Night Scopes and Digital Night Vision: An
Overview From
basic Gen1+ versions to sophisticated military-specification Gen3 scopes
there's not an application that manufacturers haven't thought about
fulfilling - waterproof, camera adaptable, you name it.
To help narrow your choices, here are some considerations to keep in
mind when selecting a night vision scope. At the end of this section
we'll briefly review the rapidly evolving digital night vision segment.
Which Generation?
While our FAQs section reviews the technical details that differentiate
the three generations of night vision, the differences can be summed
up with the words, "Money and Quality".
Bluntly put, the more you pay, the better the quality.
Though the price increases substantially as you move up from Gen1+ to
Gen2+ to Gen3, so does the performance of the scope. Following is a
non-technical explanation of why this is so.
1. Gen1+ is the least expensive.
It was the first product to market. Think of it
as the
"black and white" TV of night vision.
2. Gen2+ was the next big
thing. Higher priced, but the quality is much better.
Consider
Gen2+ to be the "color TV" of night vision.
3. Gen3? Get your wallet out
because this is the most expensive. But wow, the
quality
is great! This is the "HDTV" of night vision.
So which Gen is for you? If your wallet is light and your use will be
casual, our selection of Gen1+ night vision scopes will fit the bill
perfectly. Our catalog selection displays an excellent variety of Gen1+
scopes that we feel offer the best available quality and features.
The next step would be to consider our Gen2+ scopes. So what do you
get for four times more money than a Gen1+ scope? Roughly double the
brightness and about 50% better image resolution - again, think of the
improved clarity between black and white TVs and a color one. Less the
color of course!
At the high end of the money and quality scale are Gen 3 night vision
scopes. Offering the greatest depth of features they're packed with
intuitive operating controls, rapid flash recovery capability and numerous
on-screen indicators. These are the scopes that come the closest to
truly turning night into day.
Basic Scope or Multi-Functional?
Though a basic night vision scope will satisfy most of your early requirements,
consider whether you might want to use it for different applications
as time goes by.
Depending on the model you can obtain higher power lens sets to economically
increase the observation range of your scope. Many scopes can be upgraded
with the addition of a camera adapter to permit capture of night vision
photographs and video.
Some scopes can be converted to hands-free mono-goggle systems or adapted
to weapon mounts to serve as night vision rifle scopes, while others
are well suited to marine applications thanks to their waterproof construction.
Digital Night Vision: The new kid
on the block
Over the past couple of years a new market segment has been developing.
Digital night vision, based on infrared sensitive digital chips, has
begun to make its presence know.
Certainly the greatest draw is the price/quality ratio. For a price
that you would expect to pay for a Gen1+ scope the new digital technology
can deliver performance that rivals many Gen2+ and some Gen3 products.
On top of this digital units usually provide a video output jack to
permit real-time, high resolution recording. This is of special interest
for evidence-gathering surveillance applications.
One consideration to keep in mind with digital night vision though is
that it is an "active infrared" system. Additional infrared
illumination is required for the technology to live up to its potential.
While most digital units are equipped with infrared illuminators, for
longer range viewing they require the addition of more powerful infrared
lighting products, several of which are presented on our
website.
By comparison traditional Gen1+, 2+ and 3 technologies are "passive
infrared" systems that function well using only the natural infrared
light from the moon and the stars, though they too benefit by the using
of our infrared
lighting products.
Have a question about Night Scopes or Digital Night Vision?
We've got a number of ways to help you on this one.
When we're online you can chat with us live by clicking the square-headed
guy with glasses that appears at the top our pages. When we're not online
simply click the "Leave a Message" icon and we'll get back
to you by e-mail.
And of course you can always reach us directly (or leave a message)
by phoning us toll-free at 1-877-212-7102. We'd love to hear from you!
