Entry level Night Vision

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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 29 May 2019, 10:12 am

I've been in discussion with a bloke who runs one on a bog standard Bushnell,and it's quite fine without parallax adjustment....
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 29 May 2019, 10:43 am

That’s good to know. Do you know if he goes for an additional IR tourch? They reckon that significantly boosts the performance.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 29 May 2019, 10:53 am

He uses the existing torch,and says it's fine to 100m, but to get to 200+m you need an external torch
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 29 May 2019, 5:16 pm

bigpete wrote:He uses the existing torch,and says it's fine to 100m, but to get to 200+m you need an external torch


Would you mind asking your mate if he finds the additional length that is added to the scope by clipping on the NV 007 easy to work with?
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 29 May 2019, 6:33 pm

I'll see
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by wanneroo » 29 May 2019, 11:32 pm

I looked at a Youtube video of the PARD scope. Looks ok for the price but that is a lot of weight and length up on top of the rifle.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 30 May 2019, 5:22 am

250gm compared to a kilo if you buy a dedicated nv scope ?
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 30 May 2019, 7:03 am

You can get them on Ebay for $550 delivered. Add another $200 for a reasonable quality IR tourch and you’re set.
Worst case scenario, you’re not happy with it you can still use it as a stand-alone unit. Or flog it off.
I’m seriously leaning towards it.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 30 May 2019, 1:22 pm

I wouldn't
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by wannabustbunnies » 04 Jun 2019, 6:11 pm

I have one of the previous version ALDI monocular. All I have done is add a short section of picatinny to the tripod hole and attached an IR torch and can easily see foxes especially eyeshine out to 400 metres. I don't use it to navigate around with, just for scanning and following them until they are in range before swapping to the rifle with torch. Like others have said I also use my non dominant eye when using it.
Now I also have one the Pard NV007's as well and do the same thing. Scan with monocular and then switch to the rifle with Pard for the shot.
The in-built IR is good for what it is but if using a centrefire I use an additional IR torch on the rifle.
I wouldn't use the NV007 as a spotter and then try and attach it to the scope for the shot as you will have to change the focus on the unit every time you do.
Nightvisionforumuk.com has a whole lot of information
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by YoungBuck » 04 Jun 2019, 6:59 pm

Has anyone had experience with the 2018 released ATN X-sight 4k? I was not a fan of the X-sight (1) or X-sight 2 due to, too low of a resolution and sluggish performance but after looking at the new 4k model I'm now interested...
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by wannabustbunnies » 04 Jun 2019, 8:18 pm

YoungBuck wrote:Has anyone had experience with the 2018 released ATN X-sight 4k? I was not a fan of the X-sight (1) or X-sight 2 due to, too low of a resolution and sluggish performance but after looking at the new 4k model I'm now interested...


ATN seem to be very hit and miss from all accounts. Another option for around the same price is the new Sightmark Wraith or the Pard NV008
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 04 Jun 2019, 8:23 pm

I've had a look through the atn x pro 4k,must admit I was impressed.
Also looked through the pard nv007 2 nights ago. Not entirely sure I am as impressed as I was hoping
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by wannabustbunnies » 04 Jun 2019, 9:13 pm

bigpete wrote:I've had a look through the atn x pro 4k,must admit I was impressed.
Also looked through the pard nv007 2 nights ago. Not entirely sure I am as impressed as I was hoping


The Pard NV007 quality will vary depending on the scope that you are using it with as well. Cheaper scopes seem to do well as the coatings on their lenses aren't as good as more expensive scopes. You really need side focus down to at least 50 yards as well and make sure it is setup on the scope correctly using the diopter adjustment and the focus wheel on the bottom of the unit.
I use mine on a Falcon 3-18x50 FFP and a Bushnell Trophy 4-12x40 and it works well with both. I use an external IR torch as well.
Heaps of info as mentioned before on the UK night vision forum about them
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 04 Jun 2019, 9:55 pm

It was tried on 3 different scopes none of which were top of the range,2 of which had parallax adjustment, and 2 of which were set up properly by the owner,and used with inbuilt and external IR. The unit was sold by an Aussie dealer so it wasn't a cheaper Chinese knock off. I think it's my eyes and not being used to using nv scopes to be honest....
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 04 Jun 2019, 10:15 pm

Did you notice any difference between the scopes with the Parallax Adjustment and the one without?
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 04 Jun 2019, 10:17 pm

Yes,to be honest I did,but it probably could be dealt with
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by wanneroo » 05 Jun 2019, 1:43 am

bigpete wrote:I've had a look through the atn x pro 4k,must admit I was impressed.
Also looked through the pard nv007 2 nights ago. Not entirely sure I am as impressed as I was hoping


That does not surprise me in the least. Unless people are willing to get into thousands of dollars, these cheaper options will always have a lot of drawbacks.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 05 Jun 2019, 2:05 am

I just spent about $80 getting some red filters for my various tourches and spotlights.
Hopefully this’ll compensate for my lack of funds to get into NV.!
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by marksman » 06 Jun 2019, 8:29 am

dont forget the green filters :drinks:
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 06 Jun 2019, 5:30 pm

marksman wrote:dont forget the green filters :drinks:



Righto, I found this rundown.

"In my view green is a little riskier than red light because you are getting closer to the range of visible light that is detectable by most species that we hunt in Australia. As an option, it is still much better than pure white light and, in some circumstances, it has benefits that really come to the fore. Green light is the best colour for cutting through foggy conditions and is hard to detect from side on. It is also more intense than red light, the beam will cover more distance and images will appear sharper.
Many pig hunters swear by green light. Pigs are attracted to areas of bright light and green provides a great level of brightness without the unsettling effects of white light. It will unfortunately elevate the chance of casting shadows that may spook other animals."


