option????
LPVO is just low power variable magnification. It doesn't tell you what the technology is.
Ok so yeah i have had two sig dots, one was on my AR-15 and i have the zero for my 43x and i just thought the lower end dots had blurry dots but i put my girlfriends glasses on and there both so crisp!!! I didnt even know i needed glasses lmao... And this whole time i thought my eyes were fine
I’ve seen noticeable impact shift zeroing irons separately and zeroing irons through a red dot as well.
Is your mount absolute cowitness or something else? If it's not absolute I would pay close attention to your head position and cheek weld. Having bad alignment will mess you up
All my red dots are absolute that’s what I prefer. Head position shouldn’t matter to a degree since there is very little parallax past 50 yards with a red dot in my experience can’t speak for lower 1/3. I always zero iron’s separately from the red dot.
Parallax is much worse than most manufacturers are willing to admit. I've tested this with a aimpoint T2 and an Eotech. Hoplopfheil has a video demonstrating. The Eotech is the only parallax free laser emitted optic.
Aw...isn't that little red dot cute sitting next to the others 😉😆😆😆
your video was label in the intro as "process for getting an sbr" 0:03
I have an astigmatism and struggle with red dots, but not all. Some green dots are much better with my eyes, but all red dots are a disaster. The Hologun 510c-gr and 507c-gr work pretty well for my astigmatism. But the best, by far, sharpest, is the prism sights. I run a 3x on my AR and love it, especially with the etching if i lose battery. I have shot holographic sights but never found one that works for me and fits my budget.
The first time you got blown up? How many times have you been blown up? And, thank you for serving!
Would be interesting to see prisms compared to traditional rifle scopes for those of us that are unfamiliar with prisms
look for a acog vs lpvo video.
So which is the best for CQB combat shotgun in your opinion?
Holographic battery life. Also, some of us didn’t know we had horrible astigmatisms until we got red dots and went “why does this look like multiple layers of starbursts?”. Battery life on an eotech EXPS3 is fractional of a red dot. Also, some red dots don’t have that starburst layover effect when using a magnifier. At least not to the same degree as with the naked eye. Though I’ll forever complain about eotech battery life and mounting on an AK platform kinda sucks. I’d rather use a red dot 2MOA and train with it getting the general placement and kind of kentucky glassing the impact point through repetition. As well as finding a pistol holographic (true holographic) or prism is almost unheard of. I prefer to run an AK platform and it’s easier for me with that low mount height to just train with a red dot not worrying about eye relief and hitting center mass through what I call kentucky glassing. You’re guessing through glass pretty much. Do it enough and you can have a pretty good guess where your shot will impact. 20/20 and 15/20 vision (yes there’s better than 20/20 vision, but a horrific astigmatism where street lights at night look like a massive starburst too.
We’ve beat the crap out oh of the ACOGS and same thing we had guys blown up and stuff and ACOG still good.
Caleb talking about anything: Theee/Actual/Itself
Great explanation. I hope your buddy survived.
Aren't red dots LED emitters instead of lasers?
Yes, that's why the battery life is so much better than laser holographics.
Uncle Sam shot lasers into my eyes many years ago as well. Still see great! I got PRK in Landstuhl.
Astigmatism part should come with a couple of asterisks. I have a fairly pronounced astigmatism but I personally find red dots to be more comfortable than holosights. So, please, try out different options before commiting to one.
I have the holographic sight. I love it over all the red dots I have.
Adding rocket surgeon to my resume now.
I always assumed that people complaining about prisms just had really cheap optics.
