nv binoculars

sniperman

hi if this is not the right place to post this,please amend,would like opinions on budget nv binos,are they any good,?can you see in total darkness?and how far?seen a range of them advertised from 90 to 140 euro etc,would be looking to see out to about 200 yrds for foxs,so are they worth a buy?afaik its not illagal to use these,but open to correction,thanks all

Grizzly 45

There is no such thing as total darkness. Unless you hunt down disused mines or out in space may be or the like. An NV unit depending on its generation,and the system will not work in those circumstances. Nite vision systems are either passive or active systems. Passive are basically the more modern designs that magnify any sort of ambient light in nature and surroundings and project that onto the vision tube.

Active systems need an external infrared light source to illuminate whatever you want to look at thru the NV tube.It is the oldest type of NV out there. Rarely used today as the cheapest NV stuff made in China or Russia surpasses the need for an additional IR illuminator.Having said that, you certainly can boost the performance by mounting an IR illuminator[Any decent compact high power torch with an IR lens] on your binos which will probably get out to 100 meters.

Like anything that you pays is what you get.For decent binos you are still looking at the thousand euro starter figure, if not more. Put it like this; its better than no nite vision at all and its performance can be improved on, but don't expect wonders.

corks finest

Slightly off topic

any suggestions for a decent set of birding binoculars ( eu zone )

thanks

prices on DD and Adverts.ie are an absolute rip off

J.R.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118910050#Comment_118910050

They say the best knife in your kit is the one you have on you, when needed.

I think the same applies to binoculars.

I have a very good set of binoculars, that are bulky, and spent 90% of their time on a shelf in the shed.

They are perfect when needed, and I intend keeping them, but don't have them on me during every outing.

The same applies to my spotting scope, great range and magnification, but spends most of its life on a shelf.

I purchased a monocular last year.

Very compact and I have it on my belt during every outing - with the shotgun or rifle oer even just out for a ramble.

I have used it so many times now...as it's also close to hand.

I would definitely recommend one to have on your person for every outing.

I bought it here - so no duty or tariffs.

https://www.astroshop.eu/instruments/vortex-monocular-solo-10x25/p%2C47186

corks finest

Thanks bud- just bought a second hand pair on Adverts.ie but I’ll scope that site out for a decent set fir later on in the summer

do a fair bit of birding up the cliff tops near me scouting for falcons etc

corks finest

That’s some site thank you

Zxthinger

NV is a minefield.

Best to start with a cheap gen1 analogue unit with a laser illuminator.

You'll see eye shine out to 4-500 and spot fox outlines out to 200.

The beauty Analogue generation units is that they can stay on with little power needed and units set to 3x or 5x give a good wide field of view.

Don't fall into the trap of prowling with NV and neglect fox calling and baiting techniques as that where the craic is to be found..