Question about Night vision gear what works, what is a waste ect

[Savage Jav]

Saying budget and gen 2 or 3 tubes reminds me that peoples budgets differ considerably lol….I say budget and mean gen 1 or 1.5/surplus gear etc. (stuff that costs hundreds not thousands)…stepping up to that price range id expect high quality stuff.

The reference to AGM, do they not make good night vision? Never used any starlight/night vision from them but I've got one of their thermal imaging rifle scopes- a "rattler" mid range and I was impressed (stepping up from scout scope handhelds and iSeek ). It is a little buggy in the operating system but the imaging is pretty clear and it has good range (someday I'll actually take it out shooting lol)

I believe that is what my generation refers to as Retro

 

[American123]

Few years ago before Covid Opticsplanet had their Opmod gen 3 WP PVS14 on sale. It must have been a overrun from someone or a limited run because I haven't seem it available since. Ran about $2500 and the quality is

 

[JustShoot]

IMO the cheapest good night vision that isn't a crapshoot I'm talking gen 2 tubes etc. are gonna be photonis echo gen 2.5 2+ or whatever they call it. you can usually find them for 21-2400$ if you look and are the baseline. Id expect to pay around 2400+ for a good gen 3 pvs 14 I would avoid buying from optics planet or AGM as they are known to be bubblegumty tubes with questionable warranties and specs. Good reputable dealers are TNVC, Steele Industries, and Gooningear.

In the right NV housing , the Photonis 2+ tubes are good performers . Many years back I had a Armasight Clip-on with a 2+ Photonis tube with decent #'s . The clip-on with it's BIG catadioptric obj lens was pretty surprising with performance put up against average Mil.spec Gen3 . I shot the crap out many coyotes testing it out . The 2+ and BIG obj. lens , It only suffered bad on the black No-Moon nights with having usual snowy static frequency, and you had to use IR supplement to clean it up to shoot .
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[Savage Jav]

In the right NV housing , the Photonis 2+ tubes are good performers . Many years back I had a Armasight Clip-on with a 2+ Photonis tube with decent #'s . The clip-on with it's BIG catadioptric obj lens was pretty surprising with performance put up against average Mil.spec Gen3 . I shot the crap out many coyotes testing it out . The 2+ and BIG obj. lens , It only suffered bad on the black No-Moon nights with having usual snowy static frequency, and you had to use IR supplement to clean it up to shoot .
.

Are those clip on worth it compared to saving for a PVS30 or a UNS-A3? Obviously nothing is inexpensive with night vision but as long as it'll reach out to at least 500m with an illuminator itll serve my purposes

 

[JustShoot]

Are those clip on worth it compared to saving for a PVS30 or a UNS-A3? Obviously nothing is inexpensive with night vision but as long as it'll reach out to at least 500m with an illuminator itll serve my purposes

All depending how serious your are about spending money for performance ?
If your just shooting a few coyotes and hitting a piece of steel once in while at night ? go Gen.2+ . Or your want the best performance and image , because your in the darkest night, holding-out till last minute before forced to use IR supplement for image to make shot ?
If wallet was Fat I would be calling knight armament/KAC, and ordering top-end . If your wallet is Thin , look for better deals on maybe buying agency turn-in units .
I had already owned a gen,3 NV rifle mount, when shooting that armasight 2+ . I let it go, but not because I thought it was bad . That unit was good image for the Buck-$$, it also collimated under 1MOA also .
The old Armasight I was using was back years before they sold-out to some other company, with that high #'s gen.2+ Photonis tube could easy see 500 yards at night on 1/2 moon night in open fields . If was a dark No Moon, No Way unless you pumping out Hell Strong IR while looking at some frequency static .
Both 2+ and 3 using same collimated IR . On the Dark cloudy night with low ceiling no ambient . Gen.2+ is going to struggle hard hitting the wall with getting target image , compared with the Average Gen.3 tube image .

