[–] VoatieMcVoatFace 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Yeah. The starlight scopes from the Vietnam era worked okay but not great. They were IR lights that lit up and if any starlight scopes were acquired my the VC they looked like torches when turned on. Now the NVGs of this era are completely different. No grainy green light with no depth perception. It's all different from 40 years ago that's why.
[–] FridayJones 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I have one of the ancient head-mounted IR-beam units, it has extremely limited uses. I bet it would be perfect for running a neighborhood haunted house for Halloween if I was into that sort of thing I suppose. But the range of the spotlight is low and it has very poor resolution and is monocular.
[–] clamhurt_legbeard 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago
Because you're lumping "night vision goggles" into one hilariously large group.
Current image intensifiers are capable of full-color imagery. The original versions needed an infrared spotlight. The differences in technology between those are huge.
[–] rumorhazard [S] ago
It’s all new to me, just thought about buying a pair today. Isn’t there anything from the 90s that is affordable? Obviously $15k is a bit much for your average enthusiast.
[–] clamhurt_legbeard ago
Sure, there are older goggles you could buy for cheaper. What are you intending to do with it?
Cheap crap is out there and you probably get what you pay for. Surplus items can be bought, but might be even worse than the cheap crap. Infrared is also an option, depending on your use. It can see through darkness but has different pros and cons.
[–] lanre ago
A new company makes a digital night vision device. The sionyx Aurora. It seems to work reasonably well, although they recently hiked the prices so it's no longer a $300 toy. That's probably the best budget option currently.