are there any of the 1st generation night vision units that work well.i only have $300 to spend? or any kind not to buy?
bulldog
Nothing but 3rd gen if you insist spending the money. Otherwise get a flashlight, youll see better with it than 1st or 2nd gen.
Well, that's not entirely true. The difference in 1st and 3rd gen is basically just quality of picture and not needing near as much ambient light. Having gen 1 can still be of great use if it's all you have. It's better then telling the whole world "hey here I am!" with a flashlight.
ATN is good. I have an old Gen 1 monocular that was like $200 off craigslist. Works great, so long as there is some ambient light. (Moonlight, street lamps, etc...don't have to be much) If it's pitch black it's worthless.
I use Gen 2+, it's basically just Gen 1 slightly improved. It makes better use of whatever light is out there, and is slightly clearer. If you're on a tight budget a good gen 1 or 2 is fine. Gen III just uses a lot less light, and has a clearer image. Not worth a few K unless you just have money lying around...
In which case go ahead and get thermal imaging while your at it, way better for target I.D...but I think OP don't have that kind of money.
The ATN cougar doesn't look too bad imho. Better than nothing.
ATN is good. I have an old Gen 1 monocular that was like $200 off craigslist. Works great, so long as there is some ambient light. (Moonlight, street lamps, etc...don't have to be much) If it's pitch black it's worthless.
I use Gen 2+, it's basically just Gen 1 slightly improved. It makes better use of whatever light is out there, and is slightly clearer. If you're on a tight budget a good gen 1 or 2 is fine. Gen III just uses a lot less light, and has a clearer image. Not worth a few K unless you just have money lying around...
In which case go ahead and get thermal imaging while your at it, way better for target I.D...but I think OP don't have that kind of money.
The ATN cougar doesn't look too bad imho. Better than nothing.
Check out Harbour Freight , they used to sell some reeasonably priced nite scopes. I have one of the Russian variety scopes , it would be ok but its bulky and impractical , at least in my opinion.
Yukon Digital Night Vision Ranger Monocular:
http://www.opticsplanet.net/yukon-digital-night-vision-ranger-28041.html
5X42, Video out, and runs on 6 AA's (great for the solar charger!)
http://www.opticsplanet.net/yukon-digital-night-vision-ranger-28041.html
5X42, Video out, and runs on 6 AA's (great for the solar charger!)
I have a Russian made 1st Gen. Monocular scope marketed here as "Night Owl Optics" night vision. It has given me reasonable service for several years now. As someone pointed out, the image isn't the greatest but it does work fairly well in very low light. It has a very short focal length so if you are watching a moving target you must constantly re-focus as your subject moves. It has a built-in IR LED illuminator for really dark situations (something I seldom have needed to use). Size and weight are similar to a good pair of 7x50 binoculars. All in all, for the money (about $250 five or six years ago) I am happy with what they do. I have sat in total darkness next to the path and been able to identify individual faces 30-40 feet away as they walked along the trail never knowing I was there. They were completely unaware I was there until I softly spoke their name when they were only a foot or two away. Their question was always the same, “How did you know it was me? I can’t even see you.” The scope goes with us on every camping trip as a useful tool and an enjoyable toy for the dark. Uses AA batteries, good for several hours of operation.
A lot of the russian "night vision" sets were/are junk. The FDA briefly stopped the importation of them in the 90's due to poorly constructed laser and IR emitters that had the possibility of causing eye cancer!
A lot of companies use some russian or chinese components and some American components, cobbling them together and making up names for them. Names that usually SOUND similar to things like PVS14, such as MMS14, XYZ14. Unsuspecting buyers THINK they are getting the equivalent of a REAL PVS14 and of course they are not.
Gen II Russian is basically equivalent to mil spec FIRST GEN U.S.
For the money you are looking to spend I would suggest finding a PVS2 1st generation U.S. scope.
Two hard and fast rules for survivalists looking for night vision have always been-
1. Buy mil spec. Commercially made units are not designed to be submerged up to 66 feet, take the shock of being weapons mounted, won't take falling off the back of a tank, etc. Buy mil spec units.
2. In general you want to stick with U.S. units with a warranty to avoid parts problems later. A decent NVD is now going to have a FIVE YEAR warranty with it.
People who bought U.S. mil spec PVS4's, PVS5's 7's, etc. in the 80's and 90's are still able to find parts. People who bought russian eye blinder crappola in the 90's couldn't find their DEALERS a few months later, let alone PARTS!!!
Currently military used systems like the PVS14, PVS7's, etc. will be supported with parts easily into the next 20 years.
I will say this, having had several 2nd gen sets, I sold them all and got one 3rd generation set. I've never looked back and I've never regretted it. Saving up for more now actually :thumb:
Lowdown3
A lot of companies use some russian or chinese components and some American components, cobbling them together and making up names for them. Names that usually SOUND similar to things like PVS14, such as MMS14, XYZ14. Unsuspecting buyers THINK they are getting the equivalent of a REAL PVS14 and of course they are not.
Gen II Russian is basically equivalent to mil spec FIRST GEN U.S.
For the money you are looking to spend I would suggest finding a PVS2 1st generation U.S. scope.
