"We decided not to include a laser rangefinder," said Rusty. "Lots of people have asked for one, and we certainly have the means to include it. But a rangefinder would add weight and cost. We're trying desperately to make this sight affordable."

SD cards are easy to install and retrieve. Same is true of the four AA batteries that power the sight.

One intriguing feature is the DigitalHunter's ability to record up to five seconds of video during a shooting sequence. The scope operates as a still camera too. A port allows you to attach a remote screen so if you're coaching a shooter, you can see exactly what he or she sees in the sight picture. Or you can switch on the video and get up to seven five-second clips on a standard 64mb SD card. A top-side monitor shows you images after you record them.

"An electronic scope takes some getting used to," Rusty admitted as I muddled my way through a series of menu choices. The control panel is straightforward, and anyone born after the Tet Offensive ought to navigate quickly through its myriad options. As I grew up using iron sights and steel-tubed scopes, and remember a $2,700 sticker price for new Mustangs, pushing buttons to zero seemed unnatural to me. So did the video-screen image. It's nowhere near as sharp as an optical image, nor does this scope transmit light as will fine optics. Rusty showed me a prototype of a DigitalHunter with infrared capabilities, but the standard model keeps you honest.

Among the advantages of this unique sight is its lack of parallax. There's none. Long eye relief is another bonus, though for the best view of your target it's a good idea to press the long, flexible rubber eye-shade against your brow.

I was impressed by the windage and elevation adjustments. Each push of a button moves point of impact .2-inch. Exactly. There's no backlash, no guessing as to how much each click really moves the reticle. There's no losing track of where you are either, because the screen indicates just how far you've gone. Before you zero the rifle, it's a good idea to install ballistic data specific to your load. For each shot, then, you need only key in the range and hold center. The scope self-adjusts for bullet drop. I tested the scope's compensating capability with a .30-06 to ranges beyond 400 yards. It was spot on.

The Adirondack Connection

The DigitalHunter is not the only rifle sight of its type. Nor is it the first. Three years ago, Adirondack Optics, in upstate New York, introduced the SmartScope designed by Terry Gordon, a young entrepreneur who teamed up with "many talented people" to manufacture three inaugural versions. The 1.5-6x40, 3-10x44 and 6-16x44 all have 30mm tubes, and there's a parallax adjustment on the 3-10X and 6-16X. The standard mil dot reticle is in the front focal plane, so apparent reticle dimensions change with the magnification but not in relation to your target. The SmartScope is in some ways a conventional sight with quarter-minute adjustments and three inches of eye relief. The internal digital camera is what makes this product different. It's powered by a pair of 1.5-volt AA batteries housed at mid-section in a turret compartment. A small screen atop the ocular bell has the on/off switch and a button that lets you take photos through the scope. The camera uses standard digital cards. "They're Smart Media now," Terry tells me. "But a CD card is coming." To photograph game and kill it with a bullet at the same time, you need only trigger the rifle. The camera is easy to set to "ready" mode when you begin your hunt. The SmartScope takes a picture automatically as your rifle recoils. It's not blurred because software subtracts lock time to record the image as it appeared seven milliseconds before recoil. I've used a SmartScope on the range. The camera worked reliably, and photos placed my reticle on the target where the bullets made holes. Frames shot by hunters using a SmartScope in the field have shown the reticle on the vitals when game wound up in the locker. Camera images compare with those you'd expect from a mid-range digital camera. As I found by shooting into shadow, a SmartScope requires reasonable levels of light, just like any digital camera and Elcan's DigitalHunter. Fully multicoated lenses complement this sight. Resolution and brightness match what you'll get from other high-end scopes. At twenty-two to twenty-six ounces, a SmartScope would look and feel out of place on carbines; it's no burden on rifles of average weight. A Picatinny rail increases the limited mounting latitude. SmartScopes cost about the same as the DigitalHunter: www.adkoptics.com.

The DigitalHunter is hard on batteries. If you leave the sight switched on, expect to run out of juice in five hours--sooner in cold weather. But you needn't leave it on. Hunting with a DigitalHunter in Kansas this fall, I left the scope off until I felt a shot was imminent. Because "booting up" takes about three seconds, Elcan engineered a couple of battery-saving "sleep" options. In sleep mode, the scope uses almost no battery but comes to life instantly at the press of a button.

Is it durable? I didn't destroy one to test its limits, but Rusty assures me it will take as much of a bruising as most scopes. In Elcan's trials, it has survived the repeated recoil of a .375 H&H.

No doubt many shooters will find the DigitalHunter worth a try. It is well engineered and well made. It allows you to photograph and video during or without a shot. It's a pioneering effort that will no doubt spark competition and spawn more refined electronic sights.