IR Night vision Bino's

that looks expensive for what it does.

You have two competing needs. Local wildlife (say 50 metres) and afloat (say up to 500 m).


A cheaper IR monoscope (Bushnell perhaps) WITH a decent IR torch e.g. the NightMaster series) will work best for the garden, but I can tell you from extensive experience that badgers will react to IR light at close-ish quarters.

Image-intensification (e.g. Archer monoscopes) by

http://www.starlightnv.co.uk/

are very good, but at about 800 squids, are not cheap.


The technology is changing very quickly, and IR and II kit I bought 2 years ago is already out of date, though still functional.
 
This is the type with a low-light video chip, not an image intensifier. I bought one of this type a few years ago in the US.

Better buy from Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eZsbEb but on the basis that I have never heard of Hawke, and avoid anything sold by Maplin like the plague, you may like these better: http://amzn.to/PXS2qI

My son has a US military spec scope which had to be shipped from the US in parts, as they are banned from export. When you look through it, it's like the sun came out. Cost about £2000.
 
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Sarabande,

I'm surprised when you say badgers react to IR light; I haven't tried that, but the ones in our garden in Street didn't even mind PIR security lights and a camera flash !

The Hawke thing mentioned will at least go on cameras, that's a major requirement.

However, I had a similar ' Yukon ' job - the results were OK ( I knew not to expect much having tried real Harrier 4th generation NVG's which cost £squillions ) BUT about 1 minute after the guarantee ran out it packed up; and so had the supplier.

These Night Vision jobs are a bit of a toy, but might just come in really handy on a boat sometime.

In the meantime mainly for wildlife photography if not too serious.
 
A generation 2 or 3 type intensifier is far better than that gen 1 type and far more expensive too. It's very rare than a night sight would be useful on a leisure boat, looking out for smugglers is about it. An ex fire brigade or MOD thermal image scope would be far more useful for MOB work, observing wildlife etc.
 
got a £100 monocular NVG prob 1st generation from aldi/lidl

you can see lobster pots at night if its not raining

so its not completely useless

had a shot of more modern NVG binocs from back of sea king recently - a lot better, tho clearly I wasn't looking at a seascape ;-)

doubt you can get them from ebay tho
 
Seajet said:
For a start, I have not seen any cheap and cheerful civilian thermal imaging gear; image intensifiers seem fine for occasional boat use + wildlife and are freely available.
Click to expand...

You are right that TI is more expensive, and really depends on what you want to use it for. The main use I have for it is night cruising and avoiding pots....
 
Piers,

I imagine that's a fixed IR on a motor boat; I for one don't have the space for a FLIR turret on my small sailing boat !

Nice idea though as I detest pots, especially laid as ' traps ' in places boats will obviously go; if I bother replacing my image intensifier it will be for that main use, as the original was, but sadly just the odd hold up to the eye and scan.

I got to play with both fixed IR and Night Vision Goggles during the development of the Night Vision Harrier GR7, having to take photographs of both types of image, but that was virtually money-no-object equipment.
 
Hi Piers,

here's a GR7 when new, the upper optic on top of the nose is the fixed IR ( lower optic is the Hughes Angle Rate Bombing Sight), the pilot also had 4th generation Night Vision Goggles for peering about; if the hangars look familiar that's because Dunsfold is now home to Top Gear.

I have a shot of the cockpit with everything working but can't fit both due to file size.

View attachment 40868
 
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