VECTOROPTICS Nautilus GEN.2 SCRD-26Ⅱ Review

I was bored on March 6th, 2021, so I went to the Bakuretsu Festival by myself. I bought a lot of great things there, so I'll introduce them to you.

Today, I'll be introducing the VECTOROPTICS Nautilus 1X30 GEN2 red dot sight.

Last time, it was a Maverick made by the same company.

I've included my thoughts on the website and my background in that article, so please refer to that as well.

I bought it from the usual shop, 41PX. I bought it along with the Maverick. Looking back, I wish I had also bought the Foresta scope. It's hard to find a scope with 1x magnification, isn't it?

I think the price was around 8,000 yen as a special event price. The actual selling price seems to be under 10,000 yen, the same as the Maverick. It just barely fits within my personal rule of staying under 10,000 yen, so I bought it.

Now, as before, let's compare it with the standard Tokyo Marui NEW Pro Sight.

Box, exterior, contents

Let's start with the exterior. The material appears to be primarily aluminum.

I don't know of anything similar in terms of design, but it has a rugged look that seems suitable for military use.

This is a top-down view.

This is the side.

It's like that old Robocop commercial that went, "Here it is, bigger is better! SUX6000, an American tradition!!" I'm an idiot too, so I like big things (I wonder if anyone remembers that? I'm probably giving away my age).

Putting that aside, it has a big image, but in reality it's not that big.

To compare their sizes, the one in the foreground is a Maverick, the one in the middle is a Tokyo Marui Pro Sight, and the one in the back is this product, the Nautilus.

The difference is about this much.

Next, let's look at the contents.

It's a little less impressive compared to Maverick, but I think it's still a decent experience.

By the way, it uses AAA batteries, which are not included. However, they are readily available, inexpensive, and long-lasting, which is a great advantage.

Next, we will measure your weight.

The Nautilus weighed 310g. This is understandable given its 30mm lens diameter. But I still think it's light. There are many products with smaller lenses that are much heavier. I personally don't mind this weight. I think anything above 400g might be considered heavy.

Incidentally, Tokyo Marui's red dot sight weighs 154.5g, which is about half the weight. Their Maverick weighs around 180g.

Since the lens sizes are different, I suppose it's unavoidable that it's heavier.

Usability

Now let's look at each function and how to use it.

Dot switch related

Let's start with the main dot illumination switch. Press and hold the power button on the left side to turn it on. Pressing the up and down arrow buttons will change the brightness.

However, it's difficult to tell what brightness level it's at or what the upper limit is while using it. Is the expectation that I should just use the automatic dimming function?

The controls aren't bad.

The sensor for automatic dimming is located at the top. It's the small dot in the middle.

It kind of reminds me of a lizard's third eye. I'm not sure about the automatic dimming function yet. Sorry.

Also, the cylindrical part at the bottom of the photo is the battery box.

Dot adjustment mechanism

Next, let's look at the adjustment mechanism.

Let's start with the vertical elevation.

This can be turned by hand without any tools. There is no locking mechanism. Moreover, it has just the right amount of stiffness, a satisfying click, and even markings (probably MIL) indicating the direction of rotation, which is fantastic.

This is a vintage model with a left/right adjustment mechanism. It's located on the right side of the unit and uses the same mechanism as the up/down adjustment, which is fantastic.

In actual military and police forces, there's likely a high demand for adjustments that never shift after being made, so access to and ease of use of the adjustment mechanism are often secondary, resulting in many airsoft models being difficult to adjust. However, the situation is different in airsoft (and as a result, they are less likely to shift).

In airsoft games, you often need to change sights frequently and adjust the trajectory due to variations in hop-up depending on the field and conditions, so I consider ease of use in this area to be very important.

I'm also tolerant of slight discrepancies during gameplay, as red dot sights aren't designed for precision shooting and engagement distances are around 50m, so I don't mind.

Finally, the fact that the mount attaches with QD (Quick Dismount) is a big plus. However, the Maverick's mechanism would be preferable if possible. But even with this, there are absolutely no problems.

There might be a high-performance mount for the Nautilus available separately.

The appearance of the dots, the color of the lenses

Let's take a look at the dot pattern and the lens color.

Lens comparison

First, let's see it without the dots lit up.

It looks slightly blue in the photo, but to the naked eye, there is no blueness at all.