You wanting to make 500 yard shoots @ night is pretty good shooting using a gen.3 unit and knowing your rifle , But 500 yard at night can be done with both 3,000-$ or a 12,000-$ clip-on . Plus you 'really knowing' the equipment you are using and mounting to rifle/collimation POI changes/stay current on ranging and shoots ...etc. .
And that's another BIG thing ... Ranging a Target 'accurately' @ Night at longer distances .
Me going out with my gen.3 clip-on , using top-end IR , On dark No Moon night, and Ranging , and shooting a Dog @ 500 yard , You should bow-down to me, and call me .." Da Man '. . because that is a HotShizt Shot with even using the best of NV equipment for anyone.
.

 

[Savage Jav]

All depending how serious your are about spending money for performance ?
If your just shooting a few coyotes and hitting a piece of steel once in while at night ? go Gen.2+ . Or your want the best performance and image , because your in the darkest night, holding-out till last minute before forced to use IR supplement for image to make shot ?
If wallet was Fat I would be calling knight armament/KAC, and ordering top-end . If your wallet is Thin , look for better deals on maybe buying agency turn-in units .
I had already owned a gen,3 NV rifle mount, when shooting that armasight 2+ . I let it go, but not because I thought it was bad . That unit was good image for the Buck-$$, it also collimated under 1MOA also .
The old Armasight I was using was back years before they sold-out to some other company, with that high #'s gen.2+ Photonis tube could easy see 500 yards at night on 1/2 moon night in open fields . If was a dark No Moon, No Way unless you pumping out Hell Strong IR while looking at some frequency static .
Both 2+ and 3 using same collimated IR . On the Dark cloudy night with low ceiling no ambient . Gen.2+ is going to struggle hard hitting the wall with getting target image , compared with the Average Gen.3 tube image .

You wanting to make 500 yard shoots @ night is pretty good shooting using a gen.3 unit and knowing your rifle , But 500 yard at night can be done with both 3,000-$ or a 12,000-$ clip-on . Plus you 'really knowing' the equipment you are using and mounting to rifle/colliation POI changes/stay current on ranging and shoots ...etc. .
And that's another BIG thing ... Ranging a Target 'accurately' @ Night at longer distances .
Me going out with my gen.3 clip-on , using top-end IR , On dark No Moon night, and Ranging , and shooting a Dog @ 500 yard , You should bow-down to me, and call me .." Da Man '. . because that is a HotShizt Shot with even using the best of NV equipment for anyone.
.

My purposes is to give my brother's AR10 some night vision capability. Mostly used to do some long range shooting at night, some pest control (cayotes) as well. Yes 308 is a bit big but I want one gun dedicated for night to have that capability. It sounds like something ill need to think on. Wallet isnt thin but I can pick up two of RNVGs (ust about two dtnvs) for that price vs. selling a PVS14 to pay for the clip on. I'd love to get some time behind one if your willing.

Is a solid illuminator enough to make the Gen 2 up to par as the Gen 3?

 

[JustShoot]

Is a solid illuminator enough to make the Gen 2 up to par as the Gen 3?

Illumination helps pop you a better projected image with Gen. 2 . But your Image quality is still less than even average mil.spec gen3 tube . Gen2 , the darker it gets , the more static frequency ( snow ) you going to have on the Gen.2 image .

( IMHO ) , Gen.2 NV, analog projected image. Is probably pretty comparable to using Digital NV scopes .
But, sticking a Clip-on in front of my scope . if I had to choose between good #'s gen.2 tube Clip-on , or a good Digital Clip-on .
I would choose the Gen.2 NV clip-on . just based on the fact that when you put magnification to a analog image . You get better image , than you magnifying a Digital pixel image .
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[Geardo]

IMO the cheapest good night vision that isn't a crapshoot I'm talking gen 2 tubes etc. are gonna be photonis echo gen 2.5 2+ or whatever they call it. you can usually find them for 21-2400$ if you look and are the baseline. Id expect to pay around 2400+ for a good gen 3 pvs 14 I would avoid buying from optics planet or AGM as they are known to be bubblegumty tubes with questionable warranties and specs. Good reputable dealers are TNVC, Steele Industries, and Gooningear.

I picked up an older gen 3 tube in a new housing for $1,800 last year. I plan to upgrade the tube if I use it enough. I compared it side by side to an echo tube and they were pretty similar.