My Aimpoint Review of the M4 and T1

[TheDarkOne]

Uber necro post, I know.
I am thinking about a T1, but was noticing the same oblong dot in one I was looking through at my local gun shop. I also noticed a lot of 'bloom', or concentric red rings, in the optic when I turned the brightness up. Is the bloom normal in all Aimpoint optics? Call me picky, but if I am dishing out that kind of dough for optics, I expect the thing to be perfect. I suppose the only way to be satisfied with the optic you choose is to look through it before you buy. No online orders, or at least a good return policy.

[spr1]

If the dot brightness is set too high for the ambient light conditions the dot and tube appear to "bloom". If that level of brightness was not available, the dot would not be visible in bright sun / light backgrounds (snow/sand). Turn the dot down to provide adequate contrast and life will be good. These sights are truly the best red dots.

[spamsammich]

Uber necro post, I know.
I am thinking about a T1, but was noticing the same oblong dot in one I was looking through at my local gun shop. I also noticed a lot of 'bloom', or concentric red rings, in the optic when I turned the brightness up. Is the bloom normal in all Aimpoint optics?...

Yes, especially if:

1) You have astigmatism and you set the dot brightness too high.

2) You set the dot brightness too high for the light conditions.

Get my drift? You had it set too high. The dot should be just visible as you concentrate on the target downrange. You should not focus on the dot. I have astigmatism and when I focus on the dot it blooms a lot, when I'm outside focusing downrange and just superimposing the dot, I don't notice the shape as much and it appears to be a perfect dot until I get caught up with staring at the dot. You have to train yourself to get out of the habit if you want to make precision shots. Even with a bit of bloom or comet tails, the dot is plenty accurate for COM hits.

[TheDarkOne]

Good to know guys, the bloom does not to be an issue.
There still seem to be some variance in the shape of the dot. I know it is a small thing, but if I am paying 500+ I would like that thing to be perfect. I guess just looking through it before purchasing is the only way to be sure.

[spamsammich]

The variance in the shape of the dot is NOT from the optic. Different eyes will perceive the dot in different ways. LED lights look like smears to me, so does the small 2 and 4 MOA dots in these optics. To my brother, who has no astigmatism and relatively good eyes compared to me, the dots look perfectly round. With the right settings they don't bloom at all, especially outdoors. They look the worst when you're indoors with the settings all jacked up, you see a lot of artifacts from the internals of the optic and the coatings. Once you take it outside, it cleans up. The only time the RDS bugs me is shooting on indoor ranges, but dialing down helps things a lot.

[markm]

Tag for aimpoint user feedback

[TheDarkOne]

The variance in the shape of the dot is NOT from the optic. Different eyes will perceive the dot in different ways. LED lights look like smears to me, so does the small 2 and 4 MOA dots in these optics. To my brother, who has no astigmatism and relatively good eyes compared to me, the dots look perfectly round.

Maybe I am missing something here, but this photo seems to prove otherwise. Unless you are saying the camera that took this photo had astigmatism.


I looked through both an Comp M4 and a T1 indoors the other day. The M4 looked perfect, the T1 looked oblong. This all suggests variance in dot shape to me.

[spamsammich]

Read gotm4's comment right after that picture you quote. You don't have to believe me, I'm just going by what I know having owned 3 aimpoints including 1 H1 Micro. When I correct my astigmatism, the dot is round. if you think it is the optic, do as fjb suggests and rotate the optic while you're looking at the dot. if it doesn't change shape, the problem is your eyes.

[DRich]

Maybe I am missing something here, but this photo seems to prove otherwise. Unless you are saying the camera that took this photo had astigmatism.

There are countless reasons why a red dot reticle will look distorted in a photograph. Even a slight movement while the shutter is open can make a perfect optic look like trash. Then there is the issue of internal reflections with multiple lens arrangements, etc. Never trust photos when evaluating the quality of a projected reticle.

Having owned over a dozen Aimpoints over the last 15 years and using dozens more during training, I've yet to see one with an oblong reticle. I'm blessed with 20/10 vision in both eyes, so I'd notice if there were issues.

I only wish my hearing was on par with my eyesight...

[markm]

Aimpoint should build corrective lenses INTO THE OPTIC!!