Follow us on:
.svg)
Looking for a thermal scope without breaking the bank? The DNT Hydra HS225 comes in under $1000, but can it actually perform? We put it to the test — and the results might surprise you.
.jpg)
If you’re in the market for a thermal optic but don’t want to drop upwards of $2,000–$5,000, you’ve probably wondered if any budget-friendly options are worth looking at. In this review, we’re breaking down the DNT Hydra HS225 — a thermal scope priced around $900, making it one of the most affordable in its class. But does it perform above its price tag? Let’s find out.
The Hydra HS225 is one of the smallest and lightest thermals we tested in our recent comparison, weighing 1 pound. That compact design makes it incredibly versatile — ready for you to use it as:
It features a 12-micron pixel pitch with a <25mK NETD and a sensor resolution of 256x192. We’ve always said that 384x288 is the minimum you should aim for if you want a good image, but according to DNT, their proprietary AI algorithm enhances the 256-image to look like a 384-image.
That image held its own compared to the similarly priced Sightmark Wraith Thermal. With their image enhancement, the Hydra’s clarity even looked slightly better, in our opinion. However, remember that the image enhancement setting can reduce your total battery life.
The HS225 utilizes rechargeable 18650 flat-top batteries, which provide approximately 5.5 hours of runtime per battery. It comes with two batteries and a charger, and extras are readily available on Amazon for $5-6 each. If you need extended runtime in the field, you can also power it via USB-C.
Like most thermals these days, the Hydra HS225 lets you record video. It has 32GB of internal storage, so you won’t have to remember an SD card — not that we’ve ever forgotten one… okay, maybe once.
If you’re a Mac user, note that you can’t transfer files directly. You’ll need to do it through the DNT app. Speaking of their app, it works excellent for live viewing on your phone and transferring files, but unfortunately, you can’t control scope settings or record from it.
Mounting is simple, with four screws and an included clamp-style mount for your Picatinny rail. We’ve seen people mount it to a magnifier pivot mount for quick, clip-on use, although we haven’t tested that ourselves.
Controls for the Hydra are easily found right on top:
The diopter adjustment, focus ring, and protective lens cap are standard equipment. The focus ring placement is out on the objective end—not our favorite placement, but it works.
The base magnification is 3x, which is higher than some of the other thermals we tested. A lower base magnification gives you a wider field of view for close-in scanning. The Hydra zooms up to 12x, though like most digital thermals, the image clarity decreases as you zoom in.
The Hydra’s AI image enhancement helps keep it a touch clearer than the competition, but it still gets pixelated the further you zoom.
You get four color palettes:
It’s not as many as other models, but those four should cover most of your needs for hunting or scanning situations.
You can also choose from 8 reticle options, easily set your zero point getting the rifle sighted in, and choose if you want to use the Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode. A cool feature is that you can move the PIP window wherever you want on the screen, but we usually prefer dead center at the top.
The Hydra HS225 is rated IP67, which means it’s waterproof against heavy rain and fully protected from dust. It’s also rated to handle recoil up to a .50 BMG, so you don’t have to baby this thing.
The DNT app allows you to stream your scope’s view to your phone, which is particularly useful when scanning a field for hogs or coyotes. However, as mentioned, you can’t control any settings or recording from the app. Most competitors let you adjust at least a few things through their apps, so hopefully, DNT will add that capability in future updates.
While we could easily detect an animal’s heat signature out to 500 yards, quickly identifying that animal proved to be much more difficult. As you probably already know, if you’re planning on shooting an animal, you better be able to correctly identify that animal before pulling the trigger.
Based on our testing, it has been easy to identify targets at least 200 yards away. It was also easy to pick up a human heat signature at 300 yards, but identifying a specific animal could become much more difficult past that distance.
Getting the Hydra HS225 zeroed was as simple as chasing the bullet holes. The hardest part of sighting in was finding the best mounting position on my Smith & Wesson M&P 22. Once it was where I wanted it, the shooting commenced.
I used a paper target and taped a hand warmer to help with the heat signature. Of course, that worked great, and after three shots, I made my first adjustments. The freeze frame feature is always worth it on digital scopes because it allows for easy maneuvering of the crosshairs without requiring the shooter to keep the rifle completely still. Once I froze the frame, I adjusted the X and Y axis coordinates to coincide with the location where the bullets were grouped.
Then, I completed the same process until the rifle was zeroed at the desired distance. You can see the results above.
With 26 different zero profiles, it should be easy to set up different distance profiles or even switch between them for other guns. I initially zeroed it while using a 22LR at 30 yards, and my thoughts would be to use another zero profile for a further distance, possibly out to 50 and then 100 yards.
No review of the Hydra HS225 would be complete without mentioning its more advanced but slightly more expensive siblings. We haven’t tested those yet, but you never know what might be coming up soon!
The Hydra HS325 features a 384x288 resolution and is designed to deliver the next step up in quality. Of course, with that increase in quality, you can expect to see a price increase. The HS325 retails for $1,395 as of the time of writing.
Continuing up the image quality ladder, we find the Hydra HS635. It has a 640x512 resolution that should produce more defined images still without breaking the bank. In comparison to many other 640-resolution thermals, the price tag of $2,295 is lower than you’d expect. Once again, we haven’t tested these, so I can’t speak to the image quality. But I would expect to see the quality of images increase as the price increases.
For around $900, the DNT Hydra HS225 offers surprising performance for the money. The AI image enhancement works better than we expected. It’s lightweight, has solid battery life, and stands out because it can be used as a scope, clip-on, or handheld.
DNT offers higher-end models for those seeking high-resolution images. Still, the Hydra HS225 should be on your shortlist for budget-conscious hunters or land managers who require a dependable thermal without breaking the bank.
The Hydra HS225 is one of those rare budget optics that punches above its weight class. No, it’s not perfect — but for $900, it’s an absolute contender. If you’re shopping on a budget, consider this scope as a viable option.
Robbie has enjoyed the outdoors since he can remember. His earliest memories include hours upon hours of squirrel hunting and learning how to enjoy all aspects of hunting season in God's wonderful outdoors. Now he is always working hard and testing gear in the field to give you the best review and most thorough information he possibly can.
All opinions are ours. Some items we receive for free, borrow, or purchase at a discount, but this never impacts our opinions or freedom to report them.
Also, most product links you see are affiliate links - meaning that we may earn a small commission if you click it and make a purchase. (We greatly appreciate your support in doing this!!!)
.svg)
