July 2026 - Written by the HeatSight Optics Team
HeatSight TPM-A16 384x288 35mm Monocular Review - The TPM-A16 is the long-lens 384 handheld: a 35 mm objective stretches human-sized detection past 2.3 km, making it the reach specialist of our monocular pair - a spotting-style thermal for fence lines, field edges, and property overwatch.
A 500-gram handheld built for scanning: 384x288 core at 12 μm, ≤40 mK NETD, 50 Hz, behind a 35 mm F1.0 manual-focus objective and a 1024×768 OLED eyepiece with 16x apparent magnification. IP65 housing, USB-C, and - unusual extras at this tier - CVBS video out on an SMA connector plus onboard laser and lighting lamps.
A thermal monocular exists so you don't sweep your rifle across the landscape to look at things - a muzzle-discipline problem and a fatigue problem. Scan wide with the handheld, mount up only when it's time. WiFi app control lets a partner watch the feed on a phone; CVBS out feeds a screen at a fixed position, which makes the A16 a capable node for property-watch setups. Brightness and contrast adjust across 10 levels each, with two detail modes and six palettes.
This is the unit I hand to whoever comes with me. Scanning with a monocular instead of a rifle scope means nobody is pointing a muzzle at heat to identify it, and the A16 picks up deer and hog body heat far past where you would believe a 384 could. Streaming the view to a phone through the app turns one device into two: I glass, the phone on the tripod shows everyone else what I see. Battery discipline is easy, and it lives in a jacket pocket without complaint.
Purpose-built scanner: 16x apparent magnification eyepiece and one-hand ergonomics for hours of glassing.
CVBS + WiFi: External-display and app streaming options most handhelds at this price skip.
Onboard illumination and laser marker lamps.
Choose the A16 when your scanning is long and directional; choose the A30 when you want maximum image detail in a wider view. Either way, your rifle stays pointed at the ground until it matters. 2-Year Limited Warranty.
Specifications: 384x288, 12μm, NETD ≤40mK | 35mm F1.0, 7.5° × 5.7° | OLED 1024×768, 16x apparent | 50Hz | 1-8x e-zoom | 6 palettes, PiP, hot tracking | WiFi, CVBS (SMA), USB-C | 16GB, JPG/MP4 | 18650 3,200mAh built-in, ≤5h | IP65 | 500g
The HeatSight Optics TPM-A16 384x288 35mm Monocular is available at heatsightoptics.com for $899 (regularly $999). Check the product page for current stock - this model sells through quickly; contact us to get on the list for the next batch. Questions about which HeatSight scope fits your hunting or property-security setup? Call us at (313) 338-8168 - you'll talk to the people who actually build and flash these units, not a call center.
This review was written by the HeatSight Optics team based on our own design, bench, and field testing of production units. We build these scopes, so consider the source - and consider that we also publish the cons, because we'd rather you buy the right scope than return the wrong one.