Night owl night vision products *reviewed*

[Celraysoda 7]

So I made an impulse purchase on a Night Owl Non5 nv5x night vision monocular. It's a discontinued model so I couldn't find much online but a few very good reviews on Amazon. I will be picking it up next week. I'm really not one to spend my money on something without thorough research, watching videos, reviews, price checks, etc. Buyers remorse? Hoping not.

 

I'm going to be using it mostly for playing around on my property to see some of the wild life.

 

Anybody have first hand experience?

[Blake 50]

We sold a few of them thru the army navy store and for the price they seemed to be decent. Most people who bought them were paintballers playing night games. Never heard any complaints. Hope it was cheap though (relative to other nv products).

[Celraysoda 7]

We sold a few of them thru the army navy store and for the price they seemed to be decent. Most people who bought them were paintballers playing night games. Never heard any complaints. Hope it was cheap though (relative to other nv products).

Thanks for the info. I think I got a pretty good deal on it. I'll post some pics this time next week. There's a fox hole somewhere on my property. Would like to get some videos of the mother running around.

[djg0770 481]

Gen 1??

 

Let me know how this is as I've been interested in similar products.

[Celraysoda 7]

Not sure which Gen. I'll be sure to report back with a review.

[Blake 50]

 

We sold a few of them thru the army navy store and for the price they seemed to be decent. Most people who bought them were paintballers playing night games. Never heard any complaints. Hope it was cheap though (relative to other nv products).

Thanks for the info. I think I got a pretty good deal on it. I'll post some pics this time next week. There's a fox hole somewhere on my property. Would like to get some videos of the mother running around.

Lol good luck on your hunt. Not sure if they made later gen products but all the ones we sold were gen 1.

[blksheep 466]

Looking at these also. Cant wait for a review.

[djg0770 481]

gen 1 from what I read a while ago is similar to Vietnam era technology.

[Malice4you 627]

Gen 1 NV is better than I expected, though I wasn't expecting much.  Range is limited, though it improves with an IR illuminator or under moonlight.  I have a Yukon 4x50 gen1 riflescope with built-in IR illuminator.  I also bought a single chip 3W IR LED flashlight, which provides for good long throw as well as some peripheral illumination, a bit better than the built-in.  For shorter ranges, out to maybe 150-175 feet (less if not using the IR and not under moonlight), a gen1 should suffice.  I haven't had many opportunities to use mine at ranges beyond 100-150ft.  However, I use mine for airsoft, so I have used it for locating and targeting people in the woods, in fields, and inside buildings (and occasionally to identify what animals are in my back yard).  The more cluttered the surroundings, the harder it will be to ID things through the scope.  If there are a lot of leaves, bushes, tall grasses, etc, in the way of your target, you might not see much.  If the target is walking on short grass in an open field, you probably can see them from beyond 200 feet...

 

For weapon use, a Gen2/2+ or digital night vision may be better options.  For messing around, Gen1 can be had dirt cheap and is a fun thing to play with. 

 

There was a thread a few months ago about NV scopes...might have some useful info for anyone interested...

http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/48275-information-thermal-night-vision-vs-traditional-night-vision/

[Celraysoda 7]

So here it is. Very nice design. Fits well in the hand. Heavier than I expected. I did some looking around at a lunchroom at work. Works surprisingly well! The camera on my phone was having trouble focusing in the viewfinder. Also, the rubber eye piece made it tough for my iPhone to really get in there. The actual image is much larger and less of the tunnel vision that was captured. I'm going to play with it more and post some outdoor pics. The IR really helps and is barely visible when in use.

 

 

 

 

[mipafox 438]

gen 1 from what I read a while ago is similar to Vietnam era technology.

 

Not really.

 

Vietnam PVS-2 was a triple-cascade set of Gen I tubes with fiber optics to eliminate geometric distortion.  They also had silent power supplies.

 

Fast forward 60 years.  We are now talking about junk Russian Gen I that has massive geometric distortion, a whistling power supply, and can't see a damn thing in the dark without a near-IR illumination that is NOT even all near-IR, but visible to the naked eye.  And a Batman Spotlight if anybody else has NV.

 

 

It's a toy.  If you use the illumination you can see in the dark a little at close range and certain animals (and sometimes people) might not notice.  Have fun with it.  I would think it would be great for airsoft etc. if you get a good set.  As long as nobody else has them, because then we are back to the fact that you are carrying a torch.

 

BTW - They are shooting X-rays into your eyes because of the high voltage used to accelerate the photons from the photocathode (no microchannel plate amplification) and the health effects of this are unresolved, and the intensity is all over the map.  From nothing to a dental X-ray of your brain.  I haven't followed that for many years, maybe they have it quantified better nowadays.