Night vision (NV) equipment is an tricky subject for preppers, because it can provide a huge force multiplier in a defensive situation and can help eliminate unwanted pest animals who hunt by night.
The problem is, of course, the dreaded cost vs. value ratio. Gen 1 night vision equipment is limited, but affordable. “Decent” NV equipment is expensive. “Good” night vision equipment is hideously expensive. Infra-red (IR) runs the gamut from expensive to “made out of pure unobtanium”.
When talking about night vision, I’m going to lump it into three different types; the “traditional” style that amplifies light, digital amplification and IR. In the future I’m going to write about each of these three, breaking them down by price range.
Today, I’m starting with the least expensive type out there, Gen 1 night vision amplification, because these types of devices are what’s mostly accessible to the majority of preppers.
First, a word about the “Generations” of amplified night vision. I’m not going to spout a ton of technical jargon because if you know all the jargon already, you don’t need to read any further on this article, it will contain no new information. If you don’t know it, well… it’s jargon.
Here’s a great breakdown from the website NightVision4Less.com (CLICKY), it shows the differences between the four commonly recognized generations of amplified NV. Take a moment and click the link for a good, graphical demonstration of the differences in generations. Note: We have no affiliation whatever with the NightVision4Less website or company, we have no ordering history with them, I cannot recommend or advise against them… I just liked their explanation and graphics.
Gen 1 NV:
Let’s jump right to it then, and talk about Generation 1 devices and whether they make sense for a prepper to own.
In a nutshell, here’s what the night vision device of this type does. Light (via moonlight, street lights, whatever source) is gathered by the large objective lens in the front of the device, and it’s focused into an image intensifier tube.
Quoting the box of the night vision optic I have in front of me, a Night Owl optic, “the front of the intensifier tube contains a photo cathode which coverts light into electrons. the device contains a very high voltage power supply, which coverts the 3 volts supplied by the batteries into 17 kilovolts. The high voltage hurls the electrons into the phosphorous screen. The phosphorous screen illuminates with an image when struck by the electrons. The eyepiece optic then focuses the phosphorous screen image to your eye.”
Whew. Lots of big words there.
Here’s specifically how it works. In darkness or with the lens cap on (the lens cap has a small hole so you can use it during the day to set it up) you turn the unit on. After a few seconds, the unit “warms up” and you start to see an image in the viewfinder. It’s green.
At this point in time you will need to focus the back eyepiece to see the screen (i.e. match your eye) and the front one to focus in on your subject. If you’ve ever used binoculars, it’s just like adjusting them.
What can you see? Well… that depends on the amount of light there is. Because these units are light amplifiers, there has to be SOME light, else they can’t see anything. I’ve found mine to be useful (without turning on external illumination) out at the place (which is pitch dark) when the moon is up and at least a “third” of the moon is bright.
Range of the unit is about 75 yards unless the moon is nearly full, then it’s on out to about 150 yards with varying degrees of success.
The Gen 1 night vision unit I own is the Night Owl 5X optic, it’s made in Russia (where a lot of NV devices are made). Here are the details from the ad on Amazon.com (we are not affiliates, we get no economic benefit from this link):
- High quality all-glass optics – objective and ocular lenses. One solid focusing ring. Single hand operation. 500x light amplification.
- Generation: 1, Magnification: 5x, Lens Diameter: 50 mm, Angular Field of View: 15 degrees, Field of View at 200 ft.: 39 ft., Dimensions (inches): 7.75L x 3.79W x 2.48H
- Weight (without batteries): 16 oz, Power Supply (not included): One 3-Volt Lithium Battery, Minimum Focus Range: 5.7 feet, Built-In Infrared: Yes
- The Night Owl NOXM50 with 5X magnification is the most rugged monocular in our line. Features an extended body with protective finish. The unit also comes with a hand strap and robust molded plastic focus ring.
- Uniquely designed for comfort and easy operation of both power and Infrared buttons.
Let me say right upfront that if I had to do it all over again, I would not buy a 5X Gen 1 night vision unit again. Why? Because with the short range of this optic, 5X is too much magnification. I’d rather have a 2X optic or 3X at the most. The more magnification, the more you have to mess around getting things in focus.
Note the IR illuminator at the top? It’s kind of like a “nearly invisible” flashlight that you can turn on to light up the scene. It works pretty well out to about 40 yards. The downside? “Nearly invisible” isn’t the same as “invisible”. The light emits a red glow, it’s not really very bright but in total darkness it stands out big-time. Not only is it a red glowing dot, it’s a red glowing dot that shows the observer exactly where your head is. Think about that for a tactical situation.
Additionally, if you turn the IR on, it’s like turning on a big neon sign saying “I’m here!!!!” to anybody out there also using night vision equipment.
If you use the device without IR, there’s just a faint glow of the phosphorous screen image against your eye.
You can get IR illuminators that cannot be seen by the naked human eye, so no red glow to give you away… but they start at $100 and, frankly, they are not much better than the built-in one for hunting animals.
What can you see? Depending on the lighting, anywhere from “quite a bit” to “not very much” without the IR. With the IR? You can see just about everything within 75 yards of you.
If your goal is to identify four legged varmints, it will do a great job within the limitations of it’s range. If you are worried about two-legged varmints, then tape over the IR so you don’t accidentally turn it on, and hope for the best.
So… is Gen 1 NV worth owning? I’d say it depends. A monocular for scouting? No. Gen 1 scope for pest animal / night hunting? Yes, if you can’t afford better.
I own one monocular device, and I’m not sad that I do, but frankly I wouldn’t buy another one. Gen 1 devices run in the $180 & up range, and while they are ‘better than nothing’ I don’t think they are enough of a force multiplier to make a difference.
If, however, you get one of the scope-mounted Gen 1 devices for ridding your world of animals that are damaging your livestock or crops (coyotes, foxes, rabbits in the garden, raccoons, etc.) then yes, I think they are worth it.
Stay tuned as I talk about “digital” NV in our next segment of this series.
Pro Tip: If you have NV equipment in your preps, be sure to store it WITHOUT the batteries installed. VERY important to keep the gear from getting corroded. Additionally, when not using NV gear you should keep it in a Faraday cage of some type, because if there’s an EMP you will be just about the only person around with NV gear that works. THAT is a force multiplier.
Very good article that matches my experience with a Gen 1 monocular exactly. I tend to use the IR illuminator almost all the time, because without it, it is not much good. They do work great during a full moon, but its pretty easy to see during a full moon either with or without NV. The red dot from the illuminator (actually the bulb and/or led) is backed off from the front of the lens a bit, so it can only be seen from somewhat in front of the monocular. It does not appear to spook the critters at all. They know you’re there, but act like they are confident you can’t see them.