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Night Vision Product Information
Night vision technology has transformed the way security & military forces operate. It enables you to see objects clearly at night, w/o external light, for several hundred yards. People, objects & landscapes appear to be illuminated by a spot light, although viewed w/a naked eye they would be indistinct shadows or invisible.

Night vision is more like a TV than a telescope, in that you don't look through the instrument as you would a telescope. Instead, the available light is taken into an intensifier tube & converted into electrons, which are amplfied or accelerated. The electrons hit a little screen & light it up. When you use night vision, you are watching this llittle green TV screen. All night vision devices have a focus ring to bring the image on the screen into focus. Some also have a second focus ring in front of the intensifier tube to focus on close objects.

Several of the night vision instruments we sell have interchangeable lenses in front of the intensifier tube. These instruments accept standard Pentax screw thread lenses; if you have an old Pentax, you can use your wide angle, zoom or telephoto lenses on your device.

Resolution in computer technology refers to the CRT's number of pixels per millemeter. In night vision, resolution is measured in lp/mm, or line pair per millimeter. Therefore, a device w/a resolution of 35 lp/mm delivers clearer images than a resolution of 25 lp/mm.

1st, 2nd & 3rd Generation: Night vision devices are divided into 3 categories. Generation I (or Gen II & III), refers to the method using a simple grid of electrodes to speed up the electrons through the tube. Gen II & III devices accelerate the electrons & also increase the number of electrons sent through the intensifier tube. This amplifies the light &, in most cases, the resolution is increased as well.

Gen I instruments using a simple grid of electrodes typically amplify the light 3,000 to 5,000 times. (Be wary of claims w/much higher amplification.) Usually Gen I instruments do not have as fine a resolution as the Gen II & III do. An exception is the Gen I DN-200 rifle scope, which has the highest resolution of any rifle scope.

Gen II & III use complex microchannel plates which not only provide more acceleration to the electrons, but increase the number of electrons as well. This causes the phosphors to glow more brightly in the viewing end. Gen II & III devices amplify light from 20,000 to 60,000 times, & they usually have finer resolution.

Please Note: All Gen II & III night vision devices or parts of these devices sold or destined for export outside of the United States require an export license from the U. S. Department of State, Office of Munitions Control (ITAR Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 121-128). Please call Buy the World for complete information.

So, what device is best? It depends upon how you will be using your night vision instrument. If you're a photographer, rifle scopes are often adaptable to cameras. Goggles are indispensable for hands-free activity & allow you to walk or drive w/o dizziness. Binoculars, w/the exception of our gyrostabilized binoculars, require that you stand still while you use them to avoid getting dizzy. If you've ever been a passenger in a moving car trying to use standard binoculars, you understand what I mean. That said, binoculars & monoculars are excellent for magnifying distant objects & terrain. They are wonderful for sailing or boating when you're moving slowly; you can see buoys & other obstacles low in the water, like floating logs off the San Juan Islands.

And then, there's the time when I was night sailing - a warm night, a catamaran moving quietly under the stars & the light of my life beside me - seriously romantic. If I'd only had a night vision device w/me, I could have avoided running into the dock. Who knows what might have been?