The EOTECH is the king of NV optics
Just casually says “the first time I got blown up” 9:24
Because of the way that holographic collimators work, Eotech sights are not true 1 moa dots. They are actually multiple parallel points of light focused out to infinity. Under certain magnification you can see the tessellation of the images; this is because a hologram is not a single image. It is actually a composite of thousands of individual points of light that are all diffracted by the holographic grate (the shape of the grate defines the reticle) from a laser. Due to the way an Eotech is constructed the light is collimated to be self-referential, meaning that the dot always appears to be centered in the circle and the circle appears round and of the same relative size to the dot. Due to the way the eye picks up light, they will appear to be about 1-2 moa to the naked eye. This is how your eye interprets the light, but the absolute size of the dot is actually only a few photons. When magnified the eye still perceives the dot as about 1-2 moa because it can't discern a point of light smaller than that. Additionally, the relative measurement of the circle is also maintained because the light is parallelly diffracted.
Love the in depth analysis. Almost nobody explained the way these work, but I realize the base is only a laser collimator to illuminate the holographic plate which you view though. It's just a hologram image pegged at infinity. Similar to those laser pointer attatchments that create images out of the beam, just much wider.
Prism Sights FOREVER!
I don't think those "Rocket Surgeons or Brain Scientist" could have explained it better.
Did anyone else notice the title card says, "Quick Tip: Process for Getting an SBR"?
Holographic as a secondary optic, hum French army test it for the FÉLIN program, and I agree, it wasn’t a good idea 😂
Where does holosun he510c-gr fit in these 3 types of optics? Hybrid?
They're holographic.
@@watermann8200 Actually they are red dots. Holosun doesn't produce any holographic optics
He510c is basically a giant version of their pistol red dots. Uses an open emitter to project onto the glass.
There are two major things you need to add to your review. First is that prism optics can be some of the larger optics; my AR personal defense gun is a larger magnified prism scope with a red dot on top. This allows very quick both eye target acquistion & better for us older guys with worn out vision. The second item you're ignoring is digital scopes - I can get a SightMark Wraith HD 2-16x28mm Digital Night Vision for under $400, significantly cheaper than holographic sight, with zoom, & far superior night vision (which you addressed on all 3 types you addressed). The only problem is Brownells does not carry Sightmark.
This is a review of optics that can be passively aimed with night vision. Digital scopes are not passive aiming or compatible with head mounted night vision. A digital scope like that should be compared to things like NV clip ons and thermals, not 1x optical sights
Thanks Scott, I covered that first point in the video and the second about digital scopes was not missed, this is just simply not a video about that. The other three fall in closely to the same category whereas digital is in another of it's own, therefore did not find it's place in this video. Unfortunately I do not see us carrying Sightmark anytime soon as the quality of the products simply do not align with the quality we strive for in our optic line.
Red dots aren’t lasers (stimulated emission),they are LED (light emitting diode, spontaneous emission). Lasers are damaging for the retina.
There's one thing wrong with most red dots the batteries .etched glass along with tritium to illuminate, batteries wear out
Can I burrow your notes?
All hail the prism!!
Why don’t people just use 1x8 compact variable scopes with a lit reticle. I had the red dots and the magnifiers, and they work well for closer ranges, but the scopes seem far superior at every range with greater precision.
Caleb, how did you convince Uncle Sam to improve your vision?
I can't think of a reason to use iron sights through a prism sight. If the sight goes down, you likely can't see through it, so would need to remove it anyway
So you are tell us that a M4 that was propelled violently muzzle down into a vehicle ceiling sheard both takedown pins? Maybe what you meant to say was the holes in the upper and lower recievers failed right? Because i'm having a hard time believing that the steel pins failed before the Aluminim.
Both the pins as well as the aluminum in the receivers were wrecked. Each pin was in multiple pieces just to clarify.
Prism scopes warp picture, but have etched scope. I would stay away personally. If you use no magnification version, or even 1.5x
Prism Optics Are Better Than Red Dots And Holographic Sights.
That’s ok Caleb. I’m not a Rocket Surgeon either.
🔴
Before I had eye surgery a red dot sight looked like a figure 8
Is that a rocket launcher in the safe?
"The first time I got blown up in Afghanistan…" Badass way to start a story.