****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I purchased this item because of the review by real2all1. His review is correct, except it takes 3 AA batteries. Here are some helpful hints that I also learned: 1. This device destroys night vision in the eye that you are using. However, there is a cure. Put a red lens over the eyepiece. I used a red lens that came with an old AA flashlight that I had. The lens has a diameter of 1.120 inches, but a little larger would be better, say maybe 30-35 mm. I held it in place with small pieces of Scotch Tape. 2. After turning the viewer on, the first thing you should do is turn the eyepiece to make the display (battery, sensitivity level, and IR level) come into focus. Later, when you are looking at objects, turn the objective lens, similar to the same way you focus binoculars. 3. Give the item a fair chance to work properly, as you learn how to use it best I suggest looking down a dark country road with no houses around. Focus the objective lens on the fence posts and trees along side the road. ( I could easily see over 100 yards). Walk down the road 100 yards, then look back at your parked vehicle, that has headlights off. See how clearly you can see it, as well as a person if someone is with you. 4. Settings - I found that the medium, frame rate setting of 15 worked best, in conjunction the medium and high IR settings. Changing the magnification from 3X to 6X was worthless. Zero magnification (1X) would be best. 5. Uses-The viewer works best in open country. Looking towards vegetation that is only 10 to 20 yards away causes an overload of reflected IR light for the viewer. Use the default (low) settings, for both frame rate and IR intensity for best results when looking at objects near to you. 6. Finally, If I could have the manufacturer change something, it would be to add an interchangeable red lens for the eyepiece, and have only 1X magnification. Like reviewer real2all1, I think this is a fine unit considering a price of about $112.Received the unit today. Nicely packaged and secure. For starters this unit is small and fits nicely in a medium size hand. The directions that come with the unit are very small and difficult to read. (Hint: place on a copier and enlarge). The instructions are simple and easy to follow once you can enlarge them. One nice feature of this unit is it uses 3 AAA batteries. (Remove them when not using the unit, less chance of battery leakage and damage). The lens cap did not come with a cord to attach it to the unit.When taking the unit out into the evening I was able to follow the focusing directions and get a clear view outwards to approximately 100 yards. I wear glasses and was able to use the dual focus for a clear view. The view will be small, black and white. For my application, I am very satisfied with the selection and purchase. For those who never have used night vision, this is not military grade or what you see on television. Have realistic expectations for the price. Good value, quality construction, light weight.I've had a few Night Owl products. This one is good for an open field inside of 100 yards. This is not intesifier tube night vision. This is IR, which means it's not worth a crap at distance. If there are any bushes or obstructions of any kind, this will not allow you to see beyond it due to the shadow that the IR light gives off. This would be okay to scan some flat ranch or farm land for predators. But thats about it. I'm returning mine.Better than expected. Not a $10k current state of the art, but worked well. High contrast objects, such as dead trees against the night sky or hippo heads sticking out of the water were clear. Seeing low contrast objects such as scanning through grass for small animals not so effective. The focus and two controls were easy to understand. Using AA batteries as opposed to a special recharger is a big plus for use in remote areas, though we used for a few hours cumulative and didn't run down the first set of batteries. Probably best for covering an area of expected activity (such as road where you expect animals to cross) but not so much for scanning through a complex background to acquire targets. Range seems good, out to at least 100 yards bare trees stood out clearly.For the buyer that is expecting of getting military grade equipment for a little over a hundred buck, then buying this item and leaving a bad review. Please go and leave your opinions elsewhere. I almost didn't buy this item because of some of the reviews left by people who want something for almost nothing. I too have expectations when I purchase something. The item works, it works in total darkness and can see at least a 120 yards with it. It uses the all to common AA batteries (4 of them). Very simple to use and easy to adjust your viewing of this item. It's light and compact enough to put on a utility belt if need be. It's digital and can be used in the daylight and it won't hurt the device at all. What else do you want for a little over a hundred bucks? The item works so well that I purchased two of them.Pro: good field of vision, good IR source (100 yds +), long battery life,Con: difficult to turn off IR source, but can be done. Hold hand over LED for temporary occlusion.Note field of view and magnification are a trade-off. This unit is a good middle of the road unit. I have a 6X night vision which has a VERY narrow field of view.This is great! One thing to keep in mind is this is a monocular with a nice size lens. So at short distances it has a small field of vision but at a larger distance it is just like any other monocular or binocular and it looks normal. In complete darkness it shows a black and white bright picture you can adjust the brightness and you can see a very slight lag at the brighter setting, You can adjust the focus by rotating the lens. This bow season I will test the distance in a field, but at home i can see completely dark areas 4 houses away and across the street very clear and bright. street lights and other light will drown out your vision which i would assume is common much like an unneeded flash on a camera make everything over exposed. Bottom line it makes complete darkness into light for $100!
