How Night Vision Works

July 1, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

Night Force Vision

Night vision equipment work in the near-infrared band at a wavelength of about 1 micrometer. Unlike thermal imaging systems, which operate in complete darkness by detecting heat radiation signatures in infrared wavelengths beyond 3 micrometers, night vision works in near darkness by detecting ordinary ambient light, usually from the moon and stars, that is reflected by objects in the scene being viewed. Night vision contains an image intensifier tube that uses the photoelectric effect to amplify very weak light. As each photon of incoming light collides with a detector plate inside the intensifier tube, the plate ejects several electrons that are further amplified into a cascade of electrons. These electrons are accelerated by a strong electric field towards a phosphor screen which emits light at the point of impact of the electrons. A bright image is thus formed on the phosphor screen. Outdoor environments that are illuminated only by star light can be easily viewed using night vision devices.

Most night vision devices do not detect color information, and hence a monochromatic phosphor screen is sufficient. A green phosphor display is generally used because the human eye is most sensitive to the color green, which falls in the middle of the visible light spectrum.

Binoculars and the Military

July 1, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

Night Cougar binoculars

Binoculars have a long history of military use. Galilean designs were widely used up to the end of the 19th century when they gave way to porro prism types. Binoculars constructed for general military use tend to be more heavily ruggedized than their civilian counterparts. They generally avoid more fragile center focus arrangements in favor of independent focus. Prism sets in military binoculars may have redundant aluminized coatings on their prism sets to guarantee they don’t lose their reflective qualities if they get wet. Military binoculars of the cold war era were sometimes fitted with passive sensors that detected active IR emissions, while modern ones usually are fitted with filters blocking laser beams. Further, binoculars designed for military usage may include a stadiametric reticle in one ocular in order to facilitate range estimation.

There are binoculars designed specifically for civilian and military use at sea. Hand held models will be 5× to 7× but with very large prism sets combined with eyepieces designed to give generous eye relief. This optical combination prevents the image vignetting or going dark when the binocular is pitching and vibrating relative to the viewer’s eye. Large, high-magnification models with large objectives are also used in fixed mountings.

Very large binocular naval rangefinders have been used, although late-20th century technology made this application redundant.

night vision binoculars

May 30, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

night vision binoculars

When I stumbled upon this online store, I was immediately amazed with the wide choices of binoculars from top manufacturers they carry. But what I most desired is their line of night vision binoculars, so many types of brands to choose from, totally awesome and the best in quality.
I’m pretty sure that my next camping experience with my buddies would be more adventurous and fun having along this new night vision gadget on hand!

Night Vision vs. Flashlights

May 5, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

night vision goggles

If you’re considering using a flashlight instead of a pair of night vision goggles, you may want to think about how the latter would be better for you.  The quality of seeing through a night vision device is exponentially better than relying on a flashlight.  The image that you would see through goggles would be far clearer and with a deeper range of vision, as opposed to a flashlight which only brightens your surroundings at close range.

Choosing the Right Night Vision Device

May 5, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

night cougar

The most common question in regards to night vision equipment selection is “Which night vision device is right for me?”  All night vision products amplify existing light, allowing you to see in dark conditions too dark for the naked eye. Night vision goggles, monoculars and binoculars collect and amplify existing light through the objective lens, which is then focused on the image intensifier.  Inside the intensifier, a photocathode is animated by the light and converts the photon energy into electrons.  Said electrons accelerate across an electrostatic field inside the intensifier and strike a phosphor screen, which emits an image that you can see.  It is the acceleration of electrons, which provides gain and enhances the image.  The key difference between the varied products is the intensifier technology.

There are many devices that are high quality and provide light amplification adequate for most recreational activities camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and nature viewing, and for many professional uses such as surveillance, search and rescue, and property management, you just have to find the one that’s right for you.

Night Vision Equipment

March 12, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

Night Vision EquipmentFor anyone who’s shopped for night vision equipment, you know it can be pretty expensive.  With gas prices what they are, finding the extra money for something like a night vision combo package can be more challenging than ever.  Thankfully, though, there’s a great alternative to surplus suppliers and overpriced hunting stores.  ScoutMasterPro has helped me find some of the best deals anywhere on top-notch night vision equipment and accessories.

And they offer a lot more than just low prices.  The great service and ultra-fast order turnaround time make ordering easy.  Knowledgeable, experienced and completely dedicated, the folks at ScoutMasterPro can answer nearly any question.  They put their money where their mouth is when it comes to helping their customers.  Even if you don’t buy you’ll get nothing but the best in service from this unique online store.

Affordable Binoculars

March 12, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

Brunton BinocularsA good set of midsize binoculars can be almost impossible to find. Most places have either the opera-style women’s sunglasses with poofy feathers or they carry the Paul Bunyan Mars watching binocs. Neither of these are really acceptable to me so I usually have to spend a lot of time shopping. As someone who uses optics frequently, both for work and play, it can be a real tedious chore trying to find good products.

That’s why I’ve been so thrilled with Scout Master. They’re knowledgeable, experienced and they know what their products can and can’t do. I’ve never gotten a wrong recommendation and everything I get comes on time and well packaged. When it comes to rifle scopes, night vision glasses and goggles or premium quality binoculars these guys are it!

Riflescopes

March 12, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

RiflescopeThose early morning outings into the woods can be extremely dark at times, meaning you won’t see fast moving game. Unless, of course, you can see in the dark. ME, I can barely see in the light so the Night Owl Night Shot 19/1 rifelscopes are a real God-sent. No more sitting on the sidelines while everyone else uses their superior eyesight to hunt.

Wherever I am and however dark it is I get crystal clear vision through this rifle scope. When you add in the precision and quality of the optics equipment it’s more than just another great bargain.

What Are Night Glasses?

February 19, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

Vintage Russian Night Vision ScopeNight glasses are telescopes or binoculars with a large diameter objective. Large lenses can gather and concentrate light, thus intensifying light with purely optical means and enabling the user to see better in the dark than with naked eye alone. Often night glasses also have a fairly large exit pupil of 7 mm or more to let all gathered light into the user’s eye.

However, many people can’t take advantage of this because of the limited dilation of the human pupil. To overcome this, soldiers were sometimes issued atropine eye drops to dilate pupils. Before the introduction of image intensifiers, night glasses were the only method of night vision, and thus were widely utilized, especially at sea. Second World War era night glasses usually had a lens diameter of 56 mm or more with magnification of seven or eight. Major drawbacks of night glasses are their large size and weight.

FT 350 Unbeatable Price

February 19, 2008 posted by ILike2SeeNtheDark

FT350 Recon Night VisionI was this FT 350 Recon Night Vision Monocular and I was stunned to see that it was selling for less than $300.  Even better, it’s selling for almost half that!  Where I live the brick and mortar retailers make a killing off of this stuff, buying it low nd selling it high.  Granted, that’s business and they have to make a living, but with a price like this there’s just no reason to pay more.

And the price isn’t even the best part.  I got reasonable, down to earth advice about what I needced to buy based on my own usage requirements.  A lot of people in the retail stores have no idea how to assess your needs and suggest the right gear for your applications.  That’s not the case at Scout Master!  Just a few of the great FT 350 features:

Fully focusing with coated optics and anti-bloom protection
Self-energizing power supply -eliminates the need for main batteries.
Contemporary lightweight design with rugged composite
   housing