Pixfra Cetus
The modular thermal riflescope — four models, one platform, from $1,190.
Thermal imaging, finally within reach.
Thermal has always been the expensive end of the optics world. Plenty of hunters wanted in and got quoted a number that sent them straight back to a spotlight. The Cetus exists to end that. From $1,190 it’s a genuine thermal riflescope — not a stripped-back gadget, but a real, capable scope at a price that finally makes sense.
Pixfra calls the Cetus modular because that’s exactly what it is: one proven scope platform offered in four sensor-and-lens builds. The controls, the body, the app and the feature set are shared across the range — so you simply choose the module that matches your country and your budget, with no risk of buying more scope than you need. The price is entry-level. The capability is not.
Compare the Pixfra Cetus range
Side by side, nothing buried. With NETD, a lower number is better.
Which Pixfra Cetus is for you?
New to thermal? Here’s how a thermal riflescope works.
If thermal is new to you, this is the section to read.
A thermal riflescope doesn’t amplify light the way traditional night vision does — it reads heat. Every living animal radiates infrared heat, and the Cetus’s sensor turns that heat into a clear on-screen picture. That’s why thermal works in total darkness: it isn’t using light at all, so there’s nothing for the conditions to take away.
In the field, a warm-bodied pig, fox or deer lights up brightly against a cooler background — even bedded in shadow, standing in long grass, or screened by light scrub that would hide it completely from the naked eye or a night-vision scope. Thermal cuts straight through the camouflage game relies on. And because it reads heat rather than light, it works by day too — many hunters use thermal as much for locating game in daylight cover as after dark.
When you’re choosing, three things matter most. Sensor resolution — 256, 384 or 640 — more pixels mean more detail and longer identification range. Thermal sensitivity (NETD), in millikelvin, where a lower number reads finer heat differences; the Cetus runs a keen 15–18 mK. And lens and magnification — a longer lens reaches further. The Cetus range lets you dial that balance in exactly.
Reading the numbers — what a thermal spec sheet actually tells you
Learn to read a few figures and you can judge any scope on the market — honestly.
Sensor resolution — 256×192, 384×288, 640×512 — is the count of heat-sensing pixels on the thermal core. More pixels means a more detailed image and more identification range: a higher-resolution sensor lets you tell what an animal is, not merely that something warm is out there. A 640 sensor resolves a clean, recognisable shape where a 256 may show little more than a bright blob. It’s the single biggest driver of image quality.
Pixel pitch — the micron (µm) figure — is the size of each pixel. A smaller pitch is the newer, more advanced standard: the 12 µm pixel every Cetus uses fits the same resolution onto a more compact, efficient sensor than the older 17 µm pitch, keeping the optic smaller and lighter. When a spec sheet says 12 µm, you’re looking at current-generation hardware.
NETD — and why a smaller number wins. NETD is thermal sensitivity: the smallest temperature difference the sensor can detect, in millikelvin. This is the figure that catches people out, because lower is better — the opposite of nearly every other number on the page. A 15 mK sensor is sharper than a 25 or 35 mK one. Low NETD is what separates an animal from grass that’s nearly the same temperature, and what holds the picture together in rain, fog and humidity. Every Cetus runs a keen 15–18 mK.
Display resolution finishes the chain — a sensor can only show you as much as the screen can draw, so the Cetus pairs its core with a high-resolution OLED, up to 1600×1200. Put it together and the Cetus surprises people: a C635 is a 640×512, 12 µm, 15 mK scope that stands squarely next to the 640 models from the big premium names, at a price well below them. That keen price isn’t a corner cut — it’s what happens when the sensor comes from Pixfra’s own parent company rather than being bought in and marked up through several hands.
Real sensor pedigree behind the price.
The most important component in any thermal scope is the sensor — the core that actually detects heat. Thermal cores are made by only a handful of companies in the world; it’s specialised, capital-heavy manufacturing, and most optics brands have no choice but to buy their cores in from someone else.
Pixfra is in a stronger position. It’s part of the Dahua group — one of the world’s largest imaging and video-technology manufacturers, with deep in-house sensor and imaging expertise. That means the Cetus is built around imaging technology from a vertically integrated maker, not assembled from parts bought off the shelf — with the quality control and supply security that scale brings. You’re buying thermal performance, not paying a premium for a logo.
Entry price, serious hardware.
Full technical specifications — all four Cetus models
Where a value is shared across the range it spans the row. Where it differs, each model is listed left to right.
Specifications are supplied by the manufacturer and may be revised without notice. NETD is measured at f/1.0; battery life is quoted with Wi-Fi off at 25 °C. Detection distance refers to a large heat source under favourable conditions and will vary in the field. Quoted magnification is the base optical magnification — each model also offers 1×–8× digital zoom.
Where the Cetus earns its keep
A first thermal scope that pulls its weight from night one.
Thermal vs digital day/night — which Pixfra do you need?
They’re not rivals — they’re two different tools, and plenty of hunters run one of each.
The Cetus is a thermal riflescope. It detects heat, which makes it unbeatable for finding warm game through grass, scrub and total darkness. Choose the Cetus when your priority is locating animals that conventional optics simply cannot see — a dedicated, no-compromise night and detection tool.
The Volans is a digital day/night optic. It works with light: a natural, full-colour picture by day and a detailed, identifiable image after dark, and it doubles as your everyday daytime scope. Choose the Volans if you want one optic for everything and a recognisable image you can confidently identify and aim with.
Many serious hunters end up with both — thermal to find the animal, and a day/night optic to identify it and take the shot.
The Pixfra optics lineup
The Cetus is part of the Pixfra optics range — thermal and digital day/night riflescopes, a thermal monocular and a multi-spectral binocular. Here is the rest of the lineup.
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Pixfra Cetus — common questions
Your way into thermal.
Genuine stock, backed by C.R. Kennedy — and if it ever needs attention, it’s serviced here in Australia, never sent overseas.