Night vision goggles provide you with the ability to clearly see objects at night or in darkness, even at distances of up to many hundreds of yards.These were first seen during world war 2 and were a significant advance scientifically.The goggles on the market today use highly advanced technology, a lot of which was previously only available to the military and lets these units take available light and intensify it to allow excellent night time vision.
Night vision goggles are designated into generations.Units range from 1-3 with improved sensitivity and improved resolution standard as the number increases. The units allocated gen3 meet armed forces specifications but are considerably more expensive.They all fall into 3 main categories but these will all have sub categories and are more often than not identified by the generations number from 1 -3 as the main difference and then will have + added if it has extra or updated features.
Generation 1: Although first practically used in WW2 it was in the Vietnam war that the first “passive infrared” night vision goggles were brought to the battle field.These tended to be very bulky.These early Gen-One goggles wanted a cloudless night and a full moon to work with any clarity. Updated Gen-one products, though much more compact, much brighter and much more reliable, are just the direct descendants of that 1960’s technology. Newer Generation 1 goggles do give increased performance from there original predecessors. Generation 1 units use an S-20 photocathode and electrostatic inversion to achieve thier image. This allows and gives better resolution toward the middle of the image tube, but the outer edges may be blurred. Generation 1 goggles are relatively cost effective and are a cost effective introduction to the night vision enthusiast.
Gen-Two: This generation were seen during the 1980’s. The image tubes in these units enhanced their sensitivity with the introduction of a micro-channel plate . Not only doubling the systems light amplification the new Generation11 and Generation two+ had a 50% increase in viewing clarity.These units provide great performance in low light levels with low distortion. Gen11 night vision goggles amplify light by 20,000 to 30,000 times, making them far more effective in low light conditions than the 1st generation. Gen-Two tubes have a life expectancy from between 2,500 hours to 4000 hours.
Generation Three: Gen3 night vision goggles represent the latest advanced technology. Gen-3 incorporates the greatest performance image intensifier tube technology available to day.Not only do these gen 3 units have the micro channel plates found on Generation11 units the Generation 111 units have added advanced technology with the addition of a Gallinium Arsenide (GaAs) photo cathode. The addition of this exotic element gives ii the very best performance specifications. Put plainly – it really can turn night into day. Gen3 night vision goggles give the greatest depth of features, these include intuitive user controls, fully automatic image tube protection, rapid flash recovery facility and many on-screen indicators.Generation 111 offers greater clarity but is nearly always cost more than Generation two. Gen2 night vision works well in most situations while Gen3 will give great results in all conditions.
Night Vision, and in particular goggles, are one of the top choices of the military and law enforcement agencies across the United States. Goggles and Binoculars make the most sense for surveillance and observation operations because the two eyepieces minimizes the amount of strain on the eyes.The goggles can be hat mounted thus allowing the wearer the freedom of their hands. Night vision optics come in a variety of different styles. Night vision goggles have become very popular over the past five to ten years. Using the electro optical imaging device which is able to detect both visible and infrared energy sources and then is able to intensify these energy sources further in order to provide a visible image for viewing at night.