I only realized it had a slightly blue edge after seeing the photo. I think it's pretty amazing. I definitely think the Nautilus is much better than the Maverick.

For reference, see Tokyo Marui.

Dot illumination comparison

Next, I'll turn on the dots. I'm not sure about the brightness levels of the dots. I just chose one that seemed good. Is the automatic dimming function working?

This is amazing! It's impossible to convey this in a photo, but I have astigmatism, so the dots on any red dot sight appear blurry to me, but with this one, the blurring is significantly reduced.

They look like distinct dots. This is the first time I've seen this with anything other than prism-type effects.

Let's try moving the lens up, down, left, and right while keeping the dot attached.

Thanks to its large lens diameter, the field of view is quite wide, and the dot is clearly visible even when the lens is turned to the edge. It might be on par with some poorly designed open-type red dot sights. Amazing.

For reference, here's Tokyo Marui's product. Aside from the blue tint of the lens, I think it's quite good.

Objective lens reflection comparison

Finally, let's look at how the light reflects off the backlight.

I intentionally included a fluorescent light in the photo to better see the backlighting.

This significantly reduces reflections. It might even reflect less than the Maverick.

Despite the large lens diameter, which is generally disadvantageous in terms of reflection, the reflections are remarkably suppressed. Also, the light source is positioned diagonally downwards. This doesn't seem like a very common layout.

Here's a backlit shot from Tokyo Marui for reference. It's not bad either.

I tried attaching it to an airsoft gun that seemed like it would suit it.

This Nautilus is bulky, so I arbitrarily decided it would suit military use and attached it to the classic VFC MK18 mod.1.

Other side

This is sighting from a first-person perspective.

It's quite easy to read.

Please also check out the article about the VFC MK18 mod.1 if you're interested.

Practical usability in actual combat

I actually used it at a regular meeting of Yanex, a forest-based outdoor field in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture.

The camera I used was an LCT AK-74 NV with a side mount attached, and I've been having fun with a Nautilus attached to it.

Zeroing was performed at 40m.

The adjustment range was quite large, making zeroing very easy.

Because the AK is so heavy, the Nautilus feels almost weightless when you use it.

One of the best things about using this dot sight is that it has a large lens diameter, so you can see the dot even if your aiming isn't perfect.

With a typical tube-type red dot sight, you generally have to point your face almost directly at the tube to see the dot, but with the Nautilus, you can see the dot even from a relatively oblique angle, making it much easier to aim. Also, as mentioned above, adjusting the dot's position is as simple as turning a dial, so you can quickly adjust it to match the engagement distance during a game, which is very convenient.

Regarding the visibility of the dot, it remained clear and sharp throughout the day, regardless of whether I was outdoors or not. The automatic dimming function also worked well, and the brightness of the dot changed appropriately depending on whether it was in sunlight or shade, and the time of day. I didn't notice it at first, but I realized it when I quickly moved from a sunny spot with backlighting to a shady shed and set up my camera, and the dot's appearance didn't change at all.

This automatic dimming function worked perfectly and was quite effective.

My overall impression is that if you're mainly fighting at distances of less than 40 meters, this Nautilus is more than sufficient than a scope.

Summary

In summary, I think this is one of the strongest contenders for the best red dot sight.

It seems like Maverick is the popular choice, but in my opinion, this one is superior in terms of performance.

The only things that concern me are the weight and the design.

The dot is good, the lens is good, the operation is good, it comes with a 5-year warranty, and personally, I don't mind the design or the weight. Above all, the 30mm lens diameter is quite good. I think it's one of the largest sizes available for tube-type dot sights. The field of view is truly comparable to open-type sights.

Furthermore, even someone like me with astigmatism can somehow see the dots.

In actual games, this gives you a significant advantage if the distance is less than 40 meters.

It's amazing that this actually sells for under 10,000 yen (it became a little more expensive in 2023 due to exchange rate fluctuations).

I'm going to recommend the Nautilus against the current trend.

That's all for now, but I hope this will be of some help to you in choosing optical equipment.

VECTOR OPTICS Nautilus GEN II
Considering the price, this is the best red dot sight. I've also included a direct link to the Rakuten shop of the well-known shop, 41 Military.

Tokyo Marui NEW PRO Sight
This is the Tokyo Marui NEW Pro Sight. I think this is pretty good too.

I've reviewed other red dot sights as well, so please check them out if you're interested!