Do you agree? Gives the some of the benefits of Red light without cutting back so much on the intensity?
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bigpete » 06 Jun 2019, 7:17 pm

I have a mate who swears by green lights for hunting pigs and dogs...
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by marksman » 06 Jun 2019, 8:28 pm

xDom wrote:
marksman wrote:dont forget the green filters :drinks:



Righto, I found this rundown.

"In my view green is a little riskier than red light because you are getting closer to the range of visible light that is detectable by most species that we hunt in Australia. As an option, it is still much better than pure white light and, in some circumstances, it has benefits that really come to the fore. Green light is the best colour for cutting through foggy conditions and is hard to detect from side on. It is also more intense than red light, the beam will cover more distance and images will appear sharper.
Many pig hunters swear by green light. Pigs are attracted to areas of bright light and green provides a great level of brightness without the unsettling effects of white light. It will unfortunately elevate the chance of casting shadows that may spook other animals."


Do you agree? Gives the some of the benefits of Red light without cutting back so much on the intensity?



no I dont agree :unknown:
the green light is a good one to start the season with and is heaps better to see with than the red but if you keep hunting the same ground as I do later in the season you are best to go for a red lense after the animals become spooked
lately I have been going back to a naked halogen light instead of the leds with lenses as I'm seeing animals are not spooked as much by them
but will change back as they get used to the light or colour :thumbsup:
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 17 Jun 2019, 10:07 pm

See this new thermal optic for under $900 on EBay. I know there’s a strong chance it’s not going to be much chop but the technology is there to start manufacturing these things cheaply.

Give it a few more years and there will be quite a selection of good quality NV gear for affordable prices.
I remember back in the 90’s during my apprenticeship we had an IR thermometer, cost $2k.
You can pick them up for around $70 now.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3749592578
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by bladeracer » 17 Jun 2019, 10:24 pm

xDom wrote:See this new thermal optic for under $900 on EBay. I know there’s a strong chance it’s not going to be much chop but the technology is there to start manufacturing these things cheaply.

Give it a few more years and there will be quite a selection of good quality NV gear for affordable prices.
I remember back in the 90’s during my apprenticeship we had an IR thermometer, cost $2k.
You can pick them up for around $70 now.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3749592578


Don't forget the $100 of GST on that. 9htz and 80x60 pixels sounds like a very poor view?


I just remembered something. I saw a night-vision scope on Ebay for around $400 or so. It said it was good for hundreds of meters, but it didn't list any magnification. So I messaged the seller and asked, and it had no magnification so would be virtually useless at any extended distance for trying to identify an animal.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by xDom » 18 Jun 2019, 1:48 pm

"... 9htz and 80x60 pixels sounds like a very poor view?"

After a bit of reading on the topic... yes, this is indeed pi$$ poor. Probably on a level only slightly higher than you'd expect from a Macca's Happy Meal Toy.

According to Night Hunter Australia... "... around the 320x240 or 384x288 is considered the optimum for value for money and performance."
The Leupold LTO HD Trackers seem like a reasonable buy.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by mickb » 19 Jun 2019, 5:27 pm

Another option for night viewing but not rifle mounted is a 'cascade' unit. This stacks several old surplus gen 1 intensifier units into a single array in an aftermarket housing with optical viewer. There is some fisheye with it but it lifts the light gathering to legitimate high Gen 3 level. There are kits you can buy for a grand or so from the UK to put it together. The only problem is size being similar to a small spotting scope. Not good for rifle mounting but if you want the most NVG power for normal viewing at an affordable price, this is it.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by Die Judicii » 19 Jun 2019, 8:06 pm

Hi xDom
I may be wading in here a bit late,,, but getting to some of your early ???s in this,, your thread.

FWIW, and from my reasonably limited experience, I would recommend that you do extensive homework, and then buy the absolute best that you can afford.
Like,,,,,,,,,, buy once cry once.
Sh!t NV equipment really is just that, "sh!t"

I saved for ages, and bought one of the most up to date models of top shelf brand, and have found that the performance is simply fantastic.

Since then I also purchased a Monocular (just for scanning) of the very Brand and Model that you were asking about.
Believe me, even though its a "good" brand,,,,, it cannot hold a candle to my main unit.
Its severely limited in range (Max of 100 to 150 meters) as opposed to over a kilometer of the main unit.

Even at 100 meters, it struggles to pick up anything smaller than a fox, and certainly not much help in identifying what animal.
I only use it as a base tool to pick up any "white blob" within 180 meters, then use the good one to identify and shoot with.

Even if you have to wait, and save $$$ till you can afford the best,,,, you'll be a happy camper at the end.

Hope this is of some assistance.
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by Blr243 » 19 Jun 2019, 9:40 pm

I agree. Any money spent on thermal or nv gear as a practice run or entry level is a waste of time and money ... Just get some matches and burn your cash instead. Or buy some jack Daniels ......I spent nearly 7 grand on a thermal scope and then another 7 on thermal binos for scanning ....it works and I don’t find myself wishing it was any better... you can’t go crawling around in the bush in the dark with stuff that does not work. .this new gear has transformed my hunting. Imagine looking for pigs actively feeding in the old days in summertime about 45 mins before dark .and then again in the morning you might find them still wandering round about an hour after sunrise before they bed down if your lucky ..... in a twenty four hour period it’s too dark to see them at night and it’s too hot for most of the day to find them out feeding. So I just forget the days now and I rest up with a book. Then as the sun drops below the horizon in the arvo I know I have 12 hours of darkness ahead of me so I never run short of hunting time
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Re: Entry level Night Vision

Post by mickb » 03 Jul 2019, 10:38 pm

BLR243 whats the warranty and product support in Aus like for these units?
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