Two hard and fast rules for survivalists looking for night vision have always been-
1. Buy mil spec. Commercially made units are not designed to be submerged up to 66 feet, take the shock of being weapons mounted, won't take falling off the back of a tank, etc. Buy mil spec units.
2. In general you want to stick with U.S. units with a warranty to avoid parts problems later. A decent NVD is now going to have a FIVE YEAR warranty with it.
People who bought U.S. mil spec PVS4's, PVS5's 7's, etc. in the 80's and 90's are still able to find parts. People who bought russian eye blinder crappola in the 90's couldn't find their DEALERS a few months later, let alone PARTS!!!
Currently military used systems like the PVS14, PVS7's, etc. will be supported with parts easily into the next 20 years.
I will say this, having had several 2nd gen sets, I sold them all and got one 3rd generation set. I've never looked back and I've never regretted it. Saving up for more now actually :thumb:
Lowdown3
I just got one of the new Yukon 5X DIGITAL gen 1 [$299] from sportsmansguide.com which works alot better than my older night owls and it is very compact!
my wife has a gen 1 that she has enjoyed for many years now...we often go out in our woods, climb 20ft up in a 2 seater tree stand and watch the animals come by the baited tree stump in front of her video and digital IR triggered cameras..but many times the animals will be in other areas and yes..you can see quite well...green..but quite well.
Also helps from our back deck looking out across our pond and to the far field and garden...would I go to war with one?...many men did when that was the best we had....might be a help in spotting a bad guy hanging in our wood line at night...but it's not a priority item in her bug bag.
but an enjoyable part of her critter cam hobby.
Also helps from our back deck looking out across our pond and to the far field and garden...would I go to war with one?...many men did when that was the best we had....might be a help in spotting a bad guy hanging in our wood line at night...but it's not a priority item in her bug bag.
but an enjoyable part of her critter cam hobby.
oh and she has the adaptor to mount to her camcorder..she has a low light night shot sony too, which works great..especially when paired up with a million power spot light with red lens..the deer n all don't even notice that you're lighting them up big time!
but couple the gen1 to the camcorder...and it's fun time!
but couple the gen1 to the camcorder...and it's fun time!
I have a TASCO NV-360 monocular that I have used for several years. It is a 1st generation monocular and it works very well out to about 100 yards or so, maybe a little farther but not much. It is powered by 2 C-123 photo batteries and for times when there is no ambient light it has an illuminator attached but it does cut down on your field of vision by about half. I think it was in the $200.00 dollar range. SEMPER FI
If you want to feel nostalgia for playing your old game boy with a baby**** green screen two inches from your nose, by all means.
With NVGs, you either pay through the nose, or spend all night trying to decide if the green blobs in front of you are a clump of bushes or a man.
With NVGs, you either pay through the nose, or spend all night trying to decide if the green blobs in front of you are a clump of bushes or a man.
Gen 1 is mostly useless, but if you are severely cash-strapped, it's better than a CCD camera with IR illuminator.
I have a gen 1 viper monocular by atn, it is lightweight and more comfortable to wear than a gen 3 steup that I had and sold. I use it for driving my polaris ranger when we're hunting illegals that the local sheriffs dept and highway patrol have bail out on them and cross my high fence onto the ranch. The viper works just fine for what I use it for,I have an ir spotlight which really helps the range on dark nights. I think I spent 260 bucks on it a bit over a year ago. Had a similar gen 3 setup ,but it was not as light and not fun to wear for any length of time, vision was a bit clearer ,but not worth being uncomfortable. I must be the only one here that doesn't have a problem seeing with the gen 1,but with the ir spot ,no problem driving. If I need to look farther out into the brush ,I usually have someone with me carrying a handheld FLIR .
Yukon makes the only gen 1 night vision that I know works well. Within the limitations of gen 1, anyway. But you're not going to find any of their products for $300.
As for kinds not to buy...anything else. There is a lot of junk in the gen 1 market. Gen 1 is only as good as it's illuminator. Good illuminators are expensive, so most companies use crappy ones instead. I can see how so many people have a bad taste for gen 1 stuff. They have probably encountered the crappy ones with poor illuminators. I took a cheapo monocular in trade and it won't see to the back fence in my small yard! The illuminator is at fault, because it has a decent tube.
As for kinds not to buy...anything else. There is a lot of junk in the gen 1 market. Gen 1 is only as good as it's illuminator. Good illuminators are expensive, so most companies use crappy ones instead. I can see how so many people have a bad taste for gen 1 stuff. They have probably encountered the crappy ones with poor illuminators. I took a cheapo monocular in trade and it won't see to the back fence in my small yard! The illuminator is at fault, because it has a decent tube.
They just had one on the wootoff yesterday for $99
I almost bought it and then is was sold out.
http://www.woot.com/blog/viewentry.aspx?id=14818
I almost bought it and then is was sold out.
http://www.woot.com/blog/viewentry.aspx?id=14818
I too have a cheap 1st gen monocular and with out IR assist can see knots on a wooden fence behind the house from about 30 yards with very little star light, with the IR on it does have a smaller field of sight, but doubles the range, which is just fine for what uses I might have for it. I am not in a war AO and do not need to see all the way to tomorrow. Just my $0.02.
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