Stellar SQ50L vs SX75L: Is the 1280 Sensor Worth the Step Up?

The choice between the Stellar 4.0 SQ50L and the Stellar 4.0 SX75L comes down to how far away your animals usually are. If most of your shooting happens inside about 250 m, in timber or mixed farmland, the SQ50L does the job for a lot less money. If you work big open country and need to tell what an animal is at 300 m and beyond, the SX75L is worth the step up.

The SX75L also sees more ground at the same time. Its view is wider and its detail is finer than the SQ50L's, so you're not trading one for the other.

Wider and sharper at the same time

With most thermal scopes, a longer lens buys you detail and costs you field of view. The SX75L breaks that pattern because its 1280×1024 sensor has four times the pixels of the SQ50L's 640×512. Behind a 75 mm lens, that larger sensor gives a 12.1° × 9.7° view, against 8.8° × 7.0° for the SQ50L behind its 50 mm lens. At 100 m, that's about 21.2 m across for the SX75L and 15.2 m for the SQ50L. The diagram below draws both to scale.

Across a paddock, that extra width means fewer sweeps to cover the same ground, and a running animal stays in frame longer. The SX75L also starts at a lower base magnification, 3.0× against 3.5×, which helps when you're scanning.

What each pixel sees

The detail side comes from how much ground each sensor pixel covers. Both sensors use 12 µm pixels, so the lens decides the slice: by our estimate from the lens and sensor specs, each SQ50L pixel covers about 2.4 cm at 100 m, and each SX75L pixel about 1.6 cm. The diagram below runs those numbers out to 500 m.

Look along the 300 m row. The SX75L's pixel there covers the same 4.8 cm that an SQ50L pixel covers at 200 m. In practical terms, the SX75L holds the same level of detail about 50% further out. By our estimate, that stretches the distance at which you can recognise a fox from roughly 180–240 m on the SQ50L to about 270–365 m on the SX75L.

Both scopes share the same under-12 mK NETD, 1,200 m laser rangefinder and 2560×2560 display, so the picture quality difference comes down to the sensor and lens. On the SX75L, HIKMICRO also builds the rangefinder module into the objective lens. If you want the full spec sheet for both, it's in our HIKMICRO Stellar 4.0 review.

Where the difference shows up in the field

Say you're glassing a big stubble paddock out on the western plains, with the far fence line 400 m away. On the SX75L, the wider view covers more of the paddock in each sweep, and something warm on that fence line still holds a recognisable shape. On the SQ50L, you'll spot the same animal, but you'll often need to close the distance before you can say what it is.

Now take a timber edge in Gippsland, where the bush opens onto a narrow clearing and most shots come inside 150 m. Here both scopes show plenty of detail, and the extra width of the SX75L matters less because the trees frame what you can see. The SQ50L does this work just as well, and it runs longer on a charge.

The table below lists everything that differs between the two.

What the SX75L costs you

The biggest cost is the price: the SX75L is the more expensive scope by a wide margin, so check the current price on each product page. Beyond that, battery life drops from 9.5 to 7 hours, which matters on long winter nights. Its F1.2 lens lets a little less infrared energy reach each pixel than the SQ50L's F1.0, though both carry the same under-12 mK sensitivity rating.

Size and weight barely change. The SX75L is 67 g heavier and about 6 mm longer, so it won't upset the balance of a rifle that already carries the SQ50L comfortably.

Which one we'd buy

For most fox and pig shooting on farmland, we'd buy the SQ50L. Its 640 sensor and 50 mm lens cover shots inside about 250 m comfortably, it runs the longest on a charge, and the money you save buys a lot of ammunition. Choose the SX75L if you control pests professionally, shoot open plains most of the time, or regularly need to identify animals at 300 m and beyond. The flowchart below sums it up.

Both come in a rail-mount version as well, the SQ50LR and SX75LR. Our guide to choosing between the Stellar 4.0 L and LR covers which mount suits your rifle.

Stellar SQ50L vs SX75L FAQ

Does the SX75L show more detail than the SQ50L?

Yes. By our estimate from HIKMICRO's specs, each pixel on the Stellar 4.0 SX75L covers about 1.6 cm at 100 m, against about 2.4 cm on the SQ50L. That lets the SX75L hold the same level of detail roughly 50% further out. Inside about 150 m both show plenty of detail, so the gap matters most at longer range.

Which has the wider field of view, the SQ50L or SX75L?

The Stellar 4.0 SX75L does. Its field of view is 12.1° × 9.7°, which covers about 21.2 m across at 100 m. The SQ50L's is 8.8° × 7.0°, about 15.2 m across at 100 m. That makes the SX75L roughly 40% wider, so you cover more ground per sweep and keep a moving animal in frame longer.

Does the SX75L have shorter battery life than the SQ50L?

Yes. HIKMICRO rates the Stellar 4.0 SX75L at up to 7 hours and the SQ50L at up to 9.5 hours, both measured at 25 °C with the rangefinder on. Both use two built-in cells plus one removable 18650, so carrying a charged spare 18650 is the simplest way to stretch a long night with the SX75L.

Is the SX75L worth it for hunting in thick timber?

Usually not. In thick timber most shots come inside about 150 m, where the Stellar 4.0 SQ50L already shows plenty of detail and the trees limit how much of the SX75L's wider view you can use. The SQ50L also runs longer on a charge and costs considerably less. Save the SX75L for open country and long-range identification.

Is the SX75L much heavier than the SQ50L?

No. With the removable battery fitted, the Stellar 4.0 SX75L weighs 1,075 g and the SQ50L 1,008 g, a difference of 67 g. The SX75L measures 445.7 × 93.5 × 78.7 mm against 439.6 × 82.9 × 74.3 mm, so it's slightly wider and taller but only about 6 mm longer. Rifle balance changes very little between the two.

Do the SQ50L and SX75L have the same rangefinder?

Both have a laser rangefinder rated up to 1,200 m with ±1 m accuracy. On the Stellar 4.0 SX75L, HIKMICRO builds the rangefinder module into the objective lens, which it calls LRF Inside Lens, and that design is exclusive to the SX75 models. Either way, a fox-sized target ranges well short of the maximum but still beyond normal shooting distances.

What magnification do the SQ50L and SX75L have?

The Stellar 4.0 SQ50L runs from 3.5× to 28× and the SX75L from 3.0× to 30×. The SX75L's lower starting magnification and wider field of view make it better for scanning. At the top end, both zoom digitally, so higher magnification enlarges the picture without adding sensor detail; use it to look closer at an animal you've already found.

Does the SX75L's F1.2 lens make the picture worse?

Not noticeably for most hunting. An F1.2 lens lets slightly less infrared energy reach each pixel than the Stellar 4.0 SQ50L's F1.0 lens. HIKMICRO rates both models' sensitivity at under 12 mK, so both stay at the clean end of hunting thermals on humid, low-contrast nights. The SX75L's finer pixel detail is the bigger factor in what you see.

Is the SX75L better for scanning from a ute?

Yes. The Stellar 4.0 SX75L's 12.1° × 9.7° field of view covers about 21.2 m across at 100 m, against 15.2 m for the SQ50L, and it starts at a lower 3.0× magnification. From a vehicle on a farm track, that means fewer sweeps to cover a paddock and an easier time keeping a moving animal in view while you range it.

Related guides

• HIKMICRO Stellar 4.0 review: which model to buy
• Stellar 4.0 L or LR: 30 mm tube vs rail mount
• How NETD affects thermal image quality on humid nights

This comparison is based on HIKMICRO's published Stellar 4.0 specifications; per-pixel and recognition figures are our estimates from those specs.