Night Vision

[Don P]

Can any of you folks point me in the right direction for night vision products??
thanks in advance and YES I know GOOGLE is my friend

 

[BarryLee]

Here’s a couple of places to start:

http://www.brownells.com/

http://www.opticsplanet.com/

 

[wogpotter]

What kind of night vision & for what kind of application?
Hand held or gun mounted?
(Not being nosy but these are some of the first things you'll need to decide.)

 

[skoro]

a) Avoid 1st generation. A flashlight is more useful.
b) 2nd gen allows you to see in the dark, but it's expensive.
c) 3rd gen allows you to see clearly in the dark, but it's very expensive.


I own all three.

 

[Don P]

Appreciate all the info. Looking for hand held

 

[wogpotter]

a) Avoid 1st generation. A flashlight is more useful.

I disagree with this, gen 1 works under many circumstances, but its not anywhere as good as the later & more expensive units. That was one reason why I asked about specific use, the Gen 1 is fine for looking about & moving about in low light. Its not really suited for the more advanced applications of NV though.

Avoid the el-cheapo Russian stuff, its pretty horrible for the most part.

Look at European Gen 1 because they developed gen 1 beyond US units as they switched to gen 2 instead.

If you're going for outdoor viewing then a good gen 2, or a European Gen 1 is what you want, but bear in mind things like:

Worn, or hand held? (Do you need to manipulate things?)

Single of true double tubes? (do you need depth perception for handling things, or will a single optic do ?)

Is near focus important to you? (distance is easy but you'll frequently need to adjust focus for close up)

Will you use them in low light, or no light? In no light you'll need auxiliary illumination, or thermal capacity (Mega-expensive)

 

[Double Naught Spy]

What is your planned use of the handheld and how much are you willing to spend?