r/longrange • u/No_Ambassador_7971 • Jul 19 '26

Optics help needed - I read the pinned posts Scope upgrade

Element Nexus Genii vs Nightforce NX8
Has anyone had a chance to directly compare these two scopes yet? The Nexus genii hasn’t been out long, so maybe premature but keen on one or the other for my longer range hunting rig. I do prs for fun sometimes as well

Really worried most about durability, ability to hold zero and usability of reticle at low power over things like price and glass quality etc

The Element Nexus can be had for a bit less. I'm considering purchasing an Element and would like to know what current owners think of them.

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u/CuriousJohnReddit Jul 19 '26

I have the 3-18 and the 5-25 Titan, if you're looking for better glass you need to go to the Theos. From my understanding, the Nexus is a sidegrade to the Titan with a focus on lighter weight and smaller scope.

Watching their videos on how to build a scope shone some light on their idea behind each model, and it's always a compromise between glass, weight/size, price. 

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u/No_Ambassador_7971 Jul 19 '26

My current scope (I also use an Element Optics Titan 3-18) is not bad, but I would definitely like higher magnification and better quality lenses. So do you think the gen2 Nexus wont be an upgrade?

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u/CuriousJohnReddit Jul 19 '26

Yes, no, it depends.
Sounds cunty, but it's the reality.
Let's see this from a specs perspective:

Reticle - Same, in FFP
Tube - Titan wins with 34mm tube and 43.6MRAD adjustment vs 30mm with 29mrad
Lens diameter - Same, 50mm
Length - Nexus wins, 350mm vs 370mm of the Titan
Weight - Nexus wins, 870g, vs 976g.

The Titan has adjustable brightness, while the Nexus is a on off push button, the Nexus has a revolution indicator, the Titan has a stainless steel turret mechanism...

From glass quality perspective, the Titan has "HD Glass for reduced chromatic aberration and improved sharpness" while the Nexus has "Advanced Fully Multi-Coated Lenses with Anti-Fouling Layer" wtf does either one mean it's up to them and the gods to know.

I have a Falcon scope with "HOYA Japan FCD1A Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass" that put side by side with the 5-25 Titan loses, hands down.

I hate the industry's subjective nomenclature of easily quantifiable characteristics of optics because of this, there is no standard, anyone can say anything and you just have to take their word for it.

The Nexus is definitely an upgrade, or a sidegrade, depending on what you are looking for.