night vision goggles! - anyone got any?

[ThomasTheTankEngine]

NV monoculars are really quite comical to use. I'm not sure what "gen" the ones I used were.... probably the ****test type.

You lose all depth perception, to the extent you walk into stuff that looks like it's 2-3 metres away. It's not the same as closing one eye, reaching out to your mouse and saying "meh, I don't need 2 eyes for depth perception". It's incredibly confusing and you end up walking around with one hand reached out in front of you. The ones I used also limited your FOV so much if felt more like a night-vision toilet-roll than anything else.

Fun for mucking about with, but unless you get some uber-expensive ones, they're not going to be much good for night-time forest walking. You'll just fall over branches because of the lack of FOV, and crash into trees having no depth perception.

 

[InvaderGIR]

Just get one of these, cheaper and leaves both hands free to do what you like...although would make your midnight stalking sessions a bit obvious unlike the night vision goggles.

 

[spicypixel]

http://www.nightvision4less.com/night_vision_binoculars/night_optics_d-221b_gen-2.htm

 

[Ewanb75]

I got a pair of these and wore them when i was dressed up at Halloween. They work, an theyre a good laff, also helped in the power cut the other night.

 

[jp_bl_68]

Who did you go as? Sam Fisher?

 

[Skyrunner]

Gen 1 and Gen 1+ NVGs suck, you'll need an IR illuminator for them to be remotely useful.

Gen 2 is decent, in use by most military froces, I have a pair sat in my office, and trust me as someone who supplies various agencies they aren't cheap!

These days everybody is going for un-cooled thermal imagers, nice and compact(ish) and far more usable in pitch black at short range, having done forest night trials I can confirm they whoop Gen 2 NVG's!

£100 or so will get you something like a Yukon Gen 1 monocular, they are OK if you're fishing under strong moonlight but not much cop for anything else!

 

[Ewanb75]

Who did you go as? Sam Fisher?

If i told ya, i'd have to kill ya

 

[jp_bl_68]

I'll take that as a "yes". You're not very good at being a spy, are you?

 

[godinman]

IR CCTV camera - £150

Glasses with built-in TV - £125

Li-ion 12v 8Ah Batteru - £65

Win?

 

["andy"]

on a different note if you bought some for a grand i doubt they would lose much value assuming you dont get savaged by a pack of deer while wearing them

 

[Aod]

on a different note if you bought some for a grand i doubt they would lose much value assuming you dont get savaged by a pack of deer while wearing them

the problem with NVGs is that despite their high cost they have quite a limited lifespan, sometimes only a few hundred hours for the cheaper 'tubes.

this isn't a problem in the military because they're considered semi-disposable.

 

[Albo]

You can get a gen1 monocle like the Yukon NVMT for about £200 or £160 second hand. Need a decent IR flashlight or IR laser to get anything decent out of it though. That's what I use for hunting mounted to a scope. Gen2 or 3 for walking a dog is ridiculous though, you,re talking £1000 onwards. Cheapest gen3 monocle is the Envis which u can pick up £1600 second hand, bleedin good units.