Infrared vision device

Author's Rating:

Pros: Clear B&W image, long distance IR spotlight, uses AA batteries

Cons: Viewfinder way too bright, spotlight doesn't fill view, not really low light device

The Bottom Line: 
Good if you can use the built-in illuminator and can deal with the overly bright viewfinder.

Author's Review
This monocular isn't really a light amplifying device like an image intensifier. It is essentially a B&W low-light CMOS camera, like you might find in a video security system, with an LCD display viewfinder and two infrared (IR) illuminators. Like most CMOS cameras, it is sensitive to near IR, so it is more an IR viewer than a low-light viewer. While this unit provides some light gain, if you want to view something out of range of the built-in illuminators, you'd be better off with 7x50 binoculars.

The high-power IR spotlight on the unit really will illuminate a spot up to 500 feet away, with emphasis on SPOT. This illuminator will not fill the full field of view, but shows as a bright circle on the image.

The low power illuminator can not be turned off, which may cause nearby objects to be bright enough to interfere with distant viewing.

The only serious flaw is that the unit's viewfinder is way too bright. You need sunglasses to use the device! The viewfinder is so bright it will ruin the dark adaptation of your eye; when you quit, you really won't be able to see in dim light at all with